Alzheimer’s is one of the most devastating diseases on the planet. First it steals a person’s memories. Next their personality and independence. And then, eventually, everything. There’s no universally accepted Alzheimer’s cure and, until recently, researchers weren’t even sure what might cause it.
But all that may be changing.
An Alzheimer’s cure could be right around the corner… or the farm as the case may be. Because a growing pile of research is finding a link between pesticides and fungicides and the explosion in Alzheimer’s cases.
And if politicians the world over finally institute—and enforce—a global ban on the hazardous chemicals they’re spraying on our food, we may be able to reverse the tide and finally declare that we have an Alzheimer’s cure.
But time is of the essence. Let me explain…
Pesticide banned 40 years ago still found in food today
We’ve been aware for decades that pesticides can pose grave dangers to our health. In fact, we’ve known they were dangerous since at least 1972 when DDT was banned here in the United States.
But here’s the thing. Even now we’re still feeling the ill effects of that exposure, because despite that ban, DDT… and its breakdown product DDE… is still showing up in our soil, air, and water today.
You see chemicals like this take a very long time to break down once they’re introduced into the environment. And that means that they can remain in our food supply and, of course, in us for decades.
Frighteningly, despite its 40 year ban here in the U.S., DDT showed up in 75-80 percent of the blood work drawn by the CDC for a national health and nutrition survey. And while that doesn’t prove the chemicals caused the condition, there’s sure a lot of smoke coming out of that gun!
DDE, a potential carcinogen that‘s been proven in animal studies to effect the immune system, has been found in fat, blood, urine, semen and even breast milk.
86% of Alzheimer’s patients tested higher for a banned pesticide!
But it’s not just the lingering contamination we need to be concerned about because other countries are STILL using this banned chemical.
Which means when imported fruits and vegetables make it to our grocery store shelves there’s really no way to assure they haven’t been treated with DDT and grown in soil contaminated with DDT and DDE.
And research continues to hint that we’re seeing the results of this lingering exposure to DDT in our maturing population with the rise of Alzheimer’s disease.
For example, in one a recent study researchers found that 74 out of 86 Alzheimer’s patients had significantly higher levels of the DDT breakdown product DDE in their bodies than a control group.
In other words, 86% of the Alzheimer’s patients tested had measurably higher levels of a pesticide that was banned over forty years ago lurking in their bodies!
Our crops are STILL being sprayed with creepy chemicals
Knowing that these chemicals can continue to impact our health for decades makes it clear just how critical it is to do something now, rather than later, about the chemicals they’re still spraying our food with today. Pesticides and fungicides which are keeping us sick and miles away from an Alzheimer’s cure.
With names like trifloxystrobin, famoxadone, and rotenone they may be difficult to pronounce, but the danger that these chemicals pose to our health isn’t difficult to understand at all.
Pesticides and fungicides that are being used today have been linked to changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, in vitro tests reveal these chemicals produce changes in brain tissue that are similar to those that are seen in the brains of people who are suffering from neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s.
According to a study published in the journal Nature Communications, most of the pesticides and fungicides the researchers tested…
- stimulated the production of free radicals,
- inhibited some of the energy-producing structures inside cells (metabolism),
- disrupted the microtubules inside of cells.
Those last two are critical because if these chemicals are disrupting the microtubules inside of neuron cells, as well as their metabolism, then we could have the final puzzle pieces connecting pesticides and fungicides to Alzheimer’s. Not to mention an Alzheimer’s CURE!
You see with Alzheimer’s, unlike in normal aging, a large number of your neurons stop working, lose connections and die. Vital communication, metabolism and repair processes are interrupted in the brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients, which sounds eerily similar to what researchers found these chemicals do to cells.
Is avoiding these “everywhere” chemicals an Alzheimer’s cure?
So it appears that avoiding these chemicals may be the Alzheimer’s cure we’ve been looking for all along. The problem is these pesticides and fungicides are practically everywhere.
They’re in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the foods we eat. Which means completely avoiding them is next to impossible.
But the good news is that there are steps we can take to slash our exposure…
1. Eat organic:
Yes, it’s true that pollution in the air, soil, and water makes it impossible to completely avoid pesticides and fungicides. (DDT and DDE have shown up as far away as Antarctica, for goodness sake!) But you CAN slash your exposure to brain-cell killing toxins by choosing organic foods which aren’t actively sprayed with these dangerous chemicals.
Organic foods are worth the extra cost, but if your budget is stretched a bit too far our friends over at the Environmental Working Group produce a handy “Dirty Dozen” list every year of the fruits and vegetables that are the most contaminated with pesticides.
Buy at least these foods organic…
| EWG’s 2016 Dirty Dozen(+ 2) 2016 |
|---|
| 1. Strawberries |
| 2. Apples |
| 3. Nectarines |
| 4. Peaches |
| 5. Celery |
| 6. Grapes |
| 7. Cherries |
| 8. Spinach |
| 9. Tomatoes |
| 10. Sweet Bell Peppers |
| 11. Cherry Tomaoes(imported) |
| 12. Cucumbers |
| 13. Hot Peppers |
| 14. Kale / Collard Greens |
2. Write your legislators:
Put your legislators to work for you. Tell them you’re far more interested in an Alzheimer’s cure than you are in being able to buy a perfectly shaped tomato, that’s the size of pumpkin, at your local grocery store.
Ask your elected officials to fight to ban these dangerous chemicals and demand they take your health as seriously as Washington insiders take Big Business and their bottom line.
3. Follow the MIND diet:
The MIND diet may be the closest thing we have to an Alzheimer’s cure right now. It stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet, because it combines the Mediterranean and DASH diets—and it’s been proven to help protect your brain.
No doubt it’s the healthy fats… that you’ll find are a big part of the Mediterranean diet… that are responsible for its ability to delay brain aging.
4. Try supplements:
Seek out supplements that support brain health. Certain herbs and nutrients have been found to help you think more clearly and keep you sharp as a tack. If you want to minimize “senior moments” and boost your brain health consider some of the following supplements.
Ginkgo Biloba:
Antioxidant-rich ginkgo has a long history of being used to combat memory issues. The herb is widely used in Europe to treat memory issues. And according to experts—including the folks at the University of Maryland Medical Center—the herb could help treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as fight memory loss in older adults.
Phosphatidylcholine (Lecithin):
Choline is essential to brain development, but it’s not just developing brains that phosphatidylcholine (PC) can help. Researchers have been eyeing up this nutrient as a way to help fight brain aging and prevent cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s. In animal studies PC improved memory in mice with dementia. And Princeton researchers have shown that PC can literally stimulate brain-cell growth and connections.
Pantothenic Acid:
Your body requires pantothenic acid, otherwise known as vitamin B5, to make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Scientists believe B5 is involved in memory, learning and mood.
Vitamin D:
Vitamin D plays an important role in cognitive function. Studies have linked low D levels to poor results on mental tests, especially in older folks. The hormone helps control the production of enzymes that are involved in the production of neurotransmitters.
Can banning common pesticides and fungicides really turn out to be an Alzheimer’s cure?
We don’t know for certain – but all the signs (and research) are pointing to a resounding YES! So take action and stand up and demand action. The risks are too high to keep doing nothing at all.
Healthier Talk
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