Monsanto’s Glyphosate, Fatty Liver Disease Link Proven – Published, Peer-reviewed, Scrutinized Study

Glyphosate. The world’s most popular herbicide. An alleged cause of cancer. Available in supermarkets across the nation, whether you want it or not. So what is the latest accomplishment for Monsanto’s golden child? Fatty liver disease!

Dr. Michael Antoniou from King’s College in London has found a link between the herbicide and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition whose symptoms include fatigue, nausea, jaundice, cirrhosis, and abdominal pain, among others. It is found primarily in overweight and obese people, people with diabetes, and those with high cholesterol. According to Dr. Robin Mesnage, another author of the study,

The concentration of glyphosate that was added to the drinking water of the rats corresponds to a concentration found in tap water for human consumption. It is also lower than the contamination of some foodstuffs.”

Where is the Science?

Glyphosate has been on the market since 1974 and since the advent of genetically-modified, Roundup ready crops in 1996, more than 18 billion tons of the stuff has been used worldwide (nearly a fifth of that was in the U.S. alone). It’s been linked to environmental degradation, and the number of studies linking glyphosate to health issues are growing. The work from King’s College is the first to definitively identify a real risk glyphosate poses to human health. Dr. Antoniou says,

The findings of our study are very worrying as they demonstrate for the first time a causative link between an environmentally relevant level of Roundup consumption over the long-term and a serious disease.”

Long-term studies on the impact of glyphosate are few and subject to huge amounts of scrutiny. A previous two-year study, the Seralini study in 2012, tested rats for long-term toxicity and found that the rats developed tumors and had shorter life spans. The study was heavily criticized, and the publisher retracted it in 2013 despite protests from the authors.

The recently discovered link between glyphosate and fatty liver disease is peer-reviewed, scrutinized, published in Scientific Reports, and from a prestigious university. But it has only now been released. One of the authors on the paper is Gilles-Eric Seralini (he of the previously retracted study), and this study uses the same, roundly criticized breed of rat from the previous study. The Crop Protection Association has already called the validity of this study into question saying, “Glyphosate is amongst the most thoroughly tested herbicides on the market, and those studies by expert regulators have consistently concluded that glyphosate does not pose a risk to public health.”

Americans Enjoy a More Substantial Glyphosate Allowance

The Crop Protection Association is correct. Glyphosate is one of the most tested herbicides on the market (although generally for 90 days, not 730). From this testing, the government has decided that there is a safe amount of glyphosate that can be ingested. That amount, the allowable daily intake (ADI), is 1.75 mg per kg of body weight in the United States. In Europe, the ADI is much lower at 0.3 mg per kg of bodyweight. Immediately, this discrepancy calls to mind a certain stereotype, that of the overweight American tourist bobbing merrily through a sea of slim and sneering Europeans. With the link between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and glyphosate, is it too much of a leap to think that the rise of obesity in America could be caused by our lax attitude towards the omnipresent herbicide?

What is Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease?

Basically, fat accumulates in the liver when the liver cannot break it down or process it fast enough. The liver normally stores some fat, but when the liver builds up more than 5 – 10 percent of its weight in fat, it’s called fatty liver disease. In alcoholic fatty liver disease, the liver can break down if it is unable to process the amount of alcohol ingested. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease follows the same model, only without the alcohol. This problem, like so many health problems, starts in the gut.

Bacteria in the large and small intestine like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are responsible for breaking down fats in the body. The liver helps with this, sending bile into the small intestine to help with turning the food into smaller molecules. But a digestive system without enough beneficial bacteria to properly digest food is left with something closer to the original fat molecules. Unabsorbed fats should stay in the intestine, but the bile from the liver is responsible for cleaning the intestine. Almost all of that bile is recycled back to the liver, potentially carrying the less digested fats with it. From there, the liver can be overwhelmed by the accumulated fats that it can’t clear out, much like its response to alcohol in alcoholic fatty liver disease.

And the Glyphosate Is…?

Much of the blame for non-alcoholic liver disease can be placed squarely on the diet of those who have it. Processed sugars and refined foods feed opportunistic, less helpful microbes in the gut like Candida, that in turn crowd out beneficial bacteria and place more stress on the liver. It’s all about the processed foods – the foods likely to have the highest concentration of glyphosate. And the glyphosate is everywhere.

The Detox Project at the University of California San Francisco found glyphosate in 93% of the urine samples from their early tests. This is the glyphosate that was processed out of the body. Meanwhile, the poor liver chugs along like some cliche of an overworked housewife, left with the overload of improperly digested food molecules, toxic food additives, and who knows exactly how much herbicide piled on top of it.

Research Matters. So Where’s the Rest of It?

Lack of research is the biggest issue with current government attitudes towards glyphosate and why this study matters. The authors of this study saw the connection between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and glyphosate with a regular dose 75,000 times below the European limit and over 400,000 times below the U.S. limit. There is no way to measure how much glyphosate people are being exposed to through proximity to agriculture, their food, and even their tap water. Glyphosate is everywhere, and we barely even know the results of long-term, repeated exposure to it.

Imagine a study, much in the vein of this one, where scientists gave test subjects the full U.S. government allowable daily intake of glyphosate regularly for two years. Do you even want to see those results?

Further Reading:
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No Makeup & Blemish Free? Healthy Gut, Healthy Skin – Here’s How

For a movie star, 1080 was bad enough; now there’s 4k resolution! Pores on the face can steal the show under high def scrutiny. The typical solution is  more makeup. Not just any makeup, high definition, movie star makeup, which is even worse for the skin than the conventional kind. It’s a vicious cycle in which many a movie or television star find themselves, while others have radiant, beautiful, blemish free skin.

Why do some stars look young and vibrant well past the age when most of us are blotchy and achy all over, even when they are caught off guard and makeup free by the paparazzi? It may seem like they know a Hollywood secret, but they don’t. There isn’t one. There’s no pill or insider trick. It’s health. Pure and simple. Health that is mainly due to diet. What you see is an actor who consistently makes the right choices, every single day.

Poor skin health is a symptom of an unhealthy microbiome. The health of the skin, eyes, and mouth are very good indicators for gut health. Anyone who wants healthy skin will have to eat a healthy diet.

Our microbiome breaks down and assimilates food, assimilates nutrients, and helps produce hormones, all while crowding out potential pathogens and keeping Candida numbers in check. The body’s gut flora primarily consists of bacteria and fungi. A healthy gut contains a ratio of about 1000 bacteria to 1 Candida yeast cell. In this ratio, Candida albicans is just a part of our beneficial gut flora. It’s no coincidence that the most beneficial gut bacteria survive and thrive on the most beneficial foods we can eat. Healthy gut flora live off of raw, organic vegetables and other healthy whole foods. Nasty, pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and other microbes live in a gut full of fast food and prescription drugs. The more fresh, raw, organic produce we consume, the healthier the gut flora will be. Candida is very opportunistic, and it will proliferate in a host who consumes a poor diet or otherwise disrupts their gut flora.

An abundance of Candida will seriously damage the intestinal walls causing an overly permeable or “leaky” gut. Most people in modern societies like ours are living with this right now. When Candida is left unchecked, it opens the door for other pathogens. More accurately, it makes holes in the gut for pathogens to invade the bloodstream. When someone has poor skin health, it is a safe bet that Candida is proliferating.

Our modern lifestyle disrupts our microbiome system:

  • Antibiotics in our food, water, drugs, soaps, and other bodycare products
  • Refined foods that feed the pathogens (healthy food feeds the good guys)
  • Vaccines, drugs (not just antibiotics, but anything toxic), heavy metals, and other toxins that kill beneficial flora
  • Pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins that kill our bacteria
  • Other toxic “foods” that disrupt our gut flora (like foods that contain heavy metals, artificial sweeteners, GMOs, etc.)

Here’s the thing that the medical community is not getting: anything that is toxic to the body will disrupt the body’s natural flora. Then Candida proliferates, and the body falls apart shortly thereafter. For better health, fix the body’s ecosystem. It will take time. Fortunately, it takes less time to get well than it does to get sick.

Natural Skin Health Via Gut Healing Protocol

Still not convinced? Try the following protocol for two weeks. Before starting, take pictures for a before and after comparison. The difference will be notable. We’re not just talking skin health. Allergies and most other ailments will dissipate, too. Fix the gut and eventually, the whole body follows.

Drink Lots of Cranberry Lemonade

Drink between a half a gallon and a gallon of cranberry lemonade each day to flush the liver and kidneys of toxins and help rejuvenate the endocrine system, which will help keep the blood clean and reduce “die-off symptoms” commonly associated with killing Candida.

Cranberry Lemonade Recipe

  • Glass gallon jar
  • Safe, clean, spring water or distilled water
  • 1 cup of unsweetened, organic cranberry juice, not from concentrate
  • 3 organic fresh lemons
  • A citrus juicer
  • Liquid stevia
  • Liquid cayenne

Fill the jar to about 85% capacity with spring water (or distilled water). Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice into the water. Add cranberry juice. Add stevia to taste and then add cayenne to taste. The amount of cayenne used is up to you, but the more the better.

If you don’t have access to a good source for spring water, use other clean drinking water that does not contain fluoride. If you don’t have access to organic lemons, use conventional. Fresh is almost always best. If there are no fresh lemons, use organic bottled lemon juice. If you can’t get cranberry juice that is not from concentrate, get the reconstituted kind (just don’t get any kind of cranberry juice that has any other ingredients like sweeteners or other juices). If you can’t stand cayenne, don’t use it. No glass jar? Use plastic.

Eat Right

Produce detoxifies. Fresh, whole, organic, raw vegetables, herbs, and fruits pull toxins from the body and repopulates healthy, beneficial gut bacteria as it give the body the nutrients it needs including enzymes and other phytonutrients that are almost non-existent in most modern diets.

Try to eat a huge salad every day with lots of greens, plenty of other colors, garlic, cilantro, ginger, and more. Check out this salad recipe.

The Salad Base

  • Spinach
  • Arugula (I prefer baby arugula, mature arugula tastes funky)
  • Collard greens (they’re very bitter; use sparingly)
  • Lettuce (mix it up, try an organic spring mix)
  • Kale
  • Beet greens (the tops of beets)
  • Red cabbage (thinly shred like a slaw or a little thicker, depending on the texture you prefer)
  • Rainbow chard

Shredded, Grated, or Spiralized

  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Beetroot
  • Daikon (or other radish)

Chopped or Diced

  • Leeks
  • Red onions
  • Red and yellow bell peppers
  • Cucumbers
  • Cilantro
  • Asparagus (try cooking it in a balsamic vinegar first)

Extras

  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Olives
  • Raisins or dried cranberries
  • Sesame seeds
  • Ground papaya seeds and/or ground pepper
  • Avocado
  • Eggs (try soft boiled)
  • Beans (black, pinto, kidney, green, garbanzo, etc.)
  • Garlic
  • Turmeric
  • Chia seeds

It’s not an exact recipe, and it doesn’t have to be. Mix it up. Try new things. My salads generally have about 15 ingredients. Make them big; make them diverse. Just imagine you’re in nature, not modern society, and all you have to eat is nothing but a wide variety of the best, whole, fresh, healthy vegetables and herbs. This is what a big salad a day can do for you. It’s life changing.

I throw in chickpeas or a three-bean salad combination. If you’re not vegan, try a sheep feta cheese with this salad and throw on some eggs. It’s good with meat, too, like chicken or steak.

Don’t ruin it with a crappy salad dressing! All this salad needs is a little balsamic vinegar (apple cider is better, but I don’t like the taste as much in my salads), or some fresh lemon juice. It doesn’t take much.

What Else to Eat and What Not to Eat

Eat whole foods; avoid refined foods. Brown rice is good; white rice is out. Avoid wheat; artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners; trans fats; and MSG. Avoid carbonated beverages. Avoid GMOs. Limit fruits, and besides stevia, avoid or limit anything else that’s sweet.

Our modern diet almost always includes too much refined sugar. We don’t have access to agave nectar, brown rice syrup, fruit juices, and other sweeteners in nature. It’s just too much sugar. You may be thinking honey is a good alternative, but this is only true when the gut is healed, the body is relatively free of infection, and the immune system functions properly. Otherwise, even with its antimicrobial properties, honey can feed infection as it goes through the digestion process.

Supplements

Candida evolves to be resistant to much of what we do to try to kill it. This is much more of an issue with conventional treatments than it is with supplements, but it’s still a possibility. A multifaceted approach is the best way to eliminate Candida quickly. They won’t have time to adapt. Lots of protocols recommend multiple supplements that essentially have the same active ingredients, leading the buyer to believe they are taking a multifaceted approach when they are not. This is one of the many reasons typical Candida protocols are not very effective, though poor diet is the number one reason for any natural protocol not working effectively. For those on a tight budget or only wanting to add one or two supplements to their routine, I listed the following supplement links in order from the most to the least important in regards to killing Candida and balancing the gut.

  • Formula SF722 is one of the most effective products (perhaps the best) for killing any kind of fungal infection. It’s been shown in labs that Candida cannot adapt to undecenoic acid (the active ingredient in SF722) like it can with almost every other way we try to kill it.
  • Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse will kill parasites, Candida, and other bad guys while it heals the gut, improves regularity, and removes nasty biofilm (little-known fact: there’s good biofilm, and there’s bad biofilm), all while setting up a hospitable environment for beneficial flora.
  • Undecyn has many different active components formulated specially to kill pathogens in the gut, urinary tract, and vaginal area, but it kills bad guys everywhere.
  • FloraMend is a probiotic that passes through the stomach acid and releases in the intestinal tract.
  • Olive Leaf Extract supports the immune system and promotes a healthy intestinal environment and provides natural protection and a healthy environment for cells, without suppressing immune system function or harming beneficial microflora.
  • Shillington’s Intestinal Detox is important for anyone who may have heavy metals in their system, and this formula heals the whole digestive tract. It’s not as necessary for more people, but if you experience digestive upset or heavy metal toxicity the intestinal detox is perfect for these issues.
  • MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations is effective against all common parasites. With the Intestinal Cleanse and the Undecyn, this is overkill for most people, but if you’re very concerned with parasites, it’s the formula designed for that.
  • Allium Oil, made with organic olive oil, garlic, and vitamin E, encourages healthy, smooth sebum production and release and fights infection. (See this article for more on sebum.)

The SF722, Undecyn, the MicroDefense, and to a lesser extent the Intestinal Cleanse, will damage beneficial bacteria, so there are two options to get the most out of your supplements. One method is to take the FloraMend probiotic (and olive leaf) at bedtime and upon take the other microbe-killing supplements during the day with meals. Another option is to wait a week or two for symptoms to subside and then stop taking the SF722 and Undecyn and start taking the probiotic, but for those who are particularly ill, healing may take a little longer with this approach. Taking beneficial bacteria and the supplements that help support it at night makes for better B vitamin production, mineral uptake, and hormonal balance. Note that one of the great things about the olive leaf extract and the Intestinal Detox supplements is that while they do kill pathogens, neither formula will kill the good bacteria.

There are certain vitamins and minerals that have been proven to curb Candida growth, and of course, Candida depletes many of these nutrients. The right diet should suffice, but most people will do well with a nutrition formula, a mineral formula, fats and vitamin D, and a B vitamin complex. This is especially true for anyone who does not have access to high quality, nutrient dense food on a regular basis. Biotin, otherwise known as B7, helps prohibit Candida from converting to its hyphal filamentous growth structure, which is the form where tentacles drill through the gut. But there are at least a dozen other minerals and vitamins that we know are just as significant to gut balance, hence the holistic approach.

Maintenance for Clear Skin

After the gut is healthy and the body is healthy, continue to eat well, avoid processed foods, take the aforementioned supplements (nutrition formula, a mineral formula, fats and vitamin D, and a B vitamin complex), and continue to stay away from processed foods, wheat, alcohol, and vaccines. Or, stay away from them for a month and then go eat some bread and get your flu shot, watch the zits pop up. Your choice.

For those who are willing to spend considerable money to look younger than should be possible:

You can take systemic enzymes with collagen, but don’t take them at the same time. Take systemic enzymes on an empty stomach. If you take them with food, enzymes will help digest the food, which is great, but also take them on an empty stomach.

Use essential oils in place of perfumes, and make your own deodorant and sunscreen. Avoid all skin care products with chemicals, which is to say, avoid all conventional skin care, and read the “natural” labels diligently. Or, don’t use that stuff and just make everything yourself.

Conclusion

Candida is a hot topic of debate within both the naturopathic community and conventional medicine, with views ranging from Candida being the root of everything that’s wrong with the body to it being a very rare issue that is completely overblown. The reality is that a Candida infection in the gut is a process that happens when one is not well, and when left unchecked (it doesn’t take long) Candida will allow other pathogens to infiltrate the body through the gut. Candida is the key to many other diseases due to how it burrows into the intestinal walls. Once someone is chronically ill, it may or may not be Candida causing their problems, but you can bet Candida has played a big role.

Illness is never due to just one type of pathogen. If you feel ill, whether it be from a chronic illness or just a cold, it’s a little-known fact that there’s often more than just one virus, bacteria, or other pathogen affecting you.

Recommended Reading:
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How Constipation Becomes Dangerous

After nutrients are absorbed from the food we eat,  undigested material and waste products form fecal waste, which is temporarily stored in the colon. When a person is constipated, the fecal waste is not expelled normally; it accumulates. Constipation can be caused by several factors. The most common are dehydration, insufficient intake of dietary fiber, and stress. Occasional constipation does not usually pose a danger to your health. However, being constipated often, or suffering from what medical practitioners call chronic constipation can lead to serious health issues.

Increase in Blood Pressure and Heart Attack

A high blood pressure reading indicates that the blood is exerting a higher than normal pressure against the blood vessels. This increased pressure  can damage the walls of blood vessels, making them more susceptible to cholesterol buildup. When cholesterol builds up, plaques and blood clots may form, leading to blockages within the vessels. When blood flow to the heart is compromised, lack of oxygen supply can result in a heart attack.

There is no scientifically proven causative relationship between constipation and hypertension. However, blood pressure can increase when a person is straining to defecate, especially when the person is constipated. The association between hypertension and constipation, especially in a person with serious heart disease, can be attributed to the excessive or frequent straining, which increases the risk of heart attack. A high salt and fatty diet are some of the known causes of both hypertension and constipation.

Formation of Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are large purple masses that form in the anal canal as a result of rectal vein dilation and rupturing. They can be classified as external or internal based on their location. External hemorrhoids are found outside the anal canal as grape-like protuberances covered with a layer of mucus. Internal hemorrhoids are found inside the anal canal.

When a person is often constipated, hemorrhoids can develop due to straining. As the person forcefully tries to defecate, the rectal veins begin to dilate and may rupture and bleed. Inflammation usually develops into hemorrhoids, which can be itchy and painful.

Fecal Impaction and Colon Toxicity

The colon is responsible for the last phase of digestion, which includes the reabsorption of most of the remaining fluid in the fecal waste. With constipation, fecal waste  may become impacted in the rectum as well as the terminal or end portion of the colon, the sigmoid. As fecal waste remains in the rectum and sigmoid, more fluid is absorbed causing the fecal matter to harden and making it more difficult to pass. This is referred as fecal impaction. The condition can cause irritation to the lining of the colon and can also lead to infection.

Fecal waste contains bacteria and waste materials from the digestive process. Constant accumulation can cause a distention and possible rupture of the colon, which is very dangerous. Infection of the colon may result in further swelling and inflammation known as toxic megacolon while rupture will release the waste materials and digestive bacteria into other areas of the abdomen, which is life-threatening.

Rectal Prolapse and Anal Fissures

Rectal prolapse, or the protrusion of loose rectal tissue to a point where it is seen externally outside the anus, can be a consequence of chronic constipation. It usually appears as a proboscis-like protrusion passing the anal sphincter muscles.During defecation, fecal waste is normally pushed out of the rectum and out of the anus. With constipation, fecal waste hardens which makes it relatively difficult for the stool to pass through. When constipation becomes chronic and constant straining is common, the rectum may eventually slip off from its normal position and protrude out of the anus. Oftentimes, the protrusion is temporary and goes back to normal after the bowel movement. However, in some cases, the protrusion can become permanent and may display mucosal discharge. Though not life-threatening, the condition can be embarrassing.

Anal fissures or tears in the lining of the anal canal can also be caused by excessive straining due to constipation. Normally, when a bowel movement takes place, fecal waste easily passes through as the anal sphincter muscles relax. This is because the stool is relatively soft from retaining some amount of fluid even after digestion. But as fecal waste accumulates in the sigmoid and rectum during constipation, where water is continuously reabsorbed, hardening the stool, it becomes relatively difficult for the stool to pass through. Straining to forcefully defecate can also result in tearing of the anal canal, which leads to bleeding and painful bowel movement.

Conclusion

Proper diet will certainly be important. A high fiber diet full of fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains promotes movement in your digestive system and increases stool bulk. Knowing how constipation can be much more dangerous in individuals who are hypertensive, it should be prevented as much as possible. You can search for high-fiber DASH diet recipes here. And of course, regular exercise and drinking at least 1 ½ quarts of water daily should also be upheld.

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Natural Approaches to Combat Depression

Depression can be experienced on different levels and driven by various factors, including insufficient nutrient intake, unhealthy lifestyle, chronic disease, hormone imbalances, challenging circumstances, and emotional trauma, to name just a few.

Serotonin, a brain chemical referred to as the “happy hormone”, is at a biological level responsible for a happy, uplifted mood. The good news is that the body has the ability to produce sufficient amounts of serotonin naturally if the correct building blocks (nutrients) are adequately provided.

Foods That Aid in Serotonin Production

Several foods are particularly rich in nutrients required for serotonin production: whole rolled oats, free range chicken, avocados, bananas, cashews, almonds, and dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, mustard greens, etc.). Eggs, salmon, walnuts and chia seeds provide nutrients that support communication between brain cells, thereby improving the brain’s ability to regulate mood.

Organic sources of the mentioned foods may ensure optimal nutrient intake and minimum exposure to toxins, which is another factor to consider in depression. A diet rich in whole foods (unprocessed, unrefined and fresh) will contribute to the intake of a variety of nutrients that supports the body’s serotonin production and mood regulation.

Sunlight and Serotonin Production

Daily exposure to natural sunlight assists the body to produce its own vitamin D, which is required for serotonin production and hormone regulation. Aim for 10-15 minutes of unrestricted sun exposure per day, preferably not between 11h00 and 14h00 (11am and 2pm).

Physical Exercise and Mood

Physical exercise promotes the release of various brain chemicals involved in uplifting the mood. Partaking in a form of exercise that you truly enjoy adds to a general feeling of joy, over and above an increase in these brain chemicals. Aim for 2-3 sessions of physical exercise per week, even if it’s just 20 minutes at a moderate intensity.

Foods That Negatively Influence Mood

Regular intake of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and artificial sweeteners may all negatively influence mood. They may contribute to mood swings, depression, anxiety, and a dysregulated mood in general. Avoiding these dietary components or reducing intake of them is suggested to support emotional well-being and overall health.

Blood Sugar and Mood

Imbalanced blood sugar levels have been shown to be a key driver in imbalanced mood and heightened appetite (especially for sugar and starchy foods). Balancing blood sugar levels can be attained by avoiding refined starches (white bread, pizza, pasta, pastries, sugar, etc.) and instead opting for high-quality carbohydrate sources: vegetables, fruit, whole rolled oats, brown rice, and quinoa. Combining carbohydrates with a protein source (e.g.: pulses, beans, a handful of nuts, etc.) is also useful to regulate blood sugar levels.

Essential Oils and Mood

If you enjoy taking relaxing baths, add a few drops of ylang-ylang, lavender, and rose essential oils to the water and soak in the bath for at least 15 minutes. These oils have been indicated in lifting the mood and calming the nervous system. Lavender is also indicated in promoting deep, restful sleep and thereby helping the body to recuperate and for the brain to discharge any deep-seated negative emotions. Inadequate or poor quality sleep may significantly influence mood.  Most people will attest to feeling groggy and moody the next day after too little sleep.

Gut Health and Mood

Digestive health is important for emotional well-being, first of all to ensure that nutrients required for serotonin production are absorbed, but also to support serotonin production in the gut. (It is estimated that 90% of serotonin is produced in the digestive tract). If you suspect that your gut health is sub-optimal, it may be useful to see a natural health practitioner who will tailor a personalised program to support your digestive function.

There are several useful herbal remedies associated with mood regulation and to alleviate depression, which you can also discuss with your natural health practitioner to make sure you’re given the most appropriate herbal remedy and dose according to your current health, presenting symptoms, and other factors such as age and medication.

Chronic Stress and Mood

Chronic stress may directly contribute to depression, especially if the stress is related to emotional and social challenges. Chronic stress may deplete the body’s nutrient stores and thereby reduce the amount of nutrients available to produce serotonin and support overall well-being. Chronic stress has also been shown to reduce the amount of circulating serotonin, thereby impacting mood. Chronic stress can be supported through a nutrient-dense diet, healthy lifestyle habits, deep breathing exercises, and identifying and dealing with its cause.

Regularly partake in hobbies or activities that you enjoy, whether it’s knitting a sweater, doing scrapbooking, or sitting in nature in solitude. Turn off those electronic devices that not only distract, but may be implicated in causing biological changes that contribute to depression!

Often a change in attitude can be the key turning point when it comes to overall emotional well-being. Self-limiting and self-sabotaging beliefs can keep us in a hopeless, helpless, and depressed state of mind. Gaining a fresh perspective on your life and your situation can shift your attitude towards a more self-nurturing attitude, which may bring about a deeper sense of contentment, acceptance, and appreciation of life, simply for the joy of being you and being alive.

Author:

Jeanne Van Zyl lectures in Nutrition for the group of colleges that includes CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine), in Europe, and CNH (College of Natural Health) in South Africa.

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Autism, Gut Health, Obesity, the MMR Vaccine, and Andrew Wakefield

In recent years, scientists have learned more about the microbes residing in the human gut and how they affect health and wellbeing. We have learned that microbes outnumber human cells in the body – roughly 90% microbes to 10% human cells. We know the microbes in our gut help digest our food and in the process help create vitamins, neurotransmitters, and hormones. We know 80% of our immunity begins in the gut. We are beginning to understand the link between the gut, autoimmune diseases, and neurological syndromes.

Earlier studies confirmed that bacteria in the gut of obese people is different than normal intestinal flora. Thin people have a diverse and plentiful microbial ecosystem in their gut, whereas obese individuals do not. Some particular strains in obese people even differ from those who are lean. Transplanting these microbes can cause obesity in mice studies. Further studies will tell us if the reverse is true, if transplanting healthy microbes can reverse obesity.

Next, we learned that maternal obesity was associated with alterations in the gut microbiome of their babies. Then scientists performed statistical studies that revealed children born to obese mothers showed an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Then the question arose – Does the intestinal microbiota and what has been known as the gut brain axis play a part in neurodevelopmental disorders? Could altered gut microbiota induce autistic behaviors?

The answer is a resounding yes. A new study clearly showed that mice born to obese mothers were missing several strains of bacteria in their guts. Behavior equivalent to autism in humans become prevalent in this group. When given the missing bacterial species, oxytocin levels and synaptic dysfunction were corrected and social deficit behaviors were reversed, but not all symptoms were eliminated.

This fascinating study clearly linked gut health and autism, and opened the door to further research as well as prevention and treatment options for obesity and autism.

How many children have been sacrificed to protect the pharmaceutical industry in the last 20 years?

This is not the first time that gastrointestinal disease has been associated with autism. An earlier investigation into the connection between gut health and autism began 20 years ago. Unfortunately, the causal factor for that study was not maternal obesity. Instead, the MMR vaccine appeared to be the common cause of the intestinal disease in most of the children, but like the recent study, the intestinal disease was clearly tied to the autism.

A Fresh Look at Dr. Andrew Wakefield

It all began on May 17th, 1995, when Dr. Andrew Wakefield received a call from a mother who told him that her child was developing normally before receiving an MMR vaccination. After the vaccine, her child regressed into autism and began suffering from terrible gastrointestinal problems. She told him there were other children she knew of with the same story.

In February 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, Prof. John Walker Smith, Dr. Simon Murch, and 10 other co-authors published a case study of 12 children in the Lancet, a British Medical Journal. The case study of these 12 autistic children with gastrointestinal disease stated the following:

“Findings: Onset of behavioral symptoms was associated, by the parents, with measles, mumps, rubella vaccination in 8 of the 12 children.” Lancet 1998

The researchers were correctly reporting information as collected, as they would in any case study. But Wakefield went on to publicly bring attention to the possibility that the MMR vaccine might be a causal factor in autism, and he recommended that parents choose the individual measles, mumps, and rubella shots (spaced out over time) rather than the MMR combination vaccine.

The individual shots, which were available in both the UK and the USA at the time of Wakefield’s recommendation, were soon discontinued (within 6 months in the UK). The publication, the publicity, and the controversy caused an uproar. Dr. Wakefield was blamed for a sharp decline in vaccine compliance in the UK and to some extent in the U.S.A.

Dr. Wakefield contends that the decline in the MMR was matched by an uptake of the individual shots before they were discontinued, that vaccine compliance was not actually affected until the individual shots were discontinued. He believes the blame for the decline in the vaccination rate should rest with those who chose to discontinue the individual vaccines.

The controversy Dr. Wakefield stirred was probably enough to make him a target, but he increased his risk by agreeing to serve as an expert witness for parents of autistic children who were entering litigation.

Then the United Kingdom General Medical Council regulatory board (GMC), the licensing board for physicians in England, ruled that the study and the published paper were fraudulent. Ten of the authors signed a letter retracting the claim that the MMR vaccine caused autism, even though the paper stated no such conclusion. Wakefield, Smith, and Murch refused to sign the paper and were brought up before the GMC on misconduct charges.

In an interview, Andy Wakefield said,

At the GMC, there were 3 defendants: Professor Walker Smith, who was at the time the world’s leading pediatric gastroenterologist, a very senior man with an impeccable record, an unimpeachable career, one of his juniors, Dr. Simon Murch, and… and myself. All three of us were found guilty.

“Simon Murch did not lose his license, but Walker Smith and I lost our license. He was then funded to appeal in the English high court. I did appeal but I … for financial reasons… it was impossible for me to pursue that. And it was not a primary objective after that to restore my license. There were more import things to do.

“But Professor Walker Smith did appeal and at that appeal, the first time this case had ever come before a proper judiciary…a proper judge… and the judge destroyed the General Medical Council’s decision.

“He said effectively they were incompetent. They were not in a position to judge the evidence. That they made mistakes; they got the facts wrong. They misrepresented the evidence. And worse of all, they were biased. They had made up their minds from the outset that we were guilty. And he completely overturned their decision and said in effect this must never happen again.

“Walker Smith was completely reinstated and all charges against him utterly dismissed. Ninety percent of the charges against Walker Smith were the same charges as those against me. The paper should have been reinstated and yet the Lancet editor refused to do that in order to protect his reputation and his job.”

It was 2012 when Professor Smith won his appeal against the GMC and his license to practice medicine was restored. The story, according to Wakefield, was published in one newspaper. How many children have been sacrificed to protect the pharmaceutical industry in the last 20 years?

Andy Wakefield continues to defend the paper he and his co-authors published, and he continues to state the need for the MMR vaccine to be discontinued and individual shots to be manufactured and distributed in its place. He recently came back into the news as the director of the film Vaxxed: From Cover Up to Catastrophe, a film about the CDC whistleblower, Dr. William Thompson who revealed data was removed from a study that confirmed a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Though Andrew Wakefield is alive and well, when Del Bigtree, the producer of Vaxxed, discussed Wakefield’s past, the loss of his license, position, and influence in this critical area of research, he sounds like he is delivering a eulogy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR4br7WrkqA

The world lost one of the greatest scientific minds of our times when Andy Wakefield was taken from us. This was a man who was doing studies that were going to lead to healthier vaccines and better ways to take care of the health of our children. That, unfortunately, was going to cost a lot of money for the vaccine industry, and they cared a lot more about their industry and their money than they did the health of children. And so I can confidently say, that I am proud to be working on this picture about the CDC whistleblower with Andy Wakefield.”  – Del Bigtree interview for ABC World News Tonight 3/26/16

Conclusion

Clearly, evidence that our health is dependent on our gut microbiome keeps growing. Leaky gut syndrome leads to a host of illnesses including autoimmune diseases. The microbiome is linked to mental illness, obesity, and immunity. And now, we once again are seeing a clear link with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders on the autism spectrum.

Whether adult or child, a healthy gut is fundamental to a healthy life. And gut health begins with diet. A prebiotic diet with 80% fresh, raw, organic produce helps establish and maintain a healthy microbiome. We need to avoid antibiotics along with artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. Eliminate MSG and GMOs. Limit or eliminate processed sugar and gluten. Eat real food, not nutrient stripped processed food. Avoid pesticides.

We can rebuild a healthy gut through diet as we detox from heavy metals and the chemicals that disrupt and kill healthy bacteria in our gut. We can kill off the overgrowth of Candida that causes us to have a permeable gut. We can choose to live a healthy lifestyle and we can help our children live a healthy lifestyle. Some of those choices will be hard. Do we continue to eat the standard American diet? Do we keep poisoning our food and our bodies with glyphosate and GMOs? Do we use conventional soaps and shampoos filled with chemicals? Do we follow the current vaccine schedule? With the looming prediction that 1 of every 2 children will have autism if we continue on this path, we need to make the right decisions now.

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Post Halloween Sugar Blues

So you took your little ones out for a night of door-to-door begging and came home with a load of candy. Once your little darlings were tucked into bed you sorted through the hoard, convincing yourself that your only goal was to toss out the worst of it, the crap candy no one should ever feed a child. But let’s face it, you were also picking out the miniature candy bars and eating them yourself, knowing you only have a year or two at the most before the jig is up and your kids will know exactly how many pieces of candy they scored.

Now that Halloween is over, how do you feel? Are your sinuses aching? How about your gums? Any old injuries reminding you that you are getting on in the years? Any joint pain? Any signs of a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection anywhere in your body?

When we deal with aches and pains or a sudden illness after a holiday, we are quick to blame either stress or the weather. The truth is, it’s probably the sugar.

Sugar does two things: it devastates the immune system for 2-3 days and it feeds Candida (and other fungi), bad bacteria, and viruses. If you’ve been eating well and correcting the balance of good bacteria to bad bacteria and yeast in your gut, you just undid a lot of hard work because your bad bacteria and yeast were just given a feast. All through your body where you have scar tissue or a tendency for chronic infection, you have a little more yeast than you want to have. These guys just enjoyed a feast and exploded exponentially. That’s why your old sports injury hurts or your sinuses have flared up again.

So what do you do now? Eat right!

Time for Salads

If you think a salad means lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, think again. A real salad, a healthy salad, an amazing salad, is a feast of raw, fresh, organic veggies. This salad filled with 10-12 veggies (or more) will not only be the most nutrient rich meal you can eat, it is also exactly what your gut needs to regain balance.

Raw vegetables are prebiotic. They (and their roughage) feed and house healthy bacteria in your gut and help them to multiply. This healthy bacteria keeps bad bacteria and fungi in check.

See the first link below for suggested ingredients for the perfect salad.

Supplements

If you’ve sent Candida into mass production through your sugar consumption diet is key but supplements can help. A good probiotic and a great supplement to kill Candida will hurry up the process.

Another Consideration

Now that you are understanding how much havoc sugar wreaks on your system, why are you feeding it to your children? Eliminate processed sugar and high fructose corn syrup from their diet. Both were already horrible for everyone’s health, but now they are worse – both are usually genetically modified. (GM sugar beets and corn). It’s time we step up and make new traditions for our families that do not include unhealthy food. Check out Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases for more information on gut health and disease.

Recommended Supplements:
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5 Things Everyone Should Know About Wheat & Gluten

Although wheat is a staple food in the human diet, gluten proteins are associated with three well-known pathologies that affect a significant portion of the human population: gluten allergy, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and celiac disease. More and more people are having trouble digesting wheat. Today, approximately one in every 133 Americans have celiac disease, the least common of the three gluten-related pathologies. Let’s look at a few likely reasons as to why.

Wheat Has Changed

The wheat we have now is very different from what our ancestors consumed. Modern dwarf wheat is hybridized. That isn’t a GMO, but the genes of our wheat plant have been modified to grow faster and to be more resilient. Nearly all of the wheat consumed today is dwarf wheat, which has shorter stems and offers greater yield.

We used to eat a wheat variety called einkorn, which was actually one of the first grains that humans cultivated more than 10,000 years ago. When the Bible tells us to eat bread, einkorn is the wheat it refers to. Einkorn is lower in starch and higher in protein, essential fatty acids, phosphorous, potassium, pyridoxine, and beta-carotene.

More & Different Gluten

Modern wheat has much more gluten than einkorn. Modern wheat has a different gluten-protein structure. Einkorn has 14 chromosomes, and modern wheat has 42 chromosomes.

Gluten is actually not a single protein, it is a family of different proteins. One of the gluten proteins that scientists believe is causing much of the problems is called Glia-α9. A study found that Glia-α9 is significantly higher in modern wheat.

Wheat Processing Has Changed

Modern techniques in grain processing make it possible to create massive amounts of refined wheat for much lower cost than before. These modern processing techniques separate the nutritious bran and germ from the starchy endosperm. This process increases the shelf life of wheat but removes B vitamins and other nutrients.

These more refined flours started to be widely used around 1880. Soon after the world experienced epidemics of pellagra and beriberi.

Bread Making Has Changed

Most commercial bread contains bromides, added starches, refined sugars, added gluten (vital wheat gluten), preservatives, artificial flavorings, leveling agents, and stabilizers. Baking Soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar are often used in place of yeast or in addition to rapid rise yeast to make the bread rise quickly and more uniformly. Modern bread rises for a couple of hours or less, whereas homemade bread traditionally takes at least 12 hours to rise.

RoundUp

Eager to sell more of its flagship herbicide, Monsanto has encouraged farmers to use their glyphosate as a desiccant. Wheat can be harvested quicker and easier if you dry it all out ahead of time with Roundup. It’s also used in this way on barley, oats, canola, flax, peas, lentils, soybeans, dry beans, and sugar cane.

My Two Cents

I believe that much of our problems with wheat digestion stem from the changes in our gut bacteria due to the increase in antibiotic usages, antimicrobial toxins chemicals (from pesticides to hand sanitizers), increased vaccines, and most importantly, our ever-increasing consumption of refined sugars. The result is a gut full of candida with little beneficial bacteria to help properly digest food, and this leads to a body full of fungus, parasites, and other pathogens.

An abundance of candida in the gut will cause the gut lining to be more permeable which allows for gluten proteins to pass into the bloodstream undigested. I believe this is a major cause of the increase in food allergies and digestive issues and gluten problems we are experiencing today. For more on that, I urge you to check out Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections. It’s a must-read for anyone with chronic illness.

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