Is RoundUp Bad for Health?
Below we discuss what glyphosate / RoundUp does to human health. Let's start by talking about the shikimate pathway, the nutrients that are supposed to be produced through the shikimate pathway, and how GMO foods result in organophosphate exposures as well as a an increased vulnerability to nutrient deficiency.
The Shikimate Pathway, Methylation, the Intestinal Flora, and Organophosphate-Induced Disease
The shikimate pathway, which is known as a “metabolic tree with many pathways” is an obscure biochemical production line that is NOT present in the human body. Our human cells don’t have the ability to use the seven-step shikimate pathway to produce the array of end-products like L-tyrosine, Menaquinone-7 (vitamin K2), Coenzyme Q10, etc. that plants and microorganisms can produce, but we make use of the metabolites from this non-human, non-mammalian biological pathway when we consume plants or via our intestinal flora.
It might seem superfluous or irrelevant to talk about something as technical as the shikimate pathway in a book about how organophosphate exposure impacts human health, but though human cells can’t make use of the shikimate pathway themselves, our bodies are still able to benefit from the fact that plants and microorganisms can. A number of intestinal bacteria that live in the gut, for example, are able to use the shikimate pathway to metabolize carbohydrates into an array of vital substances that directly impact how we think, how coordinated we are in terms of movement, how we feel in terms of social relationships and so much more.
In other discussions, we’ve noted how the soil in which our foods are grown is like our external metabolism and if the soil is nutrient depleted then our bodies become nutrient depleted. In this article, we’re going to talk about how plants that have been exposed to organophosphates are different than plants that have not been exposed to organophosphates. RoundUp and glyphosate will be central in this discussion because the plants that humans consume have been genetically modified such that they don’t follow the same the shikimate pathway as the plants that are killed by RoundUp. This is a serious issue because GMO crops, which are fed to humans and animals that later produce or become animal-food products, are not functioning like natural, non-GMO plants that produce the following substances that profoundly affect human health and well-being:
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Phenylalanine is an amino acid precursor to tyrosine. It is NOT produced by GMO plant foods like wheat, soy, and corn. These GMO plants are staple foods in the diet. A GMO-based diet can lead to a phenylalanine or tyrosine deficiency. It is a building block for neurotransmitters like dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline, which are essential in the proper functioning of the autonomic nervous system.
Click here to read more about the use of psilocybin to treat mind-body disorders like autism by releasing trauma from the autonomic nervous system.
Click here to learn more about the use of light therapy for autism and other serious diseases to re-balance the autonomic nervous system.
Note that without proper levels of amino acids like Phenylalanine, it is impossible for the autonomic nervous system to work properly which can lead to ASD symptoms as well as epilepsy, ADHD, and more. Click here to read about melatonin for autism and the relationship between the pineal gland and the autonomic nervous system.
For more information about how amino acids like phenylalanine have been used by doctors to cure serious neurological disorders like Down’s syndrome, click here.
For more information about
how amino acids are used to treat addiction, click here.
NOTE: Some people cannot process L-phenylalanine and must work instead with either L-Tyrosine or L-Dopa supplements instead.
Tyrosine is derived from L-phenylalanine and it is an amino acid precursor to L-dopa. L-dopa, in turn, is the precursor to the following neurotransmitters:
- Dopamine
- Norepinephrine / Noradrenaline
- Epinephrine / Adrenaline
If the body is short on L-Phenylalanine or L-Tyrosine, the B complex vitamins that transform these aminos into L-Dopa and dopamine, then the body will also be low on adrenaline and noradrenaline. A deficiency of any of these neurotransmitters can lead to serious neurological issues like ASD including an array of "autoimmune" disease manifestations.
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Tryptophan is a precursor to the the following neurotransmitters:
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Without adequate levels of L-Tryptophan in the brain and body, circadian rhythm disturbances can occur due to an inability to produce melatonin and serotonin, two neurotransmitters that help us orient ourselves to daytime and nighttime. L-Tryptophan and vitamin K2 / Menaquinone-7 play a role in pineal gland health and circadian rhythms. Both of these substances are normally produced via the shikimate pathway. Both are supplements that are helpful in overcoming insomnia.
The synthetic form of vitamin B9 / folate is folic acid. Folic acid is not nearly as healthy or bioavailable as folate, yet, despite the fact that we all know now that
natural vitamin B9 / folate is essential for a healthy pregnancy and proper neurological fetal development, folic acid (which is chemically different as a synthetic vitamin B9) is still the form of the vitamin that is put in most multi-vitamin formulas including prenatal vitamins.
Methylation and autism is a big topic right now and a lot of parents are becoming aware of the need for high-dose methyl-folate as a part of an ASD healing protocol. Methyl-folate is produced via the shikimate pathway in non-GMO staple food plants, but a lack of these nutrients in our staple foods has lead to a deficiency of this vital nutrient that plays a leading role in neurological health. In addition, folate also plays a role in the following.
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- Folate plays a role in the normal maintenance and production of DNA.
- A number of healthy intestinal bacteria produce folate if these bacteria have not been destroyed by glyphosate-residues on food.
Vitamin E is a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant nutrient that protects the brain and body from free radical damage.
Both vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 are essential for healthy metabolism of any living thing. Mammals can’t produce vitamin K1 or vitamin K2, so they have to rely on the intestinal flora and the presence of specific probiotic bacteria, plants that contain vitamin K1 and K2, or supplements to get enough of these nutrients.
Vitamin K2 in its natural form as Menaquinone-7 / MK-7 (the MK-4 form is synthetic) is the nutrient that works with vitamin D to ensure that calcium ends up in the bones and teeth rather than in the soft tissues of the body. Health issues like
breast calcification (which can show up as a false positive mammogram result,
pineal gland calcification,
atherosclerosis, and any other type of soft-tissue calcification throughout the body result from a deficiency of vitamin K2 / MK-7. Vitamin D supplementation is pushed by Big Pharma in the media to the detriment of the masses because vitamin K2 / MK-7 is no longer present in the average diet. As a result, vitamin D pushes calcium into the bloodstream from the small intestine, but without vitamin K2, the calcium cannot be shuttled into the bones and teeth. As a result of this, soft tissues become calcified while bones and teeth deteriorate and become weak and unhealthy. Blood is made in the large bones of the body which is why
vitamin K2 / MK-7 is so essential to prevent leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma as well as to treat these diseases effectively.
- Vitamin K1 / Phylloquinone
- This vitamin is famous for its ability to impact blood coagulation.
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- This vitamin is famous for its ability to impact both the outside of bones and bone marrow as well as nerve tissues and the general health of all human cells via its effects on calcium absorption in the body.
- Coenzyme Q10 / Ubiquinone
Ubiquinone or Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful and important antioxidant in the human body. It plays a role in the production of energy in our mitochondria.
Shikimic acid in certain plants such as pine trees or star anise can be used to cure influenza or COVID.
- Anthranilate is a quinolone signal that regulates the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
All organisms need the above metabolite-end-products of the shikimate pathway, but humans depend on the intestinal flora, plants, or supplements to obtain these metabolites. In other words, we can’t make them ourselves but rather we have to get them from the diet or from supplements. Of particular interest in this discussion are metabolites that are impacted by organophosphate insecticides such as Glyphosate and RoundUp.
One of the most noteworthy facts about the basic shikimate pathway that jumped out at me when I first started studying this material was the fact that many or even most of the substances in the human body that require methylation in order to be activated are included in this list of substances that are made through the shikimate pathway. This is important because disorders like autism seems to be affected positively by the use of methylated nutrients like natural forms of folate (NOT folic acid). And autism is a model disorder that we use in our thinking about most autoimmune diseases. We’ll talk more about autism soon, but for now, it’s important to note that the list of nutrient-substances that require methylation in order to be activated is nearly identical to the list of substances produced through the basic, 7-step shikimate pathway that is halted at the final step by substances like RoundUp and glyphosate.
Just for comparison, here’s a list of substances in the body that require methylation in order to be activated:
- Ubiquinone / Coenzyme Q10
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- Phosphatidylcholine is the precursor to acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in the autonomic nervous system) as well as to cell phospholipids. Acetylcholine is one of the primary neurotransmitters that are negatively impacted by organophosphate exposure.
NOTE: The following two neurohormones that require methylation in order to be activated are manufactured in the body from the amino acid tryptophan, one of the end-products of the shikimate pathway.
NOTE: The following substances that require methylation in order to be activated are manufactured in the body from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. Phenylalanine and tyrosine are both manufactured from chorismate, an end-product on the shikimate pathway. The last step of the basic shikimate pathway is halted by RoundUp / glyphosate which causes the plant to die. This decreases the production of the following neurotransmitters:
- Noradrenaline / Norepinephrine
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Methylation and Autism: Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, and Dopamine
There’s a buzz about methylation and autism right now and how methylation can be used to improve autism symptoms. Because I’ve spent quite a lot of time and energy working with natural cures for ADHD and addiction, I see a pattern in the data above that might not immediately jump out at casual readers. First of all, I’ve worked with amino acids as a cure for addiction and my experiences using amino acids for addiction treatment have been nothing short of miraculous. L-Tyrosine, in particular, is a paradigm-changer in addiction treatment in drug rehab facilities that administer it. Rehab facilities that administer L-Tyrosine daily to patients see really low relapse rates and miraculous outcomes in their patients. That’s because L-Tyrosine (which is derived from L-Phenylalanine) is a precursor to L-Dopa, the amino acid that is the precursor to dopamine. Read more about how to use amino acids to cure addiction here. Read more about how to use amino acids to cure ADHD here.
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Let me just say, before I continue on with this dopamine discussion, that I’ve successfully used Mucuna pruriens, a Fabaceae plant that contains higher than average levels of the amino acid L-Dopa to treat severe ADHD. One ADHD child that I worked with was on prescription medication and having seizures every afternoon. Within 24 hours of the initial treatment with Mucuna pruriens, this child’s mother actually forgot to give him his ADHD drugs (Atomoxetin and Ritalin) because his symptoms had improved so much. Mucuna is just a bean and it contains natural amino acids, so it was possible for her to give him the Mucuna even while he was still taking the prescription meds for ADHD. Within 3 days, he was like a totally different kid. He no longer needed his prescription medication. He was calm and focused. It was truly a miracle.
Mucuna pruriens has a toxicity level that is similar to that of fava beans (which are in the same plant family). But in order to find a way to treat ADHD naturally and get rid of withdrawals after addiction, Lydian and I had to come up with an entirely new model of how dopamine works in the brain. Click here to read more about Mucuna as a cure for addictions. Read more about the use of Mucuna pruriens to cure ADHD here.
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Our Model of Dopamine in Addictions and ADHD
There’s a lot of confusion about how dopamine works, especially if you read material about addiction and ADHD. But the science supports the idea that we could think about dopamine synapses as though the dopamine receptors were a garden of flowers. Take a moment now to imagine the synaptic gap between a dopamine neuron and the dopamine receptor where one side of the gap is like a garden with little flowers growing it. A synapse, after all, is just a very tiny gap between two neurons that exists so that the neuron on one side can release a neurotransmitter like dopamine and so that the neuron on the other side of the gap with the receptors can soak it up. The gap is important because sometimes enzymes break down the neurotransmitters inside the gap to ensure that the neurotransmitters don’t latch onto the receptors for an indefinite period of time. The synaptic gap between two neurons is part of what makes our brains and our thoughts “plastic” or changeable. If the neurons in the brain were built without gaps, it would be harder to learn and to change our minds about something. And in our metaphor we want to think of the dopamine receptor and the synaptic gap as a fertile space where new flowers can grow and where existing flowers can become bigger and more robust.
It’s ideal for a given dopamine neuron to be full of a neurotransmitter like dopamine as though it were a watering can that you might use to water garden plants. The watering-can-neuron releases dopamine into the synaptic garden of dopamine receptors that grow like flowers on the receiving neuron that sits on the other side of the synaptic gap. If you give those dopamine flower-receptors too much dopamine-water, the flowers will die from flooding. If you give dopamine flower-receptors too little dopamine-water, the flowers will wilt and die from drought. A drug or a substance, like caffeine or methamphetamines, Adderall, or any of the various ADHD drugs for example, cause the neuron-watering-can to dump out all of the dopamine stored in them suddenly in one big burst or flood. The neuron-watering can is then empty as a result. So these drugs/substances cause the body to essentially flood the dopamine-receptor-flower-garden and then let the flower-receptors dry out due to a drought because the watering-can-neurons are empty.
Most of us are familiar with how it feels when dopamine neurons are empty. Drinking too much coffee causes jittery-ness or tremors. The jittery-ness is biochemically similar to the tremors experienced by Parkinson’s disease patients. Dopamine affects our movement and coordination and without calibrated, regular doses of it, we might experience tremors, jittery-ness, physical restlessness, or anxiety.
Caffeine can cause us to be overambitious. Later, after a caffeine high, there’s a crash that leaves people feeling depressed or unmotivated when the dopamine runs out. Dopamine levels affect our “parental feelings” or feelings of empathy towards others. This is relevant in regard to autism, a disorder that causes a sense of social disconnection from others. Dopamine levels play an important role in this disorder. A diet high in the amino acids L-tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, or L-dopa can help children with autism or ADHD keep their neuron-watering-cans full of dopamine. Addiction also involves a lack of empathy toward others because the addict needs to experience the object of the addiction in order to release dopamine, even tiny amounts of it, into their synaptic garden of dopamine flower-receptors. But I should also note that when a normal, healthy adult has a moment where they freeze or become paralyzed as they’re working or doing something that requires a lot of decision-making, this common experience is often the result of low dopamine levels in the brain too.
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Caffeine can cause a flood of dopamine to be released into the synapse followed by a long, devastating drought. Most prescription drugs for ADHD have this toxic mechanism of action that depletes a child’s brain of dopamine which then creates a cycle of addiction and dependence.
But now, let’s talk just briefly about how Mucuna pruriens and other plants that belong to the Fabaceae family have a biochemical effect on the body that’s different from caffeine or methamphetamines. Mucuna pruriens is a humble, yet amazing little bean plant that works miracles in certain medical contexts. The beans of the plant contain dopamine precursors while its leaves secrete droplets of serotonin. You can add the bean to chili soup or tacos and eat it for dinner as many people do in Central America and Southeast Asia. It does not affect the release of dopamine into the synaptic garden of dopamine receptors so it plays no role in the addictive cycle that we describe above. Rather, it simply provides the natural amino precursor to dopamine in the brain to keep the neuron watering-can fully charged with dopamine. When you eat or take a Mucuna supplement, you are ensuring that your dopamine neuron-watering cans will be full of dopamine at all times. When the watering can is full of dopamine, the neurons will release that dopamine naturally in response to normal things like talking to another person who’s engaging or fun, or a beautiful sunset. As such, the dopamine flower-receptors are watered on a regular basis without a lot of variability in terms of how much dopamine they receive. Flower-receptors that regularly receive a little water on a regular basis adapt to that level of dopamine and flower-receptors that receive a lot of water grow bigger and stronger too as long as they receive a consistent amount from one day to the next.
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If a person consumes caffeine, meth, or some other dopamine-flooding drug, the rewards of taking that drug/substance are significantly reduced because the dopamine-neuron flowers are being watered regularly so they’re healthy and prolific. They receive plenty of dopamine on a regular basis. So kids that are fed a diet high in any of the amino acids that lead to the production of dopamine are significantly less likely to fall prey to any type of addiction. A bean like Mucuna makes both adults and children mostly immune to addictive behaviors and addictive substances. So Mucuna is a miracle cure for addiction, but it can also prevent addiction. Over time (usually about 5 months), when the dopamine-flower-receptors are watered regularly and without fail, the dopamine-flower-receptors that had died due to overwatering or underwatering grow back. People and kids often experience a renaissance of thinking and emotional stability at that time. The dose for regrowing dopamine receptors is 6000 mg per day (in 4 divided doses of 1500 mg each) for a 150-200 pound adult. It should be taken at this dose for 5 months to regrow the dopamine receptors and then afterwards, you can drop back to either no Mucuna or 500 mg per day as a maintenance dose. Read more about Mucuna and supporting nutrients for additions or to treat ADHD naturally here.
L-Tyrosine can be taken as an alternative to Mucuna pruriens. L-Phenylalanine can also be taken as an alternative to Mucuna. Both of these amino acids are converted into natural L-Dopa in the body, but it takes longer for the conversion to take place and the tyrosine and phenylalanine doses are higher than Mucuna pruriens doses.
It’s also important for readers to note that both noradrenaline and adrenaline are derived from dopamine. So, if your dopamine levels are low your noradrenaline and adrenaline levels will also be low.
Dopamine-Organophosphate Exposure Summary
And now, to bring this discussion back to our point of origin, namely organophosphate exposure, we need to note again that food-plants that have been sprayed with RoundUp / glyphosate do not contain the normal amount of amino acids, L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine which means that people who are consuming these plants regularly in their diet are consuming calories that are not charged up with the necessary nutrients to feed the brain or the body. The four examples of health problems from these amino acid deficiencies that are most serious according to our research-to-date are autism, Parkinson’s disease, addiction, and ADHD, but there are many other examples that would also be relevant including most autoimmune diseases. In the next part of this discussion, we’ll talk more about other disease-states that happen downstream from dopamine as a result of noradrenaline or adrenaline deficiencies.
The Dopamine-Adrenaline Connection
So let’s review again just briefly. If your dopamine levels are low, you’re going to have trouble making decisions. You’re going to experience a lack of empathy in relationships. You’ll feel unmotivated and lethargic and mentally foggy. Let’s also just note at this juncture that iodine combines with the dopamine amino precursor L-tyrosine to produce thyroid hormones. So we can easily see now that there’s a relationship between our amino acid and dopamine discussion with the material we’ve presented in earlier chapters. The amino acid L-tyrosine might take a human biochemical pathway and end up in the thyroid gland with iodine as a thyroid hormone or it might take a different pathway and end up in the brain as dopamine. So let’s just take a moment to imagine the plant-based shikimate pathway that Mucuna and other Fabaceae plants go through to produce the dopamine precursors L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine and how this meandering path connects into our human biochemistry fluently such that our bodies pick up exactly where the plants like Mucuna leave off. In other words, our bodies take in the amino acids L-phenylalanine or L-tyrosine and convert them into dopamine to keep these flower-like receptor structures in the brain properly watered and fertilized.
Low L-tyrosine levels in the diet can lead to a deficiency of both dopamine and triiodotyrosine (T3). So, if you eat a diet that contains plants that are lower than normal in L-tyrosine, you’ll likely experience all of the yuck of dopamine deficiency as well as symptoms of hypothyroidism (weight gain, lethargy, brain fog, general malaise). The combination of a poorly functioning thyroid gland, which governs metabolism, with a poorly functioning brain and poorly functioning intestines (since dopamine also promotes proper bowel movements), could be diagnosed as any number of diseases or even as several dis-ease states. And again, we have to remember that organophosphates, bromide-containing insecticides and herbicides can all contribute to deficiencies of these vital amino acids in plants that look and seem totally normal in terms of appearance at the grocery store.
But now, let’s go a step further and talk about how dopamine can be converted into noradrenaline or adrenaline.
Most of us are familiar with adrenaline so I’m going to focus this next bit of material on adrenaline specifically. Adrenaline is famous as the fight-or-flight hormone that’s produced by the adrenal glands. Adrenaline plays a role in the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system along with noradrenaline. So let’s expand on the idea of fight-or-flight a bit more below.
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The Two Nervous Systems
Our nervous system is one thing that can easily be divided into two different things: the central nervous system which includes the brain, the spinal cord, and sensory and motor nerves. This first part of the nervous system is by far the most famous part. But the second part of the nervous system is the autonomic nervous system which consists of some of the lower parts of the brain, the sympathetic nervous system (which involves a series of ganglia or nerve bundles about 1 inch on either side of each vertebra in the spinal column), and two branches of the parasympathetic nervous system. Don’t worry too much about the technical details right now. Rather, let’s look at the central nervous system as the outgoing, public persona that uses logic and reasoning to try to navigate the world. In turn, the autonomic nervous system is more like the Greek God, Hades—it’s the dark, unconscious, and mystical, if not magical part of our human anatomy that keeps things like breath and digestion running even without our conscious awareness or input.
The central nervous system has gotten a lot of attention from conventional medicine doctors so to balance things out, we’re going to focus primarily on this little-known, vital part of the human nervous system in this discussion: the autonomic nervous system.
The word “autonomic” trips people up a lot. It sounds so much like “automatic”. Indeed, it can help to think of the autonomic nervous system as a system that works “automatically”. But the word “autonomic” also sounds like “autonomous” and autonomous is definitely a better descriptive word for this system of the body which does seem to have its own consciousness that’s totally independent and separate from the level of consciousness that’s most familiar to us as sensory input and logical thought from the central nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the part of the body that senses the environment and that governs over the organs and their function though we are not consciously aware of it doing so.
It’s pretty amazing that the autonomic nervous system performs these unconscious yet vital functions in the body, making incredibly fine-tuned adjustments to the heart rate and breathing, for example. A highly variable heart rate, for example, is a sign of excellent health. A highly variable breath pattern is also a sign of excellent health. COVID patients (and other patients with respiratory issues) who are put on ventilators suffer for the lack of breath variability that happens through ventilation by a machine. Our autonomic nervous system was designed to manage our breathing patterns to match them to or use them to balance things like pH levels in the body, hormone levels, and more. This system of our body notices things in our environment and in our relationships that our conscious mind tunes out. The central nervous system and our conscious awareness, for example, can only observe 5 plus or minus 2 sensory-related phenomena in any given instant. In contrast, our autonomic nervous system takes in the big picture and can literally store every piece of data that we observe even since before our conception (as evidenced through studies done using hypnotherapy). The autonomic nervous system gives us goosebumps in the presence of an electromagnetic field that our conscious minds aren’t aware of. Our “gut” or “intuition” originates in the autonomic nervous system, but conscious awareness of our intuition happens when the central nervous system tunes into what the autonomic nervous system is saying.
The sympathetic nervous system is one of the three branches of the autonomic nervous system. This branch is activated by adrenaline, a hormone produced in the adrenal glands (which sit just above the kidneys). So, when we talk about fight-or-flight and super-human abilities that can happen when a person’s body releases a huge quantity of adrenaline, we’re not just talking about the adrenal glands, but also about the sympathetic nervous system, a branch of the mystical and autonomous autonomic nervous system . This confuses a lot of people. They wonder, are we talking about adrenaline as a hormone or are we talking about the nervous system? In fact, even for those of us who’ve studied biology, this No-Man’s-Land-sort-of-connection between adrenaline and the sympathetic nervous system is not well described or depicted. The lack of information about the autonomic nervous system in undergraduate biology classes at the university likely occurs because to study the autonomic nervous system challenges the status quo and our view of ourselves as humans. This is a body system that challenges prevailing views of our human capabilities and so it’s hard to really discuss the autonomic nervous system without also dipping into the fringe sciences like hypnosis, paranormal psychology, trauma-informed therapies,and even spirituality and religion. But it’s important to broach this topic here, especially for people who are trying to overcome a serious disease because the autonomic nervous system is the part of our body that governs our organs. It is the part of the body that stores trauma and that must be “cleared” of trauma in order for us to experience positive mental health.
As an aside, there are experts on the autonomic nervous system who are able to work with nothing but the autonomic nervous system to cure disease. Indeed, Lydi and I regularly look at the autonomic nervous system in our work with clients because serious diseases almost always involve an uncomfortable oscillation between sympathetic-dominance followed by parasympathetic-dorsal vagal nerve dominance and back again. The goal is to achieve a balanced, ventral vagal nerve dominance that is central to rest-and-digest as well as healing trance states that allow our organ systems to heal. Patients who are recovering from a serious disease have to find this rest-and-digest state of healing in order for our body systems to detoxify and achieve equilibrium.
The connection between the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system and nerve tissues that are activated by adrenaline and the idea that adrenaline causes the fight-or-flight reaction when a person is under a certain type of stress, happens at the pineal gland. The pineal gland is connected both to the blood supply and thus, hormone levels as well as to the autonomic nervous system via nerve fibers that make it possible for our endocrine glands to release hormones that are detected by the pineal gland and translated into an autonomic nervous system response.
Read more about the oscillations between the sympathetic and dorsal parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system and how to take control of this system of the body to cure Long COVID and autoimmune diseases here.
The Pineal Gland: Connecting the Autonomic Nervous System to Hormone Levels
The pineal gland is a tiny structure located at the very center of the lower part of the brain. It is the only brain structure that does not sit behind the protection of the blood-brain barrier. The pineal gland orients us to time and space among other things. It is this tiny gland at the base of the brain that helps us know what time of the day it is so that we are not in a chronic state of jet lag. And it also helps us know our location in space so that we have coordinated physical movements on earth. Without the pineal gland, our bodies would easily succumb to gravity and might feel wakeful at night and tired during the day.
Some noteworthy individuals like Rene Descartes have referred to the pineal gland as the seat of the soul. We’ve talked about this soul-based facet of the pineal gland in another article about the use of melatonin for autism at this link.
The pineal gland, because it has this unadulterated access to the blood supply, is able to sample the blood perpetually in a moment-to-moment way. The only other organs in the body that receive as much blood as the pineal gland are the kidneys. And as the pineal gland samples the blood supply, it relays messages to the brain and the nervous system structures about the presence of hormones like adrenaline to alert the rest of the body to the presence of mild stress or extreme danger, social situations, or rest-and-digest opportunities.
So the pineal gland, which sits at the “third eye” in terms of chakras, is the part of us that takes in the information of the other chakra-related glands like the pituitary / hypothalamus (crown), the thyroid (throat chakra), thymus (heart chakra), the adrenals (abdominal chakra), and the reproductive organs (root chakra). The “third eye”, for readers who aren’t familiar with this concept is the chakra related to psychic experiences or intuition. And, as it turns out, the autonomic nervous system is also scientifically proven for its ability to sense the environment in a manner that would be considered supernatural according to mainstream science.
Debilitation of the pineal gland or calcification of the pineal gland, causes a person to feel seriously disconnected from the world in a manner similar to how autistic individuals describe their daily experience in the world. But a number of people with autoimmune disease or cancer have similar experiences of profound disconnection from time, space, and other human beings. This sense of disconnection can be observed as a cellular process wherein the cells shut down and close their doors like a business that’s closing up shop. The cells become dormant and unresponsive to signaling molecules. This cellular response to danger is called The Cell Danger Response. Or, we can look at this sense of disconnection on an entirely different level and instead reference the activities of the autonomic nervous system and changes that occur when a person is feeling a sense of disconnection from time, space, or other living things. If we look at this experience of profound disconnection, lethargy, generalized pain (that often moves to different locations in the body), and other common autoimmune disease symptoms we can view this experience of disconnection as an autonomic nervous system response known as Dysautonomia. Whether we talk about this time/space/social disconnection experience as a Cellular Phenomena or as a Nervous System Phenomena doesn’t matter unless we’re trying to explain how a given medication or treatment works. Both models (the Cell Danger Response Model or the Dysautonomia Model) work to describe this problem which is consistently present in autoimmune disease. Both the Cell Danger Response and Dysautonomia are relevant constructs that are useful in overcoming the problem. But now that we’ve placed the pineal gland in its rightful location at the crux of the hormone-to-nervous system intersection to describe how it plays a role in the Cell Danger Response and Dysautonomia, we can return to the idea of adrenaline.
Adrenal Insufficiency: A Different Perspective
Adrenal insufficiency is as popular as a concept in autoimmune disease circles as methylation is in autism circles. But believe it or not, adrenal insufficiency in autoimmune disease and methylation in autism are intimately connected if not essentially the same problem that can both easily be connected back into the problem of organophosphate exposure.
Recall that dopamine is a precursor to noradrenaline and adrenaline. If you’re low on dopamine, you’ll also be low in noradrenaline and adrenaline which means that, as you struggle with the various issues caused by dopamine deficiency, your sympathetic nervous system will also be malfunctioning in one of a variety of different ways too. I equate sympathetic nervous system dysfunction with trigger points and generalized pain in the body. I easily equate pain with sympathetic nervous system dysfunction because every artery in the body has a sympathetic nervous system fiber that runs alongside it. This tiny sympathetic nervous system fiber tells the artery whether to be wide open and relaxed or closed and constricted. Blood flow restrictions due to constriction of blood vessels causes pain and “trigger points” as well as weakness sometimes in muscle tissue.
The sympathetic nervous system nerve fibers have “adrenergic receptors”. In other words, they have receptors that specifically respond to adrenaline and noradrenaline in the blood. Noradrenaline is the primary sympathetic nervous system neurotransmitter that oversees blood vessel constriction or dilation throughout the body, but adrenaline also impacts whether or not the airways are open or closed and metabolism levels via the sympathetic nervous system as well.
If you’re deficient in dopamine, you may also struggle with addiction of one kind or another. You may feel like you have no control over yourself or your life because of addictive behaviors. But the downstream effects of being dopamine deficient would also be present in that the sympathetic nervous system would not be functioning properly. Blood flow issues to the muscles and to the organs could cause pain or weakness in the body. And a deficiency of adrenaline causes people to feel profoundly exhausted. To be low on dopamine and low on noradrenaline and adrenaline makes people feel a strong sense of weakness, generalized pain, and a total lack of control over their lives. Poor or imbalanced immune system responses / autoimmunity is also a part of this noradrenaline-adrenaline deficiency equation. And to make matters even worse, dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline also play other roles in gut health and in other areas of the body via the sympathetic nervous system that cause people to experience an array of issues in regard to digestion if this system is not properly charged with dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline in the neurons.
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Methylation and Organophosphates
We might look at the relationship between the shikimate pathway in plants and microorganisms and methylation issues in the human body as a process that begins in the soil. This process then moves through plants and when we consume plants that are naturally going through this process, it also flows through us. One might liken this flow to the Traditional Chinese Medicine concept of chi or the yogic concept of prana. If readers believed that the so-called shikimate pathway is a biochemical loop that leads into the human biochemical process of methylation that ensures that our bodies receive what plants produce then readers would be very concerned to learn that organophosphates like glyphosate and RoundUp inhibit the shikimate pathway at the final step in the process.
RoundUp or glyphosate are organophosphate herbicides that only work if the farmer cultivates RoundUp-ready plants that are able to withstand the ravages of these herbicides. RoundUp-ready corn, a GMO product, was developed such that farmers can apply the herbicide to the corn and the corn is left unharmed while all other plant life that goes through the entire 7-step basic shikimate pathway dies.
But the problem with RoundUp and glyphosate is that when it is applied to a crop, it remains as a residue on the crop. GMO products obviously do not go through the same shikimate pathway that normal plants go through which is why these GMO food products don’t interact with that natural “flow” that ends with our body’s natural ability to produce things like dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. The “flow” is disrupted in GMO food products such that these products do not contain the same constituent amino acids and nutrients as natural, non-GMO products. And our human bodies can’t take in the partially metabolized bits and work with them because humans and mammals don’t go through the shikimate pathway ourselves. We rely on natural plants and microorganisms to do this work for us in order to survive on earth.
But that’s not all…
The intestinal flora that lives in the gut which consists of microorganisms that benefit our health in a number of ways that scientists are just beginning to understand is damaged by foods that contain residues of RoundUp and Glyphosate. This takes us along a different biochemical path though. While talk of the shikimate pathway in plants easily provides us with access to a tour of the sympathetic nervous system, the concept of fight-or-flight, and disorders like addiction, ADHD, autism, and autoimmune diseases that involve generalized pain as a common or recurrent feature, talk of the shikimate pathway in the microorganisms that make up the human intestinal flora takes us on a tour of the other two branches of the autonomic nervous system which are made up of two sections of the vagus nerve, the structure serving our organs in the parasympathetic nervous system branch.
The Two Parasympathetic Nervous System Branches
Glyphosate and RoundUp are two organophosphate herbicides that are able to inhibit the shikimate pathway in the intestinal flora. And while amino acids like L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine and the neurotransmitters dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline, serotonin, and melatonin featured heavily into our discussion and “tour” of the sympathetic nervous system and effects that might occur if a person were to eat plants that are low in the precursor amino acids that are necessary for proper sympathetic nervous system function, a different set of nutrient substances take center stage when we talk about intestinal flora.
Most people in the developed world depend to a currently unstudied and unknown extent on the microbiome of their intestines to produce nutrients like vitamin K1, vitamin K2, folate / vitamin B9, coenzyme Q / ubiquinone and more. We’ve talked extensively about vitamin K2 as a nutrient that’s essential for healthy bones and teeth, healthy blood (which is produced in the bones) and healthy nerves. Vitamin K2 contributes to nerve health via its ability to ensure that the bone tissues are strong and robust. Bone tissues that are weak and calcium deficient (a consequence of vitamin K2 deficiency) are vulnerable to becoming a reservoir for organophosphates. Bone tissues collect organophosphates, it seems, particularly if the bone tissues are weak and calcium deficient as a result of vitamin K2 deficiency. As such, vitamin K2, because of its ability to shuttle calcium into bone tissues, is a nutrient that has protective effects against the bioaccumulation of organophosphate. Read more about how to use vitamin K2 to remineralize teeth and bones here.
While vitamin K2 can’t necessarily protect the body from the effects of organophosphate exposure on blood levels of these toxins or the resultant effects of high organophosphate levels on the nervous system (particularly acetylcholine levels), it does seem to protect the body from organophosphate accumulation in the bone tissues. Protecting the body from the bioaccumulation of organophosphates is a big step toward improving health outcomes for those with autoimmune disease or cancer though. And taking a vitamin K2 supplement with Lugol’s iodine (and some supporting nutrients) can cure a long list of cancer types according to scientific research. Read more about vitamin K2 as a cure for leukemia here.
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But most people don’t consume foods that contain a lot of vitamin K2 or vitamin K1 or natural folate because these nutrients are only produced in plants that go through the shikimate pathway or in grass-fed animal products that are not given tons of antibiotics to kill their own intestinal flora. Fermented foods sometimes contain these nutrients, but most people in the developed world don’t consume a lot of fermented foods like nattokinase, for example. And to add insult to injury, if we consume foods that have been sprayed with organophosphates like glyphosate or RoundUp, a lot of the healthy microorganisms in the human gut that would normally produce an unknown amount of vitamin K1, vitamin K2, folate, and coenzyme Q / ubiquinone die.
Of course, direct exposure to glyphosate or RoundUp could cause healthy nutrient-producing intestinal flora to die, but indirect exposure is probably more common via fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed with the herbicide.
In a previous article, we talked about how a vitamin K2 deficiency naturally causes an iodine deficiency which then, in turn, makes the body susceptible to bromide / bromine toxicity. But now readers can easily see how vitamin K2 deficiency (as well as vitamin K1 and folate deficiency, etc.) occurs. Read more about the synergy between vitamin K2 and iodine here.
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Iodine deficiency causes its own serious issues. Among them, as mentioned previously in this article, is an inability to produce thyroid hormones in proper quantities. Of course a lack of L-Tyrosine can also cause issues with thyroid hormone balance too since tyrosine and iodine must work together to produce thyroid hormones. But now, let’s talk a bit about the autonomic nervous system, specifically the two parasympathetic nervous system branches (known as the dorsal and the ventral branches) and how substances like vitamin K2, vitamin K1, and folate specifically contribute to issues with these branches.
Like dopamine, acetylcholine is another neurotransmitter that functions throughout the body in various locations. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter that has been studied most in relation to organophosphate exposure, but we’ve already established the fact that other neurotransmitters like noradrenaline and dopamine are also impacted by these insecticides through the consumption of GMO plants like RoundUp-ready corn products that contain plants that go through an altered shikimate pathway that don’t produce the same end products as the natural shikimate pathway in non-GMO plants.
Acetylcholine is one of the primary neurotransmitters that makes the autonomic nervous system function. But acetylcholine also plays a vital role in voluntary muscle control. Indeed, acetylcholine is a major player in Parkinson’s disease (which is affected by both dopamine levels and acetylcholine levels).
Studies have indicated that up to 54% of the beneficial microorganisms in the human intestine die upon exposure to RoundUp or Glyphosate. When the intestinal flora is damaged this severely and in this way, we no longer produce vitamin K2, vitamin K1, folate, or the other shikimate pathway nutrients in quantities that are sufficient for human health.
Vitamin K2 and folate / vitamin B9 both confer health to the nervous system. Parents of autistic children have noticed gains in their autistic child’s behaviors when kids are given methylated folate supplements. And vitamin K2 confers benefits to the nervous system in part via its effects on iodine absorption and the resulting thyroid gland hormone balancing effects, but also via its effects on calcium balance in human cells. Vitamin K2 also has to be methylated in order to become active in the human body.
Calcium works with other ions in the body to form a sort of switchboard that follows the movement of acetylcholine through nerve tissues. In this analogy, calcium would be like on-off switches while acetylcholine would be like electricity that runs through autonomic nervous system nerve fibers and motor nerves. To solidify the relationship between folate and vitamin K2 in terms of human nervous system health, we can also think of these two nutrients as chemical entities that are like cousins that sit on adjacent branches at the final step of the basic shikimate pathway in plants and intestinal flora.
Vitamin K1, vitamin K2, folate, and ubiquone are cousins to each other and to L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine, the amino acids that we talked about above as precursors to dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline.
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Phosphatidylcholine
Organophosphate exposure alters brain levels of choline, the precursor to phosphatidylcholine, which is, in turn, the precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Phosphatidylcholine is another nutrient that requires methylation in order to be activated in the body. And as a chemical entity that contains phosphate, it is another nutrient that is profoundly impacted by organophosphates.
In the human body, inorganic phosphate is the preferred chemical entity for optimal human health. Organic phosphates or organophosphates, in contrast, are harmful to human health. Phosphate (in an inorganic format) is an extremely important nutrient that works closely with calcium ions in the body. But neither calcium or phosphate are nutrients the humans should supplement with except perhaps in very rare and exceptional situations. Calcium and phosphate levels are governed by and balanced through complex mechanisms of action across many systems of the body. I like to think of these nutrients as behind-the-scenes entities that must be managed only through other nutrients like vitamin K2.
Phosphatidylcholine is the primary precursor to the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. So, as L-dopa is the precursor to dopamine and as dopamine is the precursor to noradrenaline and adrenaline, phosphatidylcholine is the precursor to acetylcholine. But phosphatidylcholine is also used to build the outer membrane of cells–the same membranes that close down during the Cell Danger Response. Remember that the Cell Danger Response happens in response to a real or a perceived danger and when it happens, patients often feel a sense of existential disconnection, pain, and extreme lethargy that can even turn into a comatose state in extreme situations. These phospholipid cell membranes that are made from phosphatidylcholine act like a fence with numerous gates in it. The phospholipid membrane around cells allows for the admittance of certain substances but it also provides a safe boundary to prevent the entry of other toxic substances or pathogens into the cell. If the phospholipid membrane isn’t functioning properly, cells may die or become dormant. Healthy, inorganic phosphates in the phospholipid membrane confer electricity to the cell. If a given cell is sick and it has a low electrical voltage, it must somehow restore that electrical voltage to the proper level or the cell dies.
Phosphorus and phosphate are naturally electrical. Phosphorescence or the glow that happens when something containing phosphorus is exposed to sunlight, after all, gives us a sense of the potential energy that’s packed into this element. So, when organophosphates disrupt the natural balance of healthy phosphates in the body, our ability to produce electromagnetic energy, electricity, chi, prana, or whatever you want to call it is seriously compromised. Phospholipid membranes that contain unhealthy phosphates will cause disruptions in cellular function which can lead to disruptions in organ function and thus, dis-ease.
If enough cells become dormant in a person’s body, that person might fall into a coma and develop something called Resignation Syndrome. Or, according to models of the disease that explain Resignation Syndrome as a type of Dysautonomia (or autonomic nervous system dysfunction), however, a lowered state of consciousness and the resulting symptoms which might include a comatose state at the extreme end of the spectrum, the symptoms are caused by the “freeze” or “play-dead” response by the dorsal branch of the vagus nerve / parasympathetic nervous System.
Resignation Syndrome happens when a person is exposed to a real or perceived threat (mental, emotional, or physical) that is too big or difficult for them to surmount via their fight-or-flight response by the sympathetic nervous system. As far as I can tell from my own experiences working in long-term care facilities and in reading material about Resignation Syndrome, it seems that children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to the extreme form of this disorder. This makes sense given that children and the elderly may not have the same perceived level of control over their lives as young or middle-aged adults.
There are, however, symptom gradations of Resignation Syndrome. While some people may experience serious and chronic digestive dysfunction as a result of the Cell Danger Response / Dysautonomia, lethargy or a total extreme form of exhaustion and depression, other people, as mentioned above, may go into a comatose state.
The other, ventral branch of the Parasympathetic Nervous System deals with a rest-and-digest function that is also known as “socialization mode”. Pleasant social experiences tend to produce rest-and-digest situations wherein a person successfully and efficiently digests their food to absorb an array of nutrients that promote human health. Healthy digestion often leads to generally good health, after all. Restful states-of-being are healing states-of-being. So, a person who has an autoimmune disease, cancer, autism, addiction, ADHD, or any number of disease states that involve Dysautonomia / The Cell Danger Response, desperately needs to go into a rest-and-digest state in order to heal. Trance states are healing states, but people who are very ill can find it very difficult to go into a trance state which is often heralded by a yawn or a heavy sigh that happens spontaneously.
Unfortunately, bad habits like doom-scrolling through negative news feeds, people wearing masks that cover-up smiles and facial expressions, and negative social media experiences contribute to Dysautonomia and the Cell Danger Response. But an intestinal flora that doesn’t produce the proper level of nutrients like vitamin K1, vitamin K2, and folate also contribute to this problem. Add to this the fact that a deficiency of dopamine (due to lower-than-normal consumption of phenylalanine and tyrosine) can make negative news feeds and social media into an addiction and you have the perfect storm in terms of the perpetuation of any given disease.
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Shikimic Acid, Suramin, Autism, and COVID-19
Shikimic acid gets its name from the shikimate pathway. And though it doesn’t take much to wax conspiratorial if you think about the rise of organophosphates like RoundUp / glyphosate in agriculture and the fact that shikimic acid is a cure for COVID-19, to arrive at the thought that the Powers That Be surely know that people would be more vulnerable to COVID as a result of the widespread use of RoundUp / glyphosate. We’re not going to dwell on the politics of COVID though. Rather, let’s talk about shikimic acid as a healing substance that’s found in certain plants and how it can be used to cure disease.
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First of all, autism and Long COVID as well as Post COVID Vaccine Syndrome and other vaccine syndromes like HPV Vaccine Syndrome are all related diseases in terms of symptoms and how the autonomic nervous system responds to the perceived dangers that set off these diseases: pathogen exposure and toxins found in vaccines. Shikimic acid, a substance that’s present in certain pine trees, is created through the shikimate pathway (from which the name was derived). It is an antiviral medication that was reconfigured by Big Pharma into synthetic Tamiflu (oseltamivir) which has a reputation for preventing blood clots and promoting healthy blood coagulation, as well as for curing viral infections such as influenza. Again, it isn’t hard to develop conspiracy theories about COVID and the COVID vaccine reactions when you look closely at shikimic acid and how it prevents and treats viral infection and also prevents and treats abnormal blood clotting, but our focus is on how to overcome the political issues that are present in the healthcare system today rather than on fixing flawed governments. Though we may not be able to fix a sick government, we can still fix our own health and the health of our family members and friends.
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The use of star anise essential oil is a verified cure for COVID according to a doctor who reported that it does indeed work for this purpose. He used it on all of his COVID patients with great success. Scientific research backs up this claim. Other anecdotal reports seem to indicate that shikimic acid-containing herbs can be used to protect against COVID spike-protein shedding by those who have been vaccinated against COVID.
Natural suramin and shikimic acid are both found in the needles of certain species of pine tree including the following:
- Pinus strobus,
- Pinus palustris,
- Pinus elliottii, and
- Pinus sylvestris.
Pinus strobus or the Eastern White Pine are an excellent source of shikimic acid based on our research, but star anise and certain other herbs also contain shikimic acid. These plant medicines which can be administered as essential oils or in the form of a tea can be used to encourage the cells to come out of the Cell Danger Response / Dysautonomic response and open their phospholipid membrane gates again to the world. These substances can be used to wake cells from their dormancy and switch the body from a “play dead” or “freeze” parasympathetic mode into a rest-and-digest parasympathetic mode that allows the body and the cells to heal.
Organophosphates that are sprayed on plants halt the production of shikimic acid in our gut flora which could, in theory, make us more susceptible to viral disease, autoimmune disease, and vaccine syndromes.
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Probiotics and the Vagus Nerve
If you have deficiencies of vitamins K1, K2, and B9 / folate because of a deranged or damaged microbial flora caused by exposure to organophosphates, replacing those vitamins are only half the battle. To keep your two parasympathetic branches of the vagus nerve healthy, you’ll also need to restore balance to your intestinal microbiome by taking probiotics.
Restoring the microbiome can be challenging, particularly if you consume organophosphate-containing foods (GMOs). Scientists have speculated for decades about the role of probiotics and the intestinal microbiome in the development of Parkinson’s disease. Some have theorized that the vagus nerve can be infected with rogue microorganisms that are living in the gut because other, healthy microorganisms aren’t present to protect the intestine from invasion.
The Intestinal Flora, RoundUp, and Glyphosate Exposure
As we mentioned before, about 54% of the microbial species in the human gut are sensitive to glyphosate / RoundUp. Just to bring this thought down-to-earth, let’s imagine that a person has less than half of their intestinal flora functioning to produce phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, three amino acids that are essential in the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, melatonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. These are some of the most well-known neurotransmitters in terms of their effect on cognition, memory, motivation, depression, and anxiety in the brain. Dopamine and serotonin also ensure that the digestive system and intestines keep moving normally. Serotonin converts into melatonin. While serotonin alerts our bodies to the fact that it’s daytime, melatonin cues the body that it’s nighttime and therefore time to rest. So, if more than half of the microbiota of the intestines are compromised and not able to produce these neurotransmitters because the shikimate pathway has been inhibited such that phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan are no longer in production, serious health issues and serious circadian rhythm problems will be the final outcome.
A deficiency of dopamine leads to addiction and addictive behaviors as well as depression, anxiety, and issues with making decisions and low motivation. A deficiency of serotonin leads to depression, digestive issues, and sleep/wake problems. Melatonin deficiency leads to insomnia and daytime issues with wakefulness among other things. But a deficiency of these neurotransmitters and the mood and cognition issues that result from these deficiencies won’t be your only problem if you’re exposed to glyphosate and the shikimate pathway is halted in 54% of your gut microbiome.
In addition to being low in the neurotransmitters that you need in order to think clearly about your situation, if the shikimate pathway in your intestinal flora is halted, you may also become deficient in vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 deficiency will cause problems like easy bruising, excessive bleeding, heavy periods, and painful menstruation. Vitamin K2 deficiency will cause osteoporosis and atherosclerosis, leukemia and other blood and bone cancers as well as reproductive organ cancers (via vitamin K2’s effects on iodine absorption in the body). Vitamin K2 deficiency is also a factor in the production of neuropathy or nerve pain.
And finally, a gut microbiome that has been damaged by organophosphate exposure will also be unable to produce folates.
Certain Lactobacillus rhamnosus probiotics are able to break down organophosphates inside the body. Read more about Lactobacillus rhamnosus as natural protection against organophosphate exposure.
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Vitamin B9 / Folate
Vitamin B9, also known as folate or folacin, is an essential nutrient whenever there is frequent cellular division or growth such as during fetal development or during childhood. A folate deficiency will hinder DNA production as well as cellular division. Folate plays a vital role in fertility so a deficiency can lead to infertility. In men, folate is essential for the production of sperm. In women, folate improves the quality and health of eggs. In pregnant women, folate deficiency has been shown to cause neural tube defects in infants.
The relationship between folate and fertility is solidified even further by the fact that a chronic folate deficiency can lead to reproductive organ cancers as well as pancreatic cancer, brain cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. The risk of all of the reproductive organ cancers including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, and prostate cancer is significantly higher when patients are vitamin B9 deficient.
Folate deficiency causes a suppression of bone marrow production at the level of DNA. In individuals with both a vitamin B12 and a folate deficiency, cells regularly mis-incorporate uracil into the DNA which might explain why a deficiency of these synergistic vitamins would cause abnormally large red blood cells to be produced in the bone marrow. It would also explain why a deficiency of folate might lead to the development of blood and bone cancers.
So let’s review this material briefly:
- Folate deficiency causes serious health problems.
- Folate deficiency disrupts normal DNA and cellular division.
- Folate deficiency thus plays a role in the development of cancer.
- Folate deficiency disrupts childhood growth through its effects on DNA.
- Folate deficiency disrupts reproductive organ health.
- Folate deficiency disrupts the DNA in bone marrow to cause abnormally large red blood cells to be produced.
Folate and Homocysteine Levels
In order to convert homocysteine to methionine, the body needs plenty of folate and vitamin B12. Homocysteine levels that are too high are associated with neurological problems including:
- Autism
- In 2017, a study showed that the risk of autism and autism spectrum disorders was reduced by 23% when pregnant mothers supplemented with folate during pregnancy.
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Dementia
- Cognitive impairment
- Clinical depression
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Bioactive Folate
The bioactive form of folate is methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF). There is currently a discussion in the scientific community about the role of the 5-MTHFR gene in causing disorders like autism. According to the methylation theory of autism, a mutation in the 5-MTHFR gene makes it more difficult for the body to convert inactive nutrients into their active form. A problem with this theory, however, is the fact that 40% of the human population contains this so-called “mutation”. But 40% is a high percentage–so high, in fact, that one could almost say that half of the population has this “variation” of the 5-MTHFR gene. And if half of the population (or very close to half of the population has a variation of a gene), it seems presumptuous to view it as the underlying issue in terms of autism or even autoimmune disease and cancer. Instead, we should be asking why this 5-MTHFR gene variation in autism or autoimmune disease is suddenly causing health problems in the world’s population. Organophosphate exposure might be the answer.
Insecticides and Drugs that Target the Shikimate Pathway
Glyphosate, also known as “Roundup” is the most famous insecticide that intentionally targets the shikimate pathway causing the pathway to stop at the final step before chorismate is metabolized. The final result of halting the shikimate pathway in plants and microorganisms has serious consequences for human health. People who consume GMO foods on a regular basis as a part of their staple diet are most at risk for nutrient deficiencies, but anyone who consumes food with glyphosate residues are killing intestinal flora that produce nutrient substances that our bodies need. Supplementation with the nutrients that we discussed above is essential in restoring health or preventing damage from organophosphate exposure.
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Resources:
•
Herrmann, K. M. & Weaver, L. M. (1999). The Shikimate Pathway. Retrieved November 9, 2022 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15012217/#:~:text=The%20shikimate%20pathway%20links%20metabolism,and%20many%20aromatic%20secondary%20metabolites.
•
Mir, R. et al. (2015). The shikimate pathway: review of aminio acid sequence, function and three-dimensional structures of the enzymes. Retrieved November 10, 2022 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23919299/•
Wikramasinghe, S. N., & Fida, S. (1994). Bone marrow cells from vitamin B12 and folate-deficient patients misincorporate uracil into DNA. Retrieved November 10, 2022 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8123857/You might be interested in these e-Books
Is RoundUp Bad for Health?
Below we discuss what glyphosate / RoundUp does to human health. Let's start by talking about the shikimate pathway, the nutrients that are supposed to be produced through the shikimate pathway, and how GMO foods result in organophosphate exposures as well as a an increased vulnerability to nutrient deficiency.
The Shikimate Pathway, Methylation, the Intestinal Flora, and Organophosphate-Induced Disease
The shikimate pathway, which is known as a “metabolic tree with many pathways” is an obscure biochemical production line that is NOT present in the human body. Our human cells don’t have the ability to use the seven-step shikimate pathway to produce the array of end-products like L-tyrosine, Menaquinone-7 (vitamin K2), Coenzyme Q10, etc. that plants and microorganisms can produce, but we make use of the metabolites from this non-human, non-mammalian biological pathway when we consume plants or via our intestinal flora.
It might seem superfluous or irrelevant to talk about something as technical as the shikimate pathway in a book about how organophosphate exposure impacts human health, but though human cells can’t make use of the shikimate pathway themselves, our bodies are still able to benefit from the fact that plants and microorganisms can. A number of intestinal bacteria that live in the gut, for example, are able to use the shikimate pathway to metabolize carbohydrates into an array of vital substances that directly impact how we think, how coordinated we are in terms of movement, how we feel in terms of social relationships and so much more.
In other discussions, we’ve noted how the soil in which our foods are grown is like our external metabolism and if the soil is nutrient depleted then our bodies become nutrient depleted. In this article, we’re going to talk about how plants that have been exposed to organophosphates are different than plants that have not been exposed to organophosphates. RoundUp and glyphosate will be central in this discussion because the plants that humans consume have been genetically modified such that they don’t follow the same the shikimate pathway as the plants that are killed by RoundUp. This is a serious issue because GMO crops, which are fed to humans and animals that later produce or become animal-food products, are not functioning like natural, non-GMO plants that produce the following substances that profoundly affect human health and well-being:
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Phenylalanine is an amino acid precursor to tyrosine. It is NOT produced by GMO plant foods like wheat, soy, and corn. These GMO plants are staple foods in the diet. A GMO-based diet can lead to a phenylalanine or tyrosine deficiency. It is a building block for neurotransmitters like dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline, which are essential in the proper functioning of the autonomic nervous system.
Click here to read more about the use of psilocybin to treat mind-body disorders like autism by releasing trauma from the autonomic nervous system.
Click here to learn more about the use of light therapy for autism and other serious diseases to re-balance the autonomic nervous system.
Note that without proper levels of amino acids like Phenylalanine, it is impossible for the autonomic nervous system to work properly which can lead to ASD symptoms as well as epilepsy, ADHD, and more. Click here to read about melatonin for autism and the relationship between the pineal gland and the autonomic nervous system.
For more information about how amino acids like phenylalanine have been used by doctors to cure serious neurological disorders like Down’s syndrome, click here.
For more information about
how amino acids are used to treat addiction, click here.
NOTE: Some people cannot process L-phenylalanine and must work instead with either L-Tyrosine or L-Dopa supplements instead.
Tyrosine is derived from L-phenylalanine and it is an amino acid precursor to L-dopa. L-dopa, in turn, is the precursor to the following neurotransmitters:
- Dopamine
- Norepinephrine / Noradrenaline
- Epinephrine / Adrenaline
If the body is short on L-Phenylalanine or L-Tyrosine, the B complex vitamins that transform these aminos into L-Dopa and dopamine, then the body will also be low on adrenaline and noradrenaline. A deficiency of any of these neurotransmitters can lead to serious neurological issues like ASD including an array of "autoimmune" disease manifestations.
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Tryptophan is a precursor to the the following neurotransmitters:
Click here to read more about the use of melatonin to treat ASD.
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Without adequate levels of L-Tryptophan in the brain and body, circadian rhythm disturbances can occur due to an inability to produce melatonin and serotonin, two neurotransmitters that help us orient ourselves to daytime and nighttime. L-Tryptophan and vitamin K2 / Menaquinone-7 play a role in pineal gland health and circadian rhythms. Both of these substances are normally produced via the shikimate pathway. Both are supplements that are helpful in overcoming insomnia.
The synthetic form of vitamin B9 / folate is folic acid. Folic acid is not nearly as healthy or bioavailable as folate, yet, despite the fact that we all know now that
natural vitamin B9 / folate is essential for a healthy pregnancy and proper neurological fetal development, folic acid (which is chemically different as a synthetic vitamin B9) is still the form of the vitamin that is put in most multi-vitamin formulas including prenatal vitamins.
Methylation and autism is a big topic right now and a lot of parents are becoming aware of the need for high-dose methyl-folate as a part of an ASD healing protocol. Methyl-folate is produced via the shikimate pathway in non-GMO staple food plants, but a lack of these nutrients in our staple foods has lead to a deficiency of this vital nutrient that plays a leading role in neurological health. In addition, folate also plays a role in the following.
-
- Folate plays a role in the normal maintenance and production of DNA.
- A number of healthy intestinal bacteria produce folate if these bacteria have not been destroyed by glyphosate-residues on food.
Vitamin E is a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant nutrient that protects the brain and body from free radical damage.
Both vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 are essential for healthy metabolism of any living thing. Mammals can’t produce vitamin K1 or vitamin K2, so they have to rely on the intestinal flora and the presence of specific probiotic bacteria, plants that contain vitamin K1 and K2, or supplements to get enough of these nutrients.
Vitamin K2 in its natural form as Menaquinone-7 / MK-7 (the MK-4 form is synthetic) is the nutrient that works with vitamin D to ensure that calcium ends up in the bones and teeth rather than in the soft tissues of the body. Health issues like
breast calcification (which can show up as a false positive mammogram result,
pineal gland calcification,
atherosclerosis, and any other type of soft-tissue calcification throughout the body result from a deficiency of vitamin K2 / MK-7. Vitamin D supplementation is pushed by Big Pharma in the media to the detriment of the masses because vitamin K2 / MK-7 is no longer present in the average diet. As a result, vitamin D pushes calcium into the bloodstream from the small intestine, but without vitamin K2, the calcium cannot be shuttled into the bones and teeth. As a result of this, soft tissues become calcified while bones and teeth deteriorate and become weak and unhealthy. Blood is made in the large bones of the body which is why
vitamin K2 / MK-7 is so essential to prevent leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma as well as to treat these diseases effectively.
- Vitamin K1 / Phylloquinone
- This vitamin is famous for its ability to impact blood coagulation.
-
- This vitamin is famous for its ability to impact both the outside of bones and bone marrow as well as nerve tissues and the general health of all human cells via its effects on calcium absorption in the body.
- Coenzyme Q10 / Ubiquinone
Ubiquinone or Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful and important antioxidant in the human body. It plays a role in the production of energy in our mitochondria.
Shikimic acid in certain plants such as pine trees or star anise can be used to cure influenza or COVID.
- Anthranilate is a quinolone signal that regulates the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
All organisms need the above metabolite-end-products of the shikimate pathway, but humans depend on the intestinal flora, plants, or supplements to obtain these metabolites. In other words, we can’t make them ourselves but rather we have to get them from the diet or from supplements. Of particular interest in this discussion are metabolites that are impacted by organophosphate insecticides such as Glyphosate and RoundUp.
One of the most noteworthy facts about the basic shikimate pathway that jumped out at me when I first started studying this material was the fact that many or even most of the substances in the human body that require methylation in order to be activated are included in this list of substances that are made through the shikimate pathway. This is important because disorders like autism seems to be affected positively by the use of methylated nutrients like natural forms of folate (NOT folic acid). And autism is a model disorder that we use in our thinking about most autoimmune diseases. We’ll talk more about autism soon, but for now, it’s important to note that the list of nutrient-substances that require methylation in order to be activated is nearly identical to the list of substances produced through the basic, 7-step shikimate pathway that is halted at the final step by substances like RoundUp and glyphosate.
Just for comparison, here’s a list of substances in the body that require methylation in order to be activated:
- Ubiquinone / Coenzyme Q10
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- Phosphatidylcholine is the precursor to acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in the autonomic nervous system) as well as to cell phospholipids. Acetylcholine is one of the primary neurotransmitters that are negatively impacted by organophosphate exposure.
NOTE: The following two neurohormones that require methylation in order to be activated are manufactured in the body from the amino acid tryptophan, one of the end-products of the shikimate pathway.
NOTE: The following substances that require methylation in order to be activated are manufactured in the body from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. Phenylalanine and tyrosine are both manufactured from chorismate, an end-product on the shikimate pathway. The last step of the basic shikimate pathway is halted by RoundUp / glyphosate which causes the plant to die. This decreases the production of the following neurotransmitters:
- Noradrenaline / Norepinephrine
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Methylation and Autism: Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, and Dopamine
There’s a buzz about methylation and autism right now and how methylation can be used to improve autism symptoms. Because I’ve spent quite a lot of time and energy working with natural cures for ADHD and addiction, I see a pattern in the data above that might not immediately jump out at casual readers. First of all, I’ve worked with amino acids as a cure for addiction and my experiences using amino acids for addiction treatment have been nothing short of miraculous. L-Tyrosine, in particular, is a paradigm-changer in addiction treatment in drug rehab facilities that administer it. Rehab facilities that administer L-Tyrosine daily to patients see really low relapse rates and miraculous outcomes in their patients. That’s because L-Tyrosine (which is derived from L-Phenylalanine) is a precursor to L-Dopa, the amino acid that is the precursor to dopamine. Read more about how to use amino acids to cure addiction here. Read more about how to use amino acids to cure ADHD here.
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Let me just say, before I continue on with this dopamine discussion, that I’ve successfully used Mucuna pruriens, a Fabaceae plant that contains higher than average levels of the amino acid L-Dopa to treat severe ADHD. One ADHD child that I worked with was on prescription medication and having seizures every afternoon. Within 24 hours of the initial treatment with Mucuna pruriens, this child’s mother actually forgot to give him his ADHD drugs (Atomoxetin and Ritalin) because his symptoms had improved so much. Mucuna is just a bean and it contains natural amino acids, so it was possible for her to give him the Mucuna even while he was still taking the prescription meds for ADHD. Within 3 days, he was like a totally different kid. He no longer needed his prescription medication. He was calm and focused. It was truly a miracle.
Mucuna pruriens has a toxicity level that is similar to that of fava beans (which are in the same plant family). But in order to find a way to treat ADHD naturally and get rid of withdrawals after addiction, Lydian and I had to come up with an entirely new model of how dopamine works in the brain. Click here to read more about Mucuna as a cure for addictions. Read more about the use of Mucuna pruriens to cure ADHD here.
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Our Model of Dopamine in Addictions and ADHD
There’s a lot of confusion about how dopamine works, especially if you read material about addiction and ADHD. But the science supports the idea that we could think about dopamine synapses as though the dopamine receptors were a garden of flowers. Take a moment now to imagine the synaptic gap between a dopamine neuron and the dopamine receptor where one side of the gap is like a garden with little flowers growing it. A synapse, after all, is just a very tiny gap between two neurons that exists so that the neuron on one side can release a neurotransmitter like dopamine and so that the neuron on the other side of the gap with the receptors can soak it up. The gap is important because sometimes enzymes break down the neurotransmitters inside the gap to ensure that the neurotransmitters don’t latch onto the receptors for an indefinite period of time. The synaptic gap between two neurons is part of what makes our brains and our thoughts “plastic” or changeable. If the neurons in the brain were built without gaps, it would be harder to learn and to change our minds about something. And in our metaphor we want to think of the dopamine receptor and the synaptic gap as a fertile space where new flowers can grow and where existing flowers can become bigger and more robust.
It’s ideal for a given dopamine neuron to be full of a neurotransmitter like dopamine as though it were a watering can that you might use to water garden plants. The watering-can-neuron releases dopamine into the synaptic garden of dopamine receptors that grow like flowers on the receiving neuron that sits on the other side of the synaptic gap. If you give those dopamine flower-receptors too much dopamine-water, the flowers will die from flooding. If you give dopamine flower-receptors too little dopamine-water, the flowers will wilt and die from drought. A drug or a substance, like caffeine or methamphetamines, Adderall, or any of the various ADHD drugs for example, cause the neuron-watering-can to dump out all of the dopamine stored in them suddenly in one big burst or flood. The neuron-watering can is then empty as a result. So these drugs/substances cause the body to essentially flood the dopamine-receptor-flower-garden and then let the flower-receptors dry out due to a drought because the watering-can-neurons are empty.
Most of us are familiar with how it feels when dopamine neurons are empty. Drinking too much coffee causes jittery-ness or tremors. The jittery-ness is biochemically similar to the tremors experienced by Parkinson’s disease patients. Dopamine affects our movement and coordination and without calibrated, regular doses of it, we might experience tremors, jittery-ness, physical restlessness, or anxiety.
Caffeine can cause us to be overambitious. Later, after a caffeine high, there’s a crash that leaves people feeling depressed or unmotivated when the dopamine runs out. Dopamine levels affect our “parental feelings” or feelings of empathy towards others. This is relevant in regard to autism, a disorder that causes a sense of social disconnection from others. Dopamine levels play an important role in this disorder. A diet high in the amino acids L-tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, or L-dopa can help children with autism or ADHD keep their neuron-watering-cans full of dopamine. Addiction also involves a lack of empathy toward others because the addict needs to experience the object of the addiction in order to release dopamine, even tiny amounts of it, into their synaptic garden of dopamine flower-receptors. But I should also note that when a normal, healthy adult has a moment where they freeze or become paralyzed as they’re working or doing something that requires a lot of decision-making, this common experience is often the result of low dopamine levels in the brain too.
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Caffeine can cause a flood of dopamine to be released into the synapse followed by a long, devastating drought. Most prescription drugs for ADHD have this toxic mechanism of action that depletes a child’s brain of dopamine which then creates a cycle of addiction and dependence.
But now, let’s talk just briefly about how Mucuna pruriens and other plants that belong to the Fabaceae family have a biochemical effect on the body that’s different from caffeine or methamphetamines. Mucuna pruriens is a humble, yet amazing little bean plant that works miracles in certain medical contexts. The beans of the plant contain dopamine precursors while its leaves secrete droplets of serotonin. You can add the bean to chili soup or tacos and eat it for dinner as many people do in Central America and Southeast Asia. It does not affect the release of dopamine into the synaptic garden of dopamine receptors so it plays no role in the addictive cycle that we describe above. Rather, it simply provides the natural amino precursor to dopamine in the brain to keep the neuron watering-can fully charged with dopamine. When you eat or take a Mucuna supplement, you are ensuring that your dopamine neuron-watering cans will be full of dopamine at all times. When the watering can is full of dopamine, the neurons will release that dopamine naturally in response to normal things like talking to another person who’s engaging or fun, or a beautiful sunset. As such, the dopamine flower-receptors are watered on a regular basis without a lot of variability in terms of how much dopamine they receive. Flower-receptors that regularly receive a little water on a regular basis adapt to that level of dopamine and flower-receptors that receive a lot of water grow bigger and stronger too as long as they receive a consistent amount from one day to the next.
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If a person consumes caffeine, meth, or some other dopamine-flooding drug, the rewards of taking that drug/substance are significantly reduced because the dopamine-neuron flowers are being watered regularly so they’re healthy and prolific. They receive plenty of dopamine on a regular basis. So kids that are fed a diet high in any of the amino acids that lead to the production of dopamine are significantly less likely to fall prey to any type of addiction. A bean like Mucuna makes both adults and children mostly immune to addictive behaviors and addictive substances. So Mucuna is a miracle cure for addiction, but it can also prevent addiction. Over time (usually about 5 months), when the dopamine-flower-receptors are watered regularly and without fail, the dopamine-flower-receptors that had died due to overwatering or underwatering grow back. People and kids often experience a renaissance of thinking and emotional stability at that time. The dose for regrowing dopamine receptors is 6000 mg per day (in 4 divided doses of 1500 mg each) for a 150-200 pound adult. It should be taken at this dose for 5 months to regrow the dopamine receptors and then afterwards, you can drop back to either no Mucuna or 500 mg per day as a maintenance dose. Read more about Mucuna and supporting nutrients for additions or to treat ADHD naturally here.
L-Tyrosine can be taken as an alternative to Mucuna pruriens. L-Phenylalanine can also be taken as an alternative to Mucuna. Both of these amino acids are converted into natural L-Dopa in the body, but it takes longer for the conversion to take place and the tyrosine and phenylalanine doses are higher than Mucuna pruriens doses.
It’s also important for readers to note that both noradrenaline and adrenaline are derived from dopamine. So, if your dopamine levels are low your noradrenaline and adrenaline levels will also be low.
Dopamine-Organophosphate Exposure Summary
And now, to bring this discussion back to our point of origin, namely organophosphate exposure, we need to note again that food-plants that have been sprayed with RoundUp / glyphosate do not contain the normal amount of amino acids, L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine which means that people who are consuming these plants regularly in their diet are consuming calories that are not charged up with the necessary nutrients to feed the brain or the body. The four examples of health problems from these amino acid deficiencies that are most serious according to our research-to-date are autism, Parkinson’s disease, addiction, and ADHD, but there are many other examples that would also be relevant including most autoimmune diseases. In the next part of this discussion, we’ll talk more about other disease-states that happen downstream from dopamine as a result of noradrenaline or adrenaline deficiencies.
The Dopamine-Adrenaline Connection
So let’s review again just briefly. If your dopamine levels are low, you’re going to have trouble making decisions. You’re going to experience a lack of empathy in relationships. You’ll feel unmotivated and lethargic and mentally foggy. Let’s also just note at this juncture that iodine combines with the dopamine amino precursor L-tyrosine to produce thyroid hormones. So we can easily see now that there’s a relationship between our amino acid and dopamine discussion with the material we’ve presented in earlier chapters. The amino acid L-tyrosine might take a human biochemical pathway and end up in the thyroid gland with iodine as a thyroid hormone or it might take a different pathway and end up in the brain as dopamine. So let’s just take a moment to imagine the plant-based shikimate pathway that Mucuna and other Fabaceae plants go through to produce the dopamine precursors L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine and how this meandering path connects into our human biochemistry fluently such that our bodies pick up exactly where the plants like Mucuna leave off. In other words, our bodies take in the amino acids L-phenylalanine or L-tyrosine and convert them into dopamine to keep these flower-like receptor structures in the brain properly watered and fertilized.
Low L-tyrosine levels in the diet can lead to a deficiency of both dopamine and triiodotyrosine (T3). So, if you eat a diet that contains plants that are lower than normal in L-tyrosine, you’ll likely experience all of the yuck of dopamine deficiency as well as symptoms of hypothyroidism (weight gain, lethargy, brain fog, general malaise). The combination of a poorly functioning thyroid gland, which governs metabolism, with a poorly functioning brain and poorly functioning intestines (since dopamine also promotes proper bowel movements), could be diagnosed as any number of diseases or even as several dis-ease states. And again, we have to remember that organophosphates, bromide-containing insecticides and herbicides can all contribute to deficiencies of these vital amino acids in plants that look and seem totally normal in terms of appearance at the grocery store.
But now, let’s go a step further and talk about how dopamine can be converted into noradrenaline or adrenaline.
Most of us are familiar with adrenaline so I’m going to focus this next bit of material on adrenaline specifically. Adrenaline is famous as the fight-or-flight hormone that’s produced by the adrenal glands. Adrenaline plays a role in the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system along with noradrenaline. So let’s expand on the idea of fight-or-flight a bit more below.
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The Two Nervous Systems
Our nervous system is one thing that can easily be divided into two different things: the central nervous system which includes the brain, the spinal cord, and sensory and motor nerves. This first part of the nervous system is by far the most famous part. But the second part of the nervous system is the autonomic nervous system which consists of some of the lower parts of the brain, the sympathetic nervous system (which involves a series of ganglia or nerve bundles about 1 inch on either side of each vertebra in the spinal column), and two branches of the parasympathetic nervous system. Don’t worry too much about the technical details right now. Rather, let’s look at the central nervous system as the outgoing, public persona that uses logic and reasoning to try to navigate the world. In turn, the autonomic nervous system is more like the Greek God, Hades—it’s the dark, unconscious, and mystical, if not magical part of our human anatomy that keeps things like breath and digestion running even without our conscious awareness or input.
The central nervous system has gotten a lot of attention from conventional medicine doctors so to balance things out, we’re going to focus primarily on this little-known, vital part of the human nervous system in this discussion: the autonomic nervous system.
The word “autonomic” trips people up a lot. It sounds so much like “automatic”. Indeed, it can help to think of the autonomic nervous system as a system that works “automatically”. But the word “autonomic” also sounds like “autonomous” and autonomous is definitely a better descriptive word for this system of the body which does seem to have its own consciousness that’s totally independent and separate from the level of consciousness that’s most familiar to us as sensory input and logical thought from the central nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the part of the body that senses the environment and that governs over the organs and their function though we are not consciously aware of it doing so.
It’s pretty amazing that the autonomic nervous system performs these unconscious yet vital functions in the body, making incredibly fine-tuned adjustments to the heart rate and breathing, for example. A highly variable heart rate, for example, is a sign of excellent health. A highly variable breath pattern is also a sign of excellent health. COVID patients (and other patients with respiratory issues) who are put on ventilators suffer for the lack of breath variability that happens through ventilation by a machine. Our autonomic nervous system was designed to manage our breathing patterns to match them to or use them to balance things like pH levels in the body, hormone levels, and more. This system of our body notices things in our environment and in our relationships that our conscious mind tunes out. The central nervous system and our conscious awareness, for example, can only observe 5 plus or minus 2 sensory-related phenomena in any given instant. In contrast, our autonomic nervous system takes in the big picture and can literally store every piece of data that we observe even since before our conception (as evidenced through studies done using hypnotherapy). The autonomic nervous system gives us goosebumps in the presence of an electromagnetic field that our conscious minds aren’t aware of. Our “gut” or “intuition” originates in the autonomic nervous system, but conscious awareness of our intuition happens when the central nervous system tunes into what the autonomic nervous system is saying.
The sympathetic nervous system is one of the three branches of the autonomic nervous system. This branch is activated by adrenaline, a hormone produced in the adrenal glands (which sit just above the kidneys). So, when we talk about fight-or-flight and super-human abilities that can happen when a person’s body releases a huge quantity of adrenaline, we’re not just talking about the adrenal glands, but also about the sympathetic nervous system, a branch of the mystical and autonomous autonomic nervous system . This confuses a lot of people. They wonder, are we talking about adrenaline as a hormone or are we talking about the nervous system? In fact, even for those of us who’ve studied biology, this No-Man’s-Land-sort-of-connection between adrenaline and the sympathetic nervous system is not well described or depicted. The lack of information about the autonomic nervous system in undergraduate biology classes at the university likely occurs because to study the autonomic nervous system challenges the status quo and our view of ourselves as humans. This is a body system that challenges prevailing views of our human capabilities and so it’s hard to really discuss the autonomic nervous system without also dipping into the fringe sciences like hypnosis, paranormal psychology, trauma-informed therapies,and even spirituality and religion. But it’s important to broach this topic here, especially for people who are trying to overcome a serious disease because the autonomic nervous system is the part of our body that governs our organs. It is the part of the body that stores trauma and that must be “cleared” of trauma in order for us to experience positive mental health.
As an aside, there are experts on the autonomic nervous system who are able to work with nothing but the autonomic nervous system to cure disease. Indeed, Lydi and I regularly look at the autonomic nervous system in our work with clients because serious diseases almost always involve an uncomfortable oscillation between sympathetic-dominance followed by parasympathetic-dorsal vagal nerve dominance and back again. The goal is to achieve a balanced, ventral vagal nerve dominance that is central to rest-and-digest as well as healing trance states that allow our organ systems to heal. Patients who are recovering from a serious disease have to find this rest-and-digest state of healing in order for our body systems to detoxify and achieve equilibrium.
The connection between the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system and nerve tissues that are activated by adrenaline and the idea that adrenaline causes the fight-or-flight reaction when a person is under a certain type of stress, happens at the pineal gland. The pineal gland is connected both to the blood supply and thus, hormone levels as well as to the autonomic nervous system via nerve fibers that make it possible for our endocrine glands to release hormones that are detected by the pineal gland and translated into an autonomic nervous system response.
Read more about the oscillations between the sympathetic and dorsal parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system and how to take control of this system of the body to cure Long COVID and autoimmune diseases here.
The Pineal Gland: Connecting the Autonomic Nervous System to Hormone Levels
The pineal gland is a tiny structure located at the very center of the lower part of the brain. It is the only brain structure that does not sit behind the protection of the blood-brain barrier. The pineal gland orients us to time and space among other things. It is this tiny gland at the base of the brain that helps us know what time of the day it is so that we are not in a chronic state of jet lag. And it also helps us know our location in space so that we have coordinated physical movements on earth. Without the pineal gland, our bodies would easily succumb to gravity and might feel wakeful at night and tired during the day.
Some noteworthy individuals like Rene Descartes have referred to the pineal gland as the seat of the soul. We’ve talked about this soul-based facet of the pineal gland in another article about the use of melatonin for autism at this link.
The pineal gland, because it has this unadulterated access to the blood supply, is able to sample the blood perpetually in a moment-to-moment way. The only other organs in the body that receive as much blood as the pineal gland are the kidneys. And as the pineal gland samples the blood supply, it relays messages to the brain and the nervous system structures about the presence of hormones like adrenaline to alert the rest of the body to the presence of mild stress or extreme danger, social situations, or rest-and-digest opportunities.
So the pineal gland, which sits at the “third eye” in terms of chakras, is the part of us that takes in the information of the other chakra-related glands like the pituitary / hypothalamus (crown), the thyroid (throat chakra), thymus (heart chakra), the adrenals (abdominal chakra), and the reproductive organs (root chakra). The “third eye”, for readers who aren’t familiar with this concept is the chakra related to psychic experiences or intuition. And, as it turns out, the autonomic nervous system is also scientifically proven for its ability to sense the environment in a manner that would be considered supernatural according to mainstream science.
Debilitation of the pineal gland or calcification of the pineal gland, causes a person to feel seriously disconnected from the world in a manner similar to how autistic individuals describe their daily experience in the world. But a number of people with autoimmune disease or cancer have similar experiences of profound disconnection from time, space, and other human beings. This sense of disconnection can be observed as a cellular process wherein the cells shut down and close their doors like a business that’s closing up shop. The cells become dormant and unresponsive to signaling molecules. This cellular response to danger is called The Cell Danger Response. Or, we can look at this sense of disconnection on an entirely different level and instead reference the activities of the autonomic nervous system and changes that occur when a person is feeling a sense of disconnection from time, space, or other living things. If we look at this experience of profound disconnection, lethargy, generalized pain (that often moves to different locations in the body), and other common autoimmune disease symptoms we can view this experience of disconnection as an autonomic nervous system response known as Dysautonomia. Whether we talk about this time/space/social disconnection experience as a Cellular Phenomena or as a Nervous System Phenomena doesn’t matter unless we’re trying to explain how a given medication or treatment works. Both models (the Cell Danger Response Model or the Dysautonomia Model) work to describe this problem which is consistently present in autoimmune disease. Both the Cell Danger Response and Dysautonomia are relevant constructs that are useful in overcoming the problem. But now that we’ve placed the pineal gland in its rightful location at the crux of the hormone-to-nervous system intersection to describe how it plays a role in the Cell Danger Response and Dysautonomia, we can return to the idea of adrenaline.
Adrenal Insufficiency: A Different Perspective
Adrenal insufficiency is as popular as a concept in autoimmune disease circles as methylation is in autism circles. But believe it or not, adrenal insufficiency in autoimmune disease and methylation in autism are intimately connected if not essentially the same problem that can both easily be connected back into the problem of organophosphate exposure.
Recall that dopamine is a precursor to noradrenaline and adrenaline. If you’re low on dopamine, you’ll also be low in noradrenaline and adrenaline which means that, as you struggle with the various issues caused by dopamine deficiency, your sympathetic nervous system will also be malfunctioning in one of a variety of different ways too. I equate sympathetic nervous system dysfunction with trigger points and generalized pain in the body. I easily equate pain with sympathetic nervous system dysfunction because every artery in the body has a sympathetic nervous system fiber that runs alongside it. This tiny sympathetic nervous system fiber tells the artery whether to be wide open and relaxed or closed and constricted. Blood flow restrictions due to constriction of blood vessels causes pain and “trigger points” as well as weakness sometimes in muscle tissue.
The sympathetic nervous system nerve fibers have “adrenergic receptors”. In other words, they have receptors that specifically respond to adrenaline and noradrenaline in the blood. Noradrenaline is the primary sympathetic nervous system neurotransmitter that oversees blood vessel constriction or dilation throughout the body, but adrenaline also impacts whether or not the airways are open or closed and metabolism levels via the sympathetic nervous system as well.
If you’re deficient in dopamine, you may also struggle with addiction of one kind or another. You may feel like you have no control over yourself or your life because of addictive behaviors. But the downstream effects of being dopamine deficient would also be present in that the sympathetic nervous system would not be functioning properly. Blood flow issues to the muscles and to the organs could cause pain or weakness in the body. And a deficiency of adrenaline causes people to feel profoundly exhausted. To be low on dopamine and low on noradrenaline and adrenaline makes people feel a strong sense of weakness, generalized pain, and a total lack of control over their lives. Poor or imbalanced immune system responses / autoimmunity is also a part of this noradrenaline-adrenaline deficiency equation. And to make matters even worse, dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline also play other roles in gut health and in other areas of the body via the sympathetic nervous system that cause people to experience an array of issues in regard to digestion if this system is not properly charged with dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline in the neurons.
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Methylation and Organophosphates
We might look at the relationship between the shikimate pathway in plants and microorganisms and methylation issues in the human body as a process that begins in the soil. This process then moves through plants and when we consume plants that are naturally going through this process, it also flows through us. One might liken this flow to the Traditional Chinese Medicine concept of chi or the yogic concept of prana. If readers believed that the so-called shikimate pathway is a biochemical loop that leads into the human biochemical process of methylation that ensures that our bodies receive what plants produce then readers would be very concerned to learn that organophosphates like glyphosate and RoundUp inhibit the shikimate pathway at the final step in the process.
RoundUp or glyphosate are organophosphate herbicides that only work if the farmer cultivates RoundUp-ready plants that are able to withstand the ravages of these herbicides. RoundUp-ready corn, a GMO product, was developed such that farmers can apply the herbicide to the corn and the corn is left unharmed while all other plant life that goes through the entire 7-step basic shikimate pathway dies.
But the problem with RoundUp and glyphosate is that when it is applied to a crop, it remains as a residue on the crop. GMO products obviously do not go through the same shikimate pathway that normal plants go through which is why these GMO food products don’t interact with that natural “flow” that ends with our body’s natural ability to produce things like dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. The “flow” is disrupted in GMO food products such that these products do not contain the same constituent amino acids and nutrients as natural, non-GMO products. And our human bodies can’t take in the partially metabolized bits and work with them because humans and mammals don’t go through the shikimate pathway ourselves. We rely on natural plants and microorganisms to do this work for us in order to survive on earth.
But that’s not all…
The intestinal flora that lives in the gut which consists of microorganisms that benefit our health in a number of ways that scientists are just beginning to understand is damaged by foods that contain residues of RoundUp and Glyphosate. This takes us along a different biochemical path though. While talk of the shikimate pathway in plants easily provides us with access to a tour of the sympathetic nervous system, the concept of fight-or-flight, and disorders like addiction, ADHD, autism, and autoimmune diseases that involve generalized pain as a common or recurrent feature, talk of the shikimate pathway in the microorganisms that make up the human intestinal flora takes us on a tour of the other two branches of the autonomic nervous system which are made up of two sections of the vagus nerve, the structure serving our organs in the parasympathetic nervous system branch.
The Two Parasympathetic Nervous System Branches
Glyphosate and RoundUp are two organophosphate herbicides that are able to inhibit the shikimate pathway in the intestinal flora. And while amino acids like L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine and the neurotransmitters dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline, serotonin, and melatonin featured heavily into our discussion and “tour” of the sympathetic nervous system and effects that might occur if a person were to eat plants that are low in the precursor amino acids that are necessary for proper sympathetic nervous system function, a different set of nutrient substances take center stage when we talk about intestinal flora.
Most people in the developed world depend to a currently unstudied and unknown extent on the microbiome of their intestines to produce nutrients like vitamin K1, vitamin K2, folate / vitamin B9, coenzyme Q / ubiquinone and more. We’ve talked extensively about vitamin K2 as a nutrient that’s essential for healthy bones and teeth, healthy blood (which is produced in the bones) and healthy nerves. Vitamin K2 contributes to nerve health via its ability to ensure that the bone tissues are strong and robust. Bone tissues that are weak and calcium deficient (a consequence of vitamin K2 deficiency) are vulnerable to becoming a reservoir for organophosphates. Bone tissues collect organophosphates, it seems, particularly if the bone tissues are weak and calcium deficient as a result of vitamin K2 deficiency. As such, vitamin K2, because of its ability to shuttle calcium into bone tissues, is a nutrient that has protective effects against the bioaccumulation of organophosphate. Read more about how to use vitamin K2 to remineralize teeth and bones here.
While vitamin K2 can’t necessarily protect the body from the effects of organophosphate exposure on blood levels of these toxins or the resultant effects of high organophosphate levels on the nervous system (particularly acetylcholine levels), it does seem to protect the body from organophosphate accumulation in the bone tissues. Protecting the body from the bioaccumulation of organophosphates is a big step toward improving health outcomes for those with autoimmune disease or cancer though. And taking a vitamin K2 supplement with Lugol’s iodine (and some supporting nutrients) can cure a long list of cancer types according to scientific research. Read more about vitamin K2 as a cure for leukemia here.
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But most people don’t consume foods that contain a lot of vitamin K2 or vitamin K1 or natural folate because these nutrients are only produced in plants that go through the shikimate pathway or in grass-fed animal products that are not given tons of antibiotics to kill their own intestinal flora. Fermented foods sometimes contain these nutrients, but most people in the developed world don’t consume a lot of fermented foods like nattokinase, for example. And to add insult to injury, if we consume foods that have been sprayed with organophosphates like glyphosate or RoundUp, a lot of the healthy microorganisms in the human gut that would normally produce an unknown amount of vitamin K1, vitamin K2, folate, and coenzyme Q / ubiquinone die.
Of course, direct exposure to glyphosate or RoundUp could cause healthy nutrient-producing intestinal flora to die, but indirect exposure is probably more common via fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed with the herbicide.
In a previous article, we talked about how a vitamin K2 deficiency naturally causes an iodine deficiency which then, in turn, makes the body susceptible to bromide / bromine toxicity. But now readers can easily see how vitamin K2 deficiency (as well as vitamin K1 and folate deficiency, etc.) occurs. Read more about the synergy between vitamin K2 and iodine here.
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Iodine deficiency causes its own serious issues. Among them, as mentioned previously in this article, is an inability to produce thyroid hormones in proper quantities. Of course a lack of L-Tyrosine can also cause issues with thyroid hormone balance too since tyrosine and iodine must work together to produce thyroid hormones. But now, let’s talk a bit about the autonomic nervous system, specifically the two parasympathetic nervous system branches (known as the dorsal and the ventral branches) and how substances like vitamin K2, vitamin K1, and folate specifically contribute to issues with these branches.
Like dopamine, acetylcholine is another neurotransmitter that functions throughout the body in various locations. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter that has been studied most in relation to organophosphate exposure, but we’ve already established the fact that other neurotransmitters like noradrenaline and dopamine are also impacted by these insecticides through the consumption of GMO plants like RoundUp-ready corn products that contain plants that go through an altered shikimate pathway that don’t produce the same end products as the natural shikimate pathway in non-GMO plants.
Acetylcholine is one of the primary neurotransmitters that makes the autonomic nervous system function. But acetylcholine also plays a vital role in voluntary muscle control. Indeed, acetylcholine is a major player in Parkinson’s disease (which is affected by both dopamine levels and acetylcholine levels).
Studies have indicated that up to 54% of the beneficial microorganisms in the human intestine die upon exposure to RoundUp or Glyphosate. When the intestinal flora is damaged this severely and in this way, we no longer produce vitamin K2, vitamin K1, folate, or the other shikimate pathway nutrients in quantities that are sufficient for human health.
Vitamin K2 and folate / vitamin B9 both confer health to the nervous system. Parents of autistic children have noticed gains in their autistic child’s behaviors when kids are given methylated folate supplements. And vitamin K2 confers benefits to the nervous system in part via its effects on iodine absorption and the resulting thyroid gland hormone balancing effects, but also via its effects on calcium balance in human cells. Vitamin K2 also has to be methylated in order to become active in the human body.
Calcium works with other ions in the body to form a sort of switchboard that follows the movement of acetylcholine through nerve tissues. In this analogy, calcium would be like on-off switches while acetylcholine would be like electricity that runs through autonomic nervous system nerve fibers and motor nerves. To solidify the relationship between folate and vitamin K2 in terms of human nervous system health, we can also think of these two nutrients as chemical entities that are like cousins that sit on adjacent branches at the final step of the basic shikimate pathway in plants and intestinal flora.
Vitamin K1, vitamin K2, folate, and ubiquone are cousins to each other and to L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine, the amino acids that we talked about above as precursors to dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline.
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Phosphatidylcholine
Organophosphate exposure alters brain levels of choline, the precursor to phosphatidylcholine, which is, in turn, the precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Phosphatidylcholine is another nutrient that requires methylation in order to be activated in the body. And as a chemical entity that contains phosphate, it is another nutrient that is profoundly impacted by organophosphates.
In the human body, inorganic phosphate is the preferred chemical entity for optimal human health. Organic phosphates or organophosphates, in contrast, are harmful to human health. Phosphate (in an inorganic format) is an extremely important nutrient that works closely with calcium ions in the body. But neither calcium or phosphate are nutrients the humans should supplement with except perhaps in very rare and exceptional situations. Calcium and phosphate levels are governed by and balanced through complex mechanisms of action across many systems of the body. I like to think of these nutrients as behind-the-scenes entities that must be managed only through other nutrients like vitamin K2.
Phosphatidylcholine is the primary precursor to the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. So, as L-dopa is the precursor to dopamine and as dopamine is the precursor to noradrenaline and adrenaline, phosphatidylcholine is the precursor to acetylcholine. But phosphatidylcholine is also used to build the outer membrane of cells–the same membranes that close down during the Cell Danger Response. Remember that the Cell Danger Response happens in response to a real or a perceived danger and when it happens, patients often feel a sense of existential disconnection, pain, and extreme lethargy that can even turn into a comatose state in extreme situations. These phospholipid cell membranes that are made from phosphatidylcholine act like a fence with numerous gates in it. The phospholipid membrane around cells allows for the admittance of certain substances but it also provides a safe boundary to prevent the entry of other toxic substances or pathogens into the cell. If the phospholipid membrane isn’t functioning properly, cells may die or become dormant. Healthy, inorganic phosphates in the phospholipid membrane confer electricity to the cell. If a given cell is sick and it has a low electrical voltage, it must somehow restore that electrical voltage to the proper level or the cell dies.
Phosphorus and phosphate are naturally electrical. Phosphorescence or the glow that happens when something containing phosphorus is exposed to sunlight, after all, gives us a sense of the potential energy that’s packed into this element. So, when organophosphates disrupt the natural balance of healthy phosphates in the body, our ability to produce electromagnetic energy, electricity, chi, prana, or whatever you want to call it is seriously compromised. Phospholipid membranes that contain unhealthy phosphates will cause disruptions in cellular function which can lead to disruptions in organ function and thus, dis-ease.
If enough cells become dormant in a person’s body, that person might fall into a coma and develop something called Resignation Syndrome. Or, according to models of the disease that explain Resignation Syndrome as a type of Dysautonomia (or autonomic nervous system dysfunction), however, a lowered state of consciousness and the resulting symptoms which might include a comatose state at the extreme end of the spectrum, the symptoms are caused by the “freeze” or “play-dead” response by the dorsal branch of the vagus nerve / parasympathetic nervous System.
Resignation Syndrome happens when a person is exposed to a real or perceived threat (mental, emotional, or physical) that is too big or difficult for them to surmount via their fight-or-flight response by the sympathetic nervous system. As far as I can tell from my own experiences working in long-term care facilities and in reading material about Resignation Syndrome, it seems that children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to the extreme form of this disorder. This makes sense given that children and the elderly may not have the same perceived level of control over their lives as young or middle-aged adults.
There are, however, symptom gradations of Resignation Syndrome. While some people may experience serious and chronic digestive dysfunction as a result of the Cell Danger Response / Dysautonomia, lethargy or a total extreme form of exhaustion and depression, other people, as mentioned above, may go into a comatose state.
The other, ventral branch of the Parasympathetic Nervous System deals with a rest-and-digest function that is also known as “socialization mode”. Pleasant social experiences tend to produce rest-and-digest situations wherein a person successfully and efficiently digests their food to absorb an array of nutrients that promote human health. Healthy digestion often leads to generally good health, after all. Restful states-of-being are healing states-of-being. So, a person who has an autoimmune disease, cancer, autism, addiction, ADHD, or any number of disease states that involve Dysautonomia / The Cell Danger Response, desperately needs to go into a rest-and-digest state in order to heal. Trance states are healing states, but people who are very ill can find it very difficult to go into a trance state which is often heralded by a yawn or a heavy sigh that happens spontaneously.
Unfortunately, bad habits like doom-scrolling through negative news feeds, people wearing masks that cover-up smiles and facial expressions, and negative social media experiences contribute to Dysautonomia and the Cell Danger Response. But an intestinal flora that doesn’t produce the proper level of nutrients like vitamin K1, vitamin K2, and folate also contribute to this problem. Add to this the fact that a deficiency of dopamine (due to lower-than-normal consumption of phenylalanine and tyrosine) can make negative news feeds and social media into an addiction and you have the perfect storm in terms of the perpetuation of any given disease.
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Shikimic Acid, Suramin, Autism, and COVID-19
Shikimic acid gets its name from the shikimate pathway. And though it doesn’t take much to wax conspiratorial if you think about the rise of organophosphates like RoundUp / glyphosate in agriculture and the fact that shikimic acid is a cure for COVID-19, to arrive at the thought that the Powers That Be surely know that people would be more vulnerable to COVID as a result of the widespread use of RoundUp / glyphosate. We’re not going to dwell on the politics of COVID though. Rather, let’s talk about shikimic acid as a healing substance that’s found in certain plants and how it can be used to cure disease.
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First of all, autism and Long COVID as well as Post COVID Vaccine Syndrome and other vaccine syndromes like HPV Vaccine Syndrome are all related diseases in terms of symptoms and how the autonomic nervous system responds to the perceived dangers that set off these diseases: pathogen exposure and toxins found in vaccines. Shikimic acid, a substance that’s present in certain pine trees, is created through the shikimate pathway (from which the name was derived). It is an antiviral medication that was reconfigured by Big Pharma into synthetic Tamiflu (oseltamivir) which has a reputation for preventing blood clots and promoting healthy blood coagulation, as well as for curing viral infections such as influenza. Again, it isn’t hard to develop conspiracy theories about COVID and the COVID vaccine reactions when you look closely at shikimic acid and how it prevents and treats viral infection and also prevents and treats abnormal blood clotting, but our focus is on how to overcome the political issues that are present in the healthcare system today rather than on fixing flawed governments. Though we may not be able to fix a sick government, we can still fix our own health and the health of our family members and friends.
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The use of star anise essential oil is a verified cure for COVID according to a doctor who reported that it does indeed work for this purpose. He used it on all of his COVID patients with great success. Scientific research backs up this claim. Other anecdotal reports seem to indicate that shikimic acid-containing herbs can be used to protect against COVID spike-protein shedding by those who have been vaccinated against COVID.
Natural suramin and shikimic acid are both found in the needles of certain species of pine tree including the following:
- Pinus strobus,
- Pinus palustris,
- Pinus elliottii, and
- Pinus sylvestris.
Pinus strobus or the Eastern White Pine are an excellent source of shikimic acid based on our research, but star anise and certain other herbs also contain shikimic acid. These plant medicines which can be administered as essential oils or in the form of a tea can be used to encourage the cells to come out of the Cell Danger Response / Dysautonomic response and open their phospholipid membrane gates again to the world. These substances can be used to wake cells from their dormancy and switch the body from a “play dead” or “freeze” parasympathetic mode into a rest-and-digest parasympathetic mode that allows the body and the cells to heal.
Organophosphates that are sprayed on plants halt the production of shikimic acid in our gut flora which could, in theory, make us more susceptible to viral disease, autoimmune disease, and vaccine syndromes.
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Probiotics and the Vagus Nerve
If you have deficiencies of vitamins K1, K2, and B9 / folate because of a deranged or damaged microbial flora caused by exposure to organophosphates, replacing those vitamins are only half the battle. To keep your two parasympathetic branches of the vagus nerve healthy, you’ll also need to restore balance to your intestinal microbiome by taking probiotics.
Restoring the microbiome can be challenging, particularly if you consume organophosphate-containing foods (GMOs). Scientists have speculated for decades about the role of probiotics and the intestinal microbiome in the development of Parkinson’s disease. Some have theorized that the vagus nerve can be infected with rogue microorganisms that are living in the gut because other, healthy microorganisms aren’t present to protect the intestine from invasion.
The Intestinal Flora, RoundUp, and Glyphosate Exposure
As we mentioned before, about 54% of the microbial species in the human gut are sensitive to glyphosate / RoundUp. Just to bring this thought down-to-earth, let’s imagine that a person has less than half of their intestinal flora functioning to produce phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, three amino acids that are essential in the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, melatonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. These are some of the most well-known neurotransmitters in terms of their effect on cognition, memory, motivation, depression, and anxiety in the brain. Dopamine and serotonin also ensure that the digestive system and intestines keep moving normally. Serotonin converts into melatonin. While serotonin alerts our bodies to the fact that it’s daytime, melatonin cues the body that it’s nighttime and therefore time to rest. So, if more than half of the microbiota of the intestines are compromised and not able to produce these neurotransmitters because the shikimate pathway has been inhibited such that phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan are no longer in production, serious health issues and serious circadian rhythm problems will be the final outcome.
A deficiency of dopamine leads to addiction and addictive behaviors as well as depression, anxiety, and issues with making decisions and low motivation. A deficiency of serotonin leads to depression, digestive issues, and sleep/wake problems. Melatonin deficiency leads to insomnia and daytime issues with wakefulness among other things. But a deficiency of these neurotransmitters and the mood and cognition issues that result from these deficiencies won’t be your only problem if you’re exposed to glyphosate and the shikimate pathway is halted in 54% of your gut microbiome.
In addition to being low in the neurotransmitters that you need in order to think clearly about your situation, if the shikimate pathway in your intestinal flora is halted, you may also become deficient in vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 deficiency will cause problems like easy bruising, excessive bleeding, heavy periods, and painful menstruation. Vitamin K2 deficiency will cause osteoporosis and atherosclerosis, leukemia and other blood and bone cancers as well as reproductive organ cancers (via vitamin K2’s effects on iodine absorption in the body). Vitamin K2 deficiency is also a factor in the production of neuropathy or nerve pain.
And finally, a gut microbiome that has been damaged by organophosphate exposure will also be unable to produce folates.
Certain Lactobacillus rhamnosus probiotics are able to break down organophosphates inside the body. Read more about Lactobacillus rhamnosus as natural protection against organophosphate exposure.
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Vitamin B9 / Folate
Vitamin B9, also known as folate or folacin, is an essential nutrient whenever there is frequent cellular division or growth such as during fetal development or during childhood. A folate deficiency will hinder DNA production as well as cellular division. Folate plays a vital role in fertility so a deficiency can lead to infertility. In men, folate is essential for the production of sperm. In women, folate improves the quality and health of eggs. In pregnant women, folate deficiency has been shown to cause neural tube defects in infants.
The relationship between folate and fertility is solidified even further by the fact that a chronic folate deficiency can lead to reproductive organ cancers as well as pancreatic cancer, brain cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. The risk of all of the reproductive organ cancers including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, and prostate cancer is significantly higher when patients are vitamin B9 deficient.
Folate deficiency causes a suppression of bone marrow production at the level of DNA. In individuals with both a vitamin B12 and a folate deficiency, cells regularly mis-incorporate uracil into the DNA which might explain why a deficiency of these synergistic vitamins would cause abnormally large red blood cells to be produced in the bone marrow. It would also explain why a deficiency of folate might lead to the development of blood and bone cancers.
So let’s review this material briefly:
- Folate deficiency causes serious health problems.
- Folate deficiency disrupts normal DNA and cellular division.
- Folate deficiency thus plays a role in the development of cancer.
- Folate deficiency disrupts childhood growth through its effects on DNA.
- Folate deficiency disrupts reproductive organ health.
- Folate deficiency disrupts the DNA in bone marrow to cause abnormally large red blood cells to be produced.
Folate and Homocysteine Levels
In order to convert homocysteine to methionine, the body needs plenty of folate and vitamin B12. Homocysteine levels that are too high are associated with neurological problems including:
- Autism
- In 2017, a study showed that the risk of autism and autism spectrum disorders was reduced by 23% when pregnant mothers supplemented with folate during pregnancy.
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Dementia
- Cognitive impairment
- Clinical depression
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Bioactive Folate
The bioactive form of folate is methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF). There is currently a discussion in the scientific community about the role of the 5-MTHFR gene in causing disorders like autism. According to the methylation theory of autism, a mutation in the 5-MTHFR gene makes it more difficult for the body to convert inactive nutrients into their active form. A problem with this theory, however, is the fact that 40% of the human population contains this so-called “mutation”. But 40% is a high percentage–so high, in fact, that one could almost say that half of the population has this “variation” of the 5-MTHFR gene. And if half of the population (or very close to half of the population has a variation of a gene), it seems presumptuous to view it as the underlying issue in terms of autism or even autoimmune disease and cancer. Instead, we should be asking why this 5-MTHFR gene variation in autism or autoimmune disease is suddenly causing health problems in the world’s population. Organophosphate exposure might be the answer.
Insecticides and Drugs that Target the Shikimate Pathway
Glyphosate, also known as “Roundup” is the most famous insecticide that intentionally targets the shikimate pathway causing the pathway to stop at the final step before chorismate is metabolized. The final result of halting the shikimate pathway in plants and microorganisms has serious consequences for human health. People who consume GMO foods on a regular basis as a part of their staple diet are most at risk for nutrient deficiencies, but anyone who consumes food with glyphosate residues are killing intestinal flora that produce nutrient substances that our bodies need. Supplementation with the nutrients that we discussed above is essential in restoring health or preventing damage from organophosphate exposure.
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Glyphosate and RoundUp are extremely common herbicides that cause devastating health effects in humans and animals as well as serious environmental issues.
