New numbers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that the 2018-2019 flu vaccine registered the lowest vaccine effective rate since 2015. While flu effectiveness measured 47% in February 2019, the shot was less able to prevent cases of H3N2 that appeared later in the season, with vaccine effectiveness of 9%. The CDC has announced that the effectiveness of this season has been 29%, significantly less than the 40 percent or more recorded for the last three years.

The 2018-2019 Flu Season

Much like fire season, flu season now lasts longer than ever. Flu activity levels increased beginning in November and returned to normal levels in mid-April, making 2018-2019 the longest flu season in 10 years. This is a significant development that could have lasting implications for the flu shot. Healthcare practitioners are advised to vaccinate their patients by the end of October with many offices or locations giving the shot as early as September. The flu vaccine lasts from four to six months before it no longer provides protection. In fact, a 2018 study from researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California found that the risk of getting the flu rose by 16 percent after twenty-eight days of being vaccinated. As of right now, flu revaccination later in the season isn’t recommended.

Recommended: How to Eliminate IBS, IBD, Leaky Gut

Over the last decade and a half, the flu vaccine has never been more than 60 percent effective. If a longer flu season becomes the norm, that effectiveness will likely decrease even further as immunity from the vaccine won’t last the whole season. The flu shot also comes with side effects ranging from headaches, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and fatigue to serious side effects like brain inflammation, convulsions, Bell’s palsy, paralysis of limbs, neuropathy, shock, asthma, wheezing, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and other respiratory issues.

Sources:

• Latest flu vaccine failing against current strain, CDC reports – ABC News
• Poor Late-Season Protection Limited Flu Vaccine Impact for 2018-19 – CIDRAP
• CDC: 2018-2019 Flu Season the Longest in a Decade – Pharmacy Times
• Update: Influenza Activity in the United States During the 2018–19 Season and Composition of the 2019–20 Influenza Vaccine – CDC.gov
• Immunize – Immunization Action Coalition
• Study: Flu vaccine protection starts to wane within weeks – CIDRAP

The Trump administration wants to exempt many new genetically engineered crops from regulation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Trump wants it to be easier for genetically engineered plants and animals to enter the food supply. He signed an executive order on June 11th to have federal agencies simplify the “regulatory maze” for genetically modified food producers.

The administration says it wants to cut the cost of genetically modified crop development and exempt crops that have similar traits to plants that could be produced through hybridization (traditional plant breeding). GMO companies would be allowed to determine if their products are exempt from regulation.

Related: Foods Most Likely to Contain Glyphosate

The administration argues the approach will allow regulators to focus on ‘increasingly complex products which, in turn, may pose new types of risks.’ “

Bloomberg

Crops produced with the newer gene-editing technologies wouldn’t automatically be subject to special oversight under the proposed rule. GMO companies say gene-editing makes it so that they can easily and more precisely alter the DNA of plants and animals, and that these changes to the DNA could be done with conventional breeding techniques.

Jaydee Hanson of the Center for Food Safety warns that these new gene editing techniques can make significant changes, “including those that would never happen in nature,” and says that the companies need oversight.

The proposed rules are open for public comment through Aug. 5 before the department issues a final regulation.

The Trump Administration has been friendly to companies like Bayer (formerly Monsanto) in the past. In 2019 Trump’s administration lifted Obama’s ban on GMOs and bee-killing chemicals in wildlife refuges.

A recent observational study published in the journal General Psychiatry found that regulating the gut microbiome had positive effects on people with anxiety. In a review of 21 different studies that included controlled anxiety tests, 11 studies showed that regulating the intestinal microbiome produced positive results. The researchers conclude:

We find that more than half of the studies included showed it was positive to treat anxiety symptoms by regulation of intestinal microbiota. There are two kinds of interventions (probiotic and non-probiotic interventions) to regulate intestinal microbiota, and it should be highlighted that the non-probiotic interventions were more effective than the probiotic interventions. More studies are needed to clarify this conclusion since we still cannot run meta-analysis so far.”

Related: How To Heal Your Gut

Managing the Gut

After looking at 21 studies and the 1,503 people those studies consisted of, researchers found that regulating intestinal flora was a beneficial action 52 percent of the time. But what did their interventions look like and can that be applied in real life?

The interventions in the study were mostly divided into two different categories, probiotic and non-probiotic. The non-probiotic options consisted of regulating diet, like choosing a low FODMAP diet or using prebiotics like fructooligosaccharides or trans-galactooligosaccharides. Of the 11 studies that showed the positive effects of microbiome regulation on anxiety, 5 used probiotics and 6 relied on non-probiotic options, including diet.

Related: Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

Mood and the Gut

Diet has a powerful effect on our microbiome, and that microbiome in turn greatly affects mood. Many of the hormones responsible for regulating our attitudes are produced in the intestinal tract, like serotonin. There is direct communication between our gut and our brain chemicals, and an unbalanced, unhealthy gut will correlate with mood shifts and fluctuations.

Non-probiotic interventions were the most effective method of anxiety treatment which includes the use of prebiotics. Prebiotics stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. These bacteria can be found in probiotics, but prebiotics work because they feed the bacteria and create an atmosphere where it can thrive. Because they are a type of fiber, prebiotics are also easy and inexpensive to obtain. Many foods are an excellent source of them, from raw vegetables and fruits (especially dandelion greens, onions, garlic, bananas, apples, and asparagus) to pulses like chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans.

Related: Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

A Holistic View

The gut has been called the “second brain” by many scientists and using that connections to treat mental disorders like anxiety is (pardon me…) a no-brainer. One of the benefits of the increased availability and advancements of research in the way we work is how it allows us to see how truly holistic our body is. Everything is connected, and that process starts in the gut. A healthy, thriving gut goes a long way in improving the health of the other systems in our body.

Sources:

• Anxiety Might Be Alleviated By Regulating Gut Bacteria – BMJ
• Effects of regulating intestinal microbiota on anxiety symptoms: A systematic review – BMJ General Psychiatry
• How Candida Leads to Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, and Other Mental Disorders – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
• Think Twice: How the Gut’s “Second Brain” Influences Mood and Well-Being – Scientific American
• Probiotics and Prebiotics: What’s the Difference? – Healthline

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the process of updating its sunscreen regulation requirements. A small study funded by the agency has discovered that the active ingredients in sunscreen get absorbed into the bloodstream. Regulations for these ingredients haven’t changed since the 1970s, and the FDA is now asking for more information regarding 12 of the most commonly used active ingredients in sunscreen, like oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and avobenzone. These ingredients are also absorbed into the bloodstream within hours and remain in levels that exceed the generally regarded as safe levels set by the FDA. Theresa Michele, director of the FDA’s division of nonprescription drug products and coauthor on the FDA-funded study, says

Everyone had always thought that because these are intended to work on the surface of the skin that they wouldn’t be absorbed, but they are…”

As of yet, only two of the active sunscreen ingredients studied recently by the FDA have been deemed safe, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

Editors Note: There are problems with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as well.

The shocking truth is the fact that both petrochemical sunscreens (avobenzone, methoxycinnamate, padimate-o and the like) and physical sunblocks (chemically-reacted synthetics titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) are not natural and have been found to generate free radicals when exposed to sunlight, which then can attack the nuclei of your skin cells and cause mutations. That’s right, they can cause skin cancer. Furthermore, sunscreen chemicals have been found to pass through the skin and mimic the effects of estrogen, which may disrupt the delicate balance of the body’s natural hormones.

Sunscreen Dangers

Actively Harming Ingredients…?

The most recent sunscreen study focused on proving how feasible a sunscreen use trial would be and gathering information on frequently seen active ingredients. Researchers used four different types of sunscreen formulations (two sprays, a lotion, and a cream) to test exposure levels of four different chemicals – avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule. All four of the chemicals registered significant exposure levels, and avobenzone, oxybenzone, and octocrylene reached those levels within the first six hours of application. Those elevated exposure levels also took at least 24 hours to decrease, with octocrylene concentrations taking the longest amount of time to decrease (84 hours).

Recommended: Foods Most Likely to Contain Glyphosate

There is not enough information about these chemicals, although what we do know is concerning. Some active sunscreen ingredients like oxybenzone and avobenzone have been identified as endocrine disruptors. These chemicals also degrade when exposed to the sun, releasing free radicals and increasing skin cancer risks. It doesn’t help that many of these ingredients find their way into breast milk, amniotic fluid, and urine in addition to the bloodstream.

But We Need the D

Sunscreen can also impede the body’s ability to absorb vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiencies are no joke. A lack of the vitamin can result in fatigue, back pain, hair loss, and depression, among other things. This deficiency is widespread, even among populations with constant access to sunlight and it has been declared a pandemic by health organizations for over a decade. A study from 2010 counted over a billion people worldwide with insufficient vitamin D levels. As of last year, 42 percent of Americans were not getting enough vitamin D.

While it’s possible to get vitamin D from diet, the best source is the sun. But sunscreen interrupts that absorption, making the product doubly problematic. It disrupts the intake of an essential nutrient while replacing it with improperly tested and potentially toxic chemicals.

There are two types of skin cancer. There’s what’s called non-melanoma skin cancer and there is no question that excessive exposure to sunlight and sunburns will damage the DNA and induce skin cells to become cancerous. That is non-melanoma squamous and basal cell cancers. They are typically easy to detect, easy to treat. They’re not lethal, for the most part.”

Dr. Michael Holick, homemade sunscreen article

Related: Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

A New Vision

Wear sunscreen has become a mantra. Professionals in the health and beauty sectors tout the benefits of the product left and right. There’s even a song about it! But none of that well-meaning advice addresses the possibility that sunscreen could be more harmful than previously thought. Ideally, new regulations will do something to bring those dangers to attention.

Sources:

• Sunscreen Chemicals Soak All the Way Into Your Bloodstream – Wired
• Effect of Sunscreen Application Under Maximal Use Conditions on Plasma Concentration of Sunscreen Active Ingredients – JAMA
• The Trouble With Ingredients in Sunscreens – EWG
• Vitamin D Health: Why You Shouldn’t Shun the Sun – HuffPost
• The FDA is questioning the safety of 14 common sunscreen ingredients – Popular Science
• Neurotoxic effect of active ingredients in sunscreen products, a contemporary review – Science Direct

Governor Kate Brown of Oregon signed House Bill 2220 on May 6, 2019, to allow dentists in Oregon to administer vaccinations including MMR, HPV, and influenza shots to their patients during dental checkups

Dentists will need to be certified in order to administer the vaccines. They will need training on vaccination and they will have to comply with state vaccine storage and reporting regulations.

Dentists in Minnesota and Illinois can administer influenza vaccines to adults only. Oregon is the first state in the U.S. to allow dentists to vaccinate patients of any age or to vaccinate with more than only the flu shot.

Before dentists start vaccinating patients, the Oregon Board of Dentistry needs to figure out how to implement the new rules safely. Board director Stephen Prisby says one of the issues to be addressed is how dentists will know what vaccines their patients already received.

They won’t have all the vaccine history of a patient. They’ll have to communicate with the primary health care provider or have access to those records. So that’s one of those wrinkles we’ll have to be addressed in rules.

Stephen Prisby

Recommended:

• How To Heal Your Gut
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

On January 30th Tyson recalled 36,420 pounds of chicken nuggets due to potential rubber contamination. On March 22 Tyson Foods recalled approximately 69,000 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strips

Now Tyson is recalling more of their chicken strips for a total of 11.8 million pounds due to pieces of metal found in the product by consumers.

This is an addition to the chicken strips the company recalled in March. Tyson said the additionally recalled chicken strips were manufactured at the same location that the initial batch was made, with before-use dates between Oct. 1, 2019, and March 7, 2020.

Tyson says that the majority of the chicken strips have already been consumed without any known incidents.

The top three meat producers (Tyson, Perdue, Pilgrim’s Pride) have issued multiple recalls For beef and chicken due to metal, plastic, rubber, and wood contamination.

Recommended: How to Detoxify and Heal the Lymphatic System

The world is finally realizing the dangers of glyphosate in our food system. Costco is planning to ban glyphosate from their stores, and Bayer is facing a plethora of lawsuits for the cancer-causing herbicide.

The world is also beginning to understand the problems with our food system and we’re starting to seriously look for alternatives to factory farmed meat.

We love the idea of meat-alternatives in an effort to adopt a more ecologically friendly and human approach to feeding the population. We have to find alternatives to factory farming. And the meat-alternative that’s all the rage today is the Impossible Burger. Burger King is rolling out the Impossible Whopper nationwide this year. White Castle, Hard Rock Cafe, Red Robin, Cheesecake Factory, and hundreds of other restaurants already have the Impossible Burger on their menu.

Related: Foods Most Likely to Contain Glyphosate

Unfortunately, the Impossible burger is not a healthy or environmentally conscious alternative to beef. Mom’s Across America reports that the Health Research Institute Laboratories found levels of glyphosate in the Impossible burger to be alarmingly high.

The total result (glyphosate and its break down AMPA) was 11.3 ppb. Moms Across America also tested the Beyond Meat Burger and the results were 1 ppb. These are levels eleven times higher than levels within the Beyond Meat Burger.

We are shocked to find that the Impossible Burger can have up to 11X higher levels of glyphosate residues than the Beyond Meat Burger according to these samples tested. This new product is being marketed as a solution for “healthy” eating, when in fact 11 ppb of glyphosate herbicide consumption can be highly dangerous. Only 0.1 ppb of glyphosate has been shown to alter the gene function of over 4000 genes in the livers, kidneys and cause severe organ damage in rats.**** I am gravely concerned that consumers are being misled to believe the Impossible Burger is healthy.”

Zen Honeycutt, Executive Director of Moms Across America

Related: How to Avoid GMOs – And Everything Else You Should Know About Genetic Engineering

Soy and wheat crops that are often heavily sprayed with glyphosate. The CEO of Impossible Foods recently announced that the soy patties will be made using GMO soy. Previously the Impossible Burger was being made with a textured wheat protein, but in order to meet demand, they switched to a non-GM soy protein concentrate, and are now switching to genetically engineered soy. The CEO & Founder of Impossible Foods, Pat Brown, said that GM soy is “the safest and most environmentally responsible option that would allow us to scale our production and meet demand.”

One the switch is made to GM soy the glyphosate levels in the Impossible Burger are likely to rise. Genetically-modified soy is a “Roundup Ready” product.

Common Drea,s broke down the CEOs clams in an excellent article titled, 6 Reasons Impossible Burger’s CEO Is Wrong About GMO Soy.