Are you Eating Cancer-Causing Glyphosate in Your Diet?
There is cancer-causing glyphosate in your diet. You might not know how harmful it is until it is too late. What is it anyway? And how can it affect our body? Read on for more.
What is Glyphosate?
A Swiss chemist working for a pharmaceutical company, Dr. Henri Martin, discovered glyphosate in 1950. Since no pharmaceutical applications were identified the molecule was sold to a series of other companies. and samples were tested for several possible ends uses.
Glyphosate is an herbicide. It is applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses. The sodium salt form of glyphosate regulates plant growth and ripens specific crops.
This chemical became registered for use in the U.S. in 1974. It is now one of the most used herbicides in the United States. People apply it in agriculture and forestry, lawns and gardens, and weeds in industrial areas.
How does glyphosate work?
Cancer-causing Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, meaning it will kill most plants. It works by inhibiting the action of a plant enzyme. The shikimic acid pathway plays a role in synthesizing three amino acids. These are phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan.
Glyphosate lawsuits
“Glyphosate has a 40-year history of safe and effective use. The overwhelming conclusion of experts worldwide … is that glyphosate is safe to use,” Monsanto said. He was ignorant of evidence building against the chemical.
the roundup-related lawsuits have dogged Bayer since it acquired the top-selling brand. It is as part of its $63 billion sales of agricultural seeds and pesticides maker Monsanto in 2018.
The company has spent billions of dollars to settle around 96,000 Roundup cases of about 125,000[1].
What do regulatory agencies in the USA say?
In 2015, a committee of scientists working for the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the WHO evaluated studies and reported that glyphosate is probably carcinogenic.
The latest from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), Food Democracy Now. The Detox Project tested various products for glyphosate. They found dangerous levels of glyphosate in everyday American foods.
Glyphosate Products to Avoid
Granola by Quaker, KIND, Back to Nature, Nature Valley
Instant oats by Giant, Quaker, Umpqua, Market Pantry
Whole oats by Quaker, Bob’s Red Mill, Nature’s Path, Whole Foods
Cereal by Kashi, Kellogg’s, including Lucky Charms and Cheerios
Snack bars by Quaker, KIND, Nature Valley, Kellogg’s
Orange juice by Tropicana, Minute Maid, Signature Farms, Kirkland
Crackers, including Cheez-Its, Ritz, Triscuits, Goldfish
Cookies by Annie’s, Kashi, and Nabisco (Oreos)
Chips by Stacy’s, Lay’s, Doritos, Fritos
An alarming study looked into Pesticides in Mississippi compared to air and rain between 1995 and 2007. Glyphosate and its degradation product, aminomethyl-phosphonic acid (AMPA), were detected in ≥75% of air and rain samples in 2007 [2].
How do you avoid glyphosate exposure?
The best way to avoid eating cancer-causing glyphosate is to grow your own plants, vegetables, and fruits. If you don’t have time, source local produce from a farmer’s market you trust.
The Detox Project uses an FDA-registered food testing lab to test for toxic chemicals. Thye recently launched a “Glyphosate Residue Free” label. This way companies can apply to certify their products. Until it rolls out more, you are more likely (but not guaranteed) to avoid exposure by opting for foods labeled “Certified Organic.”
The extent of food industry involvement in peer-reviewed research articles from 10 leading nutrition-related journals in 2018
We all know that evidence supports the food industry’s involvement in nutrition research or agendas. However, food industry involvement in nutrition research has not been systematically explored.
This study, published on December 16th, 2020, aimed to identify the extent of food industry involvement in peer-reviewed articles. It includes leading nutrition-related journals that are examined thoroughly. The goal is to find food industries that support the industry’s interests.
No study has comprehensively examined the extent and nature of food industry involvement in peer-reviewed research.
The study reviewed the top 10 most cited nutrition and dietetics-related journals. The evaluation of food industry involvement was evaluated based on author affiliations, funding sources, declarations of interest, or other acknowledgments.
Principal research findings from articles with food industry involvement, and a random sample of articles without food industry involvement, were categorized according to the extent to which they supported relevant food industry interests.
The Results
Of 1,461, 196 (13.4%) articles reported food industry involvement. The extent of food industry involvement varied by journal, with The Journal of Nutrition (28.3%) having the highest and Pediatric Obesity (3.8%) having the lowest proportion of industry involvement.
Food industry involvement spanned several industry sectors, with processed food manufacturing, dietary supplement manufacturing, and dairy most often represented.
Processed food manufacturers were involved in most articles (77/196, 39.3%). Of articles with food industry involvement, 55.6% reported findings favorable to relevant food industry interests, compared to 9.7% of articles without food industry involvement.
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
International Journal of Obesity
Nutrition Research Reviews
Nutrition Reviews,
Journal of Obesity
Pediatric Obesity
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
The Journal of Nutrition.
Future thoughts
Future studies should investigate nutrition-related articles from journals with both nutrition and non-nutrition focus (including, for example, journals in medicine and public health)
Get to know more about glyphosate by watching our full episode here 👇
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Intro 00:41 Plugs 02:44 Episode Introduction 04:28 About Glyphosate 05:23 How does glyphosate work? 08:05 Glyphosate lawsuits 11:27 What do regulatory agencies in the USA say? 15:43 Glyphosate Products to Avoid 16:39 How do you avoid glyphosate exposure? 18:04 Glyphosate traces in soil, water, and air 21:16 Being vigilant in avoiding Cancer-Causing Glyphosate 23:56 The involvement of the food industry 8:58 Science and spirituality 31:07 The Results 35:25 Huge funding to influence an agenda
Volunteering gives you the chance to experience what it is like to work as a real nurse. It allows you to see if it is indeed the right path for you. So should you volunteer as a student nurse?
What to Consider When Volunteering
As a student nurse, your time is preoccupied with a lot of things in nursing school. However, if you want to gain experience in nursing, signing up as a volunteer can help you in many ways. So what should you consider before giving it a shot?
Consider the time you give
When you volunteer, you are adding more responsibilities to your plate. It could lead to more problems in the future and might even affect your school performance and grades.
Before you volunteer, consider how much time you are willing to give into it. Remember, your commitment is needed when you volunteer for something. It will also show on record how trustworthy you are with the opportunity granted to you.
Your reasons for volunteering
What are your reasons for volunteering? If you know why you are volunteering, then all is well. Although there is no concrete reason why people volunteer sometimes, it is still best to narrow down why you want to volunteer. And once you know why you can prioritize the things you would like to pursue.
The requirements needed
Keep in mind that not all volunteer opportunities are the same. Some may ask for minimal requirements, while others might require you to train first before they accept you. Before volunteering, it is best to check the conditions first to see if you fit the part or not. It will save you time and effort.
The responsibilities
Before volunteering, you should also consider the responsibilities that it comes with. As a student nurse volunteer, you will be dealing with patients and nurse staff, so quitting once the odds are not in your favor is not an easy option. You must see through it before you say no.
Should You Volunteer as a Student Nurse? YES!
Now that you know the things to consider, here’s why you should do it:
Networking opportunities
As a volunteer, you have the chance to reach out to other nurses and student nurses alike. Get to know the people you work with when you volunteer. You might be working with the best people in the healthcare field. Having them as part of your network gives you better opportunities when applying for a nursing job in the future.
It’s good for your health
Volunteering improves your health in general. According to PublicHealth.org, research done by the University of Exeter, people who volunteer adjust better to stress, cope better with changes, have lower rates of depression, and get to live longer and healthier lives.
Enhances your resume
Applying as a nurse means sending out your resume, and for it to stand out, you must have an impressive resume ready to go. Volunteering gives your resume the spark it needs. It will also show that you are not afraid to take responsibility and are dedicated to the profession. Your experience as a volunteer will also give you the confidence you need when answering an interview and increase your chance of being selected for the job.
Hands-on experience
Of course, the main reason why you volunteered is to gain first-hand experience. While you are not licensed as a nurse yet, your experience as a volunteer gives you the chance to see what it is like to be one. As a student nurse, your knowledge is also an asset to the facility. So, it is like a give-and-take relationship. You volunteer to help the nurses, and your time as one shapes your skills and comprehension about the job.
Volunteer Today and Enjoy the Experience
If you have plans to volunteer, do it. You will not regret it – not only will you enjoy the time you allotted in it, but you will also learn a lot of things as you go, call it a sense of satisfaction. Volunteering seals your commitment to saving lives. So, head to the nearest healthcare facility and sign up as one.
Full codes and partial codes cannot be avoided whenever there is an emergency. But the question is, should people have the option to be a partial code? Is there any benefit to partial codes? Many people think there should only be two options; full code or no code.
What is the code status?
Code status is used in all hospital settings. All patients admitted to a hospital or outpatient center are assigned a code status. A code status essentially means the type of emergent treatment a person would or would not want to receive if their heart or breathing were to stop.
Your chosen code status describes the type of resuscitation procedures you would like the health care team to do if your heart stopped beating and/or you stopped breathing. During this medical emergency, resuscitation procedures are provided quickly to keep you alive. This emergency procedure is commonly known as cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR.
In the same way, there are different treatment options and goals. The expected outcomes after cardiac or respiratory arrest differs depending on the person, the severity of the illness, the cause of the arrest, and other factors. It is essential to discuss code status before a crisis occurs and as a condition changes.
Outcome of Resuscitation
Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating. About 350,000 cases occur each year outside of a hospital, and the survival rate is less than 12 percent. CPR can double or triple the chances of survival.
Even though CPR can restart someone’s heart, it can also cause harm or even prolong the dying process. The success of resuscitative efforts is not like how it is on tv, that stats are low. In 2016, the survival rate for adults after a cardiac arrest was:
Out-of-Hospital Arrest: 12%
In-Hospital Arrest: Less than 25%
The average survival-to-discharge rate for adults who suffer in-hospital arrest is 17% to 20%.
Survival rates are lower for patients with advanced age, cancer, sepsis, renal failure, or liver failure. The survival rates for patients with a chronic illness or advanced illness average 5% and less than 1%, respectively.
More than 40% of survivors are discharged with a significant decrease in their functional ability.
Different Types of Code Statuses
Just like there are different treatment modalities, there are different code statuses. There isn’t only 1 route and you can choose different options, however, there is a limit on what we can and can’t do.
Full Code: We do anything and everything to try and bring you back. This includes CPR, intubation, medications, lines, and procedures.
DNR: This is a Do Not Resuscitate order. When your heart stops we will not attempt to do anything. We will let you pass without any interventions.
Partial Code: This one can be a little complicated because there a few measures you can choose to have done or choose not to have done.
Meds Only: In this situation, if your heart were to stop, we would not perform CPR or intubation. What we would do is use medication to bring you back. We can push epinephrine, give bicarbonate, start levophed or other pressors to try and keep your heart beating or start it back up.
No CPR: Some patients do not want CPR performed but are open to everything else. Defibrillation, intubation, and medication are all used.
DNI – Do not intubate. Some patients want everything to be done but do not get a breathing tube placed
What is the Ethics of Partial Codes?
The main objection to partial code orders is that they are ineffective in sustaining life and can potentially deceive the patient and/or patient’s family into believing that resuscitation is possible when, in fact, the patient’s death is imminent.
The concept is that you need hands on the chest to resuscitate someone. Once a heart stops beating there is no more circulation, so there is no oxygen being fed into the tissue. Every second cell dies without any pressure from the heartbeat.
People always want to make exceptions for everything. But when it comes to life, you’re either 2 feet in or 2 feet out. Is there such a thing as partial living? Then why should there be partial codes? Why should we hold back or delay treatment if the person/family is set on them surviving? Why not give them a full opportunity?
Many people would agree that there should only be 2 options;
Full code as in to do everything
No code as in does nothing but comfort.
It’s either we try to keep them alive or not. Why do people persistently make partial codes as in they want to “maybe” live?
Why partial codes?
Many people don’t understand the reasoning behind a partial code. Let’s think about it.
If you have ever seen a code blue with good chest compressions it is not a pleasant thing to witness. A lot of times a guy pushes on someone’s chest very hard, and most of those times it leads to the sternum and other bones being broken.
We can understand how enduring it is for the family to see. They see their loved ones and want them to at least have some chance. But partial codes give the lowest chance.
Maybe there should be orders that the state can intubate for respiratory distress, but now when a pulse is lost. But then what if the pt loses a pulse during intubation?
How much time do we have until brain damage?
When cardiac arrest occurs, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) must be started within two minutes. After three minutes, global cerebral ischemia, the lack of blood flow to the entire brain, can lead to brain injury that gets progressively worse.
By nine minutes, severe and permanent brain damage is likely. After 10 minutes, the chances of survival are low.
Even if a person is resuscitated, eight out of every 10 will be in a coma and sustain some level of brain damage. Simply put, the longer the brain is deprived of oxygen, the worse the damage will be.
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 intro 00:51 Plugs 01:23 Episode Introduction 02:37 What happens in a code status 05:25 A very slim chance of surviving a cardiac arrest 07:25 What is a code status? 09:16 Full Code, No Code, Partial Code 11:58 Family members are not educated well with code status 14:45 Partial Code rarely or does not work at all 17:45 Sad situation of a full code patient 20:12 How much time do we have until brain damage? 21:53 Call for physicians to step up and decide code status in real-time 25:12 Improvements that can be done 27:25 Patient’s family are very reliant on healthcare providers 30:27 Getting clear on what code to choose
Improving Patient Communication with Jennifer George
Improving patient communication is an effective way to provide patient care. Without proper communication, it is easy to miss out on your patient’s needs. But how can you become effective in this situation? Will this help lessen the stress nurses feel?
In this episode, we will talk about effective communication and how nurses can improve the way they speak to their patients to get the message out. We also welcome our guest, Jennifer George. She is a compassion-focused physiotherapist with vast experience in the private and public care sectors.
Jennifer has spent the last 14 years learning and reflecting on the importance of communication in our health and education systems.
When did you realize how important communication was and its importance in healthcare?
After the first two years of my practice – I learned to better connect with patients before conditions and diagnoses and look at the bigger picture of their life and the impact of pain and suffering
Then after my dad died, it was like I became super conscious of the fact that my life as a caregiver/daughter shaped my professional interactions
Is there a difference between communicating in social engagements vs. communicating with patients? How should this differ?
How can you keep a professional yet personal communication style with patients?
Is there such thing as communication burnout? I talk to my patients and many other people in/outside of work. Sometimes that gets tiring, and I need a day to myself and silence.
Where do you think misunderstandings arise from? When there is a break in communication, it causes misunderstandings.
How/when does communication fail? What goes wrong?
When speaking to patients, what do they mainly seek to learn? Or how can you pick up on what they are looking for? Does it vary between situations?
Learn how you can communicate more effectively with your patients by watching the full episode here 👇
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Intro 02:37 Episode Introduction 04:08 The feeling of seeing your patient progress 06:00 The importance of communication in improving patient care 09:54 Building rapport with your patient 12:12 What are the barriers that affect communication with patients 15:06 How to be true to your patient’s care 17:36 How to start a conversation with a patient 19:43 Gauging patient for a good conversation 24:42 How to solve miscommunication 28:39 Guiding and educating patients to empower themselves again 33:35 The importance of Interprofessional Communication 35:41 The inspiration of how the book came up. 39:20 Caretakers aren’t taken care of 46:26 Patient safety as the main goal 49:33 Healthcare’s reactive approach to solving the problem 57:08 Wrapping up the episode
6 Tips for Creating a Healthy Workplace Environment
A healthy workplace environment is possible, but it takes cooperation to do that. Our place of work should be something that we love going to. It should be a safe space where employees can communicate openly, discuss issues, and work together to keep the company moving. But sometimes, misunderstandings among coworkers or employers do happen. A toxic workplace can sometimes be unavoidable. It’s part of the work-life, but it doesn’t always have to be like that.
Why a Healthy Workplace Environment is Essential
Keep in mind that the people you work with have different ideologies, points of view, and opinions. One way or another, someone will clash with somebody at work. But wouldn’t it be nice if we keep our work environment a healthy and happy place for everybody?
As nurses, we have our fair share of ups and downs in our workplace. What makes a company a great place to work? It can be perks, locations, and incentives, but creating a healthy work environment will retain employees. And to do that, here are helpful tips that you can apply:
Give your employees a real voice
Employers need to create a space where employees can express their feelings. After all, that’s how you identify pain points. Feedback is one of the most valuable tools you can get, to improve the workplace. There are tools such as annual surveys, but they don’t result in timely action.
Feedback is excellent in real-time; that is why your charge or manager must have excellent leadership skills to honor your voiced opinion. Are there issues with other units or staff, and how are these problems addressed in real-time?
There needs to be change implemented post feedback, just like in the surveys. If things continue, this leads to lower engagement, and ultimately your staff will fail to voice future concerns.
Showing appreciation every day
When was the last time you got a shout-out from your manager when you least expected it? Sometimes those little words of affirmation can give you a big boost of confidence, instantly improving your mood. Recognition is essential to let employees know that their hard work is valued.
Meaningful recognition can dramatically improve employee engagement, retention, and satisfaction. What is a simple way to show appreciation? Maybe something small like having a day off on your birthday.
Create an environment of psychological safety and trust
Creating an environment of psychological safety is where employees are comfortable being themselves. When an employee feels safe, there is a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up.
On the opposite spectrum, employees will be scared to speak up if they fear failure, judgment, or disrespect.
Clean and functioning workspace
Nothing makes life more complicated as a nurse than dealing with faulty equipment. Equipment includes things like computers, scanners, glucometers, suppliers, etc. Nothing grinds our gears more than not having the proper equipment to complete our tasks.
In every facility we worked at, this has been a reoccurring problem. It only added stress to the nurse who’s already dealing with patients’ lives. In the current facility we work in, we salute them for having proper lift equipment in every room.
Empowering your team members
This multifactorial approach requires managers, HR, and anyone else in the chain of command. No matter how capable your workforce is, they still need support to be their best selves at work. It is important to establish open feedback to show that your organization listens and encourages the team to keep voicing their wants and needs.
Get to know your employees on a human level. Taking the time to do this will help uncover the best way to empower them and create an environment that makes them feel safe.
Empowering team members should also include building team-building skills. Often, nurses work individually within their role, but employers can encourage teamwork to make a better workspace environment. We all felt that unit where nurses and staff come to ask you if you need help with anything.
Promote wellness through a healthy workplace environment
Wellness can be overlooked in the workplace, but psychological, emotional, and physical are essential to having a healthy workplace environment. Being a frontline health worker requires us to juggle between chill mode and fight-and-flight. The constant release of cortisol in stressful situations can inhibit rational and logical thinking.
A healthy workplace should encourage breaks for shifts and be mindful of workloads. Encouraging employees to rest is overlooked in most healthcare, but it’s crucial to take a break and boost energy to continue a busy shift. Randomly, imagine if a unit invests in apps like Headspace to help mitigate stress?
Do you want a healthy work environment? Follow these tips here 👇
SHOW NOTES:
00:00 Intro 00:47 Plugs 02:27 Episode Introduction 04:23 Tip 1: Give your employees a real voice 07:20 Does annual surveys work? 08:50 Tip 2: Showing appreciation every day 11:06 Difference between Professional and Genuine Appreciation 12:41 The power of giving and take 16:16 Money as the solution 19:09 Tip 3: Create an environment of psychological safety and trust 21:57 Compromised and abused nurses 23:09 Inadequate Ratio 24:28 Tip 4: Clean and functioning workspace 26:38 Additional protocols for additional profit? 29:06 Nurse’s safety being last on the list 32:29 Tip 5: Empowering your team members 37:32 Being considerate to other practitioners, races, and cultures 42:09 Tip 6: Promote wellness 45:54 Incentive program for nurses
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