Are you looking for weed killer that won’t kill you or cause decades of environmental fallout?  Commercially available products, such as those containing Glyphosate, have been classified by the World Health Organization as “Probably Carcinogenic to Humans”.  A 2015 study states, “There is strong evidence that exposure to glyphosate or glyphosate-based formulations is genotoxic based on studies in humans in vitro and studies in experimental animals.”

Given the body of evidence regarding the risks, why do people continue to buy and use these products?  The simple answer is that Glyphosate is a very effective weed killer.  It works quickly and the weeds usually stay dead for several weeks.   It’s also fairly inexpensive as lawn treatment products go.

But, why do humans continue to buy and use products that they know are unhealthy?  The same reason we continue to eat junk food.  The immediate risk just isn’t high enough to surpass the average person’s risk threshold.  We tend to ignore long term risks, often thinking that if we’re ok in the short term, then we’re ok.  Or, we think it just won’t happen to us.

Whether we’re talking about a chemical herbicide weed killer or deep fried donuts, it’s the on going exposure that creates the risk.  And, in the case of weed killer, we don’t even have to buy it or use it ourselves to suffer exposure.

Here are a few staggering points of reference regarding pervasiveness and exposure, listed by Baum Hedlund Aristi Goldman Trial Lawyers:

The use of Glyphosate Weed Killer has risen over 2,000% in the past 20 years.
A US study showed that 60% to 100% of air and rainwater samples contained Glyphosate.
A Canadian study indicated that Glyphosate was in the majority of agricultural streams.

Last year, while undergoing a wide range of tests hoping to pinpoint the root cause of my autoimmune disorders, it was revealed that my body contains high level of Glyphosate.  Even though I do not use products which contain this chemical and even though my diet is mostly organic, Glyphosate is still coursing through my veins.  And, if it’s in me, given my healthy lifestyle, it’s likely in you too.

Aside from looking for the most organic food sources you can find, the other obvious way to reduce your expose, is to simply not buy or use weed killers which contain Glyphosate.  Luckily, easy-to-make low-cost homemade options work just as well, without the risk.

The ingredients for homemade weed killer are available at your local grocery store.  I mix everything in  a small pump up sprayer I bought from the hardware store.  In my experience, the exact ratios are not important.  Indeed, I have never measured anything.  I just roughly 1/2 cup salt and 3 tablespoons liquid dish soap in a 1.5 liter pump up garden sprayer.  I then add about 1.5 liters of 5% acetic acid vinegar.

The soap helps the salt and vinegar solution stick to the weeds. The mixture will dry out the weeds within a couple of days.  It’s best to apply on a dry sunny day so that the sun can help along the drying process.  If rain is in the forecast, it’s best to wait until you have clear blue skies.

Dinner on the evening of Sunday, October 13, 2019 was my last meal before starting my fast.  I had previously fasted for 3 days and this time I wanted to surpass that time frame.  As I took that last bite of food, I had no idea how long I would push myself or how long I could endure.  Going without food for even a few hours was not a part of my regular routine.  Pushing past a day or two never really seemed like something that I would be able to do or something that my body could tolerate.

I awoke the following morning, as I do every day, hungry and ready for food.  I’ve often said, “When I wake up, my feet hit the floor, and they take me to the kitchen.”

Skipping breakfast that first day wasn’t horrible.  I was drinking water like I had just been rescued from a month in the desert.  So, my stomach wasn’t completely empty.  Of course water isn’t very filling for very long.

By lunchtime, I was extremely hungry.  I was starting to get a headache.  I was not in a good mood.  And, I wasn’t even at the 24 hour mark.  But, I knew from my previous 3 day fast, that these symptoms would not last.  I knew the following day would be better.

And, the following day was better.  I spent this day, and the two after that, installing a Sport Court® gym floor.  The physical work took my mind off my hunger.  It was also helpful to be in an environment without any food.  And, working long days meant that I was getting home after my family had eaten dinner.

During these days working on the gym floor, I observed no loss of energy or strength.  My increased water intake seemed to help reduce my hunger, at least for a while.

On Friday, my 5th day without food, I went to my weekly business lunch, the Friday Networking Lunch.   This event, attended by 40 to 50 people each week, is at a bar-b-q restaurant.  This was my first time being around this much food since starting my fast.  It smelled and looked divine.   At this point, I had successfully surpassed my previous threshold of 3 days.  To some degree I did have a sense of accomplishment, which gave me further belief that I was strong enough to continue.

Saturday and Sunday were probably the most difficult days.  I was at home with my family.  Of course they all ate 3 meals a day with snacks in between.  I joined my wife and youngest son on the couch to watch a movie.  They each enjoyed bowls of buttered popcorn while I drank more water.  Somehow I pulled deep for the additional will power required to not give in.

I had reached a full week.  My wife didn’t like it at all.  She thought I needed food and she likes feeding me, or anyone else in our home.  Come to my house, and it’s doubtful that you’ll leave hungry.  Despite her protestations, I settled on continuing for one more week.  There was no reason for this timeframe.  It just felt right and by the time I had finished one week, I felt like I could push for two.

Getting back to the weekday routine on Monday made life easier for the simple fact that I wasn’t around people cooking or eating food.  There was no doubt that seeing and smelling food boosted my feelings of hunger.

That Tuesday I drove to the Rio Grande Valley (about 4-1/2 hours south) to look at a project.  During this trip I listened to “The Obesity Code” by Dr Jason Fung.  This book was packed with so much information about weight loss, diets, and how our hormones impact our fat storage and how these hormones can make weight loss difficult for many people.

On Wednesday and Thursday of my second week I was on another Sport Court® project.  As with the week prior, I found that staying mentally and physically active proved to be the best remedy against my hunger.

As with the week prior, I attended the Friday Networking Lunch at the bar-b-q restaurant.  Of course the sights and smells triggered my hunger, but I was 12 days in and no amount of hunger was going to stop me from reaching my two week goal.

When I stepped on the scale the morning of the 14th day, my weight was 210.0.  My starting weight just two weeks prior was 234.8.  I had lost 25 pounds and reached my lowest weight in 20 years.

My fast ended the evening of Sunday, October 27 with a delicious taco salad prepared by my lovely wife.  The very next morning, only having had a single meal the prior day, my weight had increased to 214.6.

In the days that followed, I wanted to eat everything.  My usually healthy diet was all but forgotten.  I’ve never counted calories, but I would guess that my daily intake in the days following my fast probably topped out at around 5,000 calories per day.  On November 7, about a week and a half after completing my 14 day fast, my weight was at 221.  In the weeks that followed, my weight dropped to 216 and then climbed to 225.  I was on a roller coaster ride.

The first two weeks in December were spent on a Sport Court® project, installing gym flooring, wall pads, basketball goals, and a volleyball system in a middle school gym.  On these work days, I ate a healthy breakfast and dinner, but skipped lunch.  I sipped chilled black coffee throughout the day to help curb my hunger.  My weight dropped back down to 217, a loss of 7 pounds in 2 weeks.

Between Christmas and New Year’s I installed another gym floor and some wall pads.  Like my work days earlier in the month, I replaced lunch with chilled black coffee and was able to maintain my weight loss.

January was mostly sedentary.  My gym membership had lapsed in December and I was doing a lot of desk work, getting almost no exercise.  Despite the lack of movement, I was able to maintain and even decrease my weight with a healthy diet and occasional intermittent fasting of 12 to 24 hours.

It is now three months after ending my 14 day fast.  I’m only 6 pounds above my lowest fasting weight.  This should put my BMI at around 16 to 17%, well into a healthy range.

I joined the gym on January 25, 2020.  Based on how it felt to lift weights, I would conclude that I lost no muscle during my fast or since.  But, there were other changes.  I am now able to go 12 to 24 hours between meals without feeling any extreme hunger or without getting a headache or any brain fog.  I have reduced my consumption of meat and have replaced it with more healthy plants.  I also feel a bit more capable and sure of myself, knowing that if I can willingly give up food for 14 days, then I can do almost anything.

I’m looking forward to my next 14 day fast.  Who knows, I might even go longer.

Have you ever fasted?  How Long?  What were the results?  Would you do it again?

Please share your experiences below, in the comments section.

Let’s face it.  Americans are in pain.  In 2018, sales for the top 10 over the counter pain pills reached nearly $3,000,000,000.  If you’re quick with numbers, you might be thinking that $3,000,000,000 really isn’t that much when you consider the population of the US is over 300,000,000.  And, for those of you not so good at math, that’s just $10 per person spread out over 12 months.  That’s less than $1 per month.  Of course, this one little data point isn’t the whole story.

What about people who aren’t finding relief in traditional over the counter products such as ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol)?  These people often ask their doctors for something stronger.  And, for the past few decades, more powerful pain relief usually means prescription opioids such as Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, and Demerol (just a few of the various brand names from a long list of different types of opioids).

Getting back to the numbers, prescriptions for opioids peaked at just over 80 prescriptions per 100 people between 2010 and 2012.  This doesn’t mean that 80% of the population were prescribed opioids. Some of those people received multiple prescriptions throughout these years.  In 2017, the number of prescriptions dropped to 58 per 100 people.  This certainly seems like an improvement, but it still represents around 174,000,000 opioid prescriptions in 2017.

Going back to a population comparison, that’s 174,000,000 prescriptions written to 300,000,000 people.

But, if these drugs are working, then what’s the problem?  I certainly want everyone to live without chronic pain and I would imagine that you do as well.  Opioids have been around since the introduction of Morphine in 1800’s (or, if you want to go back even further, then the use of Chinese opium predates Morphine).  Generations of Americans have successfully used this class of drugs for pain relief.  I recall receiving a tiny prescription for Vicodin when my wisdom teeth were extracted in 1990.  Then earlier this year I was prescribed Hydrocodone after breaking my leg.  Both times, these drugs seemed to help ease my pain and discomfort.

So, then what is the problem?  We’ve all heard news reports about an “Opioid Crisis”.  As it turns out, opioids are among the most addicting drugs available today.  And, overuse of these drugs can and is deadly.  In the US, approximately 130 people die from an opioid overdose every day.  Of these, roughly 35% obtained the drugs through a doctor’s prescription.  So, the remaining 65% are likely getting the drugs through illegal channels.  Therefore, the problem is bigger than the recorded deaths.  This addiction is fueling illegal drug trade and all the other crimes which often accompany addiction and drug trafficking.  Translating this burden into dollars, the CDC estimates that the total cost of this drug misuse is around $78,500,000,000 annually.

To fight this epidemic, doctors have been urged to scale back on opioid prescriptions and patients have been urged to look for alternative therapies when possible.  Many of these patients are turning to natural products such as Kratom, CBD, and Arnica.  Of these, there is no doubt that CBD leads the way in sales and in the number of research papers testifying to its pain relieving capability.

In an unreported study conducted in San Antonio, two pain management doctors asked a few dozen patients to replace their opioid prescription with CBD Isolate capsules.  Roughly 80% of these patients reported reductions in pain and some even reported that the CBD worked so well that they were able to discontinue use of their prescription medication.  This is great news for those who wish to move to a more natural way to manage their pain.

Aside from the reported effectiveness of CBD Isolate for pain relief, the other benefit is that there are thousands of CBD brands which are readily available almost everywhere, without a prescription or a connection to a black market drug dealer.  And, there appears to be no risk of overdose.  Some clinical trials have reported giving test participants thousands of milligrams in a single dose without any observable side effects.

Yes, Americans are in pain.  And, this “Pain Crisis” has led to a “Drug Crisis”.  Fortunately, a greater number of Americans are waking up to the reality that prescription drugs may not be the best long term solution.  Until we identify and eliminate the root causes of all this pain, natural products like CBD Isolate may prove to be the best long term option.

Do you deal with chronic pain?  Have you been on opioids?  Have you tried CBD or other natural solutions?

Please share your experiences below, in the comments section.

Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/194510/leading-us-analgesic-tablet-brands-in-2013-based-on-sales/
https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/prescribing/prescribing-practices.html
https://www.verywellmind.com/ten-most-addictive-pain-killers-22506
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK458654/
https://www.moveforwardpt.com/resources/detail/7-staggering-statistics-about-america-s-opioid-epi
https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis

For most of us, cancer is probably the scariest single diagnosis we could ever receive.  We’ve all known people, family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, teachers, preachers, and crooks who have not lived very long after having received the news of their cancer.  And, if the cancer doesn’t kill you, the traditional treatments of radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery just might.

The grim outcome of these FDA approved and AMA endorsed treatments has led many patients to seek alternative therapies including hypnosis, yoga, Amygdalin, Hoxsey, essential oils, dietary changes, nutritional supplements, juicing, and Marijuana.  The internet is full of stories from people who have successfully used these non-traditional options.  And, in your search for these stories, you’ll find just as many main stream news articles warning against going with anything which isn’t being sold by your oncologist.  Indeed, it’s often difficult to know who to believe, especially if you’re the one fighting this disease.

Doctors will often tell you that the stories and the alternative therapies aren’t backed by science or scientific research.  And, this is mostly true.  It is unlikely that any large pharmaceutical researchers and manufacturers are going to willingly invest millions of dollars and several years of study to research a natural remedy for which they cannot get patent protection.  But, smaller firms and others backed by private investors are doing the research and are finding promising results in many areas, including use of CBD Isolate for the treatment of cancer.

One research group, which reviewed over 60 studies and research papers, concluded:

“Collectively, the non-psychoactive plant-derived cannabinoid CBD exhibits pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative actions in different types of tumors and may also exert anti-migratory, anti-invasive, anti-metastatic and perhaps anti-angiogenic properties. On the basis of these results, evidence is emerging to suggest that CBD is a potent inhibitor of both cancer growth and spread.”

Regardless of the published and on going research into CBD or other alternative therapies, don’t expect your doctor to steer you away from pharmaceutical drugs or surgery anytime soon.  As one cancer drug salesman once told me, there’s just way too much profit in chemotherapy and radiation treatments for any oncologists to ever be interested in the prevention of cancer or natural remedies.  And regardless of astronomical profits, generally speaking, doctors typically aren’t adventurous enough to step outside the boundaries created by the FDA.  But, you can.

You have the option to do your own research.  And, I recommend that you do.  For me personally, if a doctor ever tells me that I have cancer, I will likely turn to therapies such as Amygdalin, Hoxsey, and CBD Isolate as well as make drastic dietary changes to ensure I’m maintaining the ideal internal conditions to kill those cancer cells.

Have you ever been given a life threatening diagnosis?  What did you do?

Please share your experiences below, in the comments section.

Source:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3579246/