Study links Roundup with Parkinsons, Cancer and Other Health Issues

Have you heard the saying April Showers bring May Flowers?  I would argue that this year it should go... April Showers bring May Weeds.  If you have flower beds in central Indiana, you know that we have received a lot of rain and that has resulted in our lawns growing like crazy and weeds popping up in our flower beds/gardens, well, like weeds.

For the last few years, I have avoided using chemicals like Preen and Round Up to eliminate weeds and have instead, relied on the old tradition of weeding by hand or with my hoe just like my parents have done for many years.  I usually can get a head start and get the first weeding done without too much trouble but this year has been very different and my recommendation is if you haven't gotten out there in your flower beds yet, you better get started before the weeds take over...



I want to share a recent study that caught my eye about the common chemical Roundup causing Parkinsons, Cancer and other serious health concerns.  I hope it will make us think twice before we use chemicals in our flowers and gardens!

Here is part of the article from Huffingtonpost...


Heavy use of the world's most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson's, infertility and cancers, according to a new study.

The peer-reviewed report, published last week in the scientific journal Entropy, said evidence indicates that residues of "glyphosate," the chief ingredient in Roundup weed killer, which is sprayed over millions of acres of crops, has been found in food.

Those residues enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease, according to the report, authored by Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Anthony Samsel, a retired science consultant from Arthur D. Little, Inc. Samsel is a former private environmental government contractor as well as a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body," the study says.

I believe we have become too dependent on chemicals and unfortunately we didn't think about the long term consequences they might have on our health and on our children.  I admit I am a busy Mom and there are times I wish there was an easier way... an easy button like the commercial.  However, the study shows what a lot of us have known all along... although some people are chemically sensitive, chemicals may not show affects on our bodies immediately; more often the harmful effects show up over a period of time of being exposed.

I hope you will take the pledge to eliminate or reduce chemicals in your flower beds/gardens and if you have some tips on keeping weeds away naturally, please share in the comments.