While there have always been medical voices calling attention to the perils of unchecked environmental degradation, for the most part the healthcare mainstream has kept quiet. It is only recently that major medical organizations have begun to publicly acknowledge the health risks posed by climate change.
Patients concerned about glyphosate contamination can now check their food and water for traces of the toxic weed killer with a new home test kit.
Healthcare—with its reliance on single-use disposables—is one of the world’s biggest polluters. And the natural products and dietary supplements industries—despite their “clean, green, and healthy” values—do contribute to the deluge of trash and pollution. Fortunately, eco-conscious companies in the natural products sector are responding to the crisis, and leading the charge toward ecological sustainability.
Holistic Primary Care’s 2018 Practitioner Survey included a question about the rapidly emerging methods of Synthetic Biology (SynBio) and the entry of SynBio ingredients into the food and dietary supplement supply chains.
Once the stuff of science fiction, modern scientists are now using the techniques of synthetic biology to generate a vast range of useful compounds – including a growing number of ingredients and raw materials that end up in dietary supplements.
Microbiologists in New Zealand have discovered yet another reason to be concerned about the herbicide glyphosate: It can induce antibiotic resistance in common human pathogens, including Salmonella and Escherichia coli.
Citing gaps in existing organic certification criteria, the founders of the Detox Project—a consumer advocacy group–have launched a new Glyphosate Residue Free (GRF) seal for food makers concerned about the toxicity of the widely used herbicide.
If Ben Franklin were alive today, his famous aphorism would likely read, “Nothing can be said to be certain, except death and toxins.” It’s no overstatement to say we are wallowing in new-to-nature toxic chemicals that have considerable power to disrupt our physiology. In his new book, The Toxin Solution, naturopathic pioneer Dr. Joe Pizzorno, outlines the daunting scope of the problem, and offers practical strategies for response.
Living in close proximity to natural gas fracking sites worsens asthma symptoms, according to a new study published by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The toxic drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, recently put the danger of lead contamination in the national spotlight. While the situation in Flint was arguably the most dramatic and egregious example of careless and negligent environmental policy, it is by no means the only one. Not by a long shot. And the fallout is showing up in clinics all over the country.
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