Have you ever wondered why so many young athletes are having health problems like cardiovascular issues that we hear about in the news? A new study on glyphosate (used in products Like Round-Up) has been published and may offer a reason. 

Researchers found that childhood exposure to glyphosate and its breakdown products (AMPA) may increase risk of liver disease and cardiovascular disorders in early adulthood. Environmental Health Perspectives (March 2023) 

Many of our schools regularly spray everything from playgrounds, walkways, fence lines, etc. with this herbicide. 

Reasons to grow our own fruits and vegetables organically increase every day (or at least buy local organic produce). 

“The chemicals titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, red dye Np. 3, and propylparaben are estrogen disrupters in women, lower sperm counts in men, cause cancer in animals and humans, disrupt our gut microbes, damages our central nervous system, cause a loss of memory and muscle coordination, and are linked to hyperactivity in children. “ 

These chemicals have been banned in Europe but are allowed by the FDA. California lawmakers have introduced a bill to make it illegal to use these chemicals. “If enacted, the bill would make prohibit the manufacture, sale and distribution of products containing these chemicals, such as Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, jellybeans, Pez candy, Campbell’s soup, and Trident gum to name a few.” 

We have talked about how fluoride hurts plants on many occasions. One can see some of the past reports on the Nature’s Way Resource website at https://www.natureswayresources.com/gardenarticles.html and in the headers of archived newsletters. 

The release of a new report from the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) systematic review of fluoride’s neurotoxicity was blocked by government officials and concealed from the public for over a year. 

The Fluoride Action Network filed a lawsuit against the EPA to ban the deliberate addition of fluoridating chemicals to U.S. drinking water. The court ordered the report to be released. 

The report showed out of 55 studies published in peer reviewed journals, 52 of them found that fluoride exposure was associated with a decrease in a child’s IQ. 

A new study from Ohio Sate University has found a link between outdoor lighting in the evening and increased cases of the West Nile virus. It seems the light pollution changes the mosquito’s metabolism and extend their biting season increasing the transmittance of disease. Journal Insects (2023) A major problem for society today is the die off our pollinators like bumble bees. We know as gardeners that using modern organic methods, besides giving better results at lower cost, they helps protect our pollinators. 

Several new studies have found that certain species of flowers can help pollinators resist disease infections, and that sunflowers (bumblebee super food) are very effective at combating a common pathogen, Crithidia bombi that lives in a bee’s gut. 

When bees were fed sunflower pollen, they experienced 87% fewer infections. They found that pollen from other members of the sunflower family like ragweed, cocklebur, dandelion, and dog fennel also helped bees fight infection. 

These pollinators contribute over $200 Billion in eco-system services each year. So maybe it is time to add more sunflowers to our flowerbeds and help reverse the pollinator die off. 

Journals Functional Ecology (2023), and Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2023)