Roundup exposure linked to brain disorders, Alzheimer's, reproductive problems, and cancer.

Monsanto's "Roundup" product linked to brain disorders, reproductive problems and a variety of cancers. Sources cited at bottom of page. 

below summary taken from Natural News. 

The immense dangers associated with exposure to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide are becoming incontrovertible, with the latest indictment of this deadly chemical cocktail coming from a new paper published in the open access, peer-reviewed journal Entropy. A scientist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and her colleague found that, contrary to industry claims, the active ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, interferes with human digestion and the biosynthesis of nutrients, which can cause a host of fatal diseases.

Most of the chronic illnesses that plague Western society, in fact, are the same residual consequences that can arise due to exposure to Roundup. This stunning fact raises some serious questions about the safety of the general food supply, much of which is derived from or contains ingredients made from genetically-modified (GM) crops that are sprayed with Roundup. In other words, when the vast majority of today's most prevalent diseases can be traced to the same long-term side effects brought about by exposure to Roundup, we have a very real public health crisis on our hands.

To arrive at this conclusion, independent scientist and consultant Anthony Samsel and MIT researcher Stephanie Seneff evaluated a plethora of scientific research on glyphosate, including data showing that the toxin disrupts microbial balance in the gut; impairs the transport of sulphate; and suppresses the normal activity of various members of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of enzymes, which are used by the body to break down toxins and produce blood. And in the process of their quest, these two inquiring minds determined that the negative effects of glyphosate on mammals, which includes humans, have been greatly underestimated.

"Glyphosate's inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes is an overlooked component of its toxicity to mammals," write the authors in their abstract. "Residues are found in the main foods of the Western diet, comprised primarily of sugar, corn, soy and wheat ... Consequences are most of the diseases and conditions associated with a Western diet, which include gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer's disease."

Roundup exposure linked to brain disorders, reproductive problems, and cancer

The discovery that glyphosate directly inhibits CYP enzyme activity is noteworthy, as this class of enzymes is responsible for regulating proper metabolism. When CYP enzymes are blocked from functioning as intended, in other words, a condition known as gut dysbiosis can result, which in turn can lead to inflammatory bowel disease and other chronic gastrointestinal disorders. Such disorders, as you may already know, are often linked to autism spectrum disorders and various other brain conditions.

Beyond this, glyphosate has also been shown to directly interfere with reproductive function. A known chelator, the spraying of Roundup on crops has been shown to not only deplete nutrients from crops, but also block their absorption from soil. When ingested, glyphosate and glyphosate residues can cause similar damage in humans, as it both depletes and decreases the bioavailability of important reproductive nutrients like cholesterol sulfate and zinc. Glyphosate has also been shown to cross the placental barrier and damage developing human life in mothers' wombs.

"Contrary to the current widely-held misconception that glyphosate is relatively harmless to humans, the available evidence shows that glyphosate may rather be the most important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions that have become prevalent in Westernized societies," explain the authors in their discussion.

"While glyphosate is obviously not the only environmental toxin to contribute to these diseases and conditions, glyphosate's ability to disrupt the gut bacteria, to impair serum transport of sulfate and phosphate, and to interfere with CYP enzymes, logically progresses to this multitude of diseased states, through well-established biological processes."

You can read the study's abstract here:
http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416

You can read the complete study here:
http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416/pdf

Sources for this article include:

http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416

http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416/pdf

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/040226_Monsanto_Roundup_glyphosate.html#ixzz2TBiDeS36

New minimally invasive breast cancer treatment in clinical trials.

New minimally invasive breat cancer treatments are showing positive effects in clinical trials. 

CAESAREA, Israel and CLEVELAND, June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IceCure Medical Ltd. announced the first four breast cancer patients treated with the IceSense3(TM) Cryoablation Procedure in Japan. The IceSense3 System was used to treat small breast cancer tumors in a minimally invasive procedure using ultrasound guidance and local anesthesia. These patients were the first four enrolled in a clinical trial of 30 small, early stage breast cancer patients at Kameda Medical Center in Kamogawa City, Japan.

Cryoablation has been used for years to treat both malignant and benign tumors in the body. This new system from IceCure Medical has been developed specifically for breast tumors, and can be performed comfortably with ultrasound guidance. The system uses extremely cold temperatures to destroy (ablate) breast tumors. An attractive alternative to open surgery, the IceSense3 procedure takes place in a physician's office or breast center, and doesn't require sutures or general anesthesia. The system is currently being used worldwide for treatment of fibroadenomas, benign breast tumors, and holds promise as a potential treatment option for malignant breast tumors.

"This procedure is an exciting step towards moving treatment of small, early stage breast cancer tumors from open surgery to a minimally invasive cryoablation procedure," stated Eisuke Fukuma, MD, PhD, Chairman of Breast Center, Kameda Medical Center (Kamogawa City, Japan). 

Read full story release here: http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=13529&Section=DISEASE

RoundUp Herbicide found to cause Cancer, new study says.

Breaking news has been cycling regarding the carcinogenic effects of RoundUp Pesticides as well as an apparent cover-up of it's side effects. 

As if the health hazards of genetically altered food crops weren't bad enough, glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, has also been deemed a major health hazard both to the environment, and to animal and human health. It is toxic to human cells, and according to a French research team, it is also carcinogenic. The team has studied the herbicide extensively, and published at least five articles on glysphosate's potential for wide-ranging environmental and human harmⁱ. Their research shows that glyphosate:

• Causes cell cycle dysregulation, which is a hallmark of tumor cells and human cancers
• Inhibits DNA synthesis in certain parts of the cell cycle—the process by which cells reproduce that underlies the growth and development of all living organisms

Impedes the hatchings of sea urchins. (Sea urchins were used because they constitute an appropriate model for the identification of undesirable cellular and molecular targets of pollutants.) The delay was found to be dose dependent on the concentration of Roundup. The surfactant polyoxyethylene amine (POEA), another major component of Roundup, was also found to be highly toxic to the embryos when tested alone, and could therefore be a contributing factor

for the entire article read here: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/09/monsanto-roundup-found-to-be-carcinogenic.aspx

Dental X-rays: link to brain tumors examined.

Ever notice how dental professionals step out of the room behind a lead curtain while administering X-Rays... and also that they often drape a lead-lined apron over your body to protect your vital organs? Yes, but your brain is still fully exposed. 

From the Economist: 

A study by Elizabeth Claus, of Yale University, just published inCancer, suggests your suspicions might be justified. Dr Claus thinks she has identified, in those who have had dental X-rays often, a significant rise in the admittedly small risk of developing a brain tumour.

In rich countries, five men in every 200,000, and twice as many women, develop tumours called meningiomas that affect the membranes surrounding the brain. Meningiomas account for a third of primary brain tumours. Only about 2% of them are malignant, but non-malignant does not mean non-dangerous. Even a “benign” meningioma can kill. Around 30% do so within five years of diagnosis. Symptoms can include seizures and blindness, and treatment may involve surgery, chemotherapy or, ironically, radiotherapy.

Ironically, because past research studying the after-effects of exposure to things like atom bombs and radiation treatments for cancer suggests the most important environmental risk factor for meningiomas is ionising radiation. These days, however, the main source of ionising radiation for most people is neither fallout from bombs nor radiotherapy; it is dental X-rays. Despite that, surprisingly little research has been done on those X-rays’ effects.

Dr Claus and her colleagues have tried to plug the gap. They studied 1,433 Americans who have had meningiomas and compared them with 1,350 others who have not. These others were chosen to match the study group’s age profile, sex ratio and dwelling place. The researchers then inquired about both groups’ family, medical and dental histories.

In the case of their dental histories, participants were asked whether they generally had standard X-rays, known as bitewings, every year, or never had them, or fell somewhere in between. They were also asked how often they had had panoramic X-rays—so-called panorexes—taken of their entire mouths, and whether they had ever had braces, the fitting of which often involves a panoramic X-ray.

The researchers found that people who had had a meningioma were more than twice as likely as those who had not to have had at least one bitewing X-ray. And the more bitewings they had been given, the greater that likelihood was.

Even more troubling was the finding that people who had been given a panorex when they were under ten had 4.9 times the normal risk of developing a meningioma. To be fair, only 22 participants in the study had both had a panorex and developed such a tumour. But according to Dr Claus, the panorex was not common when most of the people in the study had been children. “Nowadays”, she says, “before getting braces all the kids have it.”

What these results mean in practice is debatable. The radiation dose from an individual dental X-ray, Dr Claus points out, has gone down by about half over the past 30 years or so. In addition, some dentists and orthodontists—though far from the majority—have turned to digital methods that expose patients to even lower levels. But others are using fancy new techniques like cone-beam computerised tomography which actually expose people to much higher levels of radiation.

Moreover, guidelines from the American Dental Association state that healthy adults should have a bitewing X-ray no more than once every two or three years, and that there is little reason to X-ray patients who do not have symptoms. These are policies which Dr Claus describes as “quite reasonable”. But if what her participants told her is true, not all dentists are heeding their own professional body’s advice. Most of those who took part in the study reported having at least one X-ray a year. Dr Claus’s work, then, is a timely reminder that X-rays are dangerous, that dentists should use them sparingly and that patients who have suspicions about their use are not necessarily paranoid.

http://www.economist.com/node/21552538

UCSF Trial Offers New Hope for Melanoma Patients

New research trials being done at UCSF are showing very positive results for treatment of melanoma. The below excerpt is from the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Shannon Jimerson, an advanced-stage melanoma patient being treated at UCSF, did a little dance this week while still sitting on the exam table after she got the news she desperately wanted to hear.

Nine months after starting a combination drug therapy in early-phase clinical trials, her tumors were continuing to shrink.

"You have very minimal disease left," said Dr. Alain Algazi, a skin cancer specialist.

Algazi told her that her tumors had shrunk by 85 percent, leaving her with just a few "lousy little tumors" he hoped the drugs would continue to target.

Jimerson, 34, of Fairfield has benefited since January from a growing body of research that is giving new hope to patients with melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Melanoma is diagnosed in about 68,000 Americans annually and kills more than 8,700 each year.

Before entering the trial, Jimerson wasn't sure she'd be alive at this point. Her body had become so riddled with tumors that she was afraid to lay a hand on her own skin for fear she'd find a new lump. She did find a new spot, on her shoulder, and was scheduled for a biopsy two weeks after she started taking the investigational drugs.

"But by the time I got there, there was nothing to biopsy," said Jimerson, the mother of two young daughters and children's pastor at her church. "It was absolutely a miracle, this drug."

The combination of the two oral drugs, both being developed by GlaxoSmithKline, are designed for people who have a genetic mutation that is found in about half of all melanoma cases. The drugs target two different points along a pathway the cancer uses to proliferate.

At least half and up to as many as 77 percent of 71 patients in the earliest phase of the trial experienced reductions in tumor size by a third or greater, researchers said. The company is seeking to enroll about 280 patients in second-phase studies and is already planning for third-phase trials.

The results are promising considering most of the current therapies for melanoma have been found to work in fewer than 20 percent of patients, and often have far lower levels of effectiveness.

"This is definitely a great moment for patients with melanoma," said Dr. Kiran Patel, GlaxoSmithKline's director of oncology research and development. "Our goal is to progress science and really bring new and better options for patients."

Patel said he could not estimate when the company will seek federal approval for the drug combination. "We remain enthusiastic about targeted approaches and will keep doing the right studies so we can get those answers," he said.

Until this year, the last drug approved for melanoma was in 1998. But in August, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration fast-tracked the approval of a drug from South San Francisco's Genentech Inc. called Zelboraf, which targets and inhibits the genetic mutation known as BRAF V600E. The GlaxoSmithKline drugs work on that same pathway, but also targets a second point on the path.

"We haven't had any real breakthroughs since the mid '90s, and now it's like every few months we have something exciting," said Dr. Adil Daud, director of UCSF's Melanoma Program and chief investigator of the trial.

Scientists discovered that when the protein BRAF is mutated, it can become hyperactive and cause cells to grow out of control. The Genentech drug was found to work in about 50 percent of late-stage melanoma patients with the mutation.

While researchers found the results astounding, especially considering that they previously had little to offer people with metastatic melanoma, they quickly realized that the disease started progressing in some patients after several months on the drug. They suspected the cancer was finding a "work-around" in some cases by using a pathway regulated by another protein called MEK.

The GlaxoSmithKline trial drugs Jimerson has been on since January go after both BRAF and MEK. Genentech, for its part, is in clinical trials for its own combination therapy using Zelboraf, its already-approved BRAF inhibitor, and a MEK inhibitor the company is developing. UCSF is involved in that trial as well.

The hope is that patients will be able to stay disease-free longer on a drug that blocks the cancer's pathway in two places rather than just one.

"It's like a river being blocked by two dams," UCSF's Daud explained. "Maybe you'll overflow the first dam, but then the other part will take over."

Daud's colleague, Algazi, said researchers have the challenge of figuring out what other pathways exist and what drugs can be created to fend off those new routes to give the disease a "long-term, knock-out punch."

For Jimerson -- who has experienced few side effects other than a mild rash, some fatigue and an occasional fever -- the trial means she has hope for the future.

c.2011 San Francisco Chronicle

New Study: Walnuts have anti-breast cancer effects in lab tests.

From United Press International: 

09-02-11 

Mice that ate a modest amount of walnuts as part of their regular diet had a significant decline in breast cancer risk, U.S. researchers say.

Study leader by Elaine Hardman of Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine compared the effects of a typical diet and a diet containing walnuts across the lifespan of the mice -- through the mother from conception through weaning and by eating the food directly.

The amount of walnut in the test diet was equal to about 2 ounces a day for humans, Hardman said.

The study -- funded by grants from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the California Walnut Commission, and published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer -- found the group of mice that had a diet that included walnut at both stages developed breast cancer at less than half the rate of the group with the typical diet.

In addition, the number of tumors and their sizes were significantly smaller, the study said.

Using genetic analysis, the researchers found that the walnut-containing diet changed the activity of multiple genes that are relevant to breast cancer in both mice and humans.

However, other testing showed that increases in omega 3 fatty acids did not fully account for the anti-cancer effect and found that tumor growth decreased when dietary vitamin E increased, Hardman said.

Ultrasound to diagnose Prostate Cancer in Men

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men, but its diagnosis has up to now been a cross between inaccurate and unpleasant. Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), in cooperation with AMC Amsterdam, have developed an imaging technology that can accurately identify tumors. The technology is based on ultrasound, and also has the potential to assess how aggressive tumors are. This can lead to better and more appropriate treatment, and to cost savings in health care (see also Prostate Cancer).

About 11% of men who die of cancer in the western world do so as a result of prostate cancer. Each year 200,000 men are diagnosed with the disease in the US alone. But diagnosis is still rudimentary. After determining the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level in the blood-, biopsies are performed to see if there are tumors in the prostate. However the PSA level is not a very good indicator: two-thirds of all biopsies turn out to afterwards to have been unnecessary.

The biopsies also have disadvantages; for example they are not targeted, but instead tissue is sampled randomly using 6 to 12 needles. The chance that the needles will miss a tumor is high, causing a false negative result. In around one-third of cases with negative biopsies, tumors are later found to be present. Furthermore doctors often operate after a positive biopsy, but find a tumor so small that it would have been better not to operate.

The new technology uses the injection of microbubbles of a contrast agent with no side-effects. The response of the tiny bubbles to ultrasound is different from that of human tissue or blood. This makes the bubbles traceable from the outside, right into the smallest blood vessels. The pattern of blood vessels in tumors is different from that in healthy tissue. The researchers can recognize this pattern from advanced analysis of the bubble concentrations. And because tumors need blood - and hence new blood vessels - to grow, the researchers expect to be able to see how aggressive the cancer is from the pattern of the blood vessels.

Read more from original article here: http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=10542&Section=DISEASE

Highlights of information on a very non-natural and potentially hazardous food additive found in everyday foods.

"Aspartame is the most controversial food additive in history, and its approval for use in food was the most contested in FDA history. In the end, the artificial sweetener was approved, not on scientific grounds, but rather because of strong political and financial pressure. After all, aspartame was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent!

It's hard to believe such a chemical would be allowed into the food supply, but it was, and it has been wreaking silent havoc with people's health for the past 30 years.

The truth is, it should never have been released onto the market, and allowing it to remain in the food chain is seriously hurting people -- no matter how many times you rebrand it under fancy new names.

Click to read more ...