ISBN-13: 9781721930678
ISBN-10: 17211930671
Published -3/3/19
266 Pages
Paperback
Available at:
Amazon.com $19.95 https://www.amazon.com/Glyphosate-Free-Functional-Nutrition-Homeopathic/dp/1721930671
Serpentina Books £15.50 https://www.serpentinabooks.com/birch-kate—glyphosate-free-1209-p.asp
I met the author Kate at a homeopathic seminar recently and she was selling her homeopathy books. She was kind enough to give me a copy of this book to review as there was plenty of interest from the participants, and I have to admit I am new to the subject of Glyphosate.
In the ‘Forward’ Chrissy Moore tells us how she came to be interested in homeopathy (only fairly recently) and how her father, a farmer who used to spray his crops developed cancer from the effects of Roundup weed killer that everyone is now talking about. She also writes how Kate has 24 years as a professional homeopath and how homeopathy has helped her. In the preface Kate tells us how to use this book to find the most pertinent information on the condition you are studying. She explains that this essay is an exposé of her journey of recovery from glyphosate toxicity and a way for others to work with functional nutrition and homeopathy to regain their own health and become glyphosate free. We are told, “brace yourself for what is revealed”!
Kate begins the book with an open letter to her State Representative in which she draws his/her attention to the detrimental use of glyphosate (the main ingredient in Roundup) and the health the constituents in their state. Ah, now I know what this is all about, as I may not have heard of the chemical term glyphosate, but I have certainly heard of Roundup! The problem she says is that it is working its way up the food chain and she has had personal experience of its toxicity.
The first chapter, titled ‘Overview of Glyphosate Exposure’, is useful for someone like me to read who has only a vague idea of this threat to society. Glycine is an amino acid made in our bodies and after exposure to Glyphosate via the food we eat, glyphosate (comprised of glycine and a phosphate group) finds its way to all the places where glycine is used. This disrupts the normal protein and enzyme mechanisms of all living systems. Glyphosate also disrupts plant photosynthesis, which is what kills the plants, or would do so if it wasn’t for Monsanto genetically engineering crop plants so it only kills the weeds and not the crops. There is then an introduction to the harmful effects in humans that glyphosate causes. There is a chart of the top 10 pesticide consuming countries of the world, of which China is on top, by a long way from the second place, USA. The No. 10 place is India. I am pleased to report that the UK is not in this top 10 although France and Italy are. We are told where glyphosate is found and the tolerances in humans. It’s frightening to be told that an independent review has suggested that exported food contains 12 times more that the present acceptable limit. This chapter is disturbing. We are told about how glyphosate is found in wine, beer, oats and even honey. Well this makes sense if you think about it. The bees pollinate in the agricultural lands where glyphosate is sprayed! Tobacco is dangerous without even thinking about its glyphosate content, which does not have strict regulatory guidelines! The author also references acute poisoning from unintentional exposure like aerial drift or agricultural water runoff.
From Chapters 2 to 9 Kate takes us on a tour of all living systems affected by the substitution of glyphosate for glycine. Each chapter is abundantly referenced by scientific research of the effects of glyphosate from all over the world. Chapter 2 is called ‘The Primordial Sea’ where the origin of life, abiogenesis, is explained and a bit of relevant religion, nature and the biology of bacteria is discussed. In Chapter 3 Glyphosate, DNA and RNA basics are given which includes a lovely photo of the receptor sites on a beetle’s foot. Here she discusses the effects on receptor sites, immune system suppression, upregulation of RNA viruses and glyphosate’s triggering of genetic mutations and cancer. Also, there are interesting research references of the role glyphosate plays in autism. Here she includes a graph which correlates the usage of glyphosate with the increase in autism. The reason being that the collagen used to incubate the vaccines is contaminated with glyphosate. Also, consumption of glyphosate contaminated gluten has effects on the biome and immune system and affect detoxification routes and drives cerebral inflammation. This chapter begins Kate’s search for truth, beauty and consciousness set against her own experience with toxicity and the intelligence, or lack thereof, in human driven poisoning of the food chain. There are over 5 pages of references to this chapter.
Chapter 4 reviews the biochemistry of glyphosate and protein structure, amply illustrated with charts and chemical structures. Chapter 5 reminds me of my college biology lessons with the comprehensive description of photosynthesis, the Carbon Cycle and the Krebs Cycle amongst others. I was a science teacher in my other life before I became a homeopath. Chapter 6 discusses the human biome, the bacteria, viruses and fungi, and the effects glyphosate can induce in our bodies. As commensal bacteria are the primary target of glyphosate, Kate discusses how disruption here fundamentally effects the health of our entire being. She argues that we need bacteria and viruses to keep healthy and that we can’t live in a hygienic bubble away from these entities. Our health is defined by the symbiotic relationship with them. The necessity of being able to produce a fever, which is becoming increasingly difficult with the advent of more and more vaccines, compounds this issue. Accordingly, she analyses the effects of denying children’s developing immune systems the experience of normal childhood diseases.
Chapter 7 takes us into the realms of what affects our hormones and neurotransmitters and how glyphosate interferes with these. Chapter 8 has the important ‘Clinical Conditions of Glyphosate Toxicity’ in great detail with charts on pregnancy and miscarriage comparisons. Chapter 9 gives us a summary of the absorption routes and complications, e.g. the intestinal lining, enzyme functionality, and more.
Chapter 10 is a description of modern wheat, the most heavily sprayed crop, vs original wheat. Considering the global epidemic of gluten intolerance, this chapter gives revelations into how mankind’s relationship with capitalism, originating with the grain exchange, is the driver of a toxic food production system that is slowly killing us.
Chapter 11 starts with how to deal with glyphosate using ‘Nutritional Support for the Detox Protocol’ in a simple manner with a table of what to avoid, which at first glance looks like everything! Following this there are 12 pages of tables to tell you what you can and should take into your body to repair the damage and detox the glyphosate out. The next 3 pages of tables inform you what to do mechanically to facilitate this process: e.g. massages, saunas, yoga. Chapter 12 is ‘Final Notes and Review’, which is self-explanatory.
By Chapter 14 we get down to homeopathic philosophy and what can be done with the classical and clinical approaches including a specific glyphosate clearing protocol, a fast and colon cleanse and an overview of the clinical presentation of glyphosate toxicity so you can recognize the symptom picture in your practice. Chapter 15 goes into the homeopathic remedies needed. Kate starts with a description of the 12 cell salts that could be used. Basic information of all the Bowel Nosodes to repair the biome is given and homeopathic remedies to address nutritional deficiencies, metabolic issues as well as effects on the endocrine and immune system. This is an extremely comprehensive chapter which takes a fair amount of reading and reflection to comprehend the complexity of the issue. Chapter 16 is a short chapter just giving the homeopathic glyphosate clearing protocol and includes a simple to follow table.
Chapter 17 gives us 5 case histories including her own. chapter 18 contains a blessing and chapter 19, the last chapter, is how to carry out the “Fast and Colon Cleanse.” There is a 23-page Index at the back which is fundamental to finding what you are looking for in this comprehensive book on the effects of glyphosate toxicity on human biology. An index, believe it or not, is not present in all non-fiction books I review.
So finally, as usual in my reviews, I will suggest who I think this book is aimed at. It is essential reading for the thinking person who is concerned about their health and how the world is being destroyed by the likes of Monsanto who are only interested in making money to the detriment to the environment and future generations. It is essential reading for people like me who had heard of the word Roundup, but not glyphosate, and are interested in its implications. Despite the complexity of the issue, Kate’s superb writing skills, photos, diagrams, and tables make this is a very readable book. She has worked so hard, which I have really appreciated, in doing the research for us so that we may help our patients. It is as up to date information as she could find in 2019. I believe homeopaths should have this on their bookshelves, as we will be seeing patients affected by glyphosate, in the many ways described, but previously have not realised that this was the cause of their complaints.
The author of this book, Kate Birch, is past vice president of NASH (2005-2007) past director and cofounder of Free and Healthy Children International, a non-profit dedicated to education, research and access to homeoprophylaxis.
