Interested in slowing your aging process? Take note!
One of my most recent blog entries(1) summarized roughly 10 years of research related to the consequences of inflammatory processes in the periphery of the body, such as the gut, and how this was driving brain degenerative inflammatory processes within the brain.
One of the key findings from that research was how pathogenic bacterial waste products known as “lipopolysaccharides” , (LPS) would trigger an immune response, and this immune response would then trigger the brains immune cells, the microglia, to become overly active and degrade brain cells. (LPS is basically small parts of the cell wall of the bad bacteria.) This response is called “microglial activation”. You’ll be hearing a lot more about it over the next 10 -20 years, because stopping this overactivation is central to correcting all degenerative neurological conditions, including Alzheimers, Autism, Anxiety, ALS, Insomnia, non-situational Depression, MS, and many endocrine system disorders including the unbiquitous adrenal and thyroid disorders that so many people are struggling with right now.
In short, the process can work like this (note there are other ways to trigger this):
1) Pathogenic bacteria overgrow in intestines and create waste products (LPS) which activate the immune system to respond and produce a chemical called “Interleukin 1b”.
2) The activity of this immune response is communicated to the brain by way of the vagus nerve which connects the brain with our “second brain”, which is also called “the gut”.
3) The brains immune system cells called “microglia” become overly excited by the ongoing response to the toxins being produced in the gut (or elsewhere in the body), and these microglia break down neurons
So how does Monsanto contribute to this?
Monsanto is a chief producer of genetically modified products. Among the most dangerous products that they produce is the herbicide RoundUp. RoundUp is a chemical called “glyphosate” that is combined with a few other chemicals. Conventional farming of corn, soy, cotton, canola, and wheat is increasingly using more and more RoundUp on their genetically modified crops as nature adapts to the toxicity of the RoundUp by becoming increasingly tolerant to it. Ultimately nature will win out, but in the process our food, water, and soil will become increasingly poisoned by the compound until those using these insane farming practices either recognize the foolishness of their ways, or they opt for something even more toxic such as Agent Orange on the crops.(2)
The proponents of Monsanto’s version of GMO farming like to argue that glyphosate is fine to use since the enzymes that kill the weeds which are affected by the RoundUp don’t exist in the human body, therefore they can’t hurt humans(3). Where their argument falls apart is that the enzymes do exist in the microbes which make up our gut, and the importance of a healthy gut ecology is central to good health. In other words, RoundUp residue is disrupting our “microbiome”, and this disruption of our microbiome can result in an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria relative to our beneficial bacteria (4). Among those toxic bacteria which are known to become dominant is Clostridium Botulinum, which produces one of the most potent bacterial toxins known to man. (4.5)The dominance of these pathogenic bacteria is amplified with the consumption of sugar and high fructose syrup so dominant in the Standard American Diet (SAD), as these harmful microbes love to eat the sweets so many Amercian’s put into their bodies. Likewise, the artificial sweeteners either disrupt our gut flora (5) or they fuel the inflammatory processes within the brain directly.(6) Also noteworthy, is the research which shows how the microbes in our gut will highly influence our bodies cravings. In other words, much of your cravings for junk food and sweets may be coming from an unhealthy gut microbiome.(6.5) Recent research involving the parasite associated with Toxoplasmosis has shown that the parasite will affect behavior beyond just food cravings, too.(6.6) The following video is a nice overview of how our microbiome affects our health.
So what does this all mean?
If our food contains residue of RoundUp, which it almost certainly will if you’re eating conventionally raised corn, wheat, soy, or canola, you can expect the microbial balance within your intestines to become prone to being shifted in the direction of being dominant with pathogenic bacteria. If the pathogenic bacteria becomes dominant, you can expect these bacteria to be producing “lipopolysaccharides”, which will then trigger the immune system to produce the pro-inflammatory cycle I detailed above. Given that scenario, if Monsanto’s crops, which dominate the food landscape right now, are altering our gut ecology and causing it to become dominant in LPS generating bad bacteria, and this then initiates a brain degenerating pro-inflammatory process in the brain, then we can conclude that Monsanto and conventional farming practices are key factors involving probably every form of chronic illness. Not only that, the pet food you’re feeding your animals most likely is tainted with RoundUp residue. Like to eat out? Unless they’re advertising their food as being all organic, expect to be consuming some RoundUp residue. Even if the food is advertised as organic, research is showing that even this is no guarantee that genetically modified food isn’t being used. (7)
So how do we stop this madness?
Unfortunately, there is a fascistic relationship between the government and Monsanto. Our current “Food Safety Czar” at the FDA is former VP from Monsanto, Michael Taylor. Additionally, Clarence Thomas, who sits on the Supreme Court, has never recused himself of any Supreme Court case related to Monsanto, despite a clear conflict of interest given the fact that Clarence Thomas is a former lawyer for Monsanto.(8) Government is now acting to make sure that the Monsanto machine isn’t stopped.
This is going to require a grass roots campaign that starts with YOU! Now that you have this information, please share it with others. Beyond that, “Origins” is an excellent documentary which covers many of the problems with our health and how it relates to conventional farming practices like I described above. If you’re interested in learning more about what I’ve detailed here, watch this video with your friends and family, and help make it viral! The mainstream media isn’t going to do this. Like it or not, stopping the Monsanto machine requires our collective action.
About the author: Dr. Buckley is a 2002 graduate of Logan College of Chiropractic. Dr. Buckley entered the health care field largely to understand and resolve his personal struggles with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia which began late in his teens. His ongoing study of functional medicine, nutrition, nutrigenomics, applied kinesiology, and energetic medicine has provided him with keen insight and understanding into the holistic dynamics of the body and how we lose and maintain our health. He has maintained a busy practice in Austin, Texas for the past 13 years and works with people of all ages interested in maximizing their health, and overcoming the modern scourge of all forms of chronic illness.