I hope you read my recent post about the herbicide living in your body, and about my 6-year old patient, Diego, who tested with high levels of glyphosate. You may be wondering how you can find out just how much glyphosate is circulating in your veins right now.
I’d like to share more about testing for exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup® and how you can detoxify yourself from it.
Monsanto, Roundup®, and GMO crops
If you have not really followed the news about why genetically modified (a.k.a. GMO) foods are a problem for your health — then here are the basics you really need to know.
The Monsanto Company, founded in 1901, introduced glyphosate (Roundup®) in the 1970’s to kill weeds with the intention of increasing crop yields. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Monsanto Company have done many studies on its safely, but only short-term ones. Based on these studies, the EPA has established “safe” levels for glyphosate residues in these foods. But they have not been able to do long-term ones.
I’ve wondered why no long-term studies have been done on glyphosate in humans. A reasonable explanation as to why it is almost impossible to determine the direct effects of long-term bio-accumulation of glyphosate is offered here by Layla Katiraee, Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University of Toronto.
And to make potentially worse health hazards in this matter, in more recent years the Monsanto Company has developed genetically engineered crops that are resistant to glyphosate. In fact, GMO foods may not be any worse than the genetically modified seedless watermelon or the genetically modified seedless grapes I enjoyed so much today for lunch.
These “Roundup®-ready” foods are mainly corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and even now oats. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Not until you realize that these are the very foods that are routinely sprayed with glyphosate.
Glyphosate residues not a problem?
The EPA for years has claimed that Roundup® is “not likely” to cause cancer. Yet, in my previous report we learned that the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer tells us that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Key leading researcher scientists are now telling more as to why glyphosate causes cancer.
While the EPA has established “safe” levels for glyphosate residues in these foods — up to 30 ppm (parts per million) — there is more to know here. Monsanto generates nearly a third of its annual $15 billion revenues from GMO foods that are sprayed with glyphosate. Not coincidentally, Monsanto helps guide the EPA to establish these “safe” levels. In 2013 Monsanto requested (and was granted) higher allowable levels of glyphosate for many foods we eat. But new information is changing this.
Testing for glyphosate food residues
One of the hold-ups for more universal testing of glyphosate in foods has been that the EPA (with Monsanto on its side) has claimed that in small amounts glyphosate won’t hurt anyone. This is of course based on their studies, and therefore have avoided testing for it. But as more studies show the direct link to cancers, hormone disruption, and other diseases, everyone wants our foods to be tested… and many of you will want to get yourself tested like my patient Diego was.
Some good news is that testing food for glyphosate residues is now moving forward. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported it will measure glyphosate in several foods that are GMO and which get sprayed routinely with glyphosate, including soybeans, corn, milk, eggs, and other foods. As you might expect, the FDA has just barely confirmed that baby foods contain glyphosate residues.
Now several companies are testing foods, and finding glyphosate in breast milk, cereal, honey, infant formula, soy sauce, wheat flour and other foods.
Testing your glyphosate levels
As for getting tested yourself, glyphosate and its companion chemicals can be measured in your urine by Great Plains Laboratory through a doctor who can order it for you.
Better yet, it is going to soon be available to anyone without a doctor’s order. The Detox Project is overseen by leading physicians in the San Francisco, CA area. They initiated testing for the general public, but have since temporarily halted their testing of urine, water and food. They are getting ready for a big launch of their efforts, with physician guidance as to how to detoxify yourself from it too. They will be test for glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA. Learn more at it here.
Detoxifying from glyphosate
How can you get rid of glyphosate if you test positive for it? Well, my first recommendation is to learn to eat organic foods. Sounds easy, but it will take some real focus, practice, and maybe even some coaching.
You’ll need to know more about organic foods in preparation to grocery shop. Here are the three categories of “organic” labeling you’ll see out there, as determined by the certifying agency, which are all accredited and overseen by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Look for one of the following labels:
“100% Organic”: contains only organically produced materials (excluding water and salt).
“Organic”: contains at least 95% organically produced ingredients and the rest must be agricultural products that are not commercially available in organic form.
“Made with Organic Ingredients”: contains at least 70% organic ingredients and the rest can be conventionally grown agricultural ingredients. Expect to see words “Made with Organic…” follow by the list of its organic ingredients.
Therefore, the first simplest method, as recommended by the doctors behind the Detox Project is to get tested first. If you have significantly positive levels in you, then consume a certified organic diet for 3 to 6 weeks. Then get re-tested. Eating a certified organic diet (with only charcoal filtered water) could potentially detox glyphosate from your body. Your second glyphosate test will indicate if all or only some has been removed through this method.
To a clean environment… and feeling good,
Michael Cutler, M.D.
Sources:
http://www.monsanto.com/investors/documents/annual%20report/2015/2015_annual_report_fullweb.pdfFDA to Start Testing for Glyphosate in Food
FDA to Start Testing for Glyphosate in Food
http://www.ecowatch.com/glyphosate-baby-food-2029033284.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-food-agriculture-glyphosate-idUSKBN0N029H20150410
http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/
