Gemma Calzada nutritionist :: Diseases

Medicinal and culinary herbs and spices, are they so inoffensive?

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 17:56:00 +0100

Very often, people that are conscious of the side effects of conventional medicines turn to natural medicine to treat their illnesses.
I think that naturopathy and herbology is a much better option than chemical medicines; but we must be aware that herbs may produce some side effects, too.

Continue reading Medicinal and culinary herbs and spices, are they so inoffensive?

According to the health approach of Natural Hygiene, each and every medicine, no matter what type, has some degree of toxicity, and therefore, side effects.

I would like to quote some parts of T.C.Fry’s book “Life Science” when referring to Herbs:

“All herbs contain poisonous volatile oils and alkaloids. All herbs are fatal when taken in large enough doses. Even moderate amounts of certain herbs can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, headaches, and spontaneous abortions.
Many people do not realize that the herbs they take are in fact poisoning them. The reason? Herbs are taken in small amounts—usually small enough not to occasion a serious and painful reaction, but still enough to cause the body to react radically and expeditiously to eliminate them.
If herbs are not harmful, why must they be taken in such small amounts? Like pepper, spices, and condiments, herbs cannot be ingested in amounts larger than a tablespoon or so. Even more telling is the taste of herbs themselves. Almost without exception, herbs are bitter, strong, and foul tasting. This is a warning to the body not to eat such substances.
Yet with pills, capsules, and infusions, the herbalists have found ways to sneak a plant into the body that it would never relish or desire normally.
When they are introduced into the body, the vital organism attempts to expel these poisons as quickly as possible. The body protects itself from drugging and poisoning, whether these poisons come from a pharmacist's shelf or from nature.
Different herbs may occasion different bodily reactions. Fevers, sweating, diarrhoea, increased or decreased circulation are all signs of a body trying to eliminate herbal toxins and are not indications that an herb is working some cure or the other.
No matter how herbs are used or what they're used as (expectorants, stimulants, astringents, etc.) they always, without exception, add to the body's toxic load, which is the real disease.
For example, high-blood pressure is a very common ailment among Americans because of the tremendous amounts of salt they eat in their heavy meat and processed food diet. A vegetable alkaloid found in certain herbs called reserpine has been used to reduce blood pressure. Garlic, long touted as a wonder herb, is also a supposedly effective agent in reducing blood pressure.
What sometimes occurs is that people with high-blood pressure ingest garlic and other herbs to correct this condition. At the same time, however, they continue with their old diet and eat large amounts of salt.
When this happens, the symptom of high-blood pressure is hidden by the symptoms of the herbal poisoning. At the same time, the old habits and diet that kept the blood pressure high are not modified. The high-blood pressure is simply a signal by the body that something is wrong—like diet or lifestyle.
Garlic and other herbs may mask one symptom of a high-salt diet, but they can do nothing about the kidney damage and cellular destruction that also accompanies salt eating.
Swallowing herbs is like swallowing any other pill or drug. The fact that they grow naturally does not give them any extra or safe curative properties.
Ginger, for example, causes the digestive system to hurry the food through before being completely digested. Thus, these seasoning herbs have gained an undeserved reputation as "digestive aids." Instead of aiding digestion, their use occasions the body to rapidly expel them along with the food they seasoned.
Garlic and onions, two of the most popular flavoring herbs, are full of noxious toxins, like mustard oil and allicin. Parsley is also a strong herb whose use can overstimulate the kidneys. The toxic component of aloe vera is the glycoside aloin; in sassafras it's safrole; and in the Indian snake root, it's the alkaloid reserpine.
The cooking and seasoning herbs are not harmless additions to the diet as is popularly believed. Their use disrupts digestion and places an added load on the eliminative system.
If the drug or herb is particularly toxic; if it's given in a large dose relative to the subject's vitality (supply of nerve energy); or if the subject is particularly low in vitality, the result of its administration may be almost complete cessation of the disease process. The body may be temporarily incapable of ejecting the toxins accumulated in the body or those in the drug or herb.
Disease is a body process of toxin elimination. Being capable of handling only a limited amount of toxic matters at a time, the body temporarily halts the disease process and devotes its energies to ejecting the new offending substance."

Another book I would recommend to consult before taking any herb is Tayler’s “Honest Herbal”. You will learn the benefits and side effects of most herbs. For example, ginger may cause depression of the central nervous system and cardiac arrythmias; ginkgo reduce clotting time; salvia when consumed over a long period of time may lead to mental and physical deterioration; St John’s wort may cause photosensitivity; etc.

I think that when one is hit by an illness the first reaction should be to find the source of this health problem, be it food, stress, emotional problem, lack of sleep, or any lifestyle mistake. If all these have been tried to be straightened out and the health is not improving, then natural medicines or therapies may be a temporary useful remedy; but you must be aware that it is just a relieve and the real cause of your disease has not been addressed, so never stop trying to find out where the health condition comes from.

Stress as cause of allergies and hypersensitivities

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:10:00 +0100

It is very well known that health can be adversely affected by stress. The “fight-or-flight” response inhibits the immune system, the digestive system and the elimination system, which leads to an increase of toxemia, one of the main causes of hypersensitivities according to the Hygienism approach.

Continue reading Stress as cause of allergies and hypersensitivities

If we take a closer look at the immune system, it seems that stress suppresses the TH1 branch, responsible for dealing with viruses and bacteria, and activates de TH2 branch, characterised by the release of histamine, resulting in watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, stuffiness and itching, for instance. The medical profession argues that one possible reason why TH1 branch is inhibited during an stressful situation is to conserve the energy and devote all this energy for confronting or avoiding the source of stress.

From the point of view of Natural Hygiene, the TH1 branch is responsible for ridding the body of toxins with the aid of microorganisms, which decompose the inner filth in our body. Stress hampers this process of cleaning, increasing toxemia, and consequently, leading to allergies and hypersensitivities.

In any case, priority is not given to the TH1 response in stress mode.

I can affirm that when stressed, I am more prone to allergies, Relaxation is enough to considerably reduce the symptoms of allergy, or sometimes even suppress them.

Stress is completely subjective. In the same situation, one person can experience stress and another one may find it funny. For example, imagine that a family dog is playing in the garden where the car is parked, and the dog does not want to go inside the house. All the family is chasing him in order to take him inside, but he is very fast. The kids are laughing and even the mother finds the situation quite comical as well, but the father is very stressed and also angry at the dog: he needs to go to work, and the gates cannot be opened because the dog could escape.

Additionally, stress is not harmful for everybody. A study demonstrates that stress is damaging only to the health of those who believe it to be the case; if they believe that stress has a significant impact on health, then indeed it does. On the other hand, people who experience a lot of stress, but have little to no perception that stress affects health, have minor stress-related health problems. As it will be depicted in the relevant section, the mind and beliefs are very powerful.

Stress can also get the best of us in some situations. Short-lived and specific stress can play a role in boosting our problem-solving abilities, our memory and our social skills, for instance. However, when stress becomes long-term, or overwhelming (thus turning into anxiety), it can be detrimental to our health.

For hypersensitive people, the first step in dealing with stress would be to prevent getting even more stressed and anxious during a crisis. We must accept all body reactions, because our body knows best what is more advisable for our health. Nature is infinitely wiser than the human being. Consequently, combating hypersensitivity with medications means exposing health to a risk.

The second step would be to change the thought processes. Stress is subjective, therefore if a stressful situation cannot be avoided, the attitude have to be changed because such circumstances are beyond control. There are many techniques that help in dealing with stress, such as meditation, visualisation, affirmations, sophrology and prayer.

Sun sensitivity? Consider becoming vegetarian

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 20:48:00 +0100

If you have sun sensitivity, maybe removing animal proteins can be the solution. Based on my experience, people that eat meat and fish has some kind of sun sensitivity in different degrees, that goes from just needing sun glasses to quickly being sunburnt when exposed to the sun for a little time. On the other hand, vegetarian people don’t need sunglasses, even for driving; they have a strong resistance against sunburn, and they can easily bear the heat of the sun.

Continue reading Sun sensitivity? Consider becoming vegetarian

There are different explanations.
One theory is that animal proteins decrease the body’s life energy level to the point of toxemia. The culprits can include neurotoxins produced by proteolytic bacteria, such as Clostridium, or by yeasts, such as Candida. Yeasts can develop rapidly when the daily diet contains both animal proteins and complex carbohydrates. Meat can favour the development of these bacteria by blocking or delaying the passage of carbohydrates through the intestines. The neurotoxins increase the sensitivity to any external stimuli, such as the noise, the light, the sun, etc.
Another possible theory is that this proteolytic bacteria is the cause of the leaky gut, which is the main door to hypersensitivity, by allowing the passage into the blood of substances that shouldn’t be there.
But the most plausible explanation is based on the fact that bacteria that feed on animal proteins releases an important amount of histamine. Sun exposure releases histamine, but if the body is overwhelmed breaking down the huge amount of histamine produced by meat and fish, then it can not deal with the normal histamine coming from other sources, such as the sun.

Cramps, magnesium and sugar

gemmac@livingfullynourished.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Wed, 17 May 2023 05:43:00 +0100

Although we don’t know exactly what is the cause of cramps, it is usual to recommend the supplementation of magnesium or the intake of food that is rich in this mineral in order to treat and prevent cramps.
But magnesium supplementation has some side effects, and food rich in magnesium is not very effective.
In this article I suggest another option that addresses the origin of the lack of magnesium, and consequently, cramps.

Continue reading Cramps, magnesium and sugar

There are many studies about the effectivity of magnesium for cramps, and the results are contradictory; some of them are positive and other are negative.
Besides the doubtful effectivity, the intake of therapeutic dosis of magnesium is associated with some side effects, mainly gastrointestinal such as diarrhoea and a mineral unbalance.
So instead of searching a remedy of cramps, it is better to research the reason why it is appearing in the first place.
It is admitted that sugar leads to a lack of magnesium. Specifically, in order to metabolise every molecule of sacarose of sugar, the body needs to spend 54 molecules of magnesium. ( “L’équilibre glycémique”, Jacques Fontaine).
This problem coming from sugars doesn’t happen with fresh fruit, because fruit contains all the needed minerals in order to metabolise sugar. But it is also appearing with the intake of dried fruit (dates, raisin, dried figs, etc.), because the concentration of sugar is much higher. Sometimes some highly sweet grape varieties are also problematic, as well as any kind of sugars, syrups and honey.
I encourage you to verify it yourself. Next time you have a cramp think if you had eaten any of this kind of products.
Sugars, in addition to cramps, are also associated with a long list of health issues: it feeds undesirable bacteria in the intestine, provoking cavities, intestinal worms, candidas, etc.; it weakens the immune system; it can induce diabetes; it is related to cardiovascular diseases; it is inflammatory, so it is involved in different aches, etc. In this article you will find more information about the ravages of sugars.

The cholesterol

gemmac@livingfullynourished.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 20:02:00 +0100

Cholesterol level is one of the most usual blood tests, and reaching certain age, the level often exceeds the normal range.
Doctors recommend to adopt certain nutritional mesures and more physical activity, but if it is not effective enough to get the levels down, they recommend to take statins.
It is admitted that statins have some associated side effects, such as muscle, liver and neurologic damage, and an increase of blood sugar and type 2 diabetes. But because the severity of the adverse effects associated to a high cholesterol rate, such as heart attack or embolism, it is argued that the benefits of this medicine overweight the drawbacks.
Is there not any other solution besides statins to control the cholesterol? What is the reason why some people have high cholesterol?

Continue reading The cholesterol

The problem of cholesterol are the plaques that build up in the inner lining of the arteries that prevent the proper blood flow and develop cardiovascular diseases.

But medicine doesn’t explain why this plaques are formed.

Cholesterol has different functions in the body. It is a required substance in the membrane of every cell, but the body uses it to repair the tissue damages, as Dr. Campbell-McBride explains in her book “Put your heart in your mouth”.

So when for some reason the blood vessels have been damaged, the cholesterol is one of the substances that the organism needs to repair them, creating the famous cholesterol plaques.

The liver produces the amount of cholesterol that the body needs in every moment, and a high production means that there is a considerable tissue damage in the different body tissues.

Lowering the cholesterol levels with medicines leads to slowing down or impairing the healing.

Evidently, we must avoid the risk of developing these cholesterol plaques.

So the solution is to find out the reason why the body is needing so much cholesterol, this is, there is so many tissue damage.

There are mainly two kind of substances that can be pointed out: a toxic agent, and the free radicals derived from an inmune reaction or a radiation, it means, any disease that activates the inmune system or any toxicity we have been exposed to.

But the reaction of the inmune system is not the same in every kind of disease. The mechanism depend on the agent the action is directed to: virus, bacteria, food, toxics, allergens, etc. Which one of these kind of substances are more probably the source of the tissue damage of an inmune response? If the responsible were virus and bacteria, then when we suffer a cold, a flu, etc., the cholesterol level would increase, and infarcts as well; but this is not the case. There is not an association between these two diseases. Neither between allergies and cardiovascular diseases. So food and toxics must be the cause. This is reasonable, as the exposition is chronic, as well as cardiovascular diseases are.

In which circumstances the body reacts against food? In many different reasons, mainly: food intolerances, genetically modified organisms and other synthetic and artificial food.

Concerning food intolerances, the most usual ones are dairy products, gluten and modern grains, nuts, eggs and soy. But any food can be concerned by an intolerance.

Food intolerances can be detected by functional tests in alternative medicine, as well as other different techniques, such as the elimination and reintroduction diet.

So the necessary actions in order to decrease the cholesterol are the same in order to enjoy a good health: decrease our exposition to toxics and follow a good nutrition.

So doctors are correct when they recommend to improve the nutrition and exercise. The problem is that a “balanced diet” is not enough. Food intolerance must be investigated, as well as toxicity of any kind (chemicals, negative emotions, stress, radiation, etc.)

Food intolerances lead not only to cardiovascular diseases; they are involved in most diseases: respiratory, gastrointestinal, muscular, inflammatory, neurological, etc.

I would like to add an observation about how to consider diseases in general. The same way that high cholesterol is a reaction of our body against a harmful agent, and we must avoid this agent, and we mustn’t impede the body action, because it is the way that it is defending and repairing itself; the same can applied in every disease.

Our mis-conception is that the body is wrong when cholesterol rises, or with coughing, fever, mucus, etc., and we alleviate the symptoms lowering these reactions with drugs. But we are preventing a good body recovering.

Our body doesn’t make mistakes; all the contrary, it is very wise. So in general, the way we must behave is always to search the source of these reactions our body is taking, and respecting them.

The link between food and diseases

gemmac@livingfullynourished.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 19:16:00 +0100

The effect that every food has in our health is extremely complex; it is multifactorial. In a same person, it could be different, depending on their physical and emotional condition, and evidently, it differs depending on the person. But studying many cases, it is possible to infer the tendency of certain food.
In most of the people, the body usually adapts to the consumption of our daily food, developing a tolerance. Even if these food are unhealthy, the body apparently doesn’t show any adverse effect; the same way that when starting to smoke or consuming alcohol the effects are prominent, but after some time the body gets use to it and it doesn’t react anymore, the same applies to certain food.
In this article I summarize the link between the intake of certain food and our health.

Continue reading The link between food and diseases

Due to this tolerance that the body develops to certain food that are harmful, in order to experience if a certain food is really good or bad for us, it could be a good idea to avoid eating it during a certain time. The length of time is the necessary amount until the body looses its apparent “tolerance” to it. Then it must be reintroduced again.
When removing a harmful food it is possible that the person feels better or worse, depending on several factors. But in the reintroduction, it is the moment when the person will feel a worsening, which could happen in some hours or even in some days after the reintroduction started.
Taking into account the following list of possible links, we can be aware and make the relationship between disease and food easily.
I have got this information from my experience as nutritionist. Some links are known by most nutritionists, but most of them are the fruit of my observations, and they are new contributions.

Diseases	Food
Breast cancer	soy (when it is removed from the diet after it has been taken during several years)
Osteoporosis	dairy, meat, fish, grains
Cardiovascular diseases	fats and oils
Nervousness, insomnia, tachycardia	coffee, tea, chocolate
Constipation	gluten, carrot, rice, fish. In lesser degree: meat, green leafs
Laxative	avocado, citric fruits, fats, dried fruits
Circulatory problems, cold sensitive, Raynaud syndrome	fast carbs (sugar, syrup, honey, dried fruit) and slow carbs (starch)
Brittle nails	fast carbs (sugar, syrup, honey, dried fruit) and slow carbs (starch)
Nightmares	nuts, seeds, grains, seeds, dairy
Premenstrual syndrome	eggs, nuts, seeds, grains, dairy, meat, fish
Lack of memory, mental sluggishness	meat, fish
Fatigue and/or muscular pain	tomato, bell peeper, citric fruits, kiwi, pineapple
Diuretics	vegetables
Somnolence, fatigue, bags under the eyes	alcohol, dairy, meat, fish. In lesser degree: green leafs, salt
Headaches	dairy, smoked products, alcohol, coffee (withdrawal effect). In lesser degree: salt
Leg pain	eggs
Dermatological diseases	oils, avocado, coconut, olives, nuts, seeds
Liver inflammation	dairy, chocolate, fats, alcohol, banana
Muscular cramps	sugar, syrup, honey, dried fruit, excess of fruit
Ophthalmological diseases, conjunctivitis	sugar, syrup, honey, dried fruit
Joint disorders	fats and oils
Hemorrhoids	fats and oils
Intestinal worms	sugar and syrups
Gastrointestinal diseases	gluten, dairy, legumes
Kidney diseases	teas and infusions
Heart diseases	drugs

After reading this list you may ask yourself: then, what can we eat? I think that our best food are fruits and vegetables, knowing that they can have some undesirable effects too, although the repercussion is much lower compared with the other food. For example, citrus may be excessively laxative and result in some muscular pain and fatigue, as well as tomate and bell peeper; and vegetables are quite diuretic.

Las hipersensibilidades bajo la perspectiva de la Higiene Natural

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 20:20:00 +0100

Alergias, asma, sensibilidad química múltiple, electrosensibilidad, hipersensibilidad al sol, ruido, olores, estrés... diferentes tipos de hipersensibilidad se explican desde el punto de vista de la aproximación de la Higiene Natural como procesos de eliminación extraordinarios, que suceden cuando la carga toxémica del cuerpo es excesiva. En este artículo se explica con detalle dicho proceso y se discute un posible método de desensibilización.
Foto de Shena Tschofen

Continue reading Las hipersensibilidades bajo la perspectiva de la Higiene Natural

La teoría sobre la toxemia y el nivel de energía vital como origen de toda enfermedad fue establecida por uno de los principales exponentes de la aproximación llamada higiene natural o ciencia de la vida, el Dr. J. H. Tilden. Desde entonces, ha sido adoptada por todos los médicos y terapeutas del higienismo.

Toxemia

Ya hemos visto que las bacterias oportunistas y las patógenas en nuestro organismo producen toxinas que deben ser expulsadas de nuestro cuerpo, así como los residuos del metabolismo celular.

El Dr. Tilden explica en su libro Toxemia explained (74), «Cuando la eliminación tiene lugar a través de la membrana mucosa de la nariz, se llama resfriado —catarro de la nariz—; y cuando estas crisis se repiten durante años, la membrana mucosa se engruesa y se ulcera, y los huesos se agrandan, cerrando el pasaje, etc. En este estadio se desarrolla la fiebre de heno o asma. Cuando la garganta y amígdalas, o cualquiera de las vías respiratorias, se convierte en la sede de crisis de toxemia, tenemos laringotraqueobronquitis, amigdalitis, faringitis, laringitis, bronquitis, asma, neumonía, etc.». «Todos son síntomas de la expulsión de toxinas de la sangre en diferentes puntos, y son esencialmente del mismo carácter y desarrollándose a partir de una causa —nombrada Toxemia— crisis de toxemia».

«Debería ser obvio lo extraordinariamente ilógico que es tratar un catarro de la nariz como una enfermedad local; o, cuando las crisis son repetidas hasta que se produce una ulceración, y la membrana mucosa se vuelve tan sensible que el polvo y el polen causan estornudos y lagrimeo de los ojos —síntomas llamados fiebre de heno— tratar estos síntomas como un caso diferente causado por el polen».

El Dr. Shelton comenta la similitud entre la tos debida al atragantamiento con la tos de un catarro (28): «En el caso de inspirar una migaja de pastel, los estornudos y tos son obviamente esfuerzos normales y defensivos. ¿Por qué deberían considerarse de manera diferente cuando el esfuerzo está dirigido a la mucosidad de un resfriado, una bronquitis o una neumonía? No debería serlo».

Cuando las vías normales de detoxificación de nuestros sistemas —intestino, pulmones, hígado, riñones, piel— están sobrecargadas, entonces la eliminación de toxinas y todo tipo de elementos perjudiciales debe hacerse por vías extraordinarias. Una de ellas es la oral, mediante mucosidades. Así que la rinitis puede ser el resultado del esfuerzo del organismo de descartar las toxinas, produciendo moco y estornudos.

Esto podría explicar por qué la rinitis es más fuerte por la mañana, cuando el cuerpo expulsa todas las sustancias dañinas que se han ido acumulando durante la noche. Cuantas más toxinas hay —sobre todo cuando cenamos en exceso y de forma no sana— mayor será la cantidad de mucosidad a expulsar.

Como hemos visto en el apartado anterior, la eliminación de toxinas producidas por una alimentación incorrecta a través del sistema respiratorio crea una irritación en la mucosa nasal, la cual origina, a su vez, una hipersensibilidad a toda clase de partículas suspendidas en el aire: humo, perfumes, polen, polvo, pelo de animales, etc. Esto puede explicar la razón por la cual la sensibilidad aumenta si no comemos de manera sana.

Energía nerviosa

¿Cómo llegamos a una situación de toxemia? Tilden argumenta que la reducción de energía nerviosa es la causa de la toxemia. Para entender qué es exactamente la toxemia y cómo una baja energía nerviosa lleva a la situación de toxemia, necesitamos empezar comprendiendo qué es una enfermedad. Tilden lo explica en estos términos:

«Cada enfermedad es una crisis de toxemia; lo cual significa que se ha acumulado en la sangre toxinas por encima del nivel de tolerancia, y la crisis, lo que es llamado una enfermedad —sea un resfriado, gripe, neumonía, cefalea, o fiebre tifoidea— es una eliminación secundaria. La naturaleza se esfuerza en deshacerse de la toxina en el cuerpo. Cualquier tratamiento que obstruya este esfuerzo frustra el esfuerzo de la naturaleza en auto-curarse».

Así que una enfermedad es el modo en que nuestro organismo tiene para curarse de su problema: la toxemia. Y esta procede de un bajo nivel de energía nerviosa; «Sin energía nerviosa las funciones del cuerpo no pueden llevarse a cabo correctamente. El agotamiento de nuestros días causa enervación, lo cual detiene la supresión, y las toxinas retenidas llevan a la toxemia».

Las funciones del cuerpo son la reposición del tejido gastado, la producción de las distintas secreciones del organismo, la eliminación de productos de desecho, etc. «Cualquier cosa que actúa en el cuerpo gasta energía. El frío y el calor requieren un gasto de energía nerviosa», explica Tilden.

Fig. 3.23 Llenado y vaciado de la energía vital

Tilden concluye que «la enervación es la última causa de la enfermedad». Hay un número infinito de tipos de enervación. Por ejemplo: la autoindulgencia o exceso de cualquier clase, como comer demasiado, el uso de estimulantes, las prácticas sexuales excesivas y demasiado trabajo por obligación; un choque, una herida, y demás clases de pensamiento o emoción que es percibido subjetivamente como negativo por la persona que lo sufre; miedo, enfado, envidia, aflicción, etc. Esto es, las costumbres enervantes para el cuerpo y la mente son; la falta de los elementos necesarios para la vida, los malos hábitos y los sucesos percibidos como negativos.

Fig. 3.24 Mecanismo por el que la enervación lleva a la enfermedad

Si la enervación es la causa de las enfermedades, debemos corregir los hábitos de vida enervantes para permitir al organismo curarse. «Descansar de los hábitos enervantes es la única forma de poner la naturaleza en la dirección de la curación. Dormir y descansar el cuerpo y la mente son indispensables para mantener un suministro suficiente de energía. Pocas personas en vida activa descansan suficientemente», añade Tilden.

Los hábitos enervantes son los factores debilitantes que llevan a las hipersensibilidades en personas con una predisposición a este tipo de enfermedades.

Gestión de la toxemia

Hay dos maneras de tratar la toxicidad de procedencia externa e interna al cuerpo: la eliminación y el almacenamiento.

La gestión de la toxicidad por eliminación tiene, a su vez, dos clases: normal y extraordinaria; y también existen dos de gestión por almacenamiento; almacenamiento sin daño y con daño.

En una normal no hay consecuencias importantes para el cuerpo; se utilizan las vías ordinarias de descarte. Pero en una extraordinaria, el organismo realiza un gran esfuerzo, lo cual es trasladado en los síntomas que llamamos enfermedad, como el dolor, inflamación, mucosidad, tos, estornudos, rojez, temperatura elevada, postración, etc. Son señales de una alarma que indican que algo no va bien y debemos parar. El problema es que no escuchamos estas alarmas y las apagamos con medicinas de síntesis o alternativas, y continuamos la acción perjudicial.

En la gestión de la toxicidad del tipo almacenamiento el organismo trata de mantener la toxicidad en un lugar donde no moleste demasiado a las funciones y órganos del cuerpo, como el tejido adiposo —grasa—. Pero si los lugares donde se podría almacenar ya están «llenos», o si debido a la naturaleza de la sustancia tóxica o por cualquier otra razón el organismo decide que no es posible mantener los desechos tóxicos en algún sitio seguro, y tampoco se puede suprimir, entonces, la materia tóxica acabará en lugares donde se produce un daño. Pero, por supuesto, el organismo es tan inteligente que escogerá los menos vitales para el cuerpo, manteniendo los órganos más nobles tan limpios como sea posible. Por citar, preferirá las articulaciones de las rodillas a las articulaciones de la columna vertebral; o los músculos estriados de las extremidades al músculo cardíaco. El sobrepeso y las enfermedades ulcerativas como la colitis, úlceras, esclerosis y otras enfermedades autoinmunes, así como las enfermedades de induración como fibromas, tumores, quistes, arterioesclerosis, cataratas, etc., pueden resultar como consecuencia de esta estrategia de almacenamiento.

Aunque todos tenemos una predisposición genética a alguna de estas clases de gestión de la toxicidad, varias condiciones pueden dirigir el organismo a seleccionar una estrategia diferente. En una misma persona, el organismo decide descartar ciertas sustancias y almacenar otras. Incluso para la misma, el proceso llega a ser distinto según el estado del organismo. Por ejemplo, la medicación o cualquier tipo de remedio para las hipersensibilidades inclinan al organismo a un modo de almacenamiento para parar la eliminación. Con estas medicinas, en lugar de enfermedades inflamatorias o hipersensibilidades a corto plazo, se desarrollan enfermedades ulcerativas o indurativas en el largo plazo.

En general, como veremos en el siguiente apartado, cuando el cuerpo no puede quitar la toxicidad por las vías normales, se almacena hasta que sobrepasa el nivel de tolerancia. Entonces se activa un acto extraordinario de eliminación. Este nivel de tolerancia es dispar para cada persona y cambia a lo largo de la vida.

Nivel de tolerancia y reservas

Tilden explica que «cuando la energía nerviosa disminuye por debajo de lo normal, la supresión de toxinas —un producto natural del metabolismo— se detiene, y se retiene en la sangre, comportando toxemia.

Debería ser obvio que la cantidad de toxinas en la sangre varía en cada individuo, y que el grado de resistencia también es desigual en cada individuo. Una cantidad que causaría una crisis de toxemia en uno no tendría aparentemente ningún efecto en otro».

Shelton se refiere al nivel de toxemia que cada individuo puede tolerar con estas palabras: «Las crisis suelen durar hasta que los factores que producen la enfermedad se han reducido al nivel de tolerancia. Este nivel varía con el individuo y con las condiciones cambiantes del individuo. Por tanto, cuanto mayor vitalidad posee uno, menos materia mórbida su sistema tolerará, y a medida que la vitalidad de una persona con enfermedad crónica vaya aumentando, su punto de tolerancia también aumentará así que tendrá crisis».

Vemos personas que no se alimentan de modo sano, fuman y beben alcohol, pero parecen gozar de buena salud. Por el contrario, otras cuidan su salud, y, aun así, están enfermas frecuentemente. ¿Cómo es posible?

Hay dos respuestas opuestas.

1) La que sostiene hábitos malsanos es muy fuerte, y resiste todo su estilo de vida incorrecto sin caer enfermo; mientras que la que mantiene hábitos sanos es tan débil que aun cuidando su salud cae enferma. Se supone que si esta última siguiera malos hábitos estaría todavía peor.
2) Según la aproximación del higienismo de Tilden y Shelton, el individuo con costumbres malsanas tiene un nivel de tolerancia muy alto; es decir, tolera mucha suciedad en su interior antes de comenzar una enfermedad de eliminación. Por otra parte, la persona con costumbres de vida sanas posee un nivel de tolerancia muy bajo, así que una pequeña cantidad de sustancias perjudiciales en su organismo es rechazada inmediatamente. La gente con baja tolerancia suprime elementos dañinos con una crisis o enfermedad de eliminación; mientras que quienes poseen un nivel de tolerancia alto acumulan estas sustancias en su cuerpo, hasta que el organismo considera que es suficiente.

Mi nivel de tolerancia, como todo hipersensible, es extremadamente bajo. Esto puede suponer una ventaja desde el punto de vista científico, porque reacciono ante ínfimas cantidades de sustancias dañinas en poco tiempo, mucho antesde que otras personas las hayan acumulado o dañado sus cuerpos. ¡Somos como un canario en una mina!

El nivel de tolerancia o sensibilidad no es el mismo durante toda la vida. Los niños suelen ser más sensibles y desarrollan enfermedades de eliminación —resfriados, gripes, gastroenteritis, etc.— con mucha más frecuencia que los adultos. A medida que las personas envejecen, los adultos, en general, sufren enfermedades crónicas, las cuales son el resultado del daño producido por la acumulación de sustancias perjudiciales. Shelton afirma (28), «Al principio el cuerpo de una persona joven no tolerará más de dos o tres cigarrillos al día, pero en el curso de unos pocos años, estará fumando dos o más paquetes a diario. Así pues, en la infancia, el cuerpo no tolerará muchas toxinas, sino contraerá crisis frecuentes y las expulsará. Con el paso del tiempo, sin embargo, se construye una mayor tolerancia, y las crisis se vuelven menos frecuentes y menos vigorosas».

Pero en el momento que se deja de tomar lo dañino durante un largo tiempo, el cuerpo se vuelve intolerante y sensible otra vez a esa sustancia. Esto es lo que suele pasar cuando se excluye el gluten o los productos lácteos durante un tiempo. Cuando vuelve a tomarse experimenta una fuerte reacción en forma de diferentes síntomas dependiendo de la persona, mucho más fuertes que antes de dejar de tomarlos.

Fig. 3.25 Gestión del pozo toxémico

En la Fig. 3.25, el pozo toxémico representa la acumulación de sustancias dañinas para el cuerpo —toxinas de la descomposición bacteriana, residuos del metabolismo y tóxicos del exterior—, las cuales se sitúan, en realidad, en distintas partes del organismo: en el líquido intersticial entre las células, en el tejido adiposo, en los órganos, articulaciones, etc. El organismo escoge el mejor lugar según la predisposición genética, la naturaleza de la sustancia, la energía vital disponible, etc.

Los órganos de eliminación necesitan energía nerviosa o vital para realizar el trabajo de vaciar la fosa. Si esta energía es baja, o bien los órganos están sobrecargados, entonces el pozo se llena cada vez más, hasta que alcanza el límite del nivel de tolerancia. Entonces, hay un «sensor» que, al detectar el nivel de toxemia demasiado alto, abre el «tapón» y activa las vías extraordinarias, provocando una crisis o enfermedad aguda —diarrea, mucosidad, inflamación, etc.—, utilizando las reservas de energía nerviosa que el organismo ha guardado para casos de situaciones peligrosas.

Cuando el nivel de toxemia desciende bajo el nivel de tolerancia, las vías extraordinarias detienen la eliminación y, de nuevo, si hay suficiente energía nerviosa o vital, las vías normales entran en funcionamiento. De lo contrario, el cuerpo vuelve a almacenar toxemia de nuevo.

El organismo está tan cansado después de una crisis, porque ha agotado sus reservas de energía, que una gran postración y dolor fuerza a la persona a descansar. Pero si entonces gasta más energía vital de la que obtiene con el descanso, buena alimentación, el sol, etc., puede encontrarse en un serio peligro para su salud.

Shelton explica refiriéndose a la reserva de energía: «El cuerpo busca siempre a mantener una cierta reserva de energía y podemos disponer de esta energía solamente en casos de emergencia para los cuales esta reserva fue almacenada».

«La reserva de capital de energía se mantiene guardado para una emergencia, y mientras sea necesario utilizar esta reserva debido a cada asalto a la salud, para mantener el funcionamiento y la integridad estructural, será suministrado hasta que se agote. Después, si la demanda de energía para mantener el funcionamiento excede el aporte, el órgano u órganos fallarán en sus funciones, y puede comenzar la disfunción funcional» (28).

Muchas personas van muy lejos en el gasto de sus reservas sin ser consciente de ello. Cada vez que tomamos un analgésico, un antiinflamatorio, o simplemente un café, o cualquier otro tipo de estimulante o calmante cuando tenemos una molestia o dolor, que en circunstancias normales nos obligaría a parar toda actividad, entonces estamos explotando nuestras reservas de energía vital. Nuestras vidas apresuradas no nos permiten descansar el tiempo indispensable para recuperarnos, y luego pagamos las consecuencias.

Shelton afirma: «La falta de fuerza que debe preceder el desarrollo de una enfermedad es debido al gasto de fuerza ocasionado largamente por el uso de irritantes y excitantes, estimulantes. De ahí la locura atroz del uso habitual de estimulantes o tónicos de varios tipos, hasta que la economía vital es forzada a mostrar sus señales de dolor y luego emplear los mismos medios en cantidades mayores, u otros de carácter similar y más poderosos, para remediar los daños de la habitual sobreestimulación» (28).

Desensibilización por adaptación

En medicina convencional la desensibilización se realiza mediante la capacidad de adaptación del cuerpo humano.

La naturaleza tiene una alta capacidad de adaptación a cambios lentos en el tiempo, como variaciones de temperatura, humedad, presión, exposición al sol, cantidad de comida, etc.

Cuando las modificaciones en el entorno son suaves, el organismo regula progresivamente sus funciones vitales y se adapta a las nuevas condiciones. Pero incluso si el cambio es lento, si es demasiado importante, la capacidad de adaptación está limitada hasta un cierto punto, así que morirá. Por ejemplo, si la temperatura es muy extrema.

Por otra parte, si son demasiado rápidos, el organismo no podrá amoldarse al nuevo entorno, y para sobrevivir reaccionará, o bien huyendo, o quedando inmóvil. Para ilustrar este fenómeno, considerad la fábula de la rana que se sumerge en agua hirviendo. Si la rana ya se encontraba en el recipiente de agua templada y posteriormente el agua se calienta despacio, entonces la rana se adapta despacio; pero si asciende demasiado, morirá sin oponer resistencia. Por el contrario, si se coloca la rana en agua hirviendo súbitamente, saltará fuera del agua salvando su vida. Aunque se ha demostrado que, de hecho, la rana saltaría fuera del agua en ambos casos, es una buena analogía de la capacidad de adaptación de los seres vivos.

Este comportamiento de la rana se puede aplicar a los humanos, entre otros, con el tabaco. Cuando un no fumador empieza a fumar, el cuerpo reacciona tosiendo y vomitando. Pero cuando hace un cierto tiempo que fuma regularmente, si ha ido aumentando la cantidad diaria de cigarrillos, el organismo ya no reaccionará al tabaco; ha desarrollado una tolerancia o adaptación, por lo que se irá intoxicando progresivamente.

Lo mismo sucede con la mala alimentación que tomamos; el organismo de la mayoría de las personas no rechaza estos productos. Tan solo nosotros, los hipersensibles, las que son diagnosticadas con intolerancias alimentarias o alergias, somos los que rechazamos algunos o todos los productos nocivos. Aunque a veces también reaccionamos contra lo que se considera como agentes inofensivos.

Una forma de conseguir la desensibilización a estos agentes que no suponen un peligro es procurando que el cuerpo desarrolle una lenta adaptación. Este es el procedimiento que utilizan los médicos alergólogos en los tratamientos de desensibilización. Empiezan exponiendo el organismo a una pequeña cantidad de alérgeno, cantidad para la cual la persona no muestra una reacción, y luego van aumentando hasta que pueda tolerar un nivel habitual. Es el mismo caso de la rana que se quema viva… De hecho, se está engañando para que acepte una sustancia que en condiciones normales no toleraría.

Estamos suponiendo que el intelecto humano es más inteligente que la infinita sabiduría de la naturaleza de nuestro organismo. ¿Cómo podemos estar seguros de que el alérgeno no supone ningún peligro? Los médicos insisten en desensibilizar a los niños de los cacahuetes, la proteína de leche de vaca, la proteína de los huevos. Es muy discutible si estos productos son realmente sanos para los humanos; desde mi punto de vista no lo son, como se verá en el siguiente capítulo. Por lo tanto, se está induciendo a que el organismo se adapte a tolerar sustancias perjudiciales.

De la misma manera, cuando el tratamiento está dirigido a la desensibilización al pelo de los animales, el polvo, una picada de abeja, los ácaros, el polen, etc., ¿cómo estar seguros de que son tan inofensivos para las personas hipersensibles? Si el organismo tuviera la capacidad de eliminarlos por las vías normales lo haría; si utiliza vías extraordinarias significa que no tiene ningún modo mejor de hacerlo. Forzando la tolerancia no ayudamos al cuerpo a utilizar las vías habituales de descarte, porque la toxemia y la enervación no ha disminuido con el tratamiento. Lo que el tratamiento consigue es que el organismo se incline hacia un modo de almacenamiento en vez de eliminación, lo cual puede comportar enfermedades crónicas a largo plazo.

Albert Mósseri, higienista francés, enfatiza en su libro La nutrition hygiéniste (75): «Es hora de acabar con este engaño sobre la adaptación y la tolerancia del cuerpo humano. Es un doble lenguaje, una característica de la medicina. Es tiempo de comprender que lo que se llama adaptación es una ilusión y una decepción. La persona que fuma tabaco o que bebe alcohol desde hace tiempo, ¿se ha adaptado a estos venenos, hasta el punto de la tolerancia? La persona que come carne, pescado, pan y granos, ¿se ha adaptado a esta comida? ¿Los tolera? ¿A qué coste?».

Las personas hipersensibles tenemos una baja capacidad de adaptación comparada con otras. Una súbita exposición a una gran cantidad de ciertos agentes sensibiliza el organismo contra estos.

Vivimos en un mundo donde tenemos que afrontar muy a menudo cambios drásticos en la composición del aire. El aire de nuestras casas es diferente del exterior; lo mismo sucede con el del coche y en la oficina, debido a las sustancias que se liberan de los muebles, tapicería, productos de limpieza, etc. Y cuando viajamos, nos exponemos a muchos cambios bruscos de ambiente.

Creo que las alergias respiratorias son consecuencia de una falta de adaptación a los cambios en el aire.

En mi caso, en primavera, la fiebre de heno empieza al entrar y salir del coche, o al viajar largas distancias. Pero al transcurrir un cierto tiempo en el mismo lugar —puede ser una hora o más— mi organismo se adapta despacio al nuevo entorno, y la alergia va mermando hasta que para.

Muchas personas que sufren rinitis declaran que comienzan una crisis en el momento que entran o salen de una tienda, un edificio o una casa.

En la naturaleza, no estaríamos expuestos a estos súbitos cambios de ambiente. El polen en el aire aumenta progresivamente en un entorno natural, así que los animales son capaces de adaptarse despacio.

Nuestro organismo reacciona contra los cambios. Una buena reactividad a un repentino entorno hostil puede salvar la vida en muchos casos, como en la rana sumergida en agua hirviendo. Probablemente, un compromiso entre una adaptación y una reacción sería óptimo.

¿Por qué los hipersensibles tenemos un nivel de adaptación tan bajo? Una explicación es que hay una predeterminación genética sobre la estrategia que un organismo desarrollará frente a una condición que cambia repentinamente; si se rebelará contra ella o si la aceptará.

Como se ha visto en la teoría de la toxemia, los factores debilitantes o enervantes sobrecargan las vías normales de eliminación, por lo que necesitamos recurrir a las vías extraordinarias cuando estamos expuestos a ciertos agentes, lo cual se manifiesta como una reactividad. Según esta hipótesis, podríamos desensibilizarnos reduciendo la toxemia.

Desensibilización por reducción de la toxemia

Las personas hipersensibles tienen, en general, un nivel de tolerancia muy bajo, pero, aun así, es posible rebajar la hipersensibilidad.

Yo logré hacerlo. He padecido SQM (sensibilidad química múltiple) durante muchos años, pero ahora ya no sufro esta condición, siempre y cuando siga un estilo de vida sano. Todas las alergias e hipersensibilidades que tenía desde pequeña han desaparecido prácticamente por completo.

Lo que hace posible disminuir la sensibilidad es la reducción de la toxemia, la cual es posible controlar. Si se mantiene bajo un cierto nivel, entonces podemos hacer frente a los agentes externos a los cuales somos sensibles más fácilmente, porque el cuerpo no está ocupado con la eliminación de la carga toxémica diaria, y puede disponer de mayor energía vital para suprimir los agentes alérgenos.

Es decir, no controlamos, hasta cierto punto, el entorno o los factores desencadenantes: el polen, el polvo, los productos químicos, el ruido, la contaminación, el humo, etc. Pero sí los elementos debilitantes; lo que comemos, el ejercicio que practicamos, las horas que dormimos, etc. Si mejoramos nuestro estilo de vida y la nutrición, entonces somos capaces de hacer frente con menos dificultad las adversidades de la vida. Y lo mismo se aplica desde el punto de vista emocional; no controlamos las acciones y palabras de otras personas, pero podemos aumentar nuestra resistencia frente a sus agresiones.

Impacto de otros factores. Los límites de la nutrición

En higiene natural se considera que hay muchas causas, además de la nutrición, que juegan un papel importante en el estado de nuestra salud. Por ejemplo, el Dr. Klein menciona treinta elementos, que se encuentran en su libro Self healing colitis & Crohn’s (76).

Variar los hábitos alimenticios es uno de los pasos que tiene un efecto positivo más importante en el nivel de energía vital, pero hay muchos otros elementos que poseen un fuerte impacto negativo, de forma que todos los esfuerzos realizados en la mejora de la nutrición pueden ser en vano.

Un ejemplo de esta situación es el caso de un niño llamado Neil. Sus padres me consultaron porque sufría fuertes crisis asmáticas de manera casi diaria, y la mayoría de ellas acababan en el hospital. Por supuesto, estaban asociadas con problemas gastroenterológicos como reflujo gastroesofágico, dolor de vientre, inflamación, flatulencia, heces descompuestas y también insomnio, desórdenes del comportamiento, dermatitis, dolor de cabeza, de espalda y fatiga.

Después de seguir los cambios realizados en su alimentación que le indiqué, la mejora aún no era satisfactoria. Tan solo había reducido ligeramente su dermatitis, fatiga y dolores.

Creo que la nutrición no dio los resultados esperados porque estaba tomando medicinas para el asma a diario. Las medicinas añaden tanta toxemia que la cantidad de energía vital empleada para eliminarlas del cuerpo es inmensa, y no queda prácticamente energía vital para la realizar la digestión. Entonces, toda la comida que se toma, incluso si es sana, se convierte en desechos que aumentan todavía más la toxemia. Además, el malestar de la eliminación impide tener un buen descanso y sueño, lo cual mengua, a su vez, la energía vital. Es un ciclo que desafortunadamente no pudimos romper. La única solución era o bien discontinuar la medicación o hacer un ayuno, pero ninguna de las dos opciones podría ser contempladas, porque pueden desencadenar problemas con el sector médico, y porque, de todos modos, los padres lo rechazarían.

Algunas toxicidades, como la que procede de las medicinas, produce un daño tan importante en la salud, aumentando la toxemia a niveles tan elevados, que cualquier esfuerzo de mejorar la salud no obtiene resultados visibles.

Me he encontrado en esta situación en otros casos: tiroiditis de Hashimoto, epilepsia e hipertensión. En todos ellos, la persona se encontraba bajo una medicación que impedía cualquier mejora a través de la nutrición.

Se comprende mejor esta limitación con un ejemplo matemático. Imaginad que seguir una alimentación ideal mejora la salud en cien puntos y tomar una medicina la empeora en un millón. Está claro que el impacto de una buena nutrición no será perceptible mientras se esté tomando la medicación. Lo mismo sucede con cualquiera de los factores debilitantes que tienen un impacto importante sobre la salud.

El ayuno

«El ayuno: El mejor remedio de la naturaleza», Albert Mosséri (77).

El ayuno es, sin duda, el mejor método para sanar la mayoría de enfermedades; se ha demostrado ya su efectividad (78, 79, 80).

Personalmente, nunca he ayunado durante más de cuarenta y ocho horas. Pero si alguna vez sufriera una enfermedad grave, creo que el ayuno será mi primera opción.

Orienté en una ocasión a una persona en un ayuno hídrico prolongado de veinte días —sin comer, solo agua—, y no obtuvimos los resultados esperados. No soy partidaria de ayunar si no es realmente necesario, debido al gran sacrificio que representa, a menos que ella esté convencida de hacerlo.

Las personas hipersensibles no necesitan hacer ayunos prolongados, normalmente, de más de dos días, porque las hipersensibilidades se dan como consecuencia de tener un sistema inmune y un sistema de detoxificación que son hiperactivos. Nosotros no almacenamos toxicidad en nuestro cuerpo, sino que el organismo encuentra vías alternativas para deshacerse de las sustancias perjudiciales; incluso algunas inocuas también son atacadas por nuestro sistema para ser expulsadas.

Así que no necesitamos tratamiento de detoxificación de ningún tipo: juicing, hidroterapia, hierbas, ayuno, etc. Nuestro organismo se desintoxica de forma natural, ¡incluso a veces en exceso! Podríamos decir que es como si nuestro organismo estuviera obsesionado con la limpieza; no es por casualidad que muchos de nosotros tenemos manías con la limpieza y el orden…

Cualquier terapia de desintoxicación va a empeorar más nuestras sensibilidades.

La clase de ayuno que practico regularmente, y que aconsejo hacer, es el ayuno intermitente. La mayoría de los días tomo una comida al día, entre las 12 p. m. y las 4 p. m. Creo que este horario es el que resulta mejor para la salud, según mi experiencia. Cuando aumento el número de comidas a dos veces al día, por ejemplo, incluso si distribuyo la misma comida entre las dos, mi descanso nocturno se ve perjudicado y no me siento tan bien al día siguiente; empezando con rinitis por la mañana.

Descansar y dormir

Tenemos la idea equivocada de que la comida nos suministra energía, pero esto no es correcto. El Dr. Douglas Graham explica muy bien la diferencia entre energía y combustible:

«En la ciencia de la salud […] el término “energía” se define como una corriente eléctrica de bajo voltaje producido por nuestro cerebro durante el sueño, la cual corre por nuestro cuerpo vía el sistema nervioso (también conocido como energía nerviosa vital). Cuando se está despierto, se utiliza la energía nerviosa más rápidamente de lo que el cerebro puede producir. Por lo tanto, al final la energía se agota. Después de procurar un tiempo apropiado de sueño, uno se despierta recargado y lleno de energía nerviosa.

Por otro lado, la comida se refiere como “combustible”. Necesitamos consumir combustible por tres razones principales: nutrición, hidratación y placer. Mediante el proceso de digestión, quemamos combustible (comida) parar liberar su propia energía potencial y utilizarlo para nosotros. Durante este complicado proceso, obtenemos una ganancia neta de energía utilizando nuestra propia energía nerviosa para liberar el potencial en la comida».

Así que la energía liberada por la comida y la suministrada por el descanso y sueño es diferente; una no reemplaza la otra.

La mejor medicina a la que recurría para aliviar una crisis alérgica era tomar un descanso. A veces, cinco minutos eran suficientes para cortar un ataque de alergia, otras, necesitaba más tiempo y tenía que repetirlo varias veces al día. Es muy importante que durante el descanso los ojos estén cerrados; no es necesario entrar en meditación, pero sí relajarse.

Puedo imaginar diversas explicaciones al hecho de que descansar sea tan buen remedio:

1) Cerrando los ojos y no haciendo nada permite una reducción del gasto de energía, lo cual hace aumentar la energía vital y, por lo tanto, reducir la toxemia.
2) Descansando el cuerpo, el sistema inmune y los sentidos descansan, como sucede cuando dormimos. Todas las actividades de la vida son más o menos estresantes y esto lleva a un sistema inmune hiperactivo en personas hipersensibles.
3) Los hipersensibles son muy sensibles al mundo; es como si el mundo nos «hiriera». Cuando apagamos la percepción con nuestros sentidos nos sentimos mejor. Además, dedicamos más energía al sistema nervioso y gastamos una gran cantidad en el procesado de la información que procede del mundo por los sentidos, sobre todo con las imágenes. Este alto procesado nos proporciona una muy buena percepción, con muchos detalles, y somos capaces de prestar atención a muchos sucesos que se dan al mismo tiempo. Pero esto es a costa de una gran cantidad de energía vital, la cual no está disponible para otros procesos fisiológicos, como la neutralización y supresión de la toxemia mediante las vías normales de eliminación.

The Natural Hygiene approach to hypersensitivity

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 20:15:00 +0100

Allergies, asthma, multiple chemical sensitivity, electrosensitivity, hypersensitivity to sun, noise, smells, stress... different types of hypersensitivity are explained by the Natural Hygiene approach as an extraordinary elimination process, that happen when there is a toxemic overload in the body. In this post I explain with detail this process and I discuss a method of desensitization.
Photo by Shena Tschofen

Continue reading The Natural Hygiene approach to hypersensitivity

The theory of toxemia and the vital energy or nerve-energy as the onset of disease was advanced by one of the leading exponents of the Natural Hygiene (or Life Science) approach, Dr J. H. Tilden MD. Since then, this approach has been adopted by doctors and practitioners of Hygienism.

Toxemia

As seen in the previous section, the opportunistic and pathogenic bacteria in our body produce toxins that must be removed, as well as metabolic waste.

First of all, it is important to understand what toxemia exactly is, and how it is related to disease. In his book entitled Toxemia Explained, Dr Tilden clarified (74):

“Every so-called disease is a crisis of Toxemia; which means that toxin has accumulated in the blood above the toleration-point, and the crisis, the so-called disease—call it cold, “flu”, pneumonia, headache, or typhoid fever—is a vicarious elimination. Nature is endeavouring to rid the body of toxin. Any treatment that obstructs this effort at elimination baffles nature in her effort at self-curing.”

Additionally, he elaborated further:

“When the elimination takes place through the mucous membrane of the nose, it is called a cold —Catarrh of the nose; and where these crises are repeated for years, the mucous membrane thickens and ulcerates, and the bones enlarge, closing the passage, etc. At this stage hay-fever or hay-asthma develops. When the throat and tonsils, or any of the respiratory passages, become the seat of the crises of Toxemia, we have croup, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, etc.” “All are symptoms of the expulsion of toxin from the blood at the different points named, and are essentially of the same character and evolving from the one cause—namely, Toxemia— crises of Toxemia. “

“It should be obvious to the discerning how extraordinarily illogical it is to treat a catarrh of the nose as a local disease; or, when crises are repeated until ulceration takes place, and the mucous membrane becomes so sensitive that dust and pollen cause sneezing and watering of the eyes—symptoms called hay-fever—to treat these symptoms as a distinct disease caused by pollen. “

Shelton illustrated the following point in his book Human Life (28):

“In the case of the inspired gnat or cake crumb, the sneezing and coughing are obviously normal and are defensive efforts. Why should they be considered as other than this when it is mucous they are directed against as in a cold, a bronchitis, or a pneumonia? They should not.”

When the normal detoxification pathways (i.e. organs) — intestines, lungs, liver, kidneys, skin — become overwhelmed, then toxins and all kinds of harmful substances have to be eliminated through extraordinary pathways. One of these means can be through secretion. Rhinitis can thus be the response of the body trying to remove toxins by producing mucus and inducing sneezing.

This is congruent with the fact that rhinitis is stronger in the morning, because the body is expelling the harmful substances that have been accumulated overnight. The more toxins — especially, the heaviest and the unhealthiest an evening meal is — the more mucus is to be expelled.

As seen in the previous section, the removal of toxins due to unhealthy eating habits by the respiratory system leads to irritation in the nasal mucosa. This, in turn, creates an environment for hypersensitivity to all kinds of airborne particulates, such as smoke, perfumes, pollen, dust, and animal hair. This could explain why sensitivity increases when unhealthy food is consumed.

Nerve-energy

Since disease is the mechanism through which the human body has to rid itself of its problem: toxemia, it is paramount to understand why such a problem arises initially. As Dr Tilden explained, toxemia stems from a reduction of nerve-energy:

“Without nerve-energy the functions of the body cannot be carried on properly. The present-day strenuousness causes enervation, which checks elimination, and the retained toxins bring on Toxemia.”

By the same token, he argued: “Everything that acts on the body uses up energy. Cold and heat require the expenditure of nerve-energy.”

Figure 3.23 Vital Energy

As a result, Dr Tilden concluded that enervation was the most fundamental cause of disease. Self-indulgence or committing all kind of excesses — overeating, using stimulants, sex, or overworking — as much as a shock, an injury, or even abuse, fear, grief and envy, can, for instance, lead to disease. In other words, the enervating habits of body and mind stem from a lack of positive lifestyle factors, bad life habits and certain emotions, or feelings that are subjectively experienced as negative by the persons suffering from them.

If enervation is the root cause of disease, then the enervating habits of life must be changed in order to allow the body to heal. Moreover, Dr Tilden added: “Rest from habits that enervate is the only way to put nature in line for curing. Sleep and rest of body and mind are necessary to keep a sufficient supply of energy. Few people in active life rest enough.”

Enervating habits of life are the weakening factors contributing to hypersensitivity in persons predisposed to this kind of condition.

Toxemia management

There are two types of toxins: the internal ones (i.e. endogenous) and the external ones (i.e. exogenous).

There are two ways to manage these toxins: by elimination and by storage. Regarding elimination there are two kinds: normal and extraordinary; and two kinds of storage: harmless and harmful.

A normal elimination does not have any important consequences for the body; the main detoxification organs are used. But an extraordinary elimination requires considerable efforts from the organism, which exhibits a set of symptoms of disease: pain, swelling, phlegm, sneezing, cough, redness, high temperature and prostration, for instance. These are warning signs indicating us that something is done wrong and must be stopped. The issue arises when these alarm bells are ignored and muffled with chemical, natural or alternative medication, whereas the real solution would be to break these bad and unhealthy habits.

In the storage toxicity management, the body strives to keep toxins in a place which should not disrupt its functions and organs, such as adipose tissue (i.e. fat). However, the organism may decide that toxicity cannot be stored in this harmless place — it may already be “full”, or it may be due to the nature of the substances or due to other reasons. As a result, such toxins may be deposited in areas of the body in which harm can be caused. Nonetheless, the body will naturally endeavour to prevent these toxins from damaging the most vital organs. For instance, the joints of the knees may be chosen over the facet joints of the spine; or the muscles of the extremities over the cardiac muscle. Overweight and ulcerative diseases such as colitis, ulcers and sclerosis, as well as induration such as fibromas, tumours, cysts, atherosclerosis and cataracts may be the consequence of this storage strategy.

Whilst each individual has a genetic predisposition to one of these types of toxicity management, several factors influence the strategies adopted by the organism. In one single individual, the organism can decide to rid itself of certain substances, whilst storing others. Moreover, depending on the state of the body, the same substance can even be processed differently. For instance, medication and/or any other remedies for hypersensitivity tip the balance of the organism towards a storage mode, in order to stop the processes of elimination. Then, when using these medicines, instead of developing an inflammatory disease or hypersensitivity in the short term, we develop an ulcerative or induration disease in the long term.

In general and as depicted in the next section, when unable to be excreted from the body through the normal pathways, these harmful substances will be stored and will accumulate until a toleration threshold is exceeded. This will in turn trigger an extraordinary mechanism of elimination. This toleration level varies from one person to another, and is subject to change throughout life.

There are four different types of toxemia or toxicity management: normal elimination, extraordinary elimination, harmless storage and harmful storage. Hypersensitive persons fall into the second category, while chronic diseases may belong to the third and the fourth type.

Toleration level and reserves

Dr Tilden explained

“When nerve-energy drops below normal, the elimination of toxin—a natural product of metabolism—is checked, and is retained in the blood, bringing on Toxemia.

It should be obvious to discerning minds that the amount of toxin in the blood must vary with each individual, and that the degree of resistance also must vary with each individual. An amount that would cause a toxemic crises in one would apparently have no effect on another.”

Shelton elaborated further on this tolerance to toxins:

“Crisis usually last until the disease producing factors have been reduced to the toleration point. This point varies with the individual and with the varying conditions of the individual. Thus, the greater the amount of vitality one possesses, the less morbid matter will his system tolerate, and as the vitality of one with chronic disease is gradually raised, his toleration point also rises so that crises occur”.

Some persons who eat unhealthy food, smoke or drink alcohol may appear to be in good health, while others may often be sick although they take very good care of their health.

There are mainly two diametrically opposed explanations for this fact:

1) One obvious answer is that on the one hand, the person with unhealthy habits may be strong and may be able to lead an unhealthy lifestyle without falling sick.. On the other hand, the person with healthy habits may be so weak that even the wisest healthy choices may not prevent disease. If this second person followed unhealthy habits, it is likely that they would find themselves in a poorer state of health.

2) According to the approach of Hygienists Tilden and Shelton, a person with unhealthy habits has a very high toleration level, which means that their body have become accustomed to consuming a large amount of harmful substances, which are stored. However, once these toxins have accumulated above the toleration level, disease will be contracted in order to eliminate this excess of toxins. On the contrary, the weak person with healthy habits probably has a very low level of tolerance. Therefore, any small amount of toxins will be immediately excreted from their organism with a disease crisis.

Along with every hypersensitive person, my toleration level is extremely low. From a scientific point of view, I consider this as an advantage: similarly to a canary in a coal mine, We react to any harmful substances in tiny amounts and quickly. Our reactions occur well before the body of other persons may have accumulated or have been damaged by such substances.

The level of toleration, or sensitivity, varies throughout life. Children are more sensitive, thus more prone to developing elimination diseases (i.e. colds, flu or gastroenteritis) more often than adults. As the person ages, adults in general develop chronic diseases instead, which are the result of the harm inflicted by the accumulated toxins. Shelton stated (28):

“At first the young man’s body will not tolerate more than two or three cigarettes a day, but, in the course of a few years, he is smoking two or more packages of these daily. So, in infancy and childhood, the body will not tolerate much of the toxins of disease, but develops frequent crisis and throws them off. As time passes, however, more toleration is built, and crises become less frequent and less vigorous.”

However, as soon as the person stops having that harmful substance over an extended period of time, their body will become intolerant and sensitive again to this particular substance. This also applies to dairy products or gluten, for instance: When the person starts having these products again after avoiding them for some time, an intolerance reaction appears stronger than before it stopped, and the nature of this reaction can differ according to the person.

Figure 3.25 Pool of toxemia

In Figure 3.25 the toxemia pool represents the accumulation of harmful substances for the body (i.e. toxins from bacterial decomposition, metabolic wastes and toxics from outside sources). In fact, this toxicity is deposited and stored in several places of the body such as in the interstitial fluid surrounding the cells, in fat tissue, organs and joints. This allocation will be made by the organism depending on factors, such as the genetic predisposition, the nature of the substances, and the amount of nerve-energy stored.

The elimination organs need nerve-energy or vital energy for the process of emptying this toxemia pool. If the levels of energy are low, or if the normal pathways of elimination are overwhelmed with toxins, the barrel will fill progressively until the amount of toxins reaches the toleration threshold. Then, the body will resort to the extraordinary pathways of elimination. This mechanism will cause a crisis (e.g. diarrhoea, mucus or inflammation) by calling up the reserves of nerve-energy or vital energy that the body has built up to respond to dangerous situations,

Once toxins have decreased below the toleration point, elimination will resume through the normal pathways if there is enough nerve-energy. Nonetheless, toxins will be retained again within the body if the levels of nerve-energy are too low.

After a crisis, the body is so exhausted because it has been depleted of all his energy reserve supplies, that collapse and pain forces the individual to rest. However, expending more vital energy than they can replenish by resting, eating healthy and receiving the energy of the sun, for instance, will be very detrimental to their health.

Shelton explained the mechanism of the reserve of power (28):

“The body seeks always to maintain a certain reserve of power and we can get this power out only by supplying emergencies such as this reserved is stored up to meet.”

“The capital stock of energy, over and above the usual expenditures, is held in store for an emergency, and while, therefore the draft upon this reserve is increased by every assault, the supply necessary for the work of maintaining functional action and structural integrity will be furnished till the reserve is exhausted. After this, if the demand for power to sustain functional soundness exceeds the income, the organ or organs must falter in their functions, and here commences Functional Disease.”

Unconsciously, most of us are heavily depleting our vital energy reserves, whenever we rely on painkillers, anti-inflammatories, on a cup of coffee or on any other kind of stimulant or sedative upon suffering from ailments or pains, which, in normal circumstances, would force us to pause. Our busy lives do not allow us to do so, and rest as much as we should to recover. Such a lifestyle takes a toll on our health.

Finally, Shelton added (28):

“The loss of power that must precede the development of disease is due to waste of power largely occasioned by the use of irritants and excitants — stimulants. Hence the egregious folly of the habitual employment of stimulants or tonics of various kinds, until the vital economy is forced to hang out its distress signals, and then employing the same means in larger amounts, or others of similar character and greater power, to remedy the damages of the habitual over-stimulation.”

For the time being, I believe the theory advanced by Hygienism to be one of the most coherent ones about disease.

Desensitisation by adaptation

In conventional medicine, desensitisation is performed by means of the adaptive capacity of the human body.

Nature has a large capacity of adaptation to gradual changes occurring overtime, such as temperature, humidity, pressure, exposure to the sun and the amount of food.

Under subtle environmental changes, living beings have the ability to gradually perform changes in life functions and adapt to the new conditions. Nonetheless, their adaptive capacity remains limited. Therefore, for an organism to survive, it is crucial that these environmental changes, albeit gradual, occur at the same rate as adaptation’s.

On the other hand, living beings will not be able to adapt in a rapidly-changing environment (e.g. if the temperature is too extreme). In response to such a threat to survival, they will either flight or freeze. A typical example to illustrate this case is the fable of the boiling frog: if sitting in a pot of gradually heating water, the frog will adapt to the changes in temperature, but will eventually be boiled to death without leaping out of danger when the temperature rises too much. However, if the frog is suddenly plunged into boiling water, it will immediately jump out to save itself. Although it has been shown that the frog would jump out in both cases, this fable is an appropriate analogy of the capacity of adaptation of living beings.

Humans react in a similar fashion: for instance, when non-smokers start smoking, their body will react to the poisons being introduced, and they may experience coughing and vomiting as a result. However, after smoking regularly for a long period of time, or if their daily consumption of cigarettes has increased very gradually, these initial reactions will stop. Their body will have built up a tolerance to tobacco. Smokers, albeit accustomed to smoking, are slowly damaging their body.

In the same vein, unhealthy food is not rejected by the organism of the average person. Only hypersensitive persons, who are being diagnosed with food intolerance or allergies, are the ones whose bodies are rejecting some or all of these junk foods, although sometimes also reacting to agents which are normally inoffensive.

One way to desensitise a person to these harmless agents is to allow their body to slowly adapt to them. This is the procedure used by allergists in desensitisation. At the beginning, the organism is exposed to a tiny amount of a particular allergen, which does not cause any reaction. The doses are then gradually increased until the body can become accustomed and build up a tolerance to the allergen to a normal level. In fact, it is the same process as the frog being slowly boiled alive: our body systems are misleading us into accepting substances, which would not be tolerated in normal circumstances.

Although the human mind is deemed to be more powerful than the infinite wisdom of our body, how can we be sure that an allergen is not actually a threat? Doctors insist on desensitising children to peanuts, cow milk protein and egg protein. It is questionable whether these foods are actually healthy for humans; from my point of view, and as illustrated in the next chapter, they are not. To summarise, desensitisation involves adapting the organism to harmful substances.

By the same token, how can we be sure that some allergens targeted by the treatment, such as pets, dust, bee venom, dust mites or pollen, are harmless to hypersensitive persons? If the organism had the power to rid itself of these particles through the normal pathways of elimination, it would do it, but resorting to the extraordinary pathways is sometimes the only way to do so (if the organism is using extraordinary pathways, this means that it has run out of options.). Forcing the body to build up a tolerance to allergens does not help the organism to excrete the toxins through its normal channels. Desensitisation does not lead to reduced levels of toxicity and enervation. What this treatment does is prompting the organism to store allergens instead of eliminating them, which can lead to chronic diseases in the long term.

The French Hygienist Albert Mosséri stressed in his book La nutrition hygiéniste (75): “It is time to stop this deception about the adaptability and tolerance of the human body. It is a double language, unique to medicine. […] It is also time to understand that this so-called adaptation is an illusion and a disappointment; has anyone who has smoked or consumed alcohol for a long time adapted to these poisons, to the point of tolerating them? Have those who eat meat, fish, bread and grains as the staples of their diet, adapted to these foods? Is their body able to tolerate them? At what cost?”

Compared to the average person, individuals with hypersensitivities have a limited adaptive capacity. A sudden exposure to a large amount of allergens can sensitise the organism to them.

In today’s world, we are constantly challenged by the drastic changes in the composition of the environment. Indoor air (i.e. inside homes, cars and offices) is different from outdoors owing to the organic chemical compounds found in furniture, carpets or cleaning products, for instance Moreover, traveling can increase the exposure to these sudden, abrupt environmental changes.

I think that respiratory allergies are due to a lack of adaptation to changes in the environment.

I have personally experienced such allergic reactions in spring: hay fever starts as soon as I get into or out of the car, or when I travel long distances. However, after spending some time in a new environment — it can be one hour or longer — my organism slowly adjusts to it; the reactions would slowly diminish and, in most cases, eventually stop. Many people suffering from rhinitis have declared that a reaction would be caused as soon as they enter or exit a store, a building or a house.

In the natural environment, human beings would not be exposed to such radical changes in the environment: due to a gradual increase in the amount of pollen in the air, animals slowly adapt to changes in their current environment.

The hypersensitive organism strongly reacts to changes. Similarly to the fable of the boiling frog, hypersensitivity may be an asset in the face of a harsh and rapidly-changing environment — such reactions can often save lives. Probably, a compromise between adaptation and reaction could be ideal.

It would be interesting to understand why hypersensitive persons have such a limited adaptive capacity. This phenomenon may be due to a genetic predetermination, through which an organism will develop a strategy when facing sudden changes in conditions: it will either resist, or adapt to them..

As previously depicted in the theory of toxemia, the normal pathways of elimination can become saturated by the weakening factors or by an overload of toxins. As a result and in order to adapt to an environment, the organism reacts by calling the extraordinary pathways into play. According to this theory, desensitisation could be achieved by reducing the toxemia.

Desensitisation by toxemia reduction

Hypersensitive persons usually have a very low toleration level. Nonetheless, the immune system can be made less sensitive.

I succeeded in decreasing my hypersensitivity. I have suffered from MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) for most of my life. By following a healthy lifestyle, I seldom suffer from the allergic and hypersensitive reactions I have had since I was a child. Now, I only suffer from light rhinitis a few days of the year when the pollen count is very high and it is very windy.

Sensitivity can be decreased by reducing the level of toxins that can be controlled. Keeping toxicity below a certain threshold enables us to be in a stronger position when facing the external agents we are sensitive to. In fact, the body will not be overwhelmed by the daily toxic load, and more vital energy will be available to remove allergens.

In other words, neither the environmental nor the triggering factors for hypersensitivity reactions, such as the pollen, dust, mosquito bites, chemicals, noise, pollution and smoke can be fully curbed. Nonetheless, the weakening factors can be limited by what we eat, how much we exercise and by how many hours we sleep, for instance. By improving our lifestyle and our nutrition, we can minimize and better manage the risks we face in our daily lives. Moreover, the same principle can be applied to emotions; whilst we cannot control the acts and words of other persons, we can strengthen our resilience to challenge aggressive behaviours.

Impacts of other factors and limitations of nutrition

In Natural Hygiene, health is influenced by many other factors besides nutrition. For instance, Dr David Klein mentions 30 of them in his book Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s (76): “Love of self, healthy self-image and esteem, passionate love of all life, awareness, intention, inner focus/listening, abidance of the senses of intuition, true knowledge, graceful, grateful, respectful, generous attitude; organic, properly-combined vegan diet; pure water, pure air, sunshine, warm climate, fitness and posture, security and peace of mind, rejuvenative rest and sleep, heart-centered self-nurturing, sharing of love, relaxation, humor, creative expression, emotional flow and release, rhythmic movement, musical indulgence, simple lifestyle, communing with nature, gardening, service—living your life’s purpose, engagement in self-improvement challenges.”

Changing our dietary habits is one of the steps that can be taken in order to bring about beneficial and more positive effects on vital energy. However, there are many other life factors that can have a more negative impact, which means that all efforts towards improving nutrition can be in vain.

For instance, I met a child called Neil. He suffered from severe asthma attacks on an almost daily basis, with most of them requiring hospitalisation. His condition was associated with gastroenterological disorders such as GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), stomach aches, inflammation, flatulence, loose stools as well as insomnia, behavioural disorders, dermatitis, headaches, back pains and fatigue.

After following my advice and changing his diet, the improvement was still not satisfactory: only tiredness, headaches and backaches were relieved, and milder symptoms of dermatitis were exhibited.

I think that the outcomes expected with the nutritional changes were not achieved because Neil was on medication on a daily basis. The contribution of medication to the toxic load is such that a tremendous amount of vital energy has to be expended in order to expel it from the body, hence restricting the supply of energy for digestion. Subsequently, any food eaten, albeit healthy, will be converted into more waste, thus further increasing the amount of toxins. Additionally, the discomfort caused by the elimination of toxins disrupts rest and a good night of sleep, which decreases vital energy levels as well. Unfortunately, it was an unbreakable circle.. The only solutions would have been either to stop medication or to go on a fast, but neither options were available because that could have caused conflict with the medical establishment, and because in any case, parents would have refused to participate.

Some harmful substances such as those from medication can have such a strong negative impact on health: increasing toxemia to such high levels that any effort made in improving nutrition and other lifestyle factors will fail in achieving visible results.

I have faced this situation in other cases, too: with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, epilepsy and hypertension. In all of them, the person was on a medication that prevented any improvement in nutrition.

We can understand this limitation with a mathematical equation: imagine that having the best nutrition improves health by 100 points, and taking medication worsens it by 1,000,000. It is clear that the impact of a good nutrition will not be perceptible whilst taking medication. The same happens with any of the weakening factors influencing health.

Fasting

“Fasting: Nature's Best Remedy” — Albert Mosséri (77)

In my opinion, fasting is one of the best remedies to treat most illnesses. It has been shown that fasting is effective for many diseases (78, 79, and 80).

Personally, I have never fasted for more than 48 hours. However, if ever I suffer from a severe health condition, I think that a long fast will be my first choice.

I once coached a person who was going on a water fast (i.e. no food, only water) for 20 days, and we did not see the expected results. Unless necessary and unless the person is absolutely determined about it, I am not very enthusiastic about prolonged fasting because it is a great sacrifice.

Hypersensitive persons do not need prolonged fasting, namely for more than two days, because hypersensitive reactions are a consequence of both an overactive immune system and detoxifying system. In hypersensitive people, toxins are not stored in the body, but the organism finds alternative ways to expel any harmful substances; even some inoffensive substances are targeted by the immune system in order to be removed.

Consequently, a detoxifying treatment of any kind will not be necessary for hypersensitive people, whether juicing, hydrotherapy, herbs or prolonged fasting, for instance. Our body naturally detoxifies itself very well — albeit excessively. This could be interpreted as our internal organs being “obsessed with cleaning”, and the fact that many of us are quite obsessed with order and cleanliness may not be a coincidence after all…!

Any detoxifying therapy is going to increase hypersensitive reactions.

The type of fasting that I regularly practice and I advise is intermittent fasting. On most days, I eat only once a day, between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. In my experience, I think this is the schedule that works the best. If I eat more frequently, this is, two times a day, for example, I will not sleep well at night and I will feel much worse the next day, mainly hampered by rhinitis in the morning. This happens even if I split the same amount of food that I eat in one meal into two meals.

Resting and sleeping

We have the erroneous idea that food provides energy, but this is not exact. Here, Dr Douglas Graham (81) explains the difference between energy and fuel in detail:

“In health sciences […] the term, ‘energy’ is defined as a low-voltage electrical current produced by your brain during sleep, which run through your body via your nervous system (also known as vital nerve energy). When you are awake, you use nerve energy more rapidly than the brain can produce it. Hence, you eventually run out of energy. After an appropriate period of hours procuring sleep, you awaken, fully recharged and full of nerve energy again.

On the other hand, food is referred to as ´fuel´. We need to consume fuel for three primary reasons—nutrition, hydration, and pleasure. Through the process of digestion, we burn our fuel (food) to release its own energy potential and utilize it for ourselves. During this complicated process, we receive a net gain in energy by using our own nerve energy to release the potential in food.”

Consequently, the energy provided by food and the one provided by rest and sleep are different; one does not replace the other.

The best remedy I resorted to in order to reduce the symptoms of severe allergic reactions was to take a rest. Sometimes, five minutes are enough in order to stop an allergy attack, and on occasion, I needed more time and I had to rest more frequently during the day. Resting with the eyes closed is very important. Meditation is not compulsory; relaxation is what matters.

I can think of several different explanations as to why rest is so effective:

1) Closing eyes and being inactive saves on energy, which increases vital energy, which in turn reduces toxemia.
2) Similarly to sleep, resting the body allows the immune system to recover and the senses to rest. All activities of daily living are more or less stressful, which leads to an overactive immune system in hypersensitive persons.
3) Hypersensitive persons are very sensitive to the world around us, as if it was “hurting” us. When sensory receptors are shut down, we feel better. Hypersensitive persons have a very active nervous system, hence a high sensory processing ability and a heightened sense of awareness for detail and for any events that occur simultaneously. In fact, more energy is allocated to the nervous system than in the average person, and a very high amount of energy is spent in processing the information from the environment through senses, mainly as images. However, this is at the expense of a high vital energy expenditure. As a result, other systems of the body may lack energy to perform tasks, such as neutralising and eliminating toxins through the normal pathways.

In Human Life , Shelton stated (28): “Rest and replenishment of power is the first step in the curative work.”

Bloating: causes and prevention

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 21:11:00 +0100

Bloating is one of the most current affections of population in general.
It is commonly known that certain foods, such as beans and pulses produce gas. But there are many other foods that can make you bloated too.
How does bloating appear and how can we prevent it?

Continue reading Bloating: causes and prevention

In general, intestinal gas is released by bacteria that lives in our intestine when decomposing the food that they digest, if there has been a bacterial overgrowth and the food has gotten stuck in the intestine during enough time to ferment or putrefy.

Given the current meal habitudes, one bowel movement a day is not enough. With the amount of food we ingest usually, three or four meals a day, we would need to have several daily bowel movements. But once a day, or even less, seems to be the norm. This fact makes it so that large amounts of waste stagnates in the intestine, with the consequent fermentation or putrefaction, causing the bloating.

Bacterial overgrowth is produced due to the important food supply they enjoy. They are fed by the matter that our body cannot digest, if we give them enough time. There are many different reasons why we cannot digest a certain food: it may be indigestible, or there is a food intolerance, or we have gone beyond our digestion capacity because of an excess of the amount; or we were submitted to stress or some kind of distress; or in general, in that moment the situation of our body was not suitable in order to digest that food. When fed, bacteria thrives in our intestine and releases gas in their metabolism, as well as toxins.

Face to this problem, there are mainly two options:

1) Taking antibiotics and/or antifungals and/or treatments such as colon hydrotherapy, in order to remove all these bacteria and/or fungi off of our intestine. This option tends to work in the short term, but it is not sustainable in the long term because if the same nutrition is unchanged, bacteria is still feeding. The same phenomena occurs with ants in fields; they come again even after killing them if there are still leftovers remaining on the floor.
Another issue is that these kind of medicines or treatments cannot be taken or followed forever, even if they are very natural or food (such as spices, garlic, herbs, etc.)

2) Changing the nutrition and/or life style in a way that we only nourish our body but not the bad bacteria. We must identify the reason of the slow intestinal transit and of the defective digestion.

In order to improve the intestinal movements, food that slows down and blocks the passage of quicker food must be avoided.

Fruits are digested much faster than other foods. Meat and fish can take up to three days to pass through the digestive system, while fruits do so in 12 to 24 hours. Consumption of meat can thus block the passage of fruit through the intestines. Starches and fats are likewise problematic, taking longer to digest than fruit. Imagine your digestive system as a road. On the road, there is a truck blocking the cars and they can’t pass. The cars honk, the noise annoys the neighbours, who blame the cars. But the real culprit for the noise is the truck blocking the road. The cars represent fruit, and the truck represents meat, fish, starch and fats.

When fruit is blocked in the digestive tract, it ferments, producing toxins and toxic gases which causes bloating. Unfortunately, many doctors and nutritionists diagnose this as SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth) or as a fructose intolerance and recommend a FODMAP diet, which bans most fruits and vegetables. But fruits and vegetables are not the source of the problem.

Before I stopped eating animal protein, these vegetables left me bloated, with stomach aches and intestinal problems. After some time, I began following the FODMAP diet (Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols), avoiding fructan-containing vegetables, as well as most fruits. In reality, the problem was not these healthy food, but rather the animal protein, which provoked an intolerance to fructans and fructose, by inducing a small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), blocking or delaying the passage of fruits and vegetables through the intestines. The moment I changed to a diet of only fruits and vegetables, these problems I had associated with FODMAP intolerance disappeared.

In cases where a FODMAP diet is needed, instead of removing fruits and vegetables from the diet, it would be better to avoid animal protein and all other foods that slow down bowel transit, such as grains, especially cereals with gluten and refined cereals.

Lactose of dairy products may also be a problem for most people, mainly in adults, due to the lack of lactase. Since the moment of weaning, the production of this enzyme decreases progressively, until it disappears.

Legumes contain oligosaccharides that are indigestible.

There are a long list of conditions to take into account in order to have good digestion that are also good to know: avoid excess amounts, don’t eat too quickly and chew throughly, be careful with food combining, etc. Having water negatively impacts digestion, although most meals need water because of the food being dry such as meat, fish, potatoes, grains, legumes and nuts. In this article I mention several important aspects in order to get a good digestion.

Overall, the key to avoid bloating is to keep a healthy intestinal transit.

Testimonial of Acute Severe Respiratory Syndrome

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Sat, 24 Oct 2020 18:27:00 +0100

Najat and Gemma Calzada, Ph.D. talk about the acute respiratory crisis that Najat suffers since the beginning of the pandemic. These crisis are the real SARS, the new disease of severe acute respiratory syndrome that was identified by some doctors in China and USA and has been the trigger of the pandemic. We wonder if there is a link with electromagnetic radiations.
(Activate subtitles in English, click on "CC")

Testimonial of the Spanish engineer: https://www.instagram.com/elfindelcabal/
Medical doctor in USA that explains his experience with patients that suffocate which seem to have been put in the top of the Everest: https://www.bitchute.com/video/dsjdgqR4mjlX/
I call to everybody that had a similar experience to contact me to try to find out what is the cause of this condition: https://livingfullynourished.com/forms/contact

Continue reading Testimonial of Acute Severe Respiratory Syndrome

Iron deficiency: causes and solutions

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 20:17:00 +0100

The low iron rate in blood is associated with anaemia, and it is mainly physically shown as weakness and fatigue. To face this problem, doctors recommend that the affected people get supplements in iron, usually by injection.
Another solution that people try is to increase their daily intake of iron contained in their meals. However, this generally doesn’t solve the problem.
Are there any other solution? Where does this low iron level comes from?

Continue reading Iron deficiency: causes and solutions

In the last few years the number of people with low iron count has blown up, mainly in women. We must take into account the fact that reference values in blood tests are changed by the laboratories over the years and this can start an “epidemic” of certain kinds of health problems. But assuming that the real problem is a lack of iron, there are some possible causes.

The first issue that comes to the mind is the ingestion of enough iron in our meals. We tend to think that we don’t take enough iron in our food, so we search for good sources of iron. Here are some examples of where iron can be found and it’s positive and negative impacts:

1) Spinach:
Spinach is very rich in iron. The problem is that it also contains oxalic acid, that impairs the absorption of iron. So this big amount of iron doesn’t reach the blood, but it is flushed away with the oxalates.

2) Liver:
The problem with liver is that it is the detoxification organ of animals, so it is loaded with toxins, heavy metals, and all kind of toxic substances.

3) Shellfish and fish:
Seafood, in general, is very polluted with heavy metals.

4) Legumes, mainly lentils and soy:
The inconvenience of legumes and pulses is that they are quite indigestible and cause bloating for most people.
Soy contains high amounts of goitrogens, that disrupt the function of the thyroid. Some studies show that soy is also linked to breast cancer, early puberty and early dementia.

5) Red meat:
Red meat may be a good source of iron if you are not vegetarian. High red meat intake has been linked to several health issues, mainly cardiovascular, and also cancer.

Other sources are quinoa, broccoli, chocolate, nuts, potato, etc.

But the amount of iron that is ingested in our food isn’t the origin of the low level of iron in most cases. People regularly eat red meat or legumes or other food that contain enough iron to fill the need. The main problem is not the lack in daily intake of iron, but the absorption of this iron.

The main preventer in this absorption of iron is due to the antinutrients. Antinutrients are substances that prevent the absorption of nutrients. You can find a detailed description of this topic in the article Foods by their antinutrient content. Food that contains a considerable amount of antinutrients against iron are:

1) Coffee. Caffeine can reduce the absorption of iron by up to 80%.
2) Legumes, whole grains and other seeds contain phytates that prevent the absorption of iron, zinc, calcium and other minerals.
3) Tea, chocolate, wine, coffee and vinegar contain tannin, that if consumed in excess, may lead to zinc and iron deficiency.

A poor iron absorption can also be due to damaged intestinal villi. These finger-like projections are the ones responsible for the absorption of the digested nutrients from the intestine to the blood. When their function is impaired, their task cannot be well performed. An example of this is the case of celiac disease, an auto-immune disease caused by a strong gluten intolerance. But villous atrophy can have other origins, such as parasites, some medications that suppress the immune system, some antibiotics and some anti-inflammatories; radiation, Crohn’s disease, lymphoma and AIDS, to name a few.

Anaemia is very often related with vitamin B12 deficiency. This deficiency is very often due to a lack of intrinsic factor, a protein made in the stomach. The production of intrinsic factor in the stomach can be impaired because of antiacid drugs, and it may also be due to an autoimmune disease against the parietal cells that make the intrinsic factor.

B12 deficiency is mainly caused by an unhealthy gut flora. Even though the intake of B12 is correct, this B12 that is present in the food must be transformed to methyl B12 in order to be available to the body. The responsible of this transformation is the good bacteria in our intestine. But if we have a bad gut flora then the process of methylation of B12 can not be performed, and it results in B12 deficiency.

Another possible cause of iron deficiency is the overgrowth of iron lover bacteria in the intestine. Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride explains in her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome: “ Most people with abnormal gut flora have various stages of anaemia. It is not surprising. They not only can’t absorb essential-for-blood vitamins and minerals from food, but their own production of these vitamins is damaged. On top of that, people with damaged gut flora often have a particular group of pathogenic bacteria growing in their gut, which are iron-loving bacteria (…). They consume whatever from the person gets from the diet, leaving that person deficient in iron. Unfortunately, supplementing iron makes these bacteria grow stronger and does not remedy anaemia. “…
“it takes more to remedy anaemia than supplementing iron. To have healthy blood the body needs magnesium, copper, manganese, iodine, zinc, and many other minerals, a whole host of vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, A, D, folic acid, pantothenic acid and many amino acids. It has been shown in a large number of studies all over the world, that just supplementing iron does not do much for anaemia. It saddens me to see that doctors still prescribe it to anaemic patients giving them a lot of unpleasant digestive side effects due to encouraging growth of pathogenic iron-loving bacteria and direct negative effect on the cells of the gut lining, which are already inflamed and very sensitive in GAPS patients”.

So a profound change in the nutritional habits has to be established in order to heal the gut flora and remove the iron loving bacteria. Supplementing iron is not the solution. The GAPS treatment is one possible approach, but there are many others, and it depends on every person. A deep study of the health condition and dietary habits has to be made in order to decide which is the best treatment.

Virus and exosomes

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada Roca) — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 20:22:00 +0100

Recent studies are showing that viruses are exosomes, messages between body cells. Exosomes are produced by cells when they are poisoned by some kind of toxicity (chemical, electromagnetic, emotional or any nature). Exosomes don’t come from the outside, but from inside of the body, and they play a very important role in disease healing.

Continue reading Virus and exosomes

The first suggestion I saw that exosomes are like viruses came from Bruce Lipton (1). Then, when I researched, I found several articles talking about exosomes:
"Exosomes: Generation, structure, transport, biological activity, and diagnostic application" (2),
"Exosomes - structure, biogenesis and biological role in non-small-cell lung cancer. (3)
"Exosomes: nanoparticles offering a new future to cure disease | Shivani Sharma | TEDxManhattanBeach" (4)

Dr. James Hildreth "now proposes that 'the virus is fully an exosome in every sense of the word.' " (5)

Later on, Doctor Andrew Kaufman published a presentation that shows that Covid-19 virus has exactly the same anatomy as exosomes. (6)

Exosomes are vesicles that contain genetic material inside, produced by cells with the purpose of communication between cells. It is suggested by Dr. Kaufman that when a cell is threatened by a chemical, bacterial toxin, electromagnetic radiation, stress etc., it releases exosomes with two main objectives. Firstly, to warn other cells of this danger; and secondly, to capture these toxics or toxins.

The message can be directed to neighbouring cells or to cells in other, sometimes distant, parts of the body. In order to recognize which cells are the destination, exosomes have a “key” in their membrane, that only can fit specific receptors of certain cells. These keys are proteins that confer the appearance of a “crown” in the case of Coronavirus.

Once an exosome reaches a recipient cell, it goes inside it and this cell takes the message, acts in consequence and replicates the exosomes. The action performed by this cell depends on the message it receives, and could involve the activation of the immune system, for example, in order to clean some kind of intruder, in other words, an inflammatory response. Another example is the activation of wound healing responses. In the previously mentioned articles, it has been shown that exosomes help the immune system, nervous system messaging and wound healing.

According to the conventional theory of viruses, viruses invade cells. From my point of view, this idea is a mis-interpretation. The virus doesn’t attack or invade, it just “opens the door” to enter a cell because it has the key.

In a bacterial infection, exosomes help to destroy the toxins produced by the bacteria.

Koch’s postulates

These are Koch's postulates, the requirements that a microorganism must fulfill in order to be the cause of a disease (7):

Koch’s postulates for microorganisms were redefined for viruses because viruses don’t fulfil the first requirement of the initial Koch’s postulates. Since then, the criteria for virus causality of a disease have evolved over the years (8)

Current postulates for viruses are Rivers' criteria (9):

1) Isolation
2) Cultivation in hosts cells
3) Proof of filterability
4) Cause the same disease
5) Re-isolation
6) Detection of specific immune response

Dr. Andrew Kaufman states that the main problem is that it is not possible to isolate a virus and the cultivation is not made in hosts cells. (12)

It has been claimed that Rivers' criteria has been shown to be fulfilled for SARS-CoV-1 (the virus related to SARS epidemic on 2002-2003) (10). Dr. Andrew Kaufman (12) gives a closer look on this paper, and argues that this is not correct.

1) They didn't isolate the virus, they just found genetic material.
2) They used monkey kidney cells for culture, not the human host cells.
3) They did not prove filterability.
4) They inoculate the virus obtained in a culture of monkey kidney cells (not the human host cells), and only 1 of the 2 monkeys got respiratory syndroms.
5) The did not re-isolate the virus. They just did a genetic testing.
6) The antibody response was not described as specific.

Concerning Covid-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2), there are not studies up to date that met the first three criteria and any studies address the rest of the criteria. (12)

My question is: can we be sure that following these postulates is a guarantee of cause-effect relationship between a certain virus and a certain disease?

I’m fairly certain that, if tested, exosomes could follow these criteria.

If a person is inoculated (injected) with exosomes, the body will react as if these exosomes have been produced by the self body: they will be replicated in the recipient cells and they will start to execute the message, such as activate the immune system (inflammation). These actions are what is commonly identified as a “disease”. So of course, exosomes would be responsible for the “disease” in the same way that viruses are.

However, this doesn’t proof that viruses, or exosomes, are contagious. In Koch’s postulates the inoculation or transmission from person to person is via manual intervention, by retrieving a sample in the source person and injecting or introducing the virus to the recipient person. The contagion theory has never been shown.

In Natural Hygiene we believe that people doesn’t catch viruses from other people, because we are protected by our skin, mucosa and immune system. Every person carries trillion of viruses inside. (11). There are always billions of symtomatic and asymptomatic persons in the world of flu, cold, SARS and all kind of viruses. If they were contagious, we would be continually experiencing pandemics. The only way to get a virus from another person, or other living being, is by injection.

The viruses / exosomes that are found in a person should come only from the same person, produced by their own cells. This is one of the reasons why vaccines are so dangerous, because we are directly injecting a message into a person, even if it has been "attenuated", when there is no need. We are telling our body to combat a bacteria that doesn’t exist, or to have an immune response to something that doesn’t exist, or to heal a part of the body that has not been hurt. This is, I think, one of the reasons why allergies, hypersensitivities and auto-immune diseases rise; we are making the body to go crazy with misleading messages.

Colds and Flus

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 13:35:00 +0100

We have been taught that colds and flus are caused by viruses, and medicines are prescribed for coughing, fever and pain.
Natural Hygiene has a very different perspective about these diseases, their cause and their treatment. In this post T.C.Fry’s teachings about the common cold and influenza are explained, from his book "The Life Science Health System"

Continue reading Colds and Flus

Almost as common as the “common cold” is the virtually universal misunderstanding as to what a cold really is.

The condition known as a “cold” is characterized by inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose and throat; there also may be inflammation of the membrane lining the nasal sinuses, the larynx, the pharynx, or the bronchial tubes.

There is a profuse flow of mucus, initially thin and watery, gradually becoming thicker and whitish or greenish. The nasal lining thickens and interferes with breathing.

There may be a temporary loss of smell and taste. Often there is a raw, sore throat with a flow of mucus from this membrane, a husky voice, and a cough. The eyes and ears may become involved. The person feels miserable, and may have a fever, often a headache.

A disease that can be aborted to 24 to 48 hours lasts for weeks in many cases.

Treatments for colds

Everyone who has had a “cold” (and who hasn’t?) will agree as to the nature of the symptoms, and the misery they cause. But it is almost incredible to realize that the misunderstanding of colds, and the type of treatment commonly employed today, have changed very little in the last few hundred years.

The current medical community admits, that it hasn’t made much progress in its efforts against the common cold. The American Medical Association and doctors at Harvard Medical School say that colds still resist the best efforts of the world’s combined medical research talent.

German scientist Dr. W. Kruse announced in 1914 his discovery that colds were caused by viruses and this was hailed as the first big discovery on colds. After that, research sputtered along, seeking the elusive “cure” that was always just around the corner.

Dr. Robert Muldoon, specialist in virology, and professor of medicine at the University of Illinois, said in 1978, “Disgustingly enough, there is not much new about the, common cold. There really isn’t much you can do to protect yourself from a cold, and there still isn’t anything you can do for it once you get it except to treat the symptoms.” (We beg to contradict him!)

Dr. Muldoon took part in a classic experiment at the university with Dr. George Jackson, showing that exposure to cold temperatures or wet feet do not increase a person’s risk of catching a cold. He said that when a person with a cold sneezes on you, you can expect to receive a direct blast of germs, but your chances of catching his cold are only about one in ten. Dr. Muldoon does not give any explanation as to why he thinks nine out of ten people will not get the cold, even when directly exposed.

A cold research establishment in England has been working for twenty-five years to find a definite cause for the common cold. Everything they have tried has failed, though they have subjected volunteers to every conceivable circumstance in order to find some pattern or combination of factors which produce a cold.

Notwithstanding these conclusions (that no one knows the causes of colds)—I must insist that the causes of colds are known, and that the proper method of dealing with a cold has been known for many years. As long ago as 1873, Dr. Robert Walter said, “A cold is simply an effort of the system to relieve itself of its accumulated waste particles.”

Failure of the medical community to find the cause of colds is due to the fact that researchers are looking for something that isn’t there. No cure for the common cold has ever been found by the researchers for an excellent reason: the cold itself is the “cure.”

When the state of nervous energy is lowered, excretion, elimination and digestion are impaired. The two great causes of colds are exhaustion and repletion (surfeit).

When the state of bodily clogging which precedes a cold reaches intolerable proportions, the body organizes for a radical eliminative crisis. The temperature rises, the head and nasal passages become congested, appetite may disappear. The cold may go through various stages of eliminative processes, usually regarded as disease symptoms, instead of being understood as cleansing efforts of the body to unburden the vital organs.

If drugs are used to stop these processes, the body may face a more serious situation later on—perhaps influenza, or pneumonia, or possibly problems with other organs or functions.

We have been taught that colds lay the foundation for other more serious diseases. Rather, they are efforts to prevent the development of more serious conditions. The persistence of the causes, or the drug treatment common today, can lay the foundations for future degenerative pathologies. Chronic disease is due to chronic provocation.

Means of eliminating the accumulations must be employed by the troubled organism. Coughing, sneezing, discharge of mucus, all represent efforts on the part of the body to remove the accumulated unexcreted waste. The symptoms represent part of the remedial process, as the body is striving to maintain or restore the status quo—the homeostasis or physiological equilibrium.

When the body produces symptoms of a cold as vicarious elimination of toxic material which is threatening its survival, we should not even consider suppressing them. Why should we try to check a cough that is necessary to remove an obstruction? Why should we try to dam up in the body the noxious matter that the wisdom of the body has determined must be expelled?

Aspirin is the most commonly used cold remedy. Among so-called “health-minded” people, aspirin is often supplanted by vitamin C. Some people take both aspirin and vitamin C. Antihistamines are commonly used.

Neither “booze,” nor aspirin, nor antihistamines, nor vitamin C (nor anything else) can possibly “cure” a cold. Whatever temporary symptomatic relief they may afford is expiated later by accentuation and prolongation of the symptoms, and by insidious damage to the organism.

The most common “side effect” of aspirin is internal bleeding. Most people who experience slight gastric bleeding are unaware that it is occurring. Many people do experience overt, often serious, effects including burning mouth, throat and stomach; breathing difficulties and congestion; dizziness; lethargy; tinnitus (ringing of the ears); vomiting; a decrease in blood circulation; gastric bleeding, or hemorrhaging serious enough to cause ulceration or anemia, or to be life threatening.

Aspirin also interferes with the prostaglandin system, the body’s key defense against disease-causing elements, and the key to detoxification.

A study by researchers at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland reported that five to ten percent of permanent kidney failure is due to damage by aspirin, acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol), and other analgesics (pain killers). I believe this to be a low estimate—Hygienists have been maintaining for years that drugs subject the kidneys (and the liver) to intolerable stress. The report says that taking three aspirin tablets a day for three years causes renal (kidney) disease, and many people are advised to use much more than that as blood thinners for chronic pain or to relieve arthritis and other inflammatory ailments. Dr. William M. Bennett told a National Kidney Foundation seminar that mixtures of drugs appear to cause more kidney damage than each drug alone. Dr. Bennett said it is not uncommon for people to take analgesics daily in the danger-level amounts, sometimes just to “feel good” or for the mild mood-altering qualities they have.

The mood-altering drugs in coffee and tea also have adverse effects on gastric, cardiac and renal function.

Alcohol, aspirin, antihistamines, and all drugs are designed to stop the body from doing what it is trying to do. The drugs form chemical unions with body tissues, fluids and processes, destroy the body’s ability to purify itself, dam up the poisons, and multiply the problems. So-called “natural cures” (herbs, vitamin C, etc.) are also used in an effort to thwart the action of the body.

Some people are under the impression that colds can be prevented or “cured” by megadoses of vitamin C. The publicity generated by Linus Pauling’s research and writings helped to perpetuate this belief. It is particularly unwise to use vitamin C if one is also taking aspirin, because vitamin C tablets intensify the effects of aspirin in the body, such as hemorrhaging and anemia.

It is true that a diet predominating in raw foods is high in vitamin C, and it is also true that such a diet is a good start in not developing disease. But vitamin C supplements are not food (contrary to what vitamin pill advocates are fond of proclaiming). The body’s reaction to their use is indisputable proof that they are just another form of drug. They are recognized by the body as acids and irritants, to be expelled as quickly as possible. Large amounts of vitamin C supplements trigger an extraordinary detoxification effort of the body (just as do garlic, mustard, camomille, etc.), at great cost in vitality and energy. Some of the toxins which made the cold necessary will often be borne out of the body, riding out on the “fast train” the body is using as an emergency measure to rid itself of the even more intolerable vitamin C supplements. The cold symptoms may disappear, due to the concurrent elimination of some of the toxins, but primarily due to the diversion of the attention of the body from the toxins causing the cold, to the more urgent necessity for getting rid of the acids and irritants in the vitamin C pills.

Viktoras Kulvinskas says, “Fighting colds with vitamin C results in acidification of mucus, which prevents its elimination via the respiratory system. It must instead be expelled by the kidney. The overall effect is strain on the kidney.”

The ultimate result of forcing the symptoms “underground” is insidious damage to the organism, and chronic degenerative disease.

Causes of colds

There is nothing mysterious about a cold—it is the body’s own cure for an intolerable condition brought about by the errors and omissions inherent in “civilized living.” Overeating; overconsumption of refined carbohydrates; too few fresh, uncooked fruits and vegetables; coffee, tea, chocolate; soft drinks, hard drinks (even copious water drinking); insufficient muscular activity; not enough clean, fresh air; too little rest; excessive stress—the more of these mistakes we commit, the more often our bodies require “colds” or other eliminating crises.

Air-tight homes add to the problem. Modern homes outfitted with double- or triple-glazed windows; air-lock vestibules; weather stripping; insulation and plastic vapor barriers in walls, floors and ceilings make a “residential thermos bottle” which traps dangerous pollutants inside. In older, draftier homes, air is replaced by fresh air about once an hour. In today’s tightly-sealed homes, inside air is replaced only about once every ten hours.”

The net result of “civilized living” is that every cell in the body is filled with and surrounded by waste material, the blood vessels are lined with excesses of food, and the blood itself is overloaded with waste materials and excesses of food. Hygienists call this condition toxemia, and consider this to be the basic cause of disease.

When the cells, tissues and body fluids contain an abnormally high amount of metabolic waste, it is a threat to the organism. When the body reaches its toleration level, it must employ means of eliminating these accumulations.

Since the cells will, at all times, act in their own best interests, individually and cooperatively, they initiate a process to eliminate the wastes and excess food residues. The body speeds up some activities and reduces the level of others. Elimination is accelerated. The increased burning activity of the body in disposing of the excess materials produces greater heat—the body temperature rises and a fever is experienced. Loss of appetite is a self-protective mechanism.

“A cold is an intense and acute activity designed to rapidly, efficiently, and effectively expel accumulated wastes. … It is pure insanity to suppress the symptoms of a cold as is commonly done. … A cold is no more nor less than a period of intense housecleaning.” (Dr. Immerman) People speak of “catching a cold.” People with colds have not “caught” anything—it is just the opposite—they are getting rid of something: they are getting rid of accumulated foul material. A cold is a cleansing, rejuvenating, renovating process.

Toleration

A cold, or any disease, usually takes a lot of causation. The bodies of most people have taken so much punishment during the time since infancy, their bloodstreams have become so contaminated, that their levels of toleration have gradually increased. A nontoxic, healthy baby (or a truly Hygienic adult) has a relatively uncontaminated bloodstream. Improper feeding of the infant, too little sleep and rest, too much clothing, not enough fresh air and sunshine, results in a retention of toxic material and the baby develops a cold to eliminate wastes in excess of the toleration level.

As the bad habits continue and the child is dosed and drugged and “immunized,” the child’s body gradually learns to tolerate more toxins and will develop fewer eliminative colds and fevers. When bad habits force the system to learn to live with poisons, the waste products remain to damage the body and pave the way for the development of degenerative disease.

When the body has established high toleration levels, a cold does not eliminate all the toxemia—it only brings it down to a level at which the body has become adapted to functioning.

This adaptation is accomplished by the body as a means of preservation of life, since it could not survive the tremendous and constant elimination required by the mode of eating and living or the frequent interference with its remedial processes by drugs and treatments. So it adapts, sacrificing its level of vitality to the necessity for survival. Most physiological adaptations are regressive, as explained in detail in Lesson No. 66. The adaptation is not toward health; it is away from health. But the body has no alternative.

The toleration point can be returned to its pristine low level by fasting and improving the way of life. The toleration level of the average Hygienist has been reduced. The vitality has been restored to a point where the body will no longer tolerate a large toxic load, and may conduct extraordinary elimination at a level that would allow others to continue insulting their bodies. But if a Hygienist perceives the beginnings of cold symptoms, he knows what to do.

How to deal with colds

It is not true that colds are caused by viruses; that there really isn’t anything you can do to not cause a cold; or that there isn’t anything you can do for a cold once you get it except treat the symptoms (admittedly with scant success).

My [T.C.Fry] grandchildren have known what to do about colds since they were just a few years old. They know that the way to avoid colds is to avoid junk foods and overeating; and they know that a cold can be eliminated by withholding food completely when the first symptoms appear. They know that if one fasts for 36 or 48 hours (or, at the most, three days), the symptoms will usually disappear, and it will not be necessary to contend with a seven- to fourteen-day period of suffering nor the organic damage that can be caused to the respiratory organs or other parts of the body by a prolongation of the causes and the symptoms.

Such cooperation with the self-healing power of one’s own body enables the necessary elimination of toxins to proceed with a minimum of discomfort, a procedure which is quickly consummated.

It is not what we eat, but what we digest and assimilate that produces health and strength. Conditions which disturb or impair digestion produce decomposition, thus poisoning the body instead of supplying it with nutritional elements from the food eaten. Whether or not the individual is aware of overt symptoms of such decomposition, insidious damage occurs.

Acute diseases, such as colds, are debilitating, but they are self-limiting. Most people eventually recover without any treatment, or in spite of the treatment. For that reason, almost anything seems to be a “cure.”

When it is fully understood that a cold, or any disease, is body action and not an attack by an external entity, attempts are not instituted to suppress the body’s own defensive and remedial processes.

If the body is allowed to continue its cleansing actions, the person will feel much better afterwards. The only helpful means of aborting or shortening the duration of a cold is through fasting, keeping warm, getting plenty of fresh air and as much bed rest as possible.

This methodology will increase elimination of toxic materials through the regular channels of excretion, and will decrease the necessity for vicarious elimination through the nose, throat, eyes, etc. The headache and fever will subside and the other uncomfortable symptoms will be reduced and gradually disappear.

People who have frequent colds are conducting beneficial and necessary eliminative processes. Other people, equally toxic (or more toxic) may not have the energy to conduct such housecleaning and may, instead, undergo insidious degeneration.

The wise Hygienist will avoid toxemia, and avoid the necessity for so many housecleaning episodes. If such episodes are too frequent, damage to the channels of vicarious elimination will be inevitable.

Dr. Sidhwa says, “It must be pointed out that too frequent use of the same paths of vicarious elimination will lead to atrophy and degeneration of any path of elimination, as well as a gradual wearing down of the strength of the glands themselves. Although disease, especially acute disease, is a life-saving process, it is also a life-consuming process. Frequent stimulation leads to exhaustion, leading to further enervation of the whole system.”

Bacteria and viruses

When the body is undergoing a crisis of elimination, virulent bacteria (or viruses) may become involved as secondary or tertiary factors. The use of drugs may produce mutant, more resistant strains. Edwin W. Schultz, M.D., in an article in the Cyclopedia of Medicine, states, “It is well established that viruses do undergo variations … in virulence, in antigenic structure, and in the character of lesions induced … sometimes of a stable mutation type.”

All the newer knowledge about bacteria and viruses substantiate the Hygienic viewpoint: A healthy body will eliminate virulent or threatening influences, making disease unnecessary. Hygienists understand that disease originates inside the body as a result of poor eating and living habits; of physical, mental and emotional practices which subtly and insidiously weaken the organism.”

The true role of germs is as scavengers, breaking up and consuming dead and dying cells and other debris. Bacteria perform the same function in the toxic body as they do everywhere in nature.

Viruses, which the medical profession has been incriminating more and more as the cause of so many diseases, are not even living entities in the same sense as bacteria. Bacteria are microorganisms which have the ability to act. A Virus on the other hand, is not a living entity.

The poisonous materials called viruses have no existence apart from a living organism. Viruses are in no sense alive, nor do they have any ability to act, but their presence in the body is as toxic as any other retained body waste material, favoring the surfacing and multiplication of bacteria.

Actually, humans live symbiotically with bacteria. We adapt to, and are dependent on, bacterial flora. Health and disease are not antagonistic to each other. Disease does not attack the body, but rather is produced by it as a means of restoring health.

There are no “disease-producing” bacteria, germs, microbes, bacilli or viruses. It is the environment—the host—the disease condition—that determines the type of bacteria that proliferate. The germ does not produce the disease. The disease produces the germ by changing nontoxic bacteria into toxic bacteria in a septic environment.

During the early stages of a cold, the nasal secretions are completely void of bacteria. None are found in the thin watery secretion the first two or three days of the cold. When the thick purulent secretion begins, then pneumococci, staphylococci, or streptococci make their appearance.

Dr. Vetrano says, “Since bacteria are so conspicuously absent at the beginning of a cold, another cause had to be found. The unpopular idea that a person could change his life habits and not develop colds was too preposterous to entertain. The virus saved the day.” People don’t have to change their ways of life as long as they believe their colds are caused because they “picked up” a very malignant virus.

She adds, “Volunteers, we are told, developed colds when infected by filtrates of nose and throat washings from those who had colds. A poison, a virus is a poison, or any foreign agent, in contact with the nasal mucous membranes, occasions inflammation, rhinorrhea (running of the nose) redness and swelling, and fever in children. An example of which you can perform yourself, is to run a match stick up into the nostril. The nose will begin to run, sneezing will commence, and if kept there longer inflammation will develop to rid the body of the foreign agent.”

“When viruses are injected to cause colds in “susceptible” invidividuals, it must be remembered that only certain individuals develop symptoms of coryza, and that the great numbers of viruses present are treated as foreign agents and expelled by the only method the nose knows—inflammation and sneezing.”

A summation by Dr. Vetrano is concise and eloquent: “Colds develop and are not ‘caught.’ Bacteria and viruses have nothing to do with the development of coryza. They may be complicating features or function as saprophytes feeding on the debris. They arrive on the scene when tissues and fluids are abnormal and survive as long as the tissues remains abnormal. They help clean up the debris. Our enervating way of life is the true cause of colds.”

Why More Colds Develop in Cold Weather

Colds may develop at any time of the year, but the summer months show fewer colds because most people get more fresh air, sunshine, and exercise, and commonly eat less. The first colds of early winter are not “caught” from someone else with a cold but develop in those most susceptible because of the way they have been living and eating. The added stress of cold temperatures further checks elimination, adds to the general toxemia and enervated condition, and precipitates a crisis.

Leslie Thomson says, “To many people a ‘chill’ and a ‘cold’ are almost synonymous. It is an easy error, all the more so because it is not a complete fallacy; rather it is a seriously misplaced emphasis. Many people do develop a cold after an unpleasant incident in bad weather, but one should ask a few questions. In most cases the feelings of chill and the development of a cold are only different aspects—or successive stages—of a bodily springcleaning. When the body reaches a state in which retained wastes seriously impede normal vital functioning, the process has been so slow that the individual is only dimly aware of being substandard. Then some circumstance presents his system with an unusual challenge and the tolerance of his vital system is exceeded.” There is an inability to keep warm because the normal physical and chemical processes are so retarded that the heart is unable to maintain adequately free circulation. The body must, and does, organize for a thorough cleansing and rejuvenating “crisis”—uncomfortable, to be sure—but necessary—and eminently worthwhile. If no stupid interference occurs, “this wonderfully complex process achieves in a few days a massive ejection of waste and a burning up of combustible rubbish.”

Types of Influenza

Influenza often starts out like a simple cold. Sometimes the first symptoms are vigorous, and arrive without warning,. Suddenly the patient may suffer from fever, nausea, vomiting, severe neuritic pain, severe inflammation, general muscular aching, or other distressing or violent symptoms.

Leslie Thomson (son of Dr. James C. Thomson) describes the four main types of flu. No matter how novel the identifying names given by epidemiologists or immunologists, any particular case consists of either one of these types, or a combination of two or more.

Respiratory, which starts off with violent, paroxysmal coughing.
Gastro-Intestinal – nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain are the immediate indications.
Nervous – headache of unusual severity, often concomitant with pains in neck, chest and upper abdomen. Depression and sleeplessness are common accompaniments.
Febrile – quite intense fever, sometimes accompanied by disorientation, to the extent of delirium. In this form, it is imperative that no nourishment whatever be given to the patient until the fever has subsided.

Leslie Thomson says that how individuals have lived, and the relative strength of the various vital organs—the individual physical makeup and the inherited temperament—are dominant and significant in determining the type and severity of the flu episode. Nobody needs to be “infected” by anyone else to develop flu. Flu is something which originates and is directed within the individual system.

Dealing with Influenza

A couple of days or more of bed rest with nothing taken in except sips of water, is all that is necessary. Plenty of fresh air should be provided, but chilling should be carefully avoided. No attempt should be made to bring down the temperature by prolonged cold bathing, or by applying ice packs, or alcohol, which can be a dangerous interference in the body’s processes.

After perhaps forty-eight hours, if the temperature is more or less normal, fresh fruit or small quantities of green salad may be offered. But the patient must continue to rest. There might be a second phase in a few days, during which food should again be withheld or reduced to a minimum. The patient should continue to rest in bed until the fever and shakiness have cleared.

If one must vomit, or experience diarrhea, to remove irritants and morbid matter from the body, it is the height of folly to try to block it. The body does not go to the trouble of initiating these modifications in its activities unless they are essential for survival.

Some waste is directly transferred from the bloodstream through the walls of the intestines into the alimentary canal, and then eliminated via vomiting and diarrhea. Violent diarrhea and vomiting rapidly clear the digestive tract so that it can be temporarily put to rest, and repair, rejuvenation and cleansing are accelerated. To eat while experiencing the flu is sheer insanity.

The heat of spontaneously-induced fever is produced for the purpose of acceleration of cell activity When the organism perceives that this is necessary. When there is an emergency, the metabolism is accelerated by increasing the amount of heat available. This is controlled by the hypothalamus, which is sort of a human thermostat.

Metabolism consists of the absorption of nutrients and the excretion of wastes. The heat is necessary to accelerate the excretion of wastes which have accumulated beyond the body’s ability to tolerate them, and beyond the body’s ability to eliminate without some extraordinary modification. Heat acts as a catalyst which causes the toxins to liquefy and pass into the bloodstream, where they are transported to the organs of elimination, and thus out of the body.

Herbert M. Shelton said, “Fever is a necessary increase in body temperature designed to enable the body, or some part or parts of it, to effectively meet and destroy some foe of life that is threatening the body and to repair damages.”

Eugene F. Du Bois, professor of Physiology at Cornell, University, in his monograph on fever, stated that antipyretics were abandoned in the early part of this century (although later their use was revived). Cold-tubbing in typhoid was also abandoned. Du Bois said, “Clinicians began to regard high temperature as helpful. This belief was strengthened by the realization that many pathogenic organisms (germs and viruses) were inhibited or killed at temperatures that could be tolerated by the human body.” The metabolism and chemical reactions of the body, including enzyme activity, are accelerated by a rise in temperature, thus enhancing the healing process. When fasting is employed during a fever, the metabolism and healing process are even more dramatically multiplied.

Both vaccinations and medications not only add more poison to the already overburdened system, they frustrate nature’s attempts to help you, and they prolong and intensify your miseries. In addition, they both Have the more insidious quality of increasing your susceptibility and vulnerability to future chronic and degenerative diseases.

Hygienists live to have health, not to prevent certain specific diseases. Good health is immunity against influenza and all diseases. Microorganisms only surface when there is a job for them to do—they help to clean up the debris created by atrocious diet and living habits.

Herbert Shelton said, “It is unfortunate that our seasons of good will and festivities are always seasons of overeating (commonly also of drinking), so that they are followed almost inevitably by colds, coughs, ‘flu,’ and more severe illness. Beginning with the orgy of Thanksgiving, extending through the revelry of Christmas and ending with the bacchanalia of New Year’s, our periods of festivity not only result in hundreds of deaths and much mayhem on the highways, but in more suffering and death from indulgence and excess. More bronchitis follows such indulgences than ever follows exposure. Those who are more moderate in indulgence, those who are least enervated and least toxemic escape the evolution of crises at these times, but often, they escape by the ‘skin of their teeth.’ “

--------------------------

Gemma’s comments:

I would like to add that some recent stats show that most diseases increase during the winter and are lower during the summer, both chronic and infectious diseases. (strokes, absence rates)
If we accept the theory of toxemia, this fact makes sense, because in winter the life conditions are worse: low temperatures, low physical activity outside, low sunlight exposure, closed windows in buildings, … and the food and drink excesses during Christmas and New Year festivities add to the problem.
On the other side, what is the rational of germs being more virulent during winter, when all life beings are less active because of low temperatures?
Concerning epidemies, they could be explaining according to Natural Hygiene because people that live in the same area are exposed to the same enervating agents: weather and temperature; toxics in the air, water and food; traditions and festivities; political, economic and social problems; etc. In the same way, in a school all children breath the same air; drink the same water and eat the same food; as well as it is shared in a family. These are the elements that determine the contagion.
We don’t know for sure which is the correct theory concerning the responsible of colds and flus: germ theory or toxemia theory. I’m more inclined to the last approach.
In any case, it must be accepted that following a good nutrition and life style the colds and flus are almost inexistent, be it because we are stronger to “fight” against germs or because our body doesn’t need to do a cleaning process.

-----------------------

Update Covid-19:

It has been found that viruses are, indeed, exosomes produced by the cell with the purpose of cell communication and toxin destruction.
Please watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWRbIIaPV78 and read this new post: "Virus and exosomes"

Put an end to your headaches without any kind of medicine

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 21:17:00 +0100

Headaches can be caused by certain foods when there is a predisposition to suffer neurological diseases, and also it can be due to bad life habits.
In this article we expose the main sources of headaches.

Continue reading Put an end to your headaches without any kind of medicine

We can highlight as the most common causes of headaches the following agents:

* Tobacco, smoked meat and fish:
Consuming smoked products and swallow tobacco smoke can lead to headaches.
These products contain a harmful substance called PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) that result from the incomplete combustion of food, tobacco and any kind of organic matter.
In addition to smoked food, other food that contain a high amount of PAH are food that has been cooked at very high temperatures, mainly barbecued, baked, fried, and roasted food. Boiling and steaming creates much less PAH. Here you will find more information about PAH concentrations in different cooking methods.
PAH are carcinogenic, and although in small doses, like the amount that can be normally found in the environment, it doesn’t signify a danger for most of the people; in more considerable amounts, like the intake of a smoked product or smoking tobacco, the effect begins to be significantly important enough to trigger a headache; and higher doses imply a significant risk of cancer.

* Alcoholic drinks and endogenous alcohol
It is known that the intake of an amount of alcoholic drinks that a person is not accustomed to, ends up in a hangover the following day.
But our body will suffer the consequences of the alcohol even without having any alcoholic drink, if we have a dysbiotic gut flora, such as for example, if there is an intestinal candidiasis or an intestinal overgrowth of any kind of mold or yeast. In this article you can read more about the endogenous alcohol production and its consequences. In this case, it’s necessary to find out which are the causes of that dysbiosis: a food intolerance, an excess of food consumption, stress, etc.

* Coffee addiction
The people who have coffee daily, experience migraine when they don’t have their daily dosis of coffee (caffeine).
Coffee is like a drug that creates addiction, so when the consumption is stopped or decreased, the related withdrawal syndrome appears, characterized mainly by headaches.
In order to abandone this addiction, it’s recommended to gradually reduce the amount of coffee every day, until stopping completely.

* Histamine intolerance
The people who have a histamine intolerance can suffer headaches, between other symptoms, when they have a certain amount of histamine in their food that exceeds their tolerance threshold.
The food that contains more histamine are all fermented food, such as dairy products, wine, vinager, soy products and fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, pickles, etc.). Other foods also high in histamine are: all processed meat and fish, such as charcuterie and canned fish; and shellfish.
Other food with a considerable amount of histamine are chocolate, coffee, tea, bread yeast, nuts, some fruits and any kind of food that is not fresh made.
Also, some food induce the release of our own histamine, such as some fruits, spices, egg yolk and additives.
To know more about histamine intolerance you can consult this article.

* Food intolerances
Eating food that you are intolerant to, such as gluten, eggs, dairy, nuts, etc., triggers an immune response caracterized by inflammation. The inflammation is shown as heat, redness, swelling, and pain. Depending on every person, the part of the body affected by the inflammation can differ. If the weak part of your body is the head, then food intolerances can lead to headaches.
You can know if you have a food intolerance with a blood test.

*Glutamate, aspartame
The artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, and some additives, specially the glutamate, are responsibles of many migraines.

* Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Some women suffer migraines before the period due to the hormonal changes and, headaches can start up to 14 days before the menstruation.
But PMS shouldn’t be considered as something “normal”. Improving nutrition and different aspects of life style PMS can be greatly decreased or even completely get rid of it.

* Electromagnetic sensitivity and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)
The people with electromagnetic sensitivity can experience migraines and cephalea when exposed to electromagnetic fields (WIFI, mobile, etc.); and people with MCS have the same problem when come in contact with any kind of chemical substance (cleaning agents, pesticides, perfumes, smoke, paint, etc.)
This sensitivity can be reduced in large part to a lower sensitivity thanks to nutrition and life style. In this article I explain my personal experience with MCS and how I got rid of it.

* Dehydration
The lack of water in your organism decreases the blood flow in the brain, and this may cause headaches.
In order to know if your headache is caused by dehydration, you can observe the presence of other usual symptoms associated with dehydration: dry mouth and thirsty; tiredness or sleepiness; low volume of urine and darker coloured urine; dizziness; dry skin; and even rapid heart rate, fever, nausea and vomiting, etc.
Evidently, you must drink more water if you are dehydrated, or take more food with high water content (fruits and vegetables).

* Other possible causes are: sleep depravation, extreme temperatures, strident noises, emotional problems, etc.

Food Intolerances: do they only affect some people?

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 16:23:00 +0100

A food intolerance or allergy is a rejection of a certain food that can manifest itself in one or several of many ways, though principally in the form of gastrointestinal and dermatological problems.
We perceive these as illnesses, given that the body rejects foods that we consider to be healthy. This happens because the body considers these foods to be harmful. But according to the Natural Hygiene perspective, the human body is wise, and it always generates the most adequate responses towards survival. In that case, why is it that it reacts in such an exaggerated way to regular foods?
A possible answer to this question is that perhaps these foods that people develop intolerances/allergies to are not as healthy as we thought. But why do only some people reject these foods?

Continue reading Food Intolerances: do they only affect some people?

When a harmful food product is ingested, a two-stage elimination process begins to take place. The first is an attempt to neutralize the harmful substances, and the second is through excretion: feces, urine, expired air and transpiration. But, what happens if these elimination routes are overloaded, for example, due to an excess in the amount of food eaten? The way the human body deals with this problem depends on several factors: genetics, the amount of food eaten, the general health of the individual, their personal history with that particular food, etc.
Depending on these factors, we are programmed to deal with inadequate foods in one of two ways: using ‘extraordinary’ routes of elimination or storing harmful substances where they do not cause any immediate harm.

The ‘extraordinary’ route for elimination is the immune system. It cleans our body of the harmful substances that have entered our blood circulation due to overloaded or low-functional routes of elimination. This may be due, for example, to the leaky gut syndrome; constipation; an overloaded liver due to large quantities of ingested toxic products or toxins, stress, depression or any other emotional problem that reduces the energy of our organs; lack of sleep, or rest; etc.
But the immune system’s action creates inflammation, with its consequent effects: pain, mucus or pus, swelling and redness. These are the common symptoms of strong respiratory or dermatological allergies such as rinitis, asthma, eczema or Quincke’s Edema; but also common diseases such as colds, coughs, flu, bronquitis, etc.
And when we need urgent elimination due to the dangerousness of these products, the elimination process is accelerated with vomiting and diarrhea.

In the case where the organism opts to store undesirable substances instead of eliminating them, we encounter an increase in weight. The advantage for these individuals is that they do not suffer from illnesses of elimination, but the transport of these substances until the point of storage is not without cost: that’s where cardiovascular diseases appear.
Subsequently, these substances will end up by dirtying the extracellular environment, and harming tissues and organs of the body, forming ulcers, cysts, and even cancer.
In autistic children, for example, it seems their disorder may be due to a deficient detoxification system, which entails an accumulation of heavy metals in the brain.
Most people tend to be a mix of these two types (elimination and storage), such that under certain circumstances, they may suffer from acute or chronic inflammatory elimination illnesses, according to their energetic state and the food ingested, and under other circumstances will tend to store them where it is least harmful.

So to answer to the question of the title (Food Intolerances: do they only affect some people?): everyone has some type of intolerance and/or allergy. What is different is the way that it manifests itself, with gastroenterological; or dermatological; or respiratory; or cardiovascular; or inflammatory illnesses.

In medical jargon, it is considered that those who do not react with elimination, as in, with allergies and/or intolerances, tolerate all foods. Simply, due to being overweight, they are recommended to eat less and do more exercise. But the problem is much more serious, and it must be treated in the same way as with a person who has intolerances/allergies; the solution is much more complex than simply reducing the food intake and doing more exercise.
If, in face of certain foods, the human body either tries to eliminate them or store them where they do not cause any issues, could it not be that certain foods are simply not as healthy as we thought? Instead of blaming the human body for rejecting certain foods, perhaps we should question whether the problem lies in the foods that we eat, and the circumstances that affect digestion, as in, our entire way of life, from exercise to our emotional and spiritual lifestyle.

The Brain Microbiome: a new discovery with important potential implications on brain health?

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 16:30:00 +0100

We already know about the gut microbiome or gut flora - the population of bacteria and other microbes that live in our gut. Recently, Dr. Marco Ruggiero has started to study the brain microbiome - the microbes that live in our brain, and the impact of those microbes on the function of the human brain.

Continue reading The Brain Microbiome: a new discovery with important potential implications on brain health?

Dr. Marco Ruggiero gave a very interesting webinar called “The Brain Microbiome” last February 2018. He introduced some very new ideas in the area of medicine; some of which I will explain to you in this post.

First of all he coined the concept of “The Fourth Brain” . The first brain is the one we all know about, which is located inside the skull. The second brain is the Enteric Nervous System, a network of neurons that lines the entire digestive track. It causes the sensation of nervous butterflies or a pit in your stomach for example, as well as performing very important digestive functions. The third brain is the Gut Microbiome, which is responsible for providing 90% of body’s serotonin and 50% of its dopamine. And this new Fourth Brain is the Brain Microbiome, the microbes in our brain.

Up to now, it was thought that our brain was sterile, that there was no kind of microbe inside. But in January 2013 an article was published that attracted the attention of Dr. Ruggiero: “Brain Microbial Populations in HIV/AIDS: α-Proteobacteria Predominate Independent of Host Immune Status” (1), a study of the susceptibility of people suffering from AIDS to develop infections in the brain due to their weakened immune system. In order to do this, the research team analyzed the microbes that were present in the brains of the people who had died from AIDS, and compared them with the microbes from people who had died for other reasons. To their surprise, they found that there were microbes in ALL the people, not only those suffering from AIDS! Of course, they verified that there was not a contamination.

The kind of microbes that were found in the brain are different to the ones that are present in other parts of the body. In the brain the predominant bacteria is α-Proteobacteria, while in the other body parts the ones that dominate are Firmicutes, Bacteriodetes and Actinobacteria.

They also analyzed the microbes in the brains of animals, and found that only the brain of primates contained some microbes, but not any other mammals.

It seems that some microbes that exist in the environment, i.e., soil and water, get into our body through oral consumption or inhalation and they are transported to the brain by our immune system: lymphocytes and macrophages that are trafficking into the brain; probably in purpose, hypothesizes Dr. Ruggiero. The reason why these microbes are transported to the brain would be because it represents an evolutionary advantage. Let’s explain the benefit of these microbes.

The first beneficial function of α-Proteobacteria is detoxification. Dr. Ruggiero says that some research indicates that they may help to keep the brain clean from harmful toxic products that could get into the brain.

The second benefit is the stimulation of neural connections. Dr. Ruggiero conducted an experiment where brain cells were cultivated in a petri-dish with brain microbes. He found that the number and complexity of connections were increased by the presence of microbes. He concluded that “there is experimental evidence that the influence of the microbes on the neurons is immense”.

Dr. Ruggiero found in another research paper (2) that probiotic supplementation promotes calcification, through the stimulation of the expression of key genes involved in ossification. He then extrapolated that research to the time where the skull fontanelles are closed. In humans this time is delayed compared to the other primates, which allows the brain to grow more, and an increased cranial capacity allows the development of a more complex neural system.

He then concludes that “fermented foods (rich in probiotics) were the responsible of us to have a higher craneal capacity, more rich neural network and brain detoxification”.

All these discoveries are quite important in terms of how nutrition, especially fermented foods and probiotic supplementation, can impact the brain function. However, he must also consider:

1) In the first article on the brain microbiome in AIDS patients (1), living patients who had undergone brain surgery for epilepsy were also studied and considered within the control group. The rest of the control group included patients who had died from diseases other than AIDS. Interestingly, the bacteria count was much lower in these living patients than in dead patients (AIDS or control). No actinobacteria, beta-proteobacteria or gamma-proteobacteria were found in the surgical samples, while these was present in the rest of the brains from deceased patients. The amount of α-Proteobacteria was also considerably lower in the living patients.
In the next table, the exact counts of each bacterial class for each case are shown as published in the article (1) , where ‘HIV’ denotes the patients who died of AIDS, ‘SUR’ denotes the patients submitted to surgery for epilepsy, and “Others” are the patients who died for reasons other than AIDS.

Clase bacteriana	HIV1	HIV2	HIV3	HIV4	SUR1	SUR2	Others1	Others2	Others3	Others4
α-Proteobacteria	41	49	37	17	3	19	168	39	98	27
Actinobacteria	17	9	24	4	0	0	13	8	6	7
ß-Proteobacteria	0	0	1	0	0	0	5	3	0	0
γ-Proteobacteria	0	4	1	0	0	0	2	0	2	20

This raises the question of whether the development of these microbes is a post-mortem effect (which would explain why the living patients have lower counts of bacteria, perhaps depending on their health). So in my humble point of view, perhaps the presence of microbes in the brain could be a sign of decay, that is, the development starts when there is some kind of disease, especially neurological diseases such as epilepsy, or after death in the case of a person with a healthy brain. It would be necessary to analyse the brain microbiome of a perfectly healthy, living person for this to be confirmed, however this has never been done, or at least published in a scientific journal.

2) Similarly, the experiment showing augmented neural connections when brain cells are in a proteobacteria-rich environment may be interpreted in a different way. It is known that slightly stressful situations, such as challenges, stimulate our intelligence. In nature, it is known that organisms who are submitted to some degree of defiant environment grow better. For example, fruit trees that grow in wild environments submitted to weather inclemencies such as strong winds give much richer fruits than the ones that grow in protected environments without wind. In the same way, an environment full of microbes constitutes a very important challenge for the survival of a cell, stimulating them to grow more and create more connections in order to solve this problem of microbial infection. Again, we cannot know for sure whether the presence of microbes is an advantage for the brain’s development or just a dangerous and stressful situation.

So I think that the conclusions that Dr. Ruggiero states concerning the brain microbiome must be taken with a little caution and more research is required.

One must also take into account the conflict of interests that he himself recognizes. He is the founder of a company dedicated to the development and production of advanced microbiome-based probiotics.

References

(1) Branton WG, Ellestad KK, Maingat F, Wheatley BM, Rud E, Warren RL, et al. (2013) Brain Microbial Populations in HIV/AIDS: α-Proteobacteria Predominate Independent of Host Immune Status. PLoS ONE 8(1): e54673. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0054673

(2) Maradonna F, Gioacchini G, Falcinelli S, Bertotto D, Radaelli G, Olivotto I, et al. (2013) Probiotic Supplementation Promotes Calcification in Danio rerio Larvae: A Molecular Study. PLoS ONE 8(12): e83155. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0083155

Having a dog: The best way to Live Healthier and Longer

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Sun, 22 Apr 2018 16:35:00 +0100

Having a dog is one of the best investments for your health and your whole family's.
According to studies, people who have a dog have a longer presumed life span of 10 years (1).
The exercise done thanks to the necessary daily walks, the unconditional love, the company, the fidelity and the protection that a dog offers you; and the love that a dog portrays in their owner, these are all factors that spectacularly improve someone’s health. Additionally, there exists dogs trained for people with disabilities and for kids with a development disorder.

Continue reading Having a dog: The best way to Live Healthier and Longer

We have recently adopted a dog. She is a Labrador, a breed that is very strong, energetic and intelligent; and very sweet and affectionate. They need a lot of exercise and offer a lot of love.
The positive effects in our family’s health have already begun to be noticeable.
My daughter is responsible for walking her when she comes back from school and in the week-ends; so now the time that she spends in front of her computer has decreased, and has increased the amount of time that she spends outside; evidently, walking the dog.
My husband and I also walk her daily, we have substantially increased the amount of daily physical exercise. In my case, this helps me with being able to better tolerate certain foods and to have better quality of sleep.
Like mentioned before in this previous article, increasing the energy of the body thanks to many different factors, such as physical exercise or the sun, affects the energy used in digestion, improving the capacity of tolerating different foods. The physical exercise also helps fall asleep faster and to enjoy a deeper sleep.
In addition, if the owner suffers from some kind of psychological disorder, such as a depression, a bipolar disorder or a obsessive compulsive disorder, having a dog can be the best kind of therapy. In my case, my obsession with cleaning the house has greatly disappeared. The truth is that it is impossible to maintain a house with a garden impeccably when you have a dog, and the love for the dog will overpowered the need to have an immaculate house.
And for hyperactive, autistic and disabled kids, a dog can be a great help in their situation. In these cases it is preferable to have an assistance dog trained to accompany these kind of kids. In this article is mentioned that these dogs "They act as motivators and reinforcers of behaviours, as well as catalysts of emotions, their socialising effects are very effective, and encourage, among other things, the increase of social skills; the attention; concentration; the communication; and self-esteem. “
In the words of David R.Hawkins (1): “The more we love, the more we can love. Love is limitless. Love begets love. this is why psychiatrists recommend having a pet. A dog, for example, brings love and expands love in the heart of the owner. Love prolongs life. In fact, research documents that having a dog extends the owner’s life by ten years! Just think of all the bizarre exercises, diets, and other regimens that people go through to add relatively small amounts of time on to their life, when they can simply get a dog and add ten years! Love has a powerful anabolic effect. Love increases endorphins, which are life-enhancing hormones. You live ten years longer with a dog in your life because a dog catalyses the energy of love, and that energy of love heals and prolongs life.”
Having a dog is an experience that I recommend to all families and it suits people of all ages!

References:

“Letting go. The pathway of surrender”, David R. Hawkins (p.177):

Hunger and appetite

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 17:57:00 +0100

This explanation about the difference between hunger - a real need of food - and appetite - just a desire for food - has been extracted from “The Life Science Health System” by T.C. Fry.

Continue reading Hunger and appetite

“Hunger is the great safeguard of all life. It impels the organism in need of food to search for and procure food. It may be safely inferred that if there is no hunger, there is no need for nourishment. Hunger is a normal expression of a physiological need and when it is absent, we may take it for granted that the physiological need that gives rise to it is also absent. When hunger is absent, therefore, no food should be taken.

We use to mistake the morbid sensations of a food-drunkard for the normal expressions of life. Real hunger, rather than producing lassitude and drowsiness, or faintness, produces alertness and activity in the search for food.

The feeling of emptiness, and the gnawing are not symptoms of hunger. Neither it is a feeling of weakness, headache, or nausea. These are morbid sensations representing gastric irritation, a neurosis, gastric ulcer, indigestion, gastric catarrh, reaction from withdrawal of stimulation, etc., rather than hunger. That faint sinking feeling at the pit of the stomach, with a morbid craving for something to eat, is due to catarrhal inflammation of the lining membrane of the stomach. Such symptoms of gnawing and faintness are seen in their height in cases of acute gastritis as well as in gastric ulcer. Indeed, a bowel movement may induce them in cases of colitis.

How often we see people who are always eating and who complain that they are always hungry. They eat several times a day and three or more times at night, but they never seem to get enough to eat. Of course, these people are never hungry; they are food drunkards who employ food as palliation. Eating temporarily “relieves” their gastric and nervous distress. They are merely extreme cases of what physiologists mistake for hunger. The sense of all goneness in these cases is not from a lack of nutrient material, but owing to the absence of the habitual stimulus.

If left alone these morbid sensations sooner or later pass away, but if palliated by eating or or by drink; they are but temporarily smothered. As soon as the stomach is again empty of food, they are back again, perhaps with renewed intensity. It is true that eating will allay these sensations, just as a shot of morphine will relieve the morphine addict, and there is just as much sense in taking food in the first instance as there is in taking the morphine in the last.

True hunger is felt in the mouth and throat and is related to the senses of taste and smell. it is indicated by a watering of the mouth for plain food, for any kind of food. True hunger is a mouth and throat sensation rather than a stomach sensation. It’s similar to thirst. Thirst if felt in the mouth and throat and there is a distinct and conscious desire for water.

Most men and women have never experienced normal hunger in all their lives. Their appetite and taste are perverted by overfeeding in infancy, and have never had a chance to become normal during the whole course of their lives - owing to the overfeeding being continued ever since. It began with the first meal which the baby was forced to eat before they were ready for it. Thereafter, every outcry of nature was interpreted as a signal of hunger. The meals of the infant, all through the first year of life are regulated by the tunes of crying. Gastric impairment and gastric distress are built in infancy by wrong feeding. “

In this other article you will find more information about the cause of cravings, food addiction and overeating, as well as some tips to overcome these food-related disorders.

Auto-immune diseases and allergies: an error of human nature?

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:43:00 +0100

Auto-immune diseases and allergies have in common that they are considered by conventional medicine as a malfunction of immune system.
But, are there any other hypothesis? Is it possible that in reality the organism is not wrong, but it is giving the most adequate response in the given circumstances?
If it’s not a failure of the immune system, have the anti-inflammatory remedies any sense?

Continue reading Auto-immune diseases and allergies: an error of human nature?

In auto-immune diseases, medicine considers that cells of our body are attacked and destroyed by mistake. Depending on the damaged organ, it will result in different diseases. For example, in rheumathoid arthritis the attack is produced in the joints; in celiac disease the intestinal villi are destroyed; in diabetes type 1 it is the pancreas the affected organ; in multiple sclerosis it is about nerves; in psoriasis it is the skin; etc.
“The exact cause of autoimmune disorders is unknown” is said in MedlinePlus, as well as in any site dedicated to conventional medicine that addresses this subject.
In conventional medicine several hypothesis are offered to explain the auto-immune process.
The first one, the most accepted one, is the cross reaction. It consists that when certain microorganisms are attacked or harmful substances are to be removed, then the self cells of the organism are also damaged, because of the similarity between both of them (the harmful agent and self cells).
The second hypothesis is that for some reason, such as a virus or a toxic compound, the cells have been modified, and therefore, they are not recognized as self.
The third one is that the white cells doesn’t work well, destroying healthy cells.
The fourth one is that a substance coming from another part of the body comes to another part, and because it is not found in the proper place, the immune system attacks it. For example, when there is a damage in the eye and the eye fluid gets to the blood.
We are going to analize with a little more detail each hypothesis in order to know if in any of them the immune system is not working well.
First hypothesis: it is absurd to think that it is possible in the nature to exist a confusion of this kind between harmful external substances and the self cells. If evolution and/or Nature would had allowed this phenomena to happen, neither the humanity nor most of species that exist nowadays in this world would not exist. Even more, if this hypothesis were true, many wild animals would also suffer this condition, and this is not true. (Only domestic animals also suffer the same kind of diseases like humans, because they are submitted to the same kind of inadequate life style).
Second hypothesis: if the cells of the body have been damaged for some reason, it is not an error that the immune system destroy them in order to be replaced by new healthy ones. So the immune system is not mistaken in his labour.
The third hypothesis is not a true hypothesis, it is not a reason. It is said that the immune system malfunction is due to the malfunction of white cells, but no reason is given to explain this. If white cells don’t work it is for some reason!
So we can imagine that the most logical reason is because the white cells have been damaged, for example.
The immune system is very complex, and there are multiple mechanisms to detect that if some process doesn’t work well could be controlled. It’s is like an army where the soldiers shoot against the citizens of his own country. If this happens, immediately the higher officials arrest the soldiers. In the same way, if the white cells doesn’t work well, there is a type of cells in our immune system that controls the white cells, called regulatory T cells, that prevent this kind of errors.
But, what if the high ranks, the regulatory T cells, have become crazy? Yes, it’s true that certain psychological troubles are self-destructive. Addiction, depression and desperation are states of mind that lead to a subconscious suicide. In these cases, the mind is sending signals of self-destruction to our body, and the immune system just obey them.
So even in this case the immune system has a correct functioning, it is just following the instructions that receives.
In the fourth hypothesis, if there is a substance coming from another place of the body that shouldn’t be there, it is the duty of the immune system to clean this substance. So again, the action of the immune system is right.
We can conclude that the auto-immune diseases are not a mistake of the human nature.
Regarding hypersensitivities or allergies, conventional medicine explains that it’s about an exaggerated response of the immune system against inoffensive external agents, such as pollen or certain food. They add that the factors that can influence the development of allergies are mainly genetic, but also stress may worsen the situation, and they mention the hygiene hypothesis. In this hypothesis is argued that the children that live in an aseptic environment have a weakened immune system. Other factors that can have an impact on allergies are suffering certain diseases in childhood and environmental pollution. Nevertheless, conventional medicine doesn’t offer any real explanation to the fact that the immune system have become hypersensitive to natural substances. Simply the consider that the immune system is disrupted.
Functional medicine states the hypothesis that when the intestine is damaged by different reasons, such as chemicals, stress or bacteria, then it becomes leaky and different harmful substances can cross through the small intestinal lining and get into the blood stream. This is called the leaky gut syndrome. Then the immune system reacts against these substances that are not supposed to be found in the blood, such as partially digested food, toxic products and bacteria. This is an underlying inflammation that is the indirect cause of the environmental hypersensitivities, and the direct cause of food allergies and intolerances.
Upon this theory, the immune system is not malfunctioning, because it is necessary that it carries out his task of cleaning the undesirable substances that have crossed the leaky gut. So in this case, the immune system is wrong neither.
The immune system is our defence and our internal cleaning system. It is a perfect army, that always gives an adequate and proportionate response to the problem that it has to face.
The only case where the immune system may have a deficient answer is when the body does not have enough nutrients to work. In this case, we are talking about a completely opposite kind of diseases compared to allergies and auto-immune system; it’s about a lack of reaction, instead of an over-reaction.
There are some theories that show that cancer may be caused by an immune system insufficiency, where damaged cells are not cleaned. This will be the subject of another post.
For the moment, the conclusion is that diseases associated to an hyper-active immune system are not because of an impairment.
Then, if the immune system is just doing all his best, it does not make any sense to impede its functioning with anti-inflammatory remedies. In this other post you can read the continuation, where we address the mechanism of action of anti-inflammatory remedies.

Bibliography:

* “The Life Science Health System” by T.C. Fry.
Lesson 2 – The Nature And Purpose Of Disease
Lesson 72 - Rheumatic Diseases
Lesson 71 – Allergies, Hay Fever, And Other Chronic Diseases

Natural anti-inflammatories

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:30:00 +0100

It is well known that anti-inflammatory medicines are associated with a long list of harmful side effects so, many people search for natural remedies to treat pain and inflammation.
In this post I call into question the need of fight inflammation, which is a thought shared by both conventional and alternative medicine.
I offer other solutions to alleviate inflammation while respecting the wise decisions of the body concerning the need of the inflammatory process.

Continue reading Natural anti-inflammatories

First of all we need to clarify the concept of inflammation.
We identify inflammation mainly with redness, swelling and pain in the tissues or organs.
Inflammation has two origins: immune and restorative. The immune response may be caused by different reasons, but the goal is always the same: cleaning our organism from harmful substances, whether they are foreign substances coming from outside - toxics and microbes - or from internal substances - toxins resulting from the metabolism.
The restorative inflammation happens when some part of the organism has been injured. In this case, the body dilates the blood capillaries in order to allow the passage of healing substances, such as platelets, and cleaning and defensive substances to the damaged area.
From this explanation, we may deduce a fact: the inflammation is a beneficial process for the body, because the purpose is the restoration, defence and cleaning of the organism.
Deepening a little bit more into the deduction, we may understand that when the inflammatory process is stopped then the restorative, defensive and hygienic action can not be taken place, so the organism can not heal. Further more, the anti-inflammatory medicine inhibit the inflammation - the healing process!
But, what about the natural medicine, such as phytotherapy and homeopathy? We have been told that natural remedies are not harmful and they have insignificant side effects. Yes, their side effects are lower, as well as lower anti-inflammatory effects. Nevertheless, it’s also an anti-inflammatory - they disturb the healing process.
Regarding the anti-inflammatory food, such as turmeric, broccoli, omega 3 rich oils, garlic, coconut oil, etc., they perform the same function as a natural remedy, although less powerful. So they are not as counter-productive as conventional or natural medicine, because these last ones are a pure extract of anti-inflammatory agents, while food is an aggregate of substances with different effects. So this kind of food are not a problem, provided they are taken in normal amounts. Juicing therapies or turmeric supplements, for example, have the same effects as a natural remedy.
Now we understand that inflammation is necessary for healing. But, isn’t it possible that the body makes a mistake, and it produces an excessive inflammation when it is not needed? There are several conditions in which medicine considers that the organism is taking wrong decisions. This is the case of allergies and autoimmune diseases.
In this other post I expose the reasons that show that autoimmune diseases and hypersensitivites are not an immune malfunction. Therefore, neither in these cases is not convenient to stop the inflammatory process. The inflammation, although is an annoying process, is also needed in these diseases.
In the same way, flu, a cold, the inflammatory bowel disease, a faringitis, vaginitis, bronchitis, conjunctivitis, gastritis, otitis, cistitis, tendinitis, … are the result of the proportionate answer of the immune system to the current circumstances. They mustn’t be stopped. But we can search the way to alleviate them respecting the immune process; and of course, we can search the causes of that diseases in order to prevent happening again.
The immune system is never excessive. If inflammation exists it is because it is needed. The body is very intelligent, it doesn’t make mistakes, it always acts in the best direction for us, in a proportionate way depending of circumstances.
Medicines, both natural and conventional, help us to live better, relieving our physiological and psychological pains, so we can continue with our daily frenzy of stress, pollution, junk food and other live pleasures. But our health pays a very high price for that, with a chronic deterioration.
Pain and suffering shorten our health too, I don’t suggest dying of pain. What to do then?
The only therapies that help to soothe the pain in the emergency, without any side effect, are the body-mind and energetic therapies: meditation, visualisation, laughter therapy, hypnotherapy, reiki, massages, prayer, etc. Because they don’t block inflammation, but in first place, they deviate the attention of the mind to another point, and in second place, they stimulate the production of endorphins, the wellbeing substances. In order to understand it better I suggest an exercise. Any day you have a worry, a fear, a malaise; stop for a moment and distract your mind to another subject. Think about your vacations, a pleasurable event in the past, or simply watch a comedy on the TV. You will see how your problem substantially decreases. However, another day concentrate your attention to your problem, making your head spin. You will verify that it makes the problem worse.
The solution is to evade the mind with a method that is not harmful for the health, strengthening the mind. Then, in the long term, the pain will disappear when the cause has been identified and you have put an end to it.
Our organism is immensely wise, and it knows perfectly how to heal. In the same way that when a bone is fractured, or when we have a wound, it is the organism who restores the bone of the skin - the same happens with every disease.
We simply must stop the process that is hurting the body, whether the stress, unhealthy food, negative emotions, sleep deprivation, lack of sun, etc.
Following a healthy life style in all the areas we can heal and prevent inflammation. It’s not easy, but at least it’s worth to try it. And finally, if we don’t succeed in changing our life style, because of different reasons, the resource of anti-inflammatory medicine is always available - natural ones if you prefer.

Bibliography:

* “Head First: The Biology of Hope and the Healing Power of the Human Spirit”, by Norman Cousins

* “The Life Science Health System” by T.C. Fry.
Lesson 2 – The Nature And Purpose Of Disease
Lesson 72 - Rheumatic Diseases
Lesson 71 – Allergies, Hay Fever, And Other Chronic Diseases

Alcoholism without drinking alcohol

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 07:55:00 +0100

Irritability, aggressiveness, borderline personality disorder, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, development delay, defiant oppositional disorder, and insomnia are some symptoms seen in alcoholics. But alcohol may also induce the opposite effects: depression, hypoactivity, somnolence, brain fog, social apathy, anxiety, etc.
If the person never drinks alcohol, how is it possible that they show characteristics of an alcoholic person?
The answer is: a yeast-like fungus infection or intestinal candidiasis. In this article we are going to explore the topic of yeast overgrowth: testing, causes, consequences and treatments.

Continue reading Alcoholism without drinking alcohol

Candida is a kind of yeast that can develop in different parts of the body, for example, the mouth, vagina and the intestine, when adequate conditions are present: over abundance of sweet food, acid pH, warmth and humidity.
The original source of a vaginal and oral mycosis is the intestine. The yeasts first develop in the intestin and later they can migrate to different parts of the body. The candidiasis can even be found in the blood. This is because of a food intolerance, that is caused by an insufficiency of the production of amylase enzymes in the saliva and pancreas, and/or maltase, lactase and sucrose in the intestine. Many other causes exist, for example: an inadequate food combination or an excess amount of food consumed that exceeds the capacity of digestion or any other situation that perturbs the good digestion of carbohydrates and sugars (read here for other causes and this other article for the principles of food combinations)
Candida is not the only yeast that can reside in the intestine; saccharomyces and aspergillus can also be found. They all nourish themselves on carbohydrates and sugars. The products of their digestion are CO2, ammoniac, alcohol and 80 different toxic wastes such as tartaric acid, arabinose, etc. It’s an alcoholic fermentation, that is the base of the production of wine and alcoholic drinks.
Out of all the different kinds of alcohol produced by yeasts, the most dangerous one for the brain is acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde gives a long list of toxic effects, such as:
* Gastro-intestinal disturbance: diarrhoea, constipation, gas, stomach ache
* Damage in liver, pancreas, estomac, intestine, etc
* Damage in the central nervous system (brain) and peripheral (nerfs) and its consequences that are psychological disorders, neurological disorders, behavioral disorders, neuropathies, neuralgia, etc.
* Reduced capacity of detoxification of other toxic substances
* Hormonal disorders, premenstrual syndrome
* Auto-immune disorders
Many available pharmacological treatments exist, such as fluconazol, and natural treatments, such as grapefruit seed extract, coconut oil and multiple other essential oils and herbs. But the source is located in the intestinal candidiasis, so it’s mainly this that we need to treat.
All these natural or chemical medications are usually effective in the short term but candidiasis appears again after some time if the source has not been treated properly. It’s the incorrect digestion of carbohydrates and sugars that must be addressed. If you continue nourishing the microorganisms, they will continue to thrive. By identifying the cause of this bad digestion (read here some of them) you will need to act accordingly. For example, if the problem is a stressful situation you will have to find a way to get rid of stress; if the problem is an antibiotic therapy you will need to take probiotics; if the food is inadequate you will need to change your diet, etc.
To confirm that your health problems come from a candidose or a yeast overgrowth, it is possible to have to different clinical tests: blood antibodies, presence of yeasts in stools and urine fungi organic metabolites.

Are our children malnourished?

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 09:31:00 +0100

Although in the occidental world we don’t suffer of hungry, undernutrition is common in most of the children and adults. Because symptoms of lack of nutrients are present in most of the people, we think it’s normal.
In this article, I would like to alert parents about the danger that we and our children are exposed because of our incorrect way of eating and living, showing how to identify a possible case of malnutrition.

Continue reading Are our children malnourished?

Herbert Shelton (1) says that “ A child may be normal, as far as height and weight are concerned, ans still present many evidences of malnutrition. A child that is fat may be undernourished.
The more common symptoms of malnutrition are:
* a dry, delicate skin, which is either pale or wax-like or else sallow. or pasty, or earthy in appearance;
* dry, rough hair, brittle nails;
* blue circles or dark hallows under the eyes, with a pale, colorless mucous lining of the eye-lids;
* loose skin, flabby, underdeveloped muscles, round shoulders, projecting shoulder blades, fatigue posture, prominent abdomen,
* irritability, listlessness, inattention, laziness, undue mental and physical fatigue, mental backwardness, a temperamental disposition, lack of natural inquisitiveness and a lessened * power of concentration
* the child is also likely to be picky about his food
You don’t need to have all the symptoms, if any of these symptoms are present malnutrition is likely to be the cause.”
There’s a lot of other symptoms linked to a faulty nutrition. Recurrent ENT diseases, learning and behavioral troubles; teeth and bone problems such as cavities, the need of orthodontia and flat foot; sight problems such as the need of wearing glasses; and a long list of symptoms that currently appear in most of our children.
Malnutrition doesn’t mean that the person is not eating enough; all the contrary, in our occidental world, paradoxically undernutrition comes from an excess of food intake, or the consumption of inadequate food.
Shelton says “Overcrowded nutrition means starvation, whether it be in the infant that is fed more because it cries from already having had too much, or in the adult who glutonizes because he is drunk on food and craves more stimulation of the same sort”.
The most frequently life style deficiencies that can lead to these health problems are also the lack of sunshine, lack of rest and sleep, lack of exercise, lack of caring, lack of clean air and water; or it may be an excess of unhealthy life style routines, such as improper kinds of amusement or chronic exposure to some kind of toxicity (medicine, vaccines, and any kind of chemicals).
In any case, if you or your family suffer of any kind of disease, and you are following a normal, standard, and what the conventional medicine community considers an “balanced” diet, then you are not following a healthy diet. Most of the food that is commonly considered as healthy is not healthy at all. A nutritionist may help you to find out what could be the problem in your diet, so you can live really fully nourished.
Read more about the causes of malnutrition in this other article.

References:
(1) Hygienic Systems Vol. II, “The science and fine art of food and nutrition”, by Herbert M. Shelton.

Raynaud syndrome, neuropathies, fatigue, concentration deficit, somnolence, brittle nails. ...

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 10:11:00 +0100

Raynaud’s disease, tingling and numbness in hands and feet, cramps, fatigue, concentration difficulty, drowsiness, … these diseases may have different causes, but one of the most important one is a problem in the circulatory system, that prevents to provide the needed energy to the extremities and to the brain.
After experiencing these diseases for several years, I explain in this article my conclusions about the influence of nutrition and life style on these diseases.

Continue reading Raynaud syndrome, neuropathies, fatigue, concentration deficit, somnolence, brittle nails. A personal experience

Raynaud syndrome is a lack of blood supply in the tip of the fingers, or even in the whole fingers. They turn completely white and insensitive, and it appears under certain circumstances. One of them is when the temperature drops below a certain value, that is not necessarily very low; it can be 15ºC.
Tingling, numbness and cramps in limbs are symptoms that are related with the peripheral nervous system. But the origin of this problem go back to a blood flow problem, where the distal median nerve doesn’t receive enough blood and lead to a lack of sensitivity, such as numbness; or a very intense involuntary contraction of muscles, that results in cramps.
Tingling and numbness may aggravate with time, and become a peripheral neuropathy, with acute pain in the extremities.

Diabetes, sugar, fats and inflammation

It’s widely accepted in conventional medicine that diabetes is one of the most important causes of these kind of diseases we are dealing with. But in some cases, people suffer temporal cramps or numbness, and without being diabetics, the cause is also a blood flow problem due to a temporal hypoglycemia or high blood sugar, which leads to a phenomena called glycation, with the associated vascular injury. It’s a pre-diabetes.
As we have explained in the previous article, the responsible food of the glycation is, according to Dr. Perlmutter, sugars and carbohydrates; while Dr. Graham thinks that fats are the responsible. Dr. Campbell-McBride attributes, on the other side, the cause of vascular problems and the kind of diseases we are dealing with in this article, to the endogenous production of alcohol and other toxins by opportunistic and pathologic bacteria in the intestine, that feeds on carbohydrates and sugars that are not well digested by the person.
I would like to explain my personal experience when eating any kind of carbohydrates: grains, beans and pulses, starches, sugars, syrups, honey and dry fruit (but fresh fruit it’s not any problem). Approximately one day after the intake, I suffer of hypothermia, hypotension, tingling and numbness in the superior extremities during all night; and if the temperature in low, also Raynaud’s disease during the day. Also, my nails turn brittle and my hair is weaker. The effect remains for 2 approximately days. The same thing happens eating fruits with fats or oils.
Eggs make also numbness and pain to appear in my legs. I can’t explain the exact reason to this reaction, it may be the high amount of fats in them; the inmune inflammatory effect; or to the oxidative stress.
These experiences I’ve described coincide with Dr. Perlmutter’s and Dr. Campbell-McBride’s theory about carbohydrates and sugars; and Dr. Graham’s theory about fats.

Digestion and energy

Another cause that leads to a decrease in blood flow in the extremities is digestion.
Digestion is a process that consumes a lot of energy, which is taken at the expense of reducing the activity of other organic processes. We have all experienced some time an irresistible feeling like sleeping after a copious meal. This is because the blood flow and the energy of the body are concentrated in the digestion, and it decrease in other parts of the body, which are mainly the extremities and the brain; this is, the peripheral and central nervous system.
Therefore, if our meals are excessively abundant for the body, and they are repeated too frequently, maybe it won’t give somnolence, but it will reduce the attentiveness, memory, mental acuity and all the rest of cognitive processes. If this situation happens too often, although at too low scale, it may lead to mental developmental delay in children, behavior disorders, hypoactivity and low performance, chronic fatigue, and even depression. Concerning extremities, the affectation may result in neuropathies, Raynaud’s disease, cramps, etc. And it would entail a lack of nutrients in skin, hair and nails.
In the same way, when you practice sport or any important physical activity, the energetic expense is concentrated in muscles; so it’s not possible to perform digestion or any intelectual activity at the same time than a physical activity. This is the reason why, for example, it’s advised to wait some hours after a meal before swimming. So then, the lighter a meal is, the less the energy is needed for digestion, so the greater is the energy remaining for the rest of activities in the body.
The energy spent to digest different food depends greatly on every person, the type of cooking, the food combining and many other factors. But approximately, 100 grams of fruit (about an apple) consume about 12 calories to perform the digestion; while 100 grams of meat spend 60 calories (72 calories for a steak); 100 grams of pasta burns about 36 calories (7 calories for every tablespoon); and oil needs 27 calories every 100 grams (about 4 calories for every tablespoon).
On top of that, the energetic balance of food is also very different. Meat consumes 30% of their caloric contribution for their digestion; fruits and vegetables consume about 20%; carbohydrates burn 10%, and fats only 3% of their energy delivery for digestion.

Sleeping

Sleeping not enough is another main reason for a lack of energy.
In my experience, the most important aspect that impacts on Raynaud’s disease is sleep deprivation. When this situation is given, and temperature is low, and/or the process of digestion starts, then the circulation of blood in the capillary vessels of the extremities experiences important deficiencies.

Physical exercise

Practicing some sports, on the other side, improves Raynaud’s syndrome, because the blood circulation is activated in all the muscles and extremities, whereas it decreases the blood flow in the brain and digestive system.
The completely lack of activity is highly harmful for all the systems. The body follows the law of minimum energy, so after a long convalescence in bed, or the immobilization of a member because an accident, rehabilitation is needed in order to recover the normal functions of the muscles. The same happens, in a smaller scale, after a long trip. Although it may last for “only” 8 hours in car or plane, the body already decreases the energy dedicated to the muscular system. (Interestingly, this phenomena doesn’t take place at night, as the body intelligently identifies that this reduction of activity is because of sleeping, and it doesn’t take it into account to decrease the muscular force). This is why after mi frequent trips back to Switzerland from Barcelona in winter, when entering in a extremely cold house, unloading the baggage, and placing everything in order, Raynaud’s syndrome appeared in my fingers. My circulatory system had been kept down in my muscle system because of the long trip, and it couldn’t face a sudden increase of activity.

Congenital vital energy

The expense of energy to maintain the basal metabolism is not the same for everybody. It’s not true, for example, that all the same kind of people need the same calories. So for example, not all adult sedentary women consume 1800 calories daily. I’ve verified that in my case, for example, I need very much less calories, and an excess of them leads to health disturbances.
In the same way, not every person has born with the same vital energy. Some persons born with genetic diseases; other ones enjoy a perfect health and develop an extraordinary athletic indurance; other ones are born with paraplegias and they become genius. So then, the digestive force of every person is different too. Some of them have several alergies and food intolerances since young; other ones seem to resist eating any kind of junk food without any apparent injury.
This is why some people can keep healthy just following a traditional home made food; while other ones need to pay very much attention with food and adhere to some diets.
This is my case. For different reasons, I’ve found myself with the need to follow a frugivore diet if I want to enjoy a good health. Like me, many people have a very delicate vital energy, that is affected in great mesure by the food we consume.
If I stick to my fruits, I’m able to walk during a week, 6 hours a day, climbing mountains under the sun of the summer. But if I jump my diet, a strong hay fever in spring and summer makes me impossible even go upstairs just one stage.
I think that this lack of energy im the central and peripheral nervous system, may have some responsibility in some neurological, degenerative and behavior diseases, too.

Stimulants

In order to alleviate this lack of energy, people use to intake some stimulants, such as meat, coffee, tea, chocolate, and unfortunately, some people even go to drugs. But stimulants have an effect very likely to giving a whiplash to a tired horse in a race. Yes, maybe this horse will win the race, but what will his fate will be afterwards? The stimulants extract the tiny reserves of energy that still exists in the body, exhausting it even more, day after day.
Instead of searching for stimulants, the only solution the the lack of energy is to rest, not only physically but also mentally and physiologically. The first reflex should be to recover the missed sleeping hours, with a nap or advancing the time to go to bed. Fasting, semi-fasting or light meals are really needed during the days where energy is not enough to perform the digestion. A relaxation session, with a mediation of at least 15 minutes, is also very beneficial for a mental rest.

Conclusion

There are mainly three systems that compete for the energy of the organism: digestive system, nervous system and muscular system. When the available energy in the body is low because of different reasons, such as lack of sleep, improper food, stress, etc., then some of the systems have a great demand of energy, and the other systems may suffer a scarcity of that energy, with all the associated symptoms and diseases.
Following a healthy diet and life style will allow that all these systems work full of energy.

Síndrome de Raynaud, neuropatías, fatiga, falta de concentración, somnolencia. ...

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 10:08:00 +0100

Síndrome de Raynaud, hormigueo, entumecimiento, calambres, fatiga, falta de concentración, somnolencia, uñas quebradizas, caída del cabello ... estas enfermedades pueden tener diversos orígenes, pero uno de los más importantes es un problema del sistema circulatorio que impide que llegue energía suficiente a las extremidades y al cerebro.
Después de haber sufrido estas enfermedades durante muchos años, os explico las conclusiones a las que he llegado sobre la influencia de la nutrición y los hábitos de vida como el dormir y el ejercicio.

Continue reading Síndrome de Raynaud, neuropatías, fatiga, falta de concentración, somnolencia. Una experiencia personal.

El síndrome de Raynaud consiste en una falta de circulación en la punta de los dedos o en los dedos enteros de las extremidades. Estos se vuelven completamente blancos e insensibles, y aparece en ciertas circunstancias. Una de ellas es cuando la temperatura ambiental desciende hasta cierto valor, puede ser simplemente a partir de los 15ºC.
El hormigueo, entumecimiento o adormecimiento de las extremidades y los calambres son síntomas asociados a problemas del sistema nervioso periférico. Pero el origen de este problema remonta a un problema de circulación sanguínea, donde los nervios distales de las extremidades no reciben suficiente sangre y producen una falta de sensibilidad, en el caso del entumecimiento; o una contracción involuntaria muy intensa de los músculos, en el caso de los calambres.
El hormigueo y entumecimiento puede agravarse con el tiempo y llegar a convertirse en una neuropatía periférica, con dolores agudos en las extremidades.

Diabetes, azúcares, grasas e inflamación

Está comúnmente aceptado que la diabetes es una de las causas más comunes de estas enfermedades. En algunos casos, las personas sufren calambres y hormigueos temporales, y sin llegar a ser diabéticos, la causa es igualmente un problema circulatorio sanguíneo debido a una hiperglicemia temporal o tasa de azúcar en sangre demasiado elevada, la cual provoca un fernómeno llamado glicación, con el daño vascular asociado. Es una pre-diabetis.
Como se explica en este artículo anterior, los alimentos responsables de la glicación son, según el Dr. Perlmutter, los azúcares y los carbohidratos; mientras que para el Dr. Graham, son las grasas.
La Dra. Campbell-McBride, en cambio, atribuye a la producción endógena de alcohol y a otras toxinas por parte de las bacterias oportunistas y patológicas en el intestino que se alimentan de carbohidratos y azúcares que no son bien digeridos y absorbidos, la causa de que haya problemas vasculares, y la aparición de las enfermedades que nos ocupan.
Os cuento mi experiencia personal al tomar cualquier tipo de carbohidratos, sean cereales, legumbres o féculas; y/o azúcares, del tipo azúcar refinado o moreno, jarabes, miel, o frutas secas (mientras la fruta fresca no supone ningún problema en absoluto). Aproximadamente un día después de su consumo, sufro hipotermia, hipotensión, entumecimiento de las extremidades superiores durante la noche y, si la temperatura ambiental es baja, también la enfermedad de Raynaud durante el día. Además, mis uñas se vuelven quebradizas y mi pelo se debilita. El efecto permanece durante 2 días aproximadamente. El mismo fenómeno me ocurre al tomar fruta fresca junto con grasas o aceites.
Los huevos también me provocan entumecimiento de las extremidades superiores un día después, permaneciendo el efecto durante 2 días. La razón exacta de esta reacción no sabría si es atribuible también a su alto contenido en grasa; a su efecto inflamatorio inmunitario, con la generación de una gran cantidad de complejos antígeno-anticuerpo, los cuales impiden la buena circulación sanguínea; o al estrés oxidativo derivado del efecto inflamatorio.
Estas experiencias coinciden con la teoría del Dr. Perlmutter y la Dra. Campbell-McBride sobre los carbohidratos y azúcares, y del Dr. Graham sobre el efecto de las grasas.

Digestión y energía

Otra causa que provoca una disminución del riego sanguíneo en las extremidades es la digestión.
La digestión es un proceso que consume mucha energía, la cual se toma a costa de reducir la actividad de otros procesos orgánicos. Todos hemos experimentado alguna vez unas irresistibles ganas de hacer una siesta después de una comida copiosa. Esto se debe a que el flujo sanguíneo y la energía del cuerpo están dedicados a la digestión, y disminuye en otras partes del cuerpo, que son principalmente las extremidades y el cerebro, es decir, el sistema nervioso periférico y central. Así pues, si nuestras comidas son excesivamente abundantes para el organismo, y se producen con demasiada frecuencia, quizás no llegarán a producir somnolencia, pero sí que reducirán la capacidad de atención, la memoria, la agudeza mental y todos los demás procesos cognitivos. Si esta situación se da de forma continuada, aunque sea a baja escala, con comidas inadecuadas, excesivas o demasiado frecuentes; puede producir retrasos del desarrollo intelectual en niños, trastornos del comportamiento, hipoactividad y bajo rendimiento, fatiga crónica, y hasta depresión. En cuanto a las extremidades, la afectación dará como resultado neuropatías, síndrome de Raynaud, calambres, etc. Y también conllevará una falta de nutrientes en la piel, el cabello y las uñas.
De la misma forma, cuando se realiza deporte o cualquier actividad física importante, el gasto energético está concentrado en los músculos, y por lo tanto, no es posible realizar la digestión ni una actividad intelectual al mismo tiempo que la actividad física. Es por esta razón, por ejemplo, que es prudente esperar unas horas después de comer para hacer la digestión antes de bañarse.
Así pues, cuanto más ligera es una comida, el gasto energético digestivo es menor, y se dispone de mayor energía para el resto de las actividades del cuerpo.
La energía consumida para digerir los diferentes alimentos varía en gran medida para cada persona, el tipo de cocción, la forma de combinarlos y muchos factores más. Pero aproximadamente, la fruta consume unas 12 calorías para realizar la digestión de 100 gramos (aproximadamente una manzana), mientras que 100 gramos de carne gastará unas 60 calorías para su digestión (78 calorías para un bistec); 100 gramos de pasta de trigo necesitará para su digestión unas 36 calorías (7 calorías cada cucharada); y el aceite consume unas 27 calorías los 100 gramos (4 calorías para una cucharada).
Además, el balance energético de los alimentos es también muy diferente. La carne consume 30% de su aporte calórico en su propia digestión, las verduras y frutas consumen un 20%, los carbohidratos un 10% y las grasas sólo un 3%.

Dormir

Dormir insuficientemente es otra de las causas de la falta de energía.
Por experiencia propia, a partir de la observación durante muchos años, he deducido que el factor que más incide en la enfermedad de Raynaud es la falta de sueño. Cuando se da esta circunstancia, y la temperatura es baja, y/o además, empieza el proceso de la digestión, entonces la circulación en los vasos capilares de las extremidades no es suficiente.

Ejercicio físico

El hecho de hacer deporte, en cambio, tiene un efecto positivo en el síndrome de Raynaud, debido a que se activa la circulación sanguínea en los músculos y las extremidades. En cambio, el deporte disminuye el flujo sanguíneo en el cerebro y el aparato digestivo.
La extrema falta de actividad también es perjudicial para todos los sistemas. El cuerpo sigue una ley que es la de minimizar el gasto de energía. Así pues, sucede que después de una larga convalescencia en cama, o de la inmovilización de un miembro debido a un accidente, sea necesario realizar una rehabilitación para recuperar sus funciones de movilidad normales. Lo mismo sucede, a menor escala, cuando por ejemplo hacemos un viaje muy largo. Aunque “solamente” se trate de 8 horas en coche o en avión, el cuerpo disminuye la energía dedicada al sistema muscular. (Curiosamente este fenómeno no se produce durante la noche, ya que el cuerpo inteligentemente reconoce que la reducción de actividad se debe al normal reposo nocturno, y no lo toma en cuenta en el hecho de disminuir la fuerza muscular). Es por ello que después de mis habituales viajes de vuelta a Suiza desde Barcelona en invierno, al entrar en una casa helada, y con el ajetreo de descargar y deshacer las maletas, y poner la casa en orden, me aparecía el síndrome de Raynaud. Mi sistema circulatorio se había adaptado a la no actividad del viaje, y no podía hacer frente a un súbito incremento de actividad.

Energía vital congénita

El gasto de energía del metabolismo basal no es el mismo para todas las personas. No es cierto, por ejemplo, que todas las personas del mismo tipo necesitemos las mismas calorías. Así por ejemplo, no es cierto que todas las mujeres adultas sedentarias consuman 1800 calorías diarias. He podido comprobar que en mi caso, por ejemplo, necesito muchísimas menos calorías, y un exceso me conlleva problemas de salud.
De la misma forma, no todas las personas hemos nacido con la misma energía vital. Algunas personas nacen con problemas de salud genéticos; otras nacen con una salud excelente y desarrollan una fuerza atlética extraordinaria; otras nacen con paraplegias y se convierten en genios. Así pues, la fuerza digestiva de cada persona es también diferente. Algunas tienen numerosas alergias e intolerancias desde pequeños; otras parece que puedan resistir comer todo tipo de comida insaludable sin caer prácticamente nunca enfermas.
Es por ello que algunas personas pueden seguir una comida tradicionalmente casera sana, sin hacer un régimen en especial, y permanecer en buena salud. En cambio, otras personas necesitan seguir dietas muy estrictas para poder gozar de relativa buena salud: sin gluten, sin lácteos, sin azúcares, vegetarianas, Paleo, crudivorista, etc.
Este es mi caso. Por distintas circunstancias de la vida, me he visto obligada a seguir una dieta frugivorista para poder gozar de buena salud. Como yo, muchas personas tenemos una energía vital muy delicada, que se ve afectada en gran medida por los alimentos que consumimos. Si me ciño a mi dieta, soy capaz de andar durante una semana, 6 horas al día, subiendo montañas bajo el sol del verano. Pero si me salto mis restricciones alimentarias, mi fiebre de heno en primavera y verano me imposibilitan incluso poder subir las escaleras de un piso.
Creo que esta falta de energía del sistema nervioso central y periférico podría tener parte de responsabilidad en algunas enfermedades neurológicas, degenerativas y del comportamiento, también.

Estimulantes

Para paliar esta falta de energía se suelen tomar estimulantes, como carne, café, té, chocolate, y por desgracia, algunas personas recurren hasta a las drogas, como es el caso en algunos yuppies. Pero los estimulantes tienen un efecto parecido al de dar un latigazo a un caballo cansado en una carrera. Sí, quizás llegará el primero, ¿pero cuál será su suerte después de atravesar la meta? ¿Aguantará mucho más? Los estimulantes extraen la poca energía de la que todavía dispone el cuerpo, extenuándolo todavía más, y cada día más.
En vez de buscar estimulantes, la única solución a la falta de energía es el reposo. Este reposo no es solamente físico, sino también mental y fisiológico. El primer reflejo debe ser recuperar las horas de sueño perdidas, con una siesta o adelantando la hora de ir a dormir. El ayuno, semi-ayuno o comidas ligeras son necesarios los días en que la energía no es suficiente para hacer la digestión. Una sesión de relajación, con una meditación de al menos unos 15 minutos, es también beneficiosa para un reposo mental.

Conclusión:

En el organismo existen principalmente tres sistemas que compiten por la energía del organismo: el digestivo, el nervioso (cerebral y periférico) y el muscular. Cuando la energía disponible del organismo es baja debido a diferentes circunstancias, como la falta de sueño, una incorrecta alimentación, el estrés, etc., y se da la situación que alguno de estos sistemas tiene una gran necesidad de energía, los otros sistemas padecen una escasez de dicha energía, con los consecuentes síntomas y enfermedades asociados.
Seguir una alimentación y estilo de vida adecuados permitirá que estos sistemas no sufran una falta de energía.

To what extend does nutrition affects psychology?

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 09:10:00 +0100

In a previous article I introduced the narrow relationship between body and mind; and I concluded that a physical and/or psychological perturbation may be the origin of any physical and/or psychological disease.
In this present article I would like to focus on the influence of physical disorders on psychological diseases, and more specifically, to what extend nutrition can change our mind.

Continue reading To what extend does nutrition affects psychology?

Dr. Campbell-McBride explains in her book, “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”, how a dysbiosis or gut flora unbalance can impact on the development of psychological diseases, such as depression, anorexia and bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder; as well as it can impact on neurological diseases, such as autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy, Alzheimer, etc.
After several years working with children with this kind of diseases, I would like to share one observation.
It’s important to differentiate between two different families of mental diseases: psychological and neurological. In the psychological ones, as the word say, there’s a very important component of psychology. This is why it is essential that the person follows a psychological treatment with a specialized therapist. It will be very difficult to heal a person with a pathology of this kind in a deep level if there’s not a psychological work.
In this cases, the nutritional therapy is very helpful, but it’s not enough at all. On the other side, neurological diseases, and hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder (ADD) as well, have a physiological origin, so a nutritional intervention is translated into a significant improvement, even a healing in numerous cases, with no need of any other therapy added.
Dr. Amen (1) shows that, through his studies on the brain with SPECT scanners, there is an important correlation between mental disorders and activity on the brain. So for example, he shows that people with ADD have a prefrontal cortex activity very much lower than the one of a normal person, and in fact, the more they try to concentrate, the less the activity in the brain; this is, when the more they try to concentrate, the worse they succeed. Other psychological disorders, such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, etc., are related with other disturbances in other parts of the brain.
Dr. Amen suggests a series of psychological, naturopathic and nutritional interventions to improve these diseases. And if it is necessary psychiatric medication too.
Nobody and nothing is going to avoid to feel a painful grief for a separation or the loss of a dear person, but the impact can be more or less deep, depending on the physical and psychological state of the person. Herbert Shelton (2) says that in a study about nutrition and mental factors, it was found that the emotional trauma is survived by the healthy people with a minimum of injury and leave no bad effects. But they frequently result in permanent troubles in those whose health, particularly their digestive health, has been neglected.
So it’s really worth to follow a daily correct nutrition of the body, mind and spirit, living well nourished (Living Fully Nourished).

References:

1) Dr Daniel Amen, “Magnificent mind at any age”
2) Herbert Shelton, “Hygienic Systems Vol II. The science and fine art of food and nutrition”

Nutrition for optimal brain function

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 10:16:00 +0100

We all long for an optimal brain function, but most people, from children to the eldest, complain about brain weaknesses: lack of memory, poor concentration, learning disorders, poor results at school, low performance at work, absent-mindedness, hyperactivity, …
We can do a very important job using different therapies for the brain function, but it is very hard work to improve these issues when there is a physiological problem, which can come from an incorrect nutrition.
Check in this article if your diet is healthy enough in order to sustain a high brain performance..

Continue reading Nutrition for optimal brain function

You can do all the memory exercises that are available in the market, and all the sensorial stimulation and development therapies, but if the brain does not have the building blocks that allow to set this information in it, it will be quite difficult. It is as if the best architect in the world did not have construction materials to build his houses.
We must provide the body with these basic materials through a good nutrition in order to build a strong and healthy brain.
We acquire a set of beliefs concerning what is a healthy diet starting from our childhood, and we all follow, more or less, these ideas which come from the family, school, advertising, doctors, tradition, etc. But maybe these beliefs about a “healthy diet” are not exactly correct, after all…?
Our brain does not have any special need different from the rest of the body. It needs energy from glucose; the building blocks for the neurones from amino acids and fatty acids; minerals and vitamins for the biochemical reactions; as well as water.
All these nutrients come from the food we consume, and the recycling of the damaged tissues of our body (yes, our body is very ecologic!). So we mainly focus our diet in order to provide the food we think is good for our body. But we forget that these nutrients must be correctly digested, transformed, absorbed, delivered to the brain, integrated into the tissue; and the residues of all these activities must be removed form the tissues.
When we plan our meals, we need to think not only about providing the food that our brain needs, but we must also take care of all the processes that our food will be submitted to, from the mouth to the brain. Moreover, we must avoid eating some substances that could disturb the proper functioning of the different systems that perform these processes: digestive system, circulatory system and detoxification system.
In the next part I will explain how to help the optimal functioning of all these systems with a good nutrition.

1) Food intake: nutrient-rich food

We need to eat nutrient-rich food. This is why it is very important to consume produce that is grown in rich and healthy soils. Poor soils give “nutrient poor” food. For example, tomatoes grown in mineralized soil had five times as much calcium, 13 times as much magnesium, and 1.900 times as much iron as samples grown in depleted soils. (10)
Furthermore, transport and storage time of the produce from the field to our plate is also very important. For example, up to 50% of vitamin C is lost in 24 hours after picking the produce. Green beans experience a typical nutrient loss of 45% from the field to the plate (there is usually a about 15-day period), and broccoli and cauliflower suffer a 25% loss.
This is why it is better to buy organic, local and seasonal products.
Another issue concerning nutrient-rich products are wholegrain products. Refined products such as white sugar and white flour must be removed from our diets because they are void of several minerals, vitamins, and fiber contained in the husk of the grain. But as we will see in the next section, the consumption of whole grains may bring about some problems because of their anti-nutrient content, which is higher in whole grains than in refined grains. So we’d better remove all grains from our diets.
In processed products nutrients are destroyed, altered or rendered useless for the body. They also contain additives and other harmful substances. Home made food is infinitely better.
Special attention must be paid to fats when talking about brain nutrition. The brain is composed in a way that is is nearly 60% fat. So the kind of fat we eat really matters for brain health. In that sense, it is important to avoid any kind of burnt oils and fats, and industrial TRANS fats.
Our body needs saturated and unsaturated fat, but up to now, only 2 fatty acids have been found to be essential as external sources, because the body can not manufacture them: the linoleic acid omega 6 and α-linolenic acid omega 3 (9). The rest of fatty acids can be derived from these two omega 6 and omega 3. So it is important to provide good sources of these fats, which can be found in any kind of whole product in more or less amount (whole grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, eggs, …).
However, it has been found that the ratio between these two kinds of fatty acids, omega 6 to omega3, is also very important. The ideal ratio is set to 1:1 or 2:1 (16); higher ratios progressively increase the risk of developing inflammatory diseases. So that means that food that contains an excess of omega 6 is not optimal for health, such as grains and most nuts and seeds, and all kinds of grain fed animals and animal sub-products. Learn more about fats in this article .

2) Digestive system: Gut-Brain connection

More than 2,000 years ago Hippocrates said “All diseases begin in the gut”.
The gut and the brain are connected. The gut means the first step in providing the brain with nutrients to. But as we will see, the gut may also become a source of toxicity for the brain.
Moreover, it’s said that the gut is the second brain. 90% of the body’s serotonin and 50% of its dopamine is made in the gut.
Several substances may disturb the correct functioning of the digestive system. They inhibit the enzymatic function, the scissors that break down the food into elementary substances. Here is a list with some of the most important digestion disturbing substances:
* Anti-nutrients such as phytates, oxalates, and saponins contained in legumes (beans, lentils, peas, soy), grains, seeds and nuts. These anti-nutrients are very much reduced by different culinary processes, such as fermentation, soaking, sprouting and cooking; but even after all these processes, the amount of anti-nutrients is still considerable and can really disturb the digestion. Read more here.
* Vinegar: the acetic acid is a very powerful digestive inhibitor of starch
* Alcohol: impairs protein digestion
* Medicines: for example anti-acid and proton pump inhibitors, inhibit the hydrochloric acid production, impairing the protein digestion.
It is not only what we eat that matters, the way we eat is much more important. If we eat at a stressful moment, we eat too much food, or too frequently, or in a bad combination, even the the world’s healthiest food may be very harmful. The most frequent mistake for most people is overeating, even if they eat healthy food such as vegetables. Read more here.
But even considering that the best conditions for digestion are provided, we must face another problem: having to be able to produce the enzymes that digest that food.
Some foods are, by themselves, indigestible for humans. For example, we can secrete some kind of amylase enzyme to digest starches, but this ability is very limited, compared to some birds that can digest even the starch of raw grains. Our usual food is full of different substances which are, in fact, indigestible for us:
* Some oligosaccharides that are present in legumes, which are not completely eliminated with the different culinary process (12), (13)
* Protein of modern grains (gliadin in wheat, secalin in rye, hordein in barley, avenin in oats, zein in corn, kafirin in sorghum, and panicin in millet). Read more about why modern grains are indigestible in Dr. Seignalet’s book. (11)
* Acrylamides and PAH from burnt meat, starch and oils, and all kinds of grilled food. Pasteurization, deep-frying and barbecuing are the worst cooking methods. In general, the higher the temperature that food is cooked at, the more difficult it is to digest. (14)
* Lactose for adults (2)
* Additives (15)
Also, some people suffer from food intolerances because of their lack of some specific enzymes, for different reasons. Hypochlorhydria is a deficit of hydrochloric acid in the stomach to digest proteins; a deficit of amylase secreted by the pancreas to digest starches, which may be caused by an adrenal fatigue; the lack of bile when there has been a gallbladder ablation, which impairs fat digestion; etc.
All these foods that can’t be digested by our enzymes, are then digested by different undesirable strains of microorganisms that grow in our gut. These bacteria, and sometimes also protozoa and worms, feed on the food that we can’t digest, and the waste of their digestion are gas and toxins (called organic metabolites) that can lead to a long list of diseases in different parts of the body. In the brain, some metabolites are particularly dangerous, such as the opioid peptides coming from gluten and casein (read more here). Acetaldehyde and alcohol coming from yeasts in the gut are also toxic for the brain; clostridia neurotoxins with tetanus-like effect; histamine and other amines; etc. The problems related to these toxins are very different: from a mild lack of memory or sleeping problems to a very acute psychiatric disease. Read more about the detailed effect of toxins in Dr. Campbell-McBride’s book (2). Dr. Campbell-McBride suggests following the GAPS diet in order to heal all kind of psychological and neurological diseases.
The dysbiosis or unbalance of the gut flora also affects the synthesis and methylation of vitamins from the K and B group, which perform a very important role in the brain function.

Another consequence of food digestion problems is inflammation. Inflammation appears when some of these partially digested foods cross the gut-blood barrier because of the leaky gut syndrome. Other undesirable substances that can finish in the blood are chemicals, bacteria, and virus. Then, these substances trigger an immune reaction in the body, that is, an inflammation, which is the origin of a high oxidative stress and free radical production that damages the tissues. When this inflammation happens in the brain, it can lead to psychological pathologies, degenerative diseases, behavioral problems, etc. And these problems can take place without the need of any kind of gastro-intestinal symptom; so food digestion problems may manifest directly in the brain. (1)
It’s also very important to take into account the amount of energy needed for digestion, in spite of the energy delivered to other parts of the body, such as the brain. Read this other article to learn more about the body energy.
After the food is digested, the glucides, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals must cross the gut lining in order to get to the blood stream. This process is called absorption, and we need a healthy gut lining in order to perform a proper absorption.
It has been shown that some food and mainly a big amount of toxins can damage the gut lining, such as gluten and lectin contained in modern grains (1); mercury in amalgam dental fillings; antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pills; pesticides, and a long list of chemical substances. (2)

3) Circulatory system: a good delivery

Transport of the nutrients and oxygen to the brain must be done in a proper way.
Some food may cause damage in the circulatory system, preventing proper blood flow in the brain.
Dr, Perlmutter (1) explains that one of the main problems that disturbs the circulatory system and impairs the function of the brain is the phenomenon called glycation of proteins. Glycation is when sugars bond to proteins (such as haemoglobin), rendering these proteins useless and damaging the tissues: blood vessels, organs, skin, muscles, etc. This happens when there’s too much sugar in the blood, which comes from a diet that is too rich in carbohydrates and sugars. A study from the Mayo clinic showed that high carbohydrate diets increase four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, characterised by memory, language, thinking and judgement problems.
Cholesterol is a controversial subject concerning its effect on the cardiovascular system. In conventional medicine, it is very well-known that it is pointed as one of the major culprits of cardiovascular problems. But many research studies have shown that in fact, people with high cholesterol levels live longer, and cholesterol is a fat we really need for our brain. (1)
Dr Campbell-McBride (8) says that cholesterol is a substance that repairs damaged tissues, such as blood vessels, and if blood cholesterol is too high we should find out the reason why some tissues suffer such a high degree of tear. Our liver makes 75% of all cholesterol, so even if we cut down on the external cholesterol intake, blood cholesterol will still be high.
Dr Campbell-McBride created the GAPS diet for all kinds of neurological and psychological diseases, where all carbohydrates, starches and sugars are completely removed and a high intake of animal fat is encouraged.
Dr. Perlmutter (1) claims in a study that people with the lowest LDL cholesterol were at increased risk for Parkinson’s disease by approximately 350 percent. LDL transports cholesterol to the neurons, where it performs critically important functions. But an LDL molecule can be damaged by the free radicals of an oxydative process, such as the one created by high carbohydrate diets, and any kind of psychological or physical stress to the body. This oxydative stress is the one that also damages the blood vessels, the one that is responsible for the cardiovascular diseases that also impair the proper transportation of the nutrients to the brain. Dr. Perlmutter strongly recommends a fat-based diet, with copious amounts of fat and cholesterol, with some protein and vegetables, and a very small amount of gluten-free grains and sugars (syrups, dairy and fruits included).
Dr. Graham (4) says that a glycation problem arises when there are too many fats and sugars in the blood at the same time, because fats render unusable insuline and so prevent sugars from being properly absorbed, increasing the amount of sugars in the blood and favoring glycation. He supports this argument with the Pritikin Program (17), which is scientifically proven by more than 100 studies. So he advocates a low fat and high fruit diet, as he belongs to the Natural Hygiene current, that considers that humans are essentially frugivore (fruit eaters). On the contrary, a high intake of fats comes from a high intake of pure vegetable oils and/or animal fats, which are extracted from the natural products (olives, nuts, seeds) in a mechanical refinement process that is an industrial process to a higher or lower degree; while eating a reasonable amount of whole fat which natural products contain, which is the case of some fruits such as olives, avocado and coconut, is not a problem.
The conclusion is that fats and sugars are incompatible in a same diet. Both a high-fat low-carbohydrate diet (a ketogenic diet), and a high-fruit low-fat diet (a frugivore diet) show good results in preventing and reversing brain diseases, as well as healing most of diseases. Personally, I’ve got better results with the frugivore diet, although the ketogenic diet is enough in most of the cases.
The most frequently used solution to improve blood flow is supplementation with omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) in the form of fish oil. It’s a very useful remedy, but as all remedies (natural or chemical), it does have side effects. All kinds of remedies that improve blood flow also have an anti-clotting effect, which may be dangerous if a person suffers an accident because of the risk of hemorrhage. It also causes low blood pressure, affects cholesterol levels and may cause vitamin E deficiency. (18) Safety values are set in order to decrease these risks, but sometimes the therapeutic amount that can really have an impact on the brain and cardiovascular diseases is higher than the security values.

It is always better to try to find out what is the origin of the neurologic or cardiovascular condition, as it may be, for example, the glycation or inflammation process due to grains, instead of rushing to have some remedies or supplements.
Other solutions in order to improve the brain function by identifying the factors that disrupt blood flow are described by Dr Amen (3):

* Constrictors: stress, caffeine, and nicotine
* Limiting the blood flow: heart disease, diabetes, lack of sleep, lack of exercise
* Toxicity: drugs, tobacco, alcohol abuse, environmental toxins
* Dehydration
Dr. Amen also suggests some healthy lifestyle choices in order to improve the brain function:
* Avoid practicing risky activities for the brain, such as heading soccer balls; riding a motorcycle or bike, skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding without helmet; driving without seat belt; etc.
* Avoid chronic stress
* Avoid negative thinking, chronic worry, or anger
* Avoid aspartame and monosodium glutamate
* Avoid excessive TV, video games, computer, cell phone time
* Exercise, sleep enough, have a healthy diet

4) Detoxification system: keep clean inside

In Natural Hygiene, toxemia is the main responsible for most diseases. When toxic wastes can not be properly removed from the tissues, then the tissue cells are damaged because of the acid toxicity and the lack of oxygen and nutrients. When the accumulation of debris in the interstitial fluid that baths the cells, coming from an endogenous production or external sources, is quicker than the removal process, then toxemia is present.
It has been shown that most people with neurological diseases have some kind of detoxification system failure. Different genetic polymorphism associated with a poor detoxification system have been found that are related with neurological diseases (6). In particular, the APOE gene has been strongly related to Alzheimer disease (7).
People with an impaired detoxification system must pay special attention to both the internal and external sources of toxicity. That means taking care of all kinds of toxins in one’s environment; in food, air, water, radiations, skin, etc. In this article you will find a detailed explanation about different sources of external toxicity.
Regarding the endogenous production of toxins, the gut flora takes a very important role. As we saw when we were talking about the digestive system, undesirable opportunistic bacteria may produce a wide range of toxins. Taking care of our diet, as we explained in that section, is the first step towards a healthy gut and brain.
Another of the main issues related with gut flora is preventing constipation. When constipations are installed, the food ferments and putrefies in the gut, as the consequence of bacterial action. In order to enjoy a regular bowel transit, several measures are suggested here and solutions here.

Conclusion:

In order to enjoy an improved brain fitness, it is important to follow a healthy lifestyle and a good nutrition, provided not only by a healthy diet, but also a well-performing digestive system, circulatory system and detoxification system. Our nutrition habits have to take care of all these systems, apart from the very well known rule of providing the essential nutrients that the brain needs.
In this sense, it is highly recommended by most of the diets to avoid all kind of grains and refined sugars. Then, every kind of diet recommends different guidelines in terms of proteins, fats and fruits. A bio-individual approach is the best solution to find out the best diet for every person.

Bibliografía:

Dr. Perlmutter, “Grain Brain”
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, “Gut and Psychology syndrome”
Dr. Amen, “Magnificent mind at any age”
Dr. Graham, “The 80/10/10 Diet”
Dr. Herbert Shelton, “Hygienic Systems Vol II”
“A key role for an impaired detoxification mechanism in the etiology and severity of autism spectrum disorders”
“Alzheimer's genes: Are you at risk?”
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride “Put your heart in your mouth”
“Discovery of essential fatty acids”
Dr. Firman Rutgers University, 1948
Dr. Jean Seignalet, “L’alimentation ou la troisième médecine”
“ Effect of soaking and cooking on the oligosaccharides and lectins in red kidney beans”
“Oligosaccharide content and composition of legumes and their reduction by soaking, cooking, ultrasound, and high hydrostatic pressure”
“The dangers of over-cooking your food”
“Researcher Links Digestive Problems to Food Additive”
“The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids”
“The science”
Mayo Clinic, Drugs and Supplements “Omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil, alpha-linolenic acid”

16 main causes of gastro-intestinal disorders and how to heal them

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 11:24:00 +0100

“All disease begins in the gut” stated Hippocrates. The main causes of most diseases are the lack of nutrients due to imbalanced nutrition, malabsorption and an imbalanced gut flora with bacterial overgrowth.
It’s not only the kind of food we eat that matters, it’s also or even more important how, when, how much, how frequently we eat, apart from many other circumstances.
In this article we are going to study the main sources of digestive and health problems as their consequence.

Continue reading 16 main causes of gastro-intestinal disorders and how to heal them

Digestion is performed by the movements of the organs of our digestive system and the enzymatic action of the juices poured by these organs. In order to have a good digestion, the proper conditions for the action of these enzymes must be accomplished.
Digestion is performed by the movements of the organs of our digestive system and the enzymatic action of the juices poured by these organs. In order to have a good digestion, the proper conditions for the functioning of these enzymes must be accomplished.
We don’t realize how much all our life can impact in our digestion. Most people have serious problems to meet all these requirements because of their lifestyle. That is why most people have some kind of gastro-intestinal disease, and as a consequence, some kind of health problem.. It's not rare that people with auto-immune diseases, cardio-vascular diseases, neurological, psychological and degenerative disorders, fatigue, and any other kind of chronic diseases, suffer of some kind of gastro-intestinal disorder too, such as GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) , bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, stomach aches, peptic ulcer, etc..

1.- What we eat.
Junk food, processed food, refined food, genetically modified food, overcooked or burned food, sugar, unhealthy fats, .... There’s a long list of unhealthy food, on top of that a lot of foods are not well tolerated by some people, because most people are not aware of their food intolerances to lactose, casein, gluten, egg, soy, legumes, fructose, histamine, etc. We should eat only what our enzymes can digest, otherwise all undigested food will feed undesirable bacteria.

2.- Food combining
The laws of food combining disclosed by Dr. Shelton are detailed in this other article.
When a meal is composed by a mixture of incompatible foods, some substances of the meal won’t be well digested, because the conditions that enzymes require for every kind of food are different. So for example, the pH for digesting proteins in the stomach must be acid, while starches need a basic pH.
The most important rules of food combining are:
* Don’t mix carbohydrates and proteins.
* Eat fruits alone

3.- Digestion inhibitors and antibiotics
Some foods inhibit the digestion of other foods, preventing the enzymatic action on food to break it down into its basic elements.
There is a long list of food that contain some antinutrients that inhibit digestion, some of them currently consumed by most of the population: tannic acid in wine, caffeine in coffee, theine in tea, theobromine in cocoa (chocolate), phytic acid in the bran of all grains and legumes, saponins in legumes and potatoes, acetic acid in vinegar, and alcohol in all kinds of alcoholic drinks. Condiments such as salt and spices slow down the digestion.
Phytic acid and saponines are reduced in different levels by soaking, fermenting, cooking or sprouting, but they still remain in some amount when the food is consumed.

4.- Chewing
Chewing in the mouth is the first stage of digestion. Chewing allows to convert food into small pieces, and also, to begin the salivary digestion of carbohydrates.
If we swallow food without chewing, which is the case when we eat smoothies or purées and drink juices, or to a lesser extent, with grated and chopped food, we don’t salivate. Also, during the process of grating, chopping, blending and juicing food is oxidized and it allows to start the undesirable aerobic fermentation and degradation of all nutrients.

5.- Water
Some nutritionists, such as Dr. Shelton, say that drinking water during meals dilutes enzymes, which makes the digestion more difficult. However, others claim that digestive juices will adapt to the amount of water that is poured depending on the needs. So if we drink water, digestive juices will contain less water.
My opinion is that you must listen to your body, the sensation of thirst, and feel what works better for you. Drinking water during meals generates bloating for some people, which is a symptom of bad digestion, while other people feel that drinking water helps the process of their digestion.
It also depends on the type of food you eat. Dry meals such as a grilled steak or French fries will need some water in order to get them go through the esophagus. But if you eat salads, vegetables and fruits, then your food contains enough water, so it is not necessary to drink water. ds, vegetables and fruits, then food contains enough water, so drinking additional water is not needed.

6.- Temperature
Enzymes work optimally at body temperature. If we increase or decrease this temperature ingesting hot or cold drinks and food, then digestion takes more time to take place, because the body has to spend more energy and time regulating the temperature, and digestion will have to wait until the adequate temperature has been reached.
So in winter, don’t consume your meals too hot, and avoid eating ice creams too fast in summer. Let the cold or hot food reach body temperature in your mouth before swallowing it.
In the same way, the ambient temperature of the dining room must be warm. If someone is eating in a cold place, they will need to spend a lot of energy in order to warm themselves up, an energy that will be taken from the digestive process.

7.- Amount of food
Everybody agrees that overeating is not healthy. (See this article to know more about how, paradoxically, overeating lead to a lack of nutrients). But we don’t agree about where the line is that separates rational amounts from overeating. The place where this line is placed depends of a long list of factors: gender, physical constitution, physical activity, type of diet, etc.
It has been shown that calories is not a good guideline (see the reasons in this book).
In general, I would recommend following these guidelines to find out what the amount of food you can eat is:

Stop eating when you feel satisfied, don’t wait until you feel completely full. In order to notice the messages that your stomach is sending, practice conscious eating. If you can’t notice these messages, follow the conscious eating directives very strictly. Later on, you will be able to listen to your body while eating in company.
People with leptin resistance hardly feel full even after eating big amounts of food, because the brain doesn’t get the message that the person should stop eating. These people need to address their leptin resistance problems.
Eat as little as possible. It’s always better to err on the side of lack of food rather than excess of food.
Never force a child or any person to finish their meal against their will.

Of course, people with eating disorders would need other guidelines that a psychologist and/or nutritionist may suggest for each case.
In this other article you can find more detailed information about the possible reasons of overeating.

8.- Frequency of eating
How many meals should we eat? Some nutritionists advise eating small quantities very often, others prefer eating very few meals with more abundant food.
The option of few meals is what the body organs need to rest between meals in order to be able to secrete the adequate amount of enzymes for the next food.
On the other hand, some nutritionists say that having snacks helps prevent cravings and excessive hunger, others argument that it helps maintaining a constant supply of nutrients, such as glucose.
In general, a person that follows a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle, such as Natural Hygiene doesn’t need to eat too much nor too frequently. Usually, one or two meals a day are enough. But if you are not well nourished because of the diet and/or your lifestyle, then you will need to eat more amount and more often, because the digestive system won’t be able to digest and absorb enough nutrients, and the diet may be nutrient deficient. Besides, you will feel hungry because of the addictive properties of several products, such as processed food, glutamate, sugar, salt, coffee, chocolate, tea, dairy products, gluten grains, etc.
I think that everybody has to find out what works better for them in terms of better digestion, less cravings, energy boosts, and in general, feeling better.
But the most important thing is to avoid eating when you are not hungry, so skip as many meals as necessary until you get really hungry. And if you are hungry very often, maybe what you are feeling is not really hunger, but the symptoms of detoxification of your last meal, or the symptoms of withdrawal of some kind of addictive food or product you consume.
A healthy hungry feeling is pleasant, and it’s always possible to wait a little bit more without feeling sick. If you feel really tired, trembling, with stomach ache, headache, lack of energy, etc. when you are hungry, then it means that you are not eating in a correct way, probably you are not eating the appropriate food for your body or some of the conditions we are explaining in this article are not respected. Another difference between true hunger and craving is that when you are really hungry you are able to eat any kind of healthy food. If you only desire some specific kind of food means that it is craving. See in this other article the different reasons for having cravings.

9.- Emotions
There is no doubt that emotions influence our digestive system. If we feel upset, our digestive system is also upset and doesn’t work well. So if you feel any kind of negative emotion: sadness, fear, injustice, envy, anxiety, etc., resist compulsive eating until you have managed to calm down your emotional state. Use any technique that helps you to relax and cheer you up before eating, or ask a psychologist for help or find some kind of therapy if it is a chronic state you are in.
In this article you can read more about nutrition and the body-mind connection.
Eat in a calm state. Avoid discussions, heated arguments, business meetings, listening to news on the TV, etc. at the dining table. Choose good company or eat alone, in a nice and quiet place, relax while eating and listen to your body.

10.- Stress
Stress is the greatest enemy of good digestion. When an organism is under stress, it redirects all the energy to the muscles in order to fight or flee from danger, and it stops wasting energy on the digestion, which is not necessary in a life threatening situation.
So again, use some kind of technique in order to relax before eating and take all the time you need for the meals. If you don’t have enough time to eat a long meal, just skip it or eat a very light, small meal.
It’s also important to avoid stress during the whole process of digestion, which can take from 2 hours up to 4 hours, depending on the kind of meal.

11.- Fatigue
Feeling tired means that your digestive system is tired too, so it won’t have the energy to perform digestion.
What is currently believed (food gives us energy, so if we are tired we must eat) is not true. If a person is tired he/she must rest or sleep in order to recover energy.
If you experience a “high” after eating or drinking some stimulant product, it means that the body has made a big effort in order to make the digestion of that product. It may be that the product has hurried the body to make a quick disposal of it because it contains toxic substances, which is the case of excitants such as coffee, chocolate and tea.
In any case, if you feel a “high” after eating and you were tired before, it means that you have exhausted the little bit of energy that was still remaining in your body, and that means that less energy will be left after the digestion than before eating or drinking that product.
The process of digestion always takes energy from the body, so you can never feel more energized immediately after meals. It’s after several hours, when digestion has finished, that food has been converted into fuel and can provide more energy.
So, don’t eat if you are tired, just rest. And don’t make any strong physical or mental effort while the digestion is in process.

12.- Disease
In the same way that we must avoid eating when tired, fasting is the best option when we are sick; or just have very light and less frequent meals.

13.- Beliefs
When a person holds on to his/her beliefs, in case those are wrong, it is difficult to change the dietary habits. It is always good to doubt any nutrition dogma and knowledge you have, whatever its source (even mine!).
Read a lot, find out about the arguments of all the different approaches, try them on yourself and listen to your body. Finally choose the approach that makes you feel best.
We must distinguish between the conscious beliefs and subconscious ones. These latter ones are very difficult to change. In this other article you can learn more about subconscious beliefs.

14.- Toxicity
Some toxic substances inhibit or even destroy enzymes. Mercury, which is to be found in metallic amalgams (“silver” dental fillings), is the biggest problem for the digestive system. This mercury is releasing vapors little by little, which are diluted in the saliva, destroying the enzymes there, and later on, other enzymes in the stomach and intestines. Also, it has been linked to the leaky gut syndrome, stomach ulcers and the destruction of gut flora (see here and here). But mercury is found in many other places: fish, hair dyes, paint, batteries, broken thermometers, vaccines, etc. (click here to know more).
Any kind of toxin will inhibit or stop enzymatic action: from pesticides in food to tobacco. Here you will find a more detailed list of the most frequently toxic products in our environment.

15.- Medicines
The anti-acid and proton pump inhibitors act by inhibiting the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Because hydrochloric acid plays a key role in the digestion of proteins, this kind of medicine leads to protein indigestion and the consequent growth of proteolytic bacteria in the stomach and intestines, such as Clostridum (see here).Also, hydrochloric acid is important for the absorption of minerals such as iron, calcium and magnesium, and vitamin B12. (See more about the proton pump inhibitors here)
Sodium bicarbonate neutralizes the hydrochloric acid, so side effects of this remedy are mainly the same as proton pump inhibitors. Another important function of hydrochloric acid is that it is antiseptic, killing any bad bacteria, virus or parasite that has eventually entered with food.
So if you have acid reflux or heartburn, it’s better to find out what is the cause of this problem, reviewing all the factors that are exposed in this article.
Antibiotics destroy the gut flora, both the beneficial and pathogenic, creating a desert that is normally repopulated by undesirable bacteria such as candida and/or clostridium. (See this article about antibiotics)
I won’t explain the side effects of all medicines on the digestive system here, but I would like to highlight the detrimental effect of laxatives and the contraceptive pill. Nevertheless, we may claim that almost all of them disturb the digestive system in some way.
But not only medicines have a big impact on our digestive health. Also some food have medicinal effect and can do the same harm. Besides the food that act as digestion inhibitors that we have already seen in a previous section, other substances currently used in meals such as salt, spices, herbs, honey, alcohol, garlic and onion have antibiotic properties.

16.- Other body needs
For a healthy digestive system and a good general health, we also need to nourish our body and all its needs. In this article you will find the main needs of a human person, all of which influence our food digestion as well.

Conclusion:
In order to prevent and/or heal gastro-intestinal diseases, as well as all derived health problems, you must work on changing your lifestyle and nutrition habits so that you can fulfill all the necessary requirements for a good digestion.

Bibliography:

Dr. Herbert M. Shelton, “Health for the millions”

Dr. Natasha Cambell-McBride, “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”

Dr. David Klein, “Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s”

Cravings, food addiction and overeating

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 19:33:00 +0100

Everybody knows that junk food is unhealthy, however, some people struggle to give up this kind of food. Other people would like to follow a certain diet, but they find it difficult to avoid eating the forbidden food, such as for example, cooked food in a raw food diet.
Every day, everybody in the occidental countries is faced with temptations focused on us by the food industry. They create the most attractive packages, ads and flavours to get us addicted to their food.
How can we resist? How can we manage to follow a healthy diet? How to control our cravings, food addictions and overeating?

Continue reading Cravings, food addiction and overeating

First of all, it is important to identify what the reasons of the problem could be. Following are some of the most common causes of cravings and food addiction:

Compensation for an emotional or psychological problem: loneliness, lack of love, grieving, boredom, separation or divorce, lack of self-esteem, depression, anxiety, annoyance, etc.
Compensation for a physiological problem: tiredness, stress, nervousness, lack of sexual pleasure, sleeping problems, etc.

In these previous cases, the person tries to evade from the problems of life by eating some kind of comfort food, which produces a high in neurotransmitters or endorphins which leads to a state of pleasure. The problem is that in order to get the same pleasure the person needs to consume a higher amount every time, creating an addiction to the substance contained in that food, such as sugar, fat, salt, monosodium glutamate, chocolate, coffee, tea, gluten, dairy, etc.

Food is used as a reward for having been a “good girl/boy”. This is a habit that may have been set in someone’s childhood. Unfortunately, a lot of parents and teachers use candies and sweets as reward when a child behaves well.
Food is used as punishment for having been a “bad girl/boy”. In this case, food is used as an auto-destructive way of punishment, like a kind of slow suicide, for having done something wrong. It is usual in the case of people with very low self-esteem or with depressive tendencies.
Food takes a person back to his/her childhood. Some food, such as milk or sugar, calls on the souvenir of childhood and maternal love. It happens to people with the “Peter Pan syndrome”, who can’t face the problems of adulthood.
A person was educated to having to finish the whole dish in his/her childhood, or eating a lot in order to grow and be strong, or a person was given many candies, cakes or junk food.
A person suffered a traumatic experience, such as rape. So this person builds a cuirass to protect himself/herself from being abused again. The body unconsciously decides to be “ugly” so it feels protected.
Lack of nutrients. Unhealthy dietary habits may lead to cell starvation, which sends messages to the brain asking for more food. Even if the person eats a big amount of food, if this food is void of nutrients, it is like the person is not eating at all (in fact the effect on health of eating food void of nutrients is even worse than eating nothing).
Hypoglycaemia. A high intake of products that are very rich in refined sugar or refined flour makes a quick rise in the insuline levels followed by a quick decrease below the normal level, which creates a hypoglycaemic state. Then, if the person eats these kind of products again, a cycle of insuline peaks is created, with the associated effects on mood and health in general.
Leptin resistance. These refined products also lead to leptin resistance, which is the hormone that indicates that someone is full and can stop eating. When a person has leptin resistance, he/she can’t stop eating because he/she never feels full.
Candidosis. Some bad bacteria and fungi overgrow in the gut when they are fed on sugars and carbohydrates that can’t be digested by the digestive system of a person. These microorganisms release some neurotoxins which get to the brain and kidnap the person to ensure the survival of the microorganisms, convincing the person to eat more food to feed them, that is, more sugar or refined products.

Once the problem is identified, we can address the solutions. Some of them are:

Writing down one’s feelings at the moment of the craving. If a strong emotion is present it should be addressed with other therapies.
Find replacements for that addictive food: fruits instead of sugar, carob instead of chocolate, chicory instead of coffee, etc.
Practice an alternative activity instead of eating when the craving appears: sport, relaxation, music, reading, resting, etc.
Avoid risky situations: passing by bakeries, going inside a tea room, etc.
Posting little messages in the kitchen encouraging positive messages: “ I will eat healthily”, “I will only eat my main meals”, “I will eat the right amount”, etc.
Make a shopping list before going to the grocery store or supermarket, planning your meals for the whole week.
Thinking about the negative consequences of the craving: “I will feel sick”, “I will gain weight”, etc.
Practice conscious eating
Therapies that can help to reprogram the subconscious and overcome past trauma, bad habits and wrong education: hypnose, EFT, psychotherapy, visualization/meditation/prayer, PSYCH-K, PNL, coaching, etc. The Gabriel Method is also one of the best.
Identify possible food intolerances that lead to a bacterial or fungi overgrowth.

Osteoporosis, bone diseases and calcium deficiency. Part II

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 16:55:00 +0100

In the first part we described the physiological process of osteoporosis and we revealed the real causes of bone diseases. In the second part we will explain what interventions may be taken at a nutritional level and lifestyle in order to prevent osteoporosis.

Continue reading Osteoporosis, bone diseases and calcium deficiency. Part II

What are our needs of calcium and minerals?

On this site you can find the recommended allowances of minerals and vitamins. The official USA RDA of calcium can be found here. For example, the recommended RDA of calcium for an adult is 1000 mg.
However, Dr. McDougall states that in reality,

“Human Calcium Needs Are Surprisingly Low. A recent study of Inuit (Eskimo) children found their diet, consisting largely of meat (which has almost no calcium), provided about 120 mg of calcium daily, but because of their physiologic adaptations these children were found to be healthy. As long ago as 1978 Paterson wrote in the Postgraduate Medical Journal, 'Many official bodies give advice on desirable intakes of calcium but no clear evidence of a calcium deficiency disease in otherwise normal people has ever been given. In Western countries the usual calcium intake is of the order of 800-1000 mg/day; in many developing countries figures of 300-500 mg/day are found. There is no evidence that people with such a low intake have any problems with bones or teeth. It seems likely that normal people can adapt to have a normal calcium balance on calcium intakes as low as 150-200 mg/day and that this adaptation is sufficient even in pregnancy and lactation. Inappropriate concern about calcium intake may divert attention and resources from more important nutritional problems.' And that is exactly what the talented marketing people in the dairy industry have done with the help of friendly government officials in the USDA: they have placed the spotlight on the nutrient, calcium, which is easily obtained in sufficient amounts from almost any diet—and at the same time, taken the beam of truth off of the fat, cholesterol, and contamination—the life-threatening components of dairy foods. One of the ways this has been done is by sensationalizing rare cases of calcium deficiency in children on bizarre diets.” (Dr. McDougall)

Dr. Glenville adds

“Don’t pay attention to the government’s RDA or recommended daily allowances. I don’t think anyone really knows the basis for these government-recommended amounts of nutrients, but at least one author has theorised that they came from nutrient profile of the needs of a World War I soldier, later revised and translated to women’s needs without any scientific basis. Considering the relative nutrient status of some 100 years ago, and the comparatively primitive nature of the laboratory equipment of the time, it makes absolutely no sense to make such a determination to apply to today’s humans.” (Dr. Glenville)

Are dairy products the best source of calcium?

Most of doctors and authors quoted in this post agree that dairy products must be avoided:
Dr. T.C.Fry argues that dairy products contain too much phosphorus and a deficit of magnesium and manganese. Moreover, they are acid-forming foods.
Dr. Thompson and Dr. Mouton provide studies that show that a higher rate of osteoporosis is linked to dairy products.
Dr. Mouton also explains the problem of dairy intolerance related to calcium malabsorption.
Dr. Glenville compares the rate of osteoporosis in different countries with different dairy intake.
Finally, T.C.Fry says that casein in milk disturbs calcium absorption.

“Boosting intake of conventional calcium sources (dairy products) does nothing to alleviate the situation. Calcium absorption drops sharply when intake is elevated, so little of the added calcium actually reaches the bloodstream. Moreover, dairy products are high in phosphorus as well as calcium, and almost all of the phosphorus does get into the bloodstream. Thus the addition of dairy products to a diet already high in phosphorus may actually speed up the rate of bone deterioration.
All so-called “protein foods,” including milk, tend to acidify the blood. Without exception, they are rich in the three acid-forming minerals; moreover, all of their chlorine, and a major segment of their phosphorus, lies external to their protein. Thus, they have an acid-forming capacity which is independent of their protein.
Cow’s milk is used to induce both manganese and magnesium deficiencies in animals.
Manganese-deficient milk left young rabbits with bowing front legs and a bone structure that was weak and porous. Magnesium-deficient low-fat milk induced kidney stones in 97 percent of a group of rats; it can offer no solace to milk drinkers that researchers believe the protein in milk played a role in the stone formation. In all fairness, though, it should be pointed out that milk is not the only dietary item that is low in manganese and magnesium: all animal products are markedly low in both minerals; in fact, the entire American diet is dreadfully low in both.” (T.C.Fry)

“Willett, who co-authored The Nurses’Health Study, one of the largest investigations ever into the risk factors for major chronic disease in 122.000 women, found that women with the highest calcium consumption from dairy products actually had substantially more fractures than women who drank less milk.” (Dr. Thompson)

"Other studies confirm the absence of protection of dairy against osteoporosis. Furthermore, an American study published in 1997 is even more troubling: the risk of hip fracture is increased by 45% in women consuming at least two glasses of milk per day, compared to the ones that have maximum one glass per week.
Far from protection, the intake of milk may favour osteoporosis. This is what we can conclude from worldwide statistics which relate the intake of milk to the rate of osteoporosis: nations with higher intake of milk show higher rates of osteoporosis.
These phenomena can be explained by the suffering of the small intestine mucosa due to milk intolerance. The richness of calcium in dairy products do not have favorable consequences on the amount of calcium assimilated when this calcium is not absorbed because of an intolerance. On the contrary, the disruption of the absorption decreases the capability of assimilating the calcium contained in other food, leading to a calcium deficit, which is the origin of bone diseases.
What is more, the troubles of assimilation affect other micronutrients too, such as magnesium and silicium" (Dr. Mouton)

“What is crucial is not the amount of calcium you put in your body, but how your body deals with it. We are the only animals that drink milk past the weaning stage and we persist in drinking a type of milk that was designed for a completely different species.
In many cultures around the world milk and dairy produce are rarely eaten. In Chine, for instance, two thirds of the population do not consume milk or milk products regularly. In the West, 70-75% of dietary calcium comes from dairy products and less than 10% from green leafy vegetables and soy bean products, compared with Chine, where only 20% of calcium comes from dairy foods and 50% from plants.
Post-menopausal Chinese women tend to have lower hip-bone density than Caucasian women, but sustain fewer fractures.
Japan is another country where dairy products are not routinely consumed and although Americans drink three times more milk than the Japanese, the American hip fracture rate is 2.5 times higher.” (Dr. Glenville)

“It is extremely doubtful that we can utilize any of the calcium in milk in any event. The calcium in milk is bound to its protein complement, casein. Without the key enzyme, rennin, neither casein nor its nutrient complement, calcium, can be used in the digestive system.
Milk forms no part of the normal diet of man after the period of infancy and therefore our advice is—don’t drink milk or eat milk products.” (T.C.Fry)

To learn more about the reasons to avoid milk and dairy products please read this article.

Foods rich in calcium and other minerals

T.C.Fry gives a list of fruits and vegetables with high calcium content, as well as a list of them with high phosphorus and high magnesium content. Regarding vegetables, he recommends to avoid those with high oxalate content.

The following foods are high in calcium content: Sesame seeds, Oranges, Green vegetable leaves, Strawberries, Almonds, Papayas, Figs, Most nuts, Sunflower seeds, Most seeds, Broccoli, Most green vegetables, Apricots, Most fruits, Dates.
ll seeds and nuts are excellent sources of phosphorus. In addition, the following foods contain a high percentage of phosphorus: Coconuts, Apples, Peaches, Pears, Apricots, Avocados, Broccoli, Green vegetable leaves, Figs, Carrots, Dates, Mung bean sprouts, Cabbage, Beets, Squash, Persimmons
The following are good sources of magnesium: Almonds, Cherries, Dates, Green vegetable leaves, Bananas, Beets, Walnuts, Avocados, Raisins, Pears, Raspberries, Broccoli, Mangoes, Canteloupe
The late Henry C. Sherman, Ph.D., Sc.D., formerly professor of Chemistry, Columbia University (Essentials of Nutrition), said that the dark green leaves are a prime source of calcium, well utilized in nutrition.
Be sure to note and differentiate among the various dark green leaves. The “good guys” are romaine, buttercrunch and leaf lettuce; kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and collard. These vegetables contain significant amounts of calcium and negligible amounts of oxalic acid. In kale, broccoli and collard, calcium exceeds oxalic acid by a ratio of forty-two to one. Beet greens, spinach and Swiss chard have up to eight times as much oxalic acid as calcium. (Prevention, June 1980, p. 40)” (T.C.Fry)

Another list is provided by Dr. Glenville:

*Food*	Calcium (mg per 100gr)
Milk	119
Cheddar cheese	721
Eggs (yolks)	139
*Hazelnuts*	113
Tofu	162
Wholemeal flour	80
Cod	21
Trout	86
*Figs*	145
Haddock	42
Chickpeas	49
Miso	65
Broccoli	48

200 gr of cooked kale or 350gr of cooked broccoli contain the same amount of calcium as 225ml of milk.” (Dr. Glenville)

Another obvious observation that may be made when worrying about calcium because someone is told to stop consumption of milk and dairy products, is that there isn’t any animal that drinks milk once it is grown up, but all of them have very strong bones, both herbivorous and carnivorous animals, birds or any other kinds of animals. How do they get their calcium? The answers are below:

“Where do cows, moose, and even elephants (who all have very strong bones) get their calcium if all they eat is grass? Humans drink milk for calcium, but if cows just eat grass, where do they get their calcium?
While we tend to associate dietary calcium with diary products it is found in many other foods including plants. Cows obtain their calcium from grass hay which has approximately 0.4% calcium. Other plants such as alfalfa have approximately 1.5%. This calcium is absorbed by the plant from the soil. “ (The Sidney Morning Herald)

“Wild carnivores eat pretty much the entire animal. In eating the skin, hair/feathers, hooves/nails, muscles, bones, connective tissues, blood, internal organs, and even the gut contents, the carnivore is getting all of its nutritional needs met in one neat package.
A diet based on muscle tissue, while providing plenty of calories, protein, and some vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids, will be profoundly deficient in calcium and marginal or frankly deficient in various other essential nutrients. Adding bones, bone meal, or another source of calcium addresses the calcium problem, but an all-meat-and-bone diet, when the meat is just muscle, is still an incomplete diet for a species designed to eat most, if not all, of its prey” (Anima Vet)

“How do birds get calcium in the wild? Hawks can get calcium from the blood and bones of their prey, shorebirds may consume the calcium-rich shells of small mollusks, while certain species of sparrows and blackbirds eat plant matter, like kale, that is high in calcium.” (Wild Birds Unlimited)

Supplementation

“Bone is comprised of at least a dozen minerals, and the exclusive focus on calcium supplementation is likely to worsen bone density and actually increase your risk for osteoporosis. Overconsumption of calcium creates other mineral deficiencies and imbalances that will increase your risk of heart disease, kidney stones, gallstones, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, obesity and type 2 diabetes.” (Dr. Mercola)

"It is a grave error to believe that the body can digest and assimilate and utilize powdered nails and crushed rocks. Mineral supplements are of no benefit to the body because they are: 1) inorganic and 2) fragmented.
Because mineral supplements are inorganic, the body cannot assimilate or use them. In fact, the body must work harder to compensate for the imbalance created by ingesting these supplements. The body accelerates its eliminative activities and works hard to expel these foreign substances. This stimulation is often mistaken for the “beneficial action” of the supplement. Actually, the supplements are not beneficial—they are harmful—and they are inanimate and therefore incapable of acting (except chemically).
As health consumers have grown more aware of the differences between organic and inorganic minerals, so have producers of these supplements. Consequently, there are now mineral supplements which are advertised as coming from “organic” sources. These are equally useless because they exist in a fragmented state, extracted from the sources within which they naturally occur.
Minerals do not work in isolation. When they are extracted from their natural sources, the other co-existing vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc., are not also extracted. Even if they were, the process of laboratory extraction destroys any vital benefits that may have been associated with the minerals.
Minerals must be consumed in their natural, unfragmented and organic state to be of any use to the body. The best mineral supplements are those naturally occurring in mineral-rich foods in their unprocessed state—fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouts. (T.C.Fry)

“Here are the results of a study done in 1986. Yes, supplementing with calcium did increase bone density, but it does not reduce bone fractures. The countries with the most calcium consumption have the largest chance of hip fractures. Why is this?
Too much calcium in the bones actually makes bones more brittle. So you get denser bones when you supplement with calcium, but you are just as likely to break those bones as you were before you 30-year, 1200mg-a-day, odyssey.” (Olsonnd)

“Many nutrients compete for absorption sites in the gut. So, if we supplement too much calcium, for example, it may impair absorption of other nutrients: magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, some amino acids and others, creating deficiencies in those nutrients.
Indeed this is a very confusing area of nutrition. The truth is nobody knows how to prescribe vitamins and minerals because we do not have enough research or knowledge on this subject.“ (Dr. Campbell-McBride)

Read more about my opinion on supplementation here.

How to prevent osteoporosis?

Avoid refined and modern food

“An amazing study was done by Dr. Weston Price about fifty years ago. He was a dentist who traveled the world over to investigate the relationship between diet and dental health. What he discovered was that as long as people ate their natural diet of unprocessed and unrefined foods, they enjoyed sound teeth and healthy gums.
Whenever the modern foods of civilization—refined grains, sugars, junk foods, preserved foods, etc.—were introduced, the teeth of the people rotted, their gums became diseased and the actual shape of their mouths changed.” (T.C.Fry)

"Two serious defects from which many individuals in our modernized civilization suffer are impacted teeth and the absence of teeth due to their failure to develop. It is significant that in the arches of the primitives races practically all teeth form and erupt normally, including the third molars. In the modernized primitives and among our modern whites with deformed dental arches many teeth are impacted and often several of the permanent teeth have never formed." (Dr. Price)

Low-protein diet

The fact that high-protein diets are harmful for bone health is not clear. There is no consensus concerning the indigenous populations with a high protein intake. T.C.Fry (rawfoodexplained.com) says that they do suffer from osteoporosis, while Dr. Edward Howell and Dr. Weston Price says that only eskimos who have been in contact with modern civilization develop this kind of diseases, while the ones that keep their original diet do not. I think that the difference may exist due to the fact that T.C.Fry studied the eskimo civilizations that had already been modernized, while Dr. Howell and Dr. Price studied the really isolated ancient populations.
This is important, because it contradicts the theory of a high-protein diet being responsible for osteoporosis.
It seems that the indigenous populations with a high-protein diet didn’t have any problems with osteoporosis, while modern civilizations with a high-protein diet do, as Glenville says in her book. Maybe it is the kind of meat that counts: wild fish and grass-fed meat animals vs factory fish and meat. Or maybe other factors are correlated with modern people with vegetarian diets, such as healthier lifestyle in terms of avoiding not only meat, but also alcohol, tobacco, exercising more, a higher respect for nature, etc.
Concerning vegetarians, there is the same contradiction; Dr. Price states that vegetarian indigenous populations show problems with their teeth, while T.C.Fry says that vegetarian indigenous populations do not suffer from osteoporosis. It may also depend on the kind of vegetarian diet they follow, that is, on the amount of vegetables, grains, dairy products and eggs they consume. As we have seen, dairy products can have a very big impact on the development of osteoporosis, so not all vegetarian diets are the same!

"Poor posture is the hallmark of osteoporosis, and Sula Benet describes the Abkhasians posture as “unusually erect, even unto advanced ages.” Elderly Abkhasians are unbothered by spontaneous fractures, but as horsemen and mountain climbers, they do sometimes break bones and when such breaks do occur, they are wont to heal rapidly and completely, which would not be the case if they were suffering from osteoporosis.
Vilcabamba centenarians are, in Grace Halsell’s words, “known to have healthy bones.” Hundred-year-old Vilcabambans still work in the fields, bending the whole day, and show no ill effects. Ms. Halsell reports never having heard of an elderly Vilcabamban’s having fallen and broken an arm, leg or hip. She adds that she saw not one Vilcabamban who limped or was disabled.
Other groups that manage to avoid osteoporosis include the Hunzas and Yucatan Maya. Like the Abkhasians and Vilcabambas, these groups live in traditional ways and take low-protein, primarily vegetarian diets. And from the way groups taking flesh-based diets decline with age, there is little doubt it is the diet of the Hunza, Abkhasians, et al. rather than their lifestyles, that enables them to circumvent osteoporosis.
The heavy meat eating Masai males, Eskimos, and Greenlanders apparently develop osteoporosis at very early ages. The Eskimos normally become bent, shrunken and disabled in their late 20s while Greenlanders become decrepit in their 30s. The most interesting case, however, is that of the Masai. The tribe’s males spend their formative years roaming with their herds, drinking the animals’ blood and milk, and eating only small amounts of plant foods. Then, at the age of 20 or so, they take off to do a two-year stint as warriors, during which time they try to live on flesh alone. Following the warrior stint, and while still in their early 20s, they migrate to the tribes’ villages, arriving at the villages with bent backs, diminished heights and debilitated bodies, whereupon they are cared for by the villages’ women until they die. Now here’s the rub: the tribe’s females, who remain in the villages while the males are out subsisting on flesh and making war, raise and eat plant foods, and remain remarkably free of osteoporosis.” (T.C.Fry)

“A great number of eskimos live on the mainland and islands, a distance of several hundred miles, and have little or no contact with this food [modern foods]. … In their 288 teeth only one tooth was found that had ever been attacked by tooth decay, or 0.3 percent…. In the case of people who had received a considerable quantity of the “store grub” twenty-seven per cent of the teeth had been attacked by dental caries. In another village, none of the people who had lived on native foods had any tooth attacked by tooth decay. Those living partly on “store grub” had dental caries in 12.2 per cent of their teeth. In other villages the percentage of tooth caries in people eating native foods was 0.1,0.1, 0.09, while the percentage in people eating modern food was 11.6, 35, 13.
The foods used by these primitive eskimos are dried salmon, seal oil, fish eggs, caribou, ground nuts, berries, blossoms of flowers, sorrel grass, organs of the large animals of the sea.
As yet I have not found a single group of primitive racial stock which was building and maintaining excellent bodies by living entirely on plant foods. I have found in many parts of the world most devout representatives of modern ethical systems advocating the restriction of foods to the vegetable products. In every instance where the groups involved had been long under this teaching, I found evidence of degeneration in the form of dental caries, and in the new generation in the form of abnormal dental arches to an extent very much higher than in the primitive groups who were not under this influence. ” (Dr. Price)

“Eskimos live on an exclusively meat and fish diet, all eaten usually, and preferably, raw. These people were examined for evidence of renal and vascular disease. The results show that there was no unusual prevalence of vascular disease or renal disease. The people lead a life of great physical activity.
Dr. Thomas contrasts the excellent health of eskimos of northern who have been encouraged to retain their primitive ways, with the poor health of eskimos across the Atlantic. These people have abandoned their primitive methods of living. in adults there is the rheumatic pain, stiffness of joints, and fatigue.”(Dr. Thompson)

Take care of your gut flora

“I recommend putting most effort into implementing the [GAPS] diet first and starting the healing process in the gut. Once the digestive system starts working properly in many patients their nutritional deficiencies disappear without any supplementation. They disappear the natural way through the body sorting it out for itself. “ (Dr. Campbell-McBride)

Exercise

“Remember that bone is living tissue that requires regular physical activity in order to renew and rebuild itself. Peak bone mass is achieved in adulthood and then begins a slow decline. Exercise is very important in maintaining healthy bone mass. Weight-bearing exercise is one of the most effective remedies against osteoporosis. “ (Dr. Mercola)

“Inactivity is still another, and possibly important, cause of skeletal erosion. Extended bed rest led to calcium losses at a rate of 6% of total bone mass per year in young men. On the other hand, exercise tends to enhance calcium retention and it has been shown that low-protein, low-fat diets boost endurance and engender spontaneous activity. " (T.C.Fry)

Leafy vegetables are the best source of calcium

“We do need a good source of calcium in the diet, but we don’t need milk. Milk is, after all, merely a substitute, and a poor one, for dark green leafy vegetables. Collards, parsley, turnip greens, watercress, kale, mustard, spinach, etc. provide twice as much calcium as milk and yet they contain considerably less phosphorus. They have calcium-to-phosphorus ratios three to four times that to milk. And unlike milk, greens have a strong alkaline ash; what is more, they are excellent sources of manganese, magnesium, and Vitamin C. They are also free of the troublesome protein, fat and cholesterol of milk. As for the problem of excess protein, replacing the milk and cheese with a few ounces of greens (which is all that is necessary) would cut protein intake by 10-15 grams per day.
A few greens, including spinach, are high in oxalic acid, which may reduce the availability of their calcium. It is advisable to include at least one oxalate-free green in the diet, but there is no reason to avoid these vegetables completely. Vegetables are best taken raw, of course.” (T.C.Fry)

“The best way to make your diet the more alkaline is simply to aim to have more alkaline-forming foods each day than acid. It has been suggested that the ratio should be 80 per cent alkaline to 20 percent acid.
As a quick reminder acid-forming foods are meat, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, grains, beans, soft fizzy drinks, alcohol, tea, coffee and most drugs; alkaline-forming foods are fruit and vegetables.
Instead of looking at the actual nutrients in foods (for example, calcium in dairy foods), researchers have been looking at the effects of the foods themselves. Scientists have been finding that higher consumption of fruit and vegetables has a positive effect on bone health across all ages and both sexes - young girls and boys, pre-menopausal women, peri-menopausal women, post-menopausal women and elderly women and men.” (Dr. Glenville)

“The calcium absorption from vegetables is as good or better than that of milk. Calcium absorption from milk is approximately 32 percent. Figures for broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, turnip greens, and kale range between 40-64 percent. A noteworthy exception is spinach, which contains a large amount of calcium, but in a form that is poorly absorbed.” (PhysiciansCommittee)

Conclusions

The most important aspect to take into account for osteoporosis and other bone disease prevention is not the amount of calcium intake, but avoiding foods that:

are refined and poor in minerals,
contain anti-nutrients that disturb mineral absorption,
are acid-forming in the metabolism so need to be neutralized by alkaline minerals,
you are intolerant to or that may lead to the development of food intolerances,
disturb the gut flora, favouring the development of undesirable bacteria that prevent proper absorption of nutrients

Also avoid medicine, alcohol, soft drinks, caffeine and salt.
As we have seen, dairy products are not the best source of calcium, on the contrary, they may cause osteoporosis.
Supplementation of calcium is not recommended because of the risk of creating excess calcium in the body and mineral imbalances.
Other lifestyle habits impacting bone diseases are mainly sun exposure, stress and exercise.
So don’t worry too much about calculating the amount of calcium in your food. Wild animals don't make calculations about their food, they simply eat what is destined to their species.
Simply follow a diet that is full of fruit and vegetables, avoid all previously mentioned detrimentral products and lead a healthy lifestyle

References

Robert Thompson M.D. & Kathleen Barnes, “The calcium lie”

T.C. Fry, “The Life Science Health"
http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/why-we-should-not-eat-meat/osteoporosis-the-key-to-aging.html
http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/why-we-should-not-eat-animal-products/dairy-products.html
http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/the-basic-four-diet/should-we-drink-milk.html
http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/minerals/the-minerals-in-the-body.html
http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/minerals/organic-and-inorganic-minerals.html
http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/healthy-eyes-and-teeth/natural-hygiene-your-key-to-dental-health.html
http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/why-we-should-not-eat-meat/osteoporosis-the-key-to-aging.htm

Marilyn Glenville PhD, “Osteoporosis the silent epidemic”

Dr. Weston Price, “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration”

Paul Fanny, PhD, “The AAA Diet”

Dr. Georges Mouton, “Ecosystème intestinal et Santé optimale”

Marilyn Glenville PhD, “Osteoporosis the silent epidemic”

David Klein, Ph.D, “Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s”

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, “Gut and Phsychology Syndrome”

Dr. Peter Osborne, “Can Gluten Sensitivity Cause Bone Loss?”

Dr. Mercola:
“The "Calcium Lie" Every Woman Should Know About”
“Calcium Supplements Can Spike Your Heart Attack Risk by 30%…”

Dr. McDougall, “When Friends Ask: Where Do You Get Your Calcium?”

The Sidney Morning Herald

Anima Vet

Wild Birds Unlimited, “Calcium and Birds”

Olsonnd, “Calcium Myths”

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, “Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis”

“El calcio en palomas”

Osteoporosis, bone diseases and calcium deficiency. Part I

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 13:22:00 +0100

The main worry that comes to mind when you have an intolerance to dairy products is how you can get all the calcium your body needs.
We all have always been told that dairy products are essential in order to get the calcium for our bones, as if dairy was the only food that contained calcium. In the same way we are told that we need meat and fish for proteins, oranges for vitamin C, carrots for vitamin A, and so on.
But foods are much more complex than that. Every food product, including fruits and vegetables, except for refined sugar, salt and oils, contain proteins. Lots of different fruits and vegetables contain vitamin A and C. In the same way, a large list of foods contain calcium, some of them even in a similar amount as dairy products.
The total amount of calcium in a food is not the only parameter to take into account when we want to take care of our bones. Other issues are even more important: calcium absorption rate of the body; calcium availability of the food; refined-food, anti-nutrients, acid-forming food, chemicals and lifestyles that make the body loose calcium; the state of the gut flora; all the other minerals that compose the bones; studies on populations with high rate versus low rate of bone diseases, etc.
In this article we will discuss all these issues related to calcium and bone diseases.

Continue reading Osteoporosis, bone diseases and calcium deficiency. Part I

Understanding the physiological process of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis occurs because of a bone demineralization, which is the result of the increased action of the osteoclast cells.
The consequences of this process are not only bone diseases, but a large array of other diseases.T.C.Fry and Dr. Paul Fanny explain these facts.

“Osteoporosis, which means 'porous bones', is the foundation of the entire so-called “aging” process; it produces the decrepitness of old age and it leaves in its wake a maelstrom of age-related degenerative conditions. Osteoporosis results from an insidious process of bone demineralization, which, over a period of many years, robs the bones of up to half of their original calcium content. The bones are left frail and weak, and to make matters worse, much of the lost bone calcium ends up in the walls of the blood vessels, the skin, the eyes, the joints and various internal organs.
The calcium that finds its way to the blood vessels causes hardening of the arteries; that which ends up in the skin causes wrinkling. In the joints the errant bone calcium takes the form of arthritic deposits, in the eyes it takes the form of cataracts and in the kidneys and bladder it becomes what we know as stones. Thus, osteoporosis is (literally) the source of a broad range of degenerative processes.
It is doubtful the bones of Westerners ever reach full maturity. It is beyond doubt, however, that at some stage of adulthood, their bone calcium begins to ebb and be carried away in the bloodstream. In time, the entire skeletal structure becomes porous, frail and weak. As members of that weakened structure, the vertebrae tend to yield to the load of the torso, so the back is wont to become crooked, compressed and painful. Such are the earmarks of osteoporosis, and with its onset, the individual tends to become stooped and normally loses inches off of his or her height. Spontaneous fractures of the vertebrae are common, as are fractures of the hips, arms, and legs. All of the bones are left vulnerable to breaks, which, when they do occur, are slow to heal.” (T.C.Fry)

“Osteoclast is a multinuclear cell associated with the absorption and removal of bone; osteoclasts become highly active in the presence of parathyroid hormone, causing increased bone resorption and release of bone salts (phosphorus and, especially, calcium) into the extracellular fluid. Osteoblast is a cell that matures and is associated with the production of bone” (Dr. Paul Fanny)

The mineral and calcium lie: What are our bones made of?

Dr. Thompson demystifies the calcium lie and gives a more accurate perspective of the composition of bones.

“The Calcium Lie, which is an outgrowth of the Mineral Lie, has led us to a host of health problems of untold proportions.
Most people, even many medical professionals, began to believe that bones are made of calcium. Calcium is only one of at least 12 minerals that build strong bones. A proper balance of all these minerals is essential for bone health, strong bones and the prevention of osteoporosis. But we are so programmed to believe that bones are made of calcium it has almost become dogmatic.
By the way, osteoporosis is defined as a loss of minerals from the bones, not just calcium deficiency.
The Calcium Lie has become so imbedded into our belief systems about healthy food that calcium is now added to many foods, and advertising entices us to buy these “enriched” products. Now we find calcium added to soy milk, orange juice, baby food, cereals, pasta and, yeeks- imagine this- a genetically modified carrot that contains calcium! It’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature. Be meticulous in your label reading and avoid the “calcium-enriched foods”.
Bones are made of minerals. Yes, one of these minerals is calcium, and yes, calcium is also important, but we create a grave imbalance in the body if we get too much calcium in a misguided effort to build strong bones. Remember: Calcium hardens concrete and it hardens all sorts of “stuff” in your body, too.
Here’s what the bones are made of: calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, silica, iron, zinc, selenium, boron, phosphorus, sulfur, chromium, and traces of many other minerals.” (Dr. Thompson)

What are the real causes of osteoporosis, teeth decay and other bone diseases?

Excess calcium and mineral deficiencies

Dr. Thompson gives an exact explanation about the causes of osteoporosis: excess of calcium and deficiency of the rest of minerals. T.C.Fry also points to the lack of magnesium and manganese as one of the culprits.

“What really causes osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is caused by mineral deficiency. It’s a loss of the bone structure, because your body doesn’t have adequate supplies of all the minerals it needs to build strong bones and, it has too much of one of those minerals: calcium.
But osteoporosis is not just a deficiency of minerals in the bones, it’s a deficiency of minerals in the entire body.
Joint pain, bone aches, what’s the difference? There is a difference, but the underlying problems are closely linked: excess calcium and mineral deficiencies. Osteocyte cells are responsible for the normal production of bone matrix, but when they lay down new bone over calcium deposits in the joint spaces, we get knobs, protrusions and deformed joints.
Osteoarthritis is the result of calcium-laden tissues in the joints. When you have too much calcium in the tissue, crystals or gravel begin to form, creating inflammation. Inflammation creates an abnormal healing response and as this calcium is deposited in your joints, you’ll get creaking, grinding and bone spurs (new bone formation in an abnormal location). Increasing joint deformity results.
Osteoarthritis is not exclusively caused by “gravel” in the joints or by inflammation. It’s also a process of the loss of collagen or soft tissues like catilage from amino acid deficiencies, vitamin C-complex deficiency, impaired metabolism and impaired collagen production. The result is chronic inflammation and tissue injury because your natural healing response has gone awry. This can put you at risk for other inflammatory health problems also related to calcium excess “ (Dr. Thompson)

“The integrity of the bones depends on the supply of a number of minerals, including manganese and magnesium. An adequate supply of manganese enhances the strength and density of developing bones, while an adequate supply of magnesium tends to prevent bone calcium from ending up in the kidneys and bladder as stones.” (T.C.Fry)

Where does this mineral deficiency come from?
There are several different theories that explain why a mineral deficiency occurs.

Acidosis

Dr. Fanny, T.C.Fry, and Dr. Glenville state that acidosis is the problem.

“Low grade or chronic acidosis leads to the destructive bone process by osteoclast, which in turn inhibits the production of new bone through the process by osteoclasts, which in turn inhibits the production of new bone through the process of osteoblasts. What does it mean? It means that you will suffer a type of bone loss called resorption [loss of substance through physiologic or pathologic means] that will not allow your bones to heal and re-grow back to a healthy, functional condition.
A multitude of potential causes of systemic acidosis exists, in addition to renal and respiratory disease. These include anaerobic exercise, gastroenteritis, excessive consumption of protein or other acidifying substances, diabetes, anemias, AIDS, aging, and menopause. Acidosis can also arise locally as a result of growth factor or immune reaction, vascular disease, inflammation, infection, tumours, wounds, and fractures.
Bones are not the only victims that fall prey to the devastating effects of chronic acidosis. Ligaments and tendons can become adversely affected as well, due to the result of the inhibitive effects on the production of collagen.” ” (Dr. Fanny)

“Foods that contain an excess of the acid-forming minerals (phosphorus, chlorine and sulfur) over and above the alkaline-forming minerals (calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium) are said to have an “acid ash.” Foods that are on balance, alkaline in nature are said to have an “alkaline ash.” Protein itself forms an acid ash and this may explain why high-protein intake causes the bones to give up calcium.
It is noteworthy that every single individual involved in one of these protein-calcium studies has responded to increased protein intake with decreased calcium retention.
The relationship of phosphorus intake vis-a-vis calcium intake to bone development and retention has been the subject of extensive research. It has been found that when the phosphorus content of the diet is not excessive, a high calcium-to-phosphorus ratio promotes strong bones.
When, on the other hand, the phosphorus content of the diet is very high, bone deterioration is unavoidable.
High-phosphorus diets effect substantial rises in the level of phosphorus in the blood; and in what amounts to an effort to control the ratio of calcium-to-phosphorus in the blood, the body responds to a rise in blood phosphorus by removing calcium from the bones and releasing it into the bloodstream.
Phosphorus tends to acidify the blood. Chlorine and sulfur have the same effect, so when intake of one or more of these three minerals is excessive, the body goes in search of a buffering agent. Without some means of buffering the blood, a single overload of one or more of these minerals could cause severe acidosis, and even death. The body contains four minerals that can act as buffering agents, but only two of these, namely potassium and calcium, are available in quantity. Unfortunately, excesses of the acid-forming minerals are almost always accompanied by a rise in blood potassium levels, and since further increases in serum potassium could have dire consequences, the body tends to call upon its calcium bank (i.e., the bones) for a buffering agent.
The addition of fruits and vegetables to the diets of young men taking 140 grams per day cut their bone calcium losses by 25 percent. Fruits and vegetables have an alkaline ash, so their addition to an acid-forming high-protein diet would tend to cut the need for bone calcium as a buffering agent.
Typical diets have a strong acid ash. The first step to alleviating this situation is to eliminate from the diet those items with really high acid ashes, namely meat, eggs, fish and poultry products. Without these, normal diets would be tolerably close to neutral and the individual would be in a position to work towards a truly good diet—which means, among other things, an alkaline ash diet.” (T.C.Fry)

“One long-term study, which followed women over seven years, found that older women who consumed a high animal-protein diet have more bone loss and a greater risk of hip fractures than women on a lower animal-protein intake.
The same is not true of vegetable protein - it seems that with these foods, no matter how much you eat, your risk of fracture never rises.
The table [rate of hip fractures around the world compared to protein intake] shows how too much animal protein can increase the risk of hip fracture and that the more vegetable protein you eat, the lower your risk.
Research shows that vegetarians generally have greater bone density in later life. But research shows no difference in bone loss rates between vegetarians who also eat dairy foods and eggs and those who do not.” (Dr. Glenville)

A list of acid-forming and alkaline forming food can be found on the this website.

Calcium absorption: Anti-nutrients

, T.C.Fry, and Dr. Glenville also recognize the role of anti-nutrients disturbing the absorption of calcium, as well as the lack of vitamins and other minerals.

“Bran contains substances called phytates which bind to valuable minerals like calcium, zinc and magnesium, essential for bone and general health. They attract these minerals, a bit like a magnet, excreting them, with the bran, from the digestive tract.
Spinach and rhubarb, although alkaline vegeatbles, contain a substance called oxalic acid, which reacts with calcium in the digestive system and stops it from being absorbed.” (Dr. Glenville)

“Foods high in oxalic acid (such as spinach, chard, beet greens, chocolate, coffee) interfere with the absorption of calcium. Wheat bran (a fragmented food) inhibits the absorption of calcium. Such unnaturally large amounts of fiber can impair the body’s ability to absorb calcium and other important minerals. Natural sources of fiber (with few exceptions) don’t interfere with the assimilation of calcium and other nutrients.
During food digestion, oxalic acid combines with calcium and forms an insoluble compound, calcium oxalate, so that the calcium passes out of the body without being absorbed. Those greens which contain large amounts of oxalic acid are therefore poor sources of calcium, since most or all of their calcium is lost to the body.“ (T.C.Fry)

Learn more about anti-nutrients here.

Calcium absorption: Gut flora

Dr. Campbell-McBride highlights the role of the gut flora in the absorption of calcium.

“The beneficial bacteria in the healthy gut flora will not only ensure appropriate absorption of nutrients from food but also actively synthesize various nutrients: vitamin K2, group B vitamins, amino acids, and other active substances.
Most people with abnormal gut flora not only can’t absorb essential-for-blood vitamins and minerals from food, but their own production of these vitamins is damaged.
People with abnormal gut flora have multiple nutritional deficiencies. Every GAPS [Gut and Psychological Syndrome] child and adult who has been tested shows a typical picture of nutritional deficiencies in many important minerals, vitamins, essential fats, many amino acids and other nutrients. The most common deficiencies are in magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, calcium, manganese, sulphur, phosphorus, iron, potassium, sodium, group B vitamins, vitamins C, A, D, omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, taurine, alpha-ketoglutaric acid, glutathione and other nutrients.
A well-functioning gut with healthy gut flora holds the roots of our health. And, just as a tree with sick roots is not going to thrive, the rest of the body cannot thrive without a well-functioning digestive system. The bacterial population of the gut is the soil around these roots, giving them their habitat, protection, support and nourishment.” (Dr. Campbell-McBride)

Refined foods and modern food

Another issue that is taken into account by Dr. Price is the lack of minerals in refined foods.

“It is of interest that the diets of the primitive groups which have shown a very high immunity to dental caries and freedom from other degenerative processes have all provided a nutrition containing at least four times these minimum requirements [United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin R 409]; whereas the displacing nutrition of commerce, consisting largely of white-flour products, sugar, polished rice, jams, canned goods, and vegetable fats have invariably failed to provide even the minimum requirements.
It is obvious that there is great need that the grains eaten shall contain all the minerals and vitamins which Nature has provided that they carry. In an experiment, three groups of rats received the same diet, except for the type of bread. The first group received whole-wheat products freshly ground, the second one received a white flour product and the third a bran and middlings products. Only the rats on the whole wheat developed normally without tooth decay. Those on white flour had tooth decay, were underweight, had skin infections and were irritable. They did not reproduce. The third group were undersize.
Modern commerce has deliberately robbed some of nature’s foods of much of their body-building material while retaining the hunger satisfying energy factors. For example, in the production of refined white flour approximately eighty per cent of the phosphorus and calcium content are usually removed, together with the vitamins and minerals provided in the embryo or germ.
Half of the foods provided in our modern dietaries furnish little or no body-building or repairing material and supply no vitamins.
The problem is not so simple as merely cutting down or eliminating sugars and white flour though this is exceedingly important. It is also necessary that adequate mineral and vitamin carrying foods be made available” (Dr. Price)

Other foods

Dr. Glenville also writes about the intake of foods that leach the calcium out of the body, as well as stress does too.

"Caffeine is found in many foods and drinks including coffee, tea, cola drinks, high-energy soft drinks, cocoa, chocolate and some medications such as painkillers.
Caffeine affects the bones in two ways:
1.- It causes more calcium excretion through the urine which continues for several hours after it has been ingested
2.- it decreases calcium absorption in the gut
Caffeine is a stimulant and as such causes the release of adrenaline, just as if you were under stress, it is this release of adrenaline that causes the calcium problem.
Like caffeine, sugar also causes excess excretion of calcium in the urine. The same is true for white flour. In order to digest these refined foods your body has to use its own vitamins and minerals, so depleting your stores.
Soft drinks have high levels of phosphorus. When phosphorus levels in your blood rise, a message is sent to your brain, telling it that there is not enough calcium. As a result the body draws calcium from your bones and teeth to balance the high levels of phosphorus.
Alcohol can have a negative effect on bones by decreasing the activity of the osteoblasts (bone-building cells) and increasing bone loss and the incidence of fractures.
A diet that is high in salt can affect your bones by causing you to lose more calcium through your urine. Sodium is a mineral that is closely associated with your body’s ability to balance water retention and blood pressure. Women with high blood pressure experience a faster loss of bone minerals.” (Dr. Glenville)

Stress

“The adrenal glands are responsible for pumping out adrenaline in response to stress. They also produce cortisol, aldosterone, and sex hormones.
Higher levels of cortisol cause increased bone resorption and decrease bone formation. More bone is resorbed because the cortisol interferes with the action of vitamin D in the digestive system and in turn blocks the absorption of calcium. There will be less bone formation because cortisol stops the osteoblasts (bone-building cells) from doing their job.” (Dr. Glenville)

Food intolerances

Food intolerance is another important subject that is addressed by Dr. Mouton, Dr. Mercola and Dr. Osborne.

“Those with undiagnosed gluten intolerance often have malabsorption of nutrients due to chronic intestinal damage. This means that your body is unable to optimally take nutrients from food and distribute them throughout your body. This malabsorption of nutrients can lead to osteoporosis.” (Dr. Mercola)

“ In the same way we find severe osteopenia in people suffering from dairy intolerance, we also find it in those suffering from celiac disease. It happens very frequently to celiac adults who are symptom free.” (Dr. Mouton)

“There are hundreds of different symptoms, syndromes, and diseases that gluten can create. Some of the most common mechanisms behind gluten and bone loss are:
* Intestinal atrophy leading to malabsorption of vitamins and minerals leading to inadequate bone formation.
* Leaky gut leading to food allergy formation leading to chronic inflammation leading to bone loss
* Acid reflux (GERD) leading to acid blocking medication use, leading to malabsorption of magnesium, calcium, and vitamin D leading to bone loss.
*Gluten induced cardiovascular inflammation leading to high blood pressure =>> to medications =>> leading to magnesium, calcium, CoQ10, and B-vitamin deficiencies =>> leading to poor bone formation.
* Gluten induced autoimmune attack of bone tissue directly leading to bone loss.." (Dr. Osborne)

Medicines

Other sources of problems are the intake of certain medicines, the lack of sun exposure and heavy metal intoxication.

“According to a study done at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, there is a strong link between osteoporosis and the use of steroids: 'High-dose cortisone is the second most common cause of osteoporosis, and we currently have no real treatment for this serious side effect' says senior author Steven L. Teitelbaum, M.D., Messing Professor of Pathology and Immunology” (Dr. Mercola)

“EIf you've been prescribed an osteoporosis drug such as Fosamax, Actonel or Boniva, it is very important that you understand how these drugs work before putting them into your body.
Web MD describes biphosphonate drugs as: '…antiresorptive medicines, which means they slow or stop the natural process that dissolves bone tissue, resulting in maintained or increased bone density and strength.'
Using these types of pharmaceutical drugs is the worst way to attempt to treat or prevent osteoporosis.
Even though they will increase your bone density, these drugs are poison! They work by killing off certain cells in your bones called osteoclasts. Osteoclasts destroy the bone as part of the natural bone regeneration process. Killing off these cells means you are left with only osteoblasts, which will increase bone density but not bone strength.
As a result, your bones lose their natural ability to build new bone and readjust to the constantly changing forces applied." (Dr. Mercola)

Calcium absorption: Vitamins

“Vitamin D is usually produced by healthy (well nourished) skin, when it gets enough sunlight. People’s lifestyles in “grey countries” in winter don’t offer enough opportunities to spend time outdoors, consequently they usually suffer from vitamin D deficiency. People in Nordic countries are more affected than Mediterranean people.” (Dr. Mouton)

"June M. Wiles says that it is probable that a deficiency of calcium may exist, because the body is incapable of retaining it. We must understand that other nutrients influence the absorption, utilization and stability of calcium. Calcium will be rejected by the body if Vitamins A, D, C, magnesium, phosphorus and dietary protein are absent or deficient.
High-fat intake tends to inhibit calcium absorption through the formation of insoluble calcium compounds of the gut. Calcium absorption is aided by the presence of Vitamin C which tends to keep calcium in an absorbable state. It hardly needs pointing out that animal products are grossly high in fat and scurvy-low in Vitamin C.” (T.C.Fry)

Aluminium and heavy metals

“Aluminium is a heavy toxic metal that can enter your food through cooking utensils and interfere with the body’s ability to metabolise calcium.
Antiacids or indigestion medication also contain aluminium.” (Dr. Glenville)

Continue reading the 2nd part of "Osteoporosis, bone diseases and calcium deficiency"

References

Epidemics, cancer and media terror. Can we really blame disease on bad luck and genes?

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 18:04:00 +0100

We live in a world dominated by fear. We are constantly worried for money, for our health, for work, for the family… We are also constantly bombarded with news about crimes, terrorism, and all forms of insecurity (social, political, and economic). But every once in a while, we also receive news about epidemics, or about famous individuals who have died of cancer… These news result in a gradual development of fear within us, sometimes even reaching to the point of terror.
Out of all negative emotions we feel, fear is the most destructive. Fear creates an internal stress response that leads to an inflammation of the body and to an unfavourable epigenetic expression of the genes that are involved in disease.
I will be focusing on just one of the fears we are exposed to nowadays: the fear of disease.
In this article I will discuss what one can do so as to prevent these news and current threats to our health from worrying us excessively.
There is a lot to discuss about this topic - such as the hidden interests behind developing this fear of disease - but I would like to concentrate on how we can make this fear disappear by understanding the origin of diseases and taking responsibility over our own and our family’s health.

Continue reading Epidemics, cancer and media terror. Can we really blame disease on bad luck and genes?

The first time the idea of an epidemic terrified me, I remember, was back in 1995 after watching the movie “Outbreak”. Sometimes, over the course of the last few years, it seems like the news wants us to believe that this nightmare may actually come true.
From time to time we hear about a new epidemic that rises our level of fear. Some recent examples include the Swine Flu (2009), the Ebola virus (2014) and now, it the Zika virus’s turn. But we also often hear about other small infectious disease outbreaks and about cancer in general - which we tend to hear through statistics, recent research, and the deaths of famous individuals.
We live terrified of the possibility of getting cancer. Who hasn’t heard a friend or relative explain the case of someone known to him that was suddenly diagnosed with cancer, and sometimes even in an advanced stage of development? And so all sorts of prevention tests are advised to people. Some women are so terrified that they are willing to perform a mastectomy as a preventive measure.
Why do we fear these diseases so much? Because doctors convince us that they are uncontrollable and deadly - meaning that we cannot do anything to avoid them, and that the consequences are most likely to be fatal.
We are told that cancer, auto-immune diseases, cardiovascular diseases and a long list of other diseases are genetically based so that when one has the genes for the disease, there is a high risk of developing it.
But in fact, it is not so much genetics but epigenetics that truly matters. Epigenetics control the expression of the genes - that is, if they are switched on or off.
Environmental and emotional factors play important roles in epigenetics. Such factors include nutrition, chemicals, pollution, negative emotions and fear, all of which can have the last say in whether you will develop cancer or not. So, if you are afraid of getting cancer, there is a much higher chance that you will develop it. This is why the life expectancy that is dictated by doctors to a patient when they are diagnosed can almost be like a death sentence to them. This concept is referred to as the “nocebo effect”, which is discussed in this really interesting TED talk which I recommend that you watch. The mind is very powerful!
But if you follow a TRULY healthy lifestyle, you do not need to worry about cancer or any other disease. I used the word “truly” because the beliefs about what a healthy lifestyle is can vary from person to person. To some, a healthy lifestyle might mean avoiding smoking, drinking and drugs - while to others a healthy lifestyle might consist of exercise, meditation and eating organic. But perhaps this is insufficient, perhaps their beliefs about nutrition are incorrect, or they do not sleep or rest enough. Here is a checklist of the most essential principles of life that should be taken into account.
At any rate, a cancer does not develop out of nowhere. The body always begins gradually experiencing symptoms - and they become more frequent and severe as time progresses. But if these symptoms are silenced by medicine - be it natural or conventional medicine, if one does not search for the roots of the problem and the situation remains unfixed, then the problem becomes increasingly worse until a fatal disease will one day develop - if the cause of this disease is not found. This article explains, with great detail, the different stages that a person goes through until they reach cancer.
We are so used to living in a society where the great majority of the population is sick, that we consider some diseases to be ordinary and a part of life. But it shouldn’t be ordinary that a child need glasses, that they get cavities, or that they fall sick several times a year. Neither should it be ordinary that women have premenstrual syndrome, nor that men should have stomach ulcers. All of these diseases are alarms that are ringing to tell us that there are aspects of our life that are unhealthy, and that we must change these aspects of life before the consequences are severe.
Dr. Douglas Graham states (4): “Cancer researchers have demonstrated that when cells in a petri dish are bathed in an appropriate nutritive environment and the toxic waste products of their metabolism are efficiently removed, healthy cells result. To date, it has been impossible to cause cancer in these healthy cells no matter which carcinogens they are briefly exposed to”. Of course, every body (including a healthy one) has a limit to its resistance against toxicity - but a healthy body will clearly be more resilient.
Any virus or bacterial attack, or that which may be caused by any other agent does not represent a danger if one’s immune system is strong enough. Even further, there are theories, such as Life Science (2) and New German Medicine (3) that argue that viruses do not exist in reality.
Dr. Douglas Graham also states that (4): “Pasteur’s untenable theory lives on as the foundation that underlies the medical model of disease and healing. Society accepts it as truth, despite the fact that it is fraught with inconsistencies. In more than one hundred years, the germ theory of disease has yet to be proved as fact … while having been disproved repeatedly by Koch’s postulates”… “After years of debate with colleagues, he [Pasteur] is said to have capitulated from his deathbed, admitting that microbes are not the primary and sufficient cause of disease”… “Just as mosquitoes do not cause stagnant ponds and flies do not cause piles of manure, the ´germs´ (bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms) around and inside us do not cause the toxins in our bodies.”
Bacteria help us to remove harmful substances from our body, because bacteria feed on our waste. So that if we kept our body free from bad habits (junk food, toxicity, negative emotions, etc.) bacteria would not develop in our body, even if we are exposed to them in an epidemic, a pandemic, an insect bite, water contamination or whatever other factor.
Although there is no particular source explicitly supporting this theory, I believe that diseases related to mosquitos such as malaria, Zika virus, and lyme disease, could possibly result from a chemical intoxication in an area, such as different vaccination in a country, a pesticide, or a chemical accident in a factory in the region. I base this theory on the teachings of T.C. Fry about diseases (1). For instance, concerning the microcephaly that is now related to the Zika virus, it is widely accepted that “Babies may also be born with microcephaly if, during pregnancy, their mother abused drugs or alcohol, became infected with a cytomegalovirus, rubella (German measles), or varicella (chicken pox) virus, was exposed to certain toxic chemicals, or had untreated phenylketonuria (PKU)” (5) Have these mothers possibly been exposed to a toxic chemical during pregnancy, possibly a vaccine, a medicine, a pesticide, …?
I will now explain a personal experience. When I began learning about alternative medicine, one of my favourite books was called “Prenez en main votre santé”, by Michel Dogna. This consisted of three encyclopaedia books about natural health and nutrition. The goal of these books, as the title mentions, is to become autonomous in taking care of one’s health. Later on, I attended a course of homeopathy to learn how to take care of my family in case of acute disease. Homeopathy was not enough, because my family continued getting ill. It was not until I began improving our nutrition, that I truly began taking care of our health - because I now understood what the origin of disease was and not only how to heal it with natural medicine, but how to avoid it overall.
For this reason we have stopped fearing viruses, bacteria, parasites and insects. Because it is no coincidence that my daughter did not get lyme disease when she was bitten by a tick, that we have not caught the flu for the past 6 years, that I have ceased getting conjunctivitis, that my mother has ceased her asthmatic bronchitis episodes… It is no coincidence that my youngest daughter does not fracture nor break a single bone despite her dangerous falls from ice-skating and skiing, that my husband has ceased having aches from carrying the heavy luggage when walking up the stairs, and a long list of other problems that for us have ceased to exist. We are NOT LUCKY. We are simply HEALTHY.
T.C.Fry says (2), “In conclusion I assure you that disease is not something to fear. That’s like being scared of your own body. If you fear anything fear your disposition to indulge in unwholesome foods and unwholesome living conditions.”
We do not fear cancer or epidemics anymore. Change your lifestyle and you will never again be afraid of disease.

Thank you to my daughter Judit for the English corrections and her valuable contributions to the article.

References:

(1) T.C.Fry , “The Nature And Purpose Of Disease”

(2) T.C.Fry, “Contagion Epidemics"

(3) Dr. Hamer, “The German New Medicine”

(4) Dr. Douglas Graham, “The 80/10/10 diet”

(5) NINDS Microcephaly Information Page

Colitis, Crohn and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 09:14:00 +0100

Both Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease are types of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease, in which the lining of the colon becomes inflamed and develops tiny open sores, or ulcers, that produce pus and mucous. The combination of inflammation and ulceration can cause abdominal discomfort and frequent emptying of the colon. The symptoms of these two illnesses are quite similar, but the areas affected in the gastrointestinal tract are different.
There are different approaches to treating IBD. In this article I will explain the main techniques to heal these diseases from a nutritional perspective: food intolerances, SCD diet and a holistic vegan diet.

Continue reading Colitis, Crohn and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Food intolerances

Dr. Jean-Pierre Willem explains in his book “Les intolérances alimentaires” (Food Intolerances) that the origin of most of the diseases is food intolerance.
Food intolerances of the type delayed food reaction are characterized by the production of antibodies against the food antigens. The consumption of too much intolerant food leads to an excessive amount of antibodies, which then leads to different symptoms.
Colitis may exist due to 3 different reasons, according to Dr. Willem:

An immune response of T lymphocytes and NK cells against antigens in the gut flora;
A hypersensitivity to a certain food;
An attack to the mucosa of the small intestine due to modern food and certain dangerous bacteria.

Dr. Willem says that Crohn’s disease can be improved with the hypotoxic diet or Dr. Seignalet diet, but this diet is not enough to heal the ulcers. So he suggests the use of natural medicine: essential oils, homeopathy, etc.

SCD Diet

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet was originally started by Dr. Sidney Valentine Haas in order to treat celiac disease and other IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) patients. He helped to recover Elaine Gottschall’s daughter who was suffering from Ulcerative Colitis. Then, Elaine Gottschall created the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and wrote the book “Breaking the Vicious Cycle, Intestinal Health Through Diet”.
Since then, this diet has been applied very successfully to help many patients suffering all kinds of bowel diseases. One of the most popular advocates of this diet are Jordan Reasoner and Steve Wright, who run the website SCDlifestyle.com.
As they explain on their website, “The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) is a group of foods which are grain-free, sugar-free, starch-free, and unprocessed. While removing many foods that are toxic and digestively harmful, the diet remains natural, extremely nourishing and representative of what our ancestors ate.”
Other very successful diets have been developed from the SCD Diet, such as GAPS diet, more focused on the treatment of psychological and neurological diseases.
The science that is behind this kind of diets is, as Reasoner and Wright explains: “the fact that not everyone’s digestive tract has evolved to optimally digest complex carbohydrates and other man-made food products like sugar. The main principle of the diet is that carbohydrates are classified by their chemical structure; they are monosaccharide, disaccharide, or polysaccharide. On the diet, only monosaccharide carbohydrates are allowed to be eaten as all others require extra digestion steps to break the chemical bonds down to monosaccharide carbohydrates.
Any food that is not properly digested causes bacterial and yeast overgrowth when undigested carbohydrates are fed on by bacteria and yeast in the intestinal tract. This starts a chain reaction of excess toxins and acids which cause irritation of the small intestine cells damaging them and causing food absorption issues which only helps to continue the cycle.
The diet is an all natural way to break this cycle of bacteria and yeast overgrowth by eliminating the food sources they feed on. By working to restore gut flora to normal levels, the intestinal tract is allowed to start repairing any damage by itself.”

Dr. Klein’s Holistic Vegan Diet

David Klein, Ph.D, proposes a holistic approach for treating any kind of disease in his book called “Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s”, but he mainly focuses on Colitis & Crohn’s diseases. He has a very deep holistic approach: diet, exercise, sun, emotional and spiritual balance etc., based on the Life Science approach.
As for diets, he defends the Vegan Healing Diet, which is mainly based on a big intake of fresh fruits and some lightly steamed vegetables. Juicing and smoothies are also encouraged. Some of the Vegan Healing Diet Guidelines are:

If you need to make a gradual transition to a vegan diet, begin by eliminating red meats, pork and dried meats. As soon as possible, discontinue all animal products, heated/fried oils, grain/flour products, chemical additives and preservatives, salt, spices, white sugar, coffees, caffeinated teas, pasteurized and soft drinks, non-organic and non-whole foods and supplements, fermented products, junk foods, chlorinated and fluoridated water, alcohol and recreational drugs.
Temporarily stop eating all vegan fatty high-protein foods: nuts, seeds, avocado, durian, olives, coconut and soy.
Temporarily discontinue eating raw vegetables, except in fresh-made juiced form.
Discontinue all supplements.
Immunosuppressants are of no use in any case-they suppress healing and should be discontinued as soon as is safely possible.
Do not rush to this diet, for some people this brings on too rapid detoxification.
For persons with advanced inflammatory bowel diseases, it may be beneficial to go for a period eating mono meals, i.e., meals with only one type of food.
Eat solid food only if you are hungry. While eating, if the experience of food becomes unappealing or you feel satisfied, stop eating.
Avoid hot, spicy and irritating foodstuffs.
Chew your food slowly and thoroughly.
Just before and during eating, it is necessary to be calm and not preoccupied. If possible, do some type of light exercise 15 minutes before eating.
Eat consciously and only when relaxed. Do not eat solid food when tired or emotionally upset.
Do not eat within two hours of bedtime. Do not eat a large meal within three hours of bedtime.
Observe your stools, they tell you how well you have digested the foods you have chosen.
Other holistic factors highlighted in his book are genetic predisposition, lack of sleep, thoughts and beliefs, emotions and lack of vitality in the belly, social stressors, environmental stressors, maternal smoking, drugs and laxatives, shallow and incorrect breathing, enemas and colonics, and other enervating practices.

Dr. Klein also recommends to follow the Vegan Post-Healing Diet once the symptoms of the disease have disappeared. It mainly consists of a raw food diet with lots of fruit, some nuts and seeds and a set of general recommendations.
In Dr. Klein’s book you can find the exact list of allowed and forbidden food for both diets.

Conclusion:

Every person is a different case, even if suffering the same disease. Some persons may feel better just avoiding some food intolerances, while other ones will need a more strict diet, such as SCD or vegan diets.
More symptoms associated with the inflammatory bowel disease may give some clues about the better treatment for each person.

Bibliography:

Dr. Jean-Pierre Willem, “Les intolérances alimentaires”
Elaine Gottschall,“Breaking the Vicious Cycle”
David Klein, Ph.D, “Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s”

The holiday effect

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 12:37:00 +0100

A while ago, a person with celiac disease told me that while he was on holiday in a foreign country, he was forced to eat gluten and apparently it had not affected him. He asked me if he might have overcome his disease.
On another occasion, a celiac child’s mother told me that she was sure that while eating in restaurants during their holidays, her daughter had eaten traces of gluten, probably even in considerable amounts, however, she had suffered no effects. Meanwhile during the school period, any small contamination of gluten seriously affected her health.
In both cases my answer was that all this had happened due to the holiday effect!
Why do intolerances decrease while on holiday? Why several people feel like their disease has healed on holiday?

Continue reading The holiday effect

Simply because we feel better. During our holidays we sleep better, we are more relaxed, we get more rest, we do not suffer from stress or relationship problems with co-workers or schoolmates and their consequent negative emotions; we are exposed to more sunlight, we are more in touch with nature, we do more exercise, we often travel to places where the air is cleaner than in the cities where we usually live our daily lives; we enjoy a relaxed company of our families, we do leisure activities, etc. In short, most of the essentials for perfect health improve during the holidays. That is why intolerances also decrease.
Pay attention, though! This does not mean that people with celiac disease just stop suffering from it, or intolerances disappear, or diseases healed. When our lives get back to normal, the vital energy supplied during the holidays will gradually decrease and so intolerances will be present again. Unfortunately, we can not live our lives on endless holidays!
We can try to manage stress and emotions with several therapies, try to practice more sport, be more in touch with nature, but it’s clear that it won’t be possible to do it as much as during holidays. However, there’s an aspect that we can control fairly well and we can improve a lot during the working or academic year: ¡nutrition! Improving our food we can decrease our diseases and intolerances, and raise our stress tolerance. Obviously, changing the way we nourish supposes a higher sacrifice than going on holiday… but sometimes this is the only feasible option!

Dental health

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Thu, 28 May 2015 19:15:00 +0100

Dental health indicates body health. A proper program of diet, exercise, freedom from stress, and sensible living habits will insure that your teeth will last for a lifetime. Outside of gum disease, the two most common dental problems are caries and malocclusion.
Caries are erosions of the teeth, and are usually called “cavities” by the layman. Malocclusion means that the teeth do not fit together properly, such as in “buck teeth” or other deformities of the jaw and mouth.
Both of these conditions will not occur if a person consumes an optimum diet. Not only the diet of the person involved must be superior, but also the diet of the person’s mother as well. Good nutrition for the teeth must begin before birth, and the diet of the pregnant mother will shape the child’s dental health for the rest of his life. To understand the role of nutrition in dental health and well-being, you must be familiar with the chief causes of dental abnormalities and diseases.

Continue reading Dental health

What Is a Cavity?

A cavity is a hole, whether it is in your teeth or in the ground. Holes appear in your teeth when there is a mineral imbalance in the body. Chiefly, the calcium-phosphorus mineral relationship is the determining factor in cavity formation.
When the diet is excessively high in phosphorus, or in foods commonly known as “acid-forming,” a calcium deficiency may occur. This deficiency is usually not due to inadequate calcium in the diet (although it may be if the diet is especially poor), but due to such foods as white sugar, refined flour and grains, and other processed carbohydrates that deplete the body of vitamin and mineral reserves (including calcium).
Cavities are created by the imbalances created in the body by improper foods. Consequently, thorough brushing and flossing of the teeth are ineffective in preventing cavities if a substandard diet is still followed. Healthy teeth can only be built by a healthy diet and lifestyle—not by fluoridated water or “whiter than white” toothpastes.

The Truth About Dental Health

For the truth about nutrition and tooth decay, read the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price, DDS. Dr. Price traveled throughout the world to study the effect of various diets on dental health.
He found, without exception, that the people who ate diets free of refined and processed foods were almost completely free of tooth decay. In addition, these people had excellent bone structure, jaw formation, and were well adapted for chewing, singing, and speaking. (In other words, not only were cavities not a concern, but a natural diet does not cause malocclusion, or deformity of the dental bite.)
He also discovered that within so short a time as a single generation, eating refined foodstuffs resulted in narrow dental arches, malocclusion, and rampant tooth decay. His book has pictures of families that show the older generation who ate unrefined and natural foods with perfect “choppers.” The younger members of the family who ate the “civilized” foods, like candy, soft drinks, canned foods, and refined grains, had teeth with holes, snags, and decay.
His conclusion: rough, unrefined, whole, unprocessed, and untampered foods promote the highest degree of dental health. Without exception, the eating of modern foods produced dental deterioration.
Although the medical establishment’s standard position is that tooth decay is caused by food particles stuck to the outside of the teeth, even the Journal of the American Medical Association recognized that tooth decay dropped when a more natural diet is followed. In an issue of this magazine, Dr. James H. Shaw reported on the improvement in dental health that occurred when certain countries during World War II had to revert back to a traditional, unrefined diet:
“Careful study of these countries indicates that the nutritional influences imposed on the teeth during development and calcification through the consumption of coarse, unrefined diets of natural foodstuffs resulted in teeth that were more decay-resistant than those teeth formed during the prewar years.”
Notice that emphasis is placed on the formation of the teeth and a good diet. Your mother’s diet during pregnancy and lactation provided the foundation of your dental health. Even if you now eat an excellent diet, your teeth may be suffering from poor eating habits of your younger years, or from your mother’s prenatal diet.
Still, a diet of chiefly raw fruits and vegetables can make your present teeth last longer. Besides diet, what else can prevent tooth decay? Exercise!

Exercise, Chew, Chomp, and Gnash!

So, how do you exercise your teeth—by flapping your gums? No, the best exercise for your teeth is to use them for the exact purpose that you have them: chewing food.
Look at the typical American meal: white bread, mashed potatoes, gravy, meatloaf, mushy peas, and a glass of tea. You don’t need teeth to eat that kind of food. You could almost swallow the slop in a few gulps with one or two chews. You need a meal you can sink your teeth into. You need to eat food that requires chewing and using your teeth.
Which foods exercise the teeth best? Raw, fibrous, wholesome fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Cooked foods are poorly chewed; raw foods must be thoroughly masticated. The chewing of the firm raw fruits and vegetables give the teeth exactly the kind of exercise they need and they may be your best Toothbrush! Consider this report made by two British researchers in the Medical Press:
Two groups of children were chosen at random. One group ate a raw apple after their regular meal the other group did not. It was found that chewing an apple stimulated the gum tissues, increased the saliva flow to cleanse the teeth, and provided optimum exercise for the jaw muscles. The researchers discovered that the children who ate apples (or any other raw, fibrous fruit or vegetable) with their meals had significantly better gum health and fewer cavities than those children who simply followed a regular program of brushing and a conventional diet.
Dr. Maury Massler, a professor of children’s dentistry at the University of Illinois stated that the best way to clean the teeth and gums is not by harsh brushing or chemical toothpastes, but by eating foods which are “natural cleaning agents for the teeth, such as pulpy, fresh, raw fruit, nuts, and vegetables.”

Here’s to Your Teeth—Drink Up!

“Studies have shown,” writes Dr. Arthur C. Guyton, “that teeth formed in children who drink water containing small amounts of fluorine develop enamel that is more resistant to caries than the enamel in children who drink water not containing fluorine.”
Can fluoridated water prevent decay? Actually, the real evidence proves otherwise. An engineer in Massachusetts has analyzed the official government figures on tooth decay and municipalities that use fluoridated water. His figures have conclusively shown that artificial fluoridation does not prevent tooth decay, but only postpones it for a few years.
Fluorine does not make the enamel of the tooth harder and more resistant to decay. Instead, the fluorine simply displaces certain chemical ions in the enamel which makes it less soluble. The fluorine which is now stored in the tooth’s enamel is said to be toxic to some of the bacteria in the mouth, which is the original rationale behind putting fluorine in our water in the first place. Bacteria causes cavities; fluorine kills bacteria; therefore, fluorine prevents tooth decay.
Remember, any substance that is capable of killing bacteria is an anti-life agent. If fluorine is poisonous to bacteria, you may be sure that it is poisonous to you as well. In many locales all over the world, the people have excellent teeth and there is not a trace of fluorine in the water supply.
Actually, fluorine in its organic and naturally occurring form as found in small amounts in some foods is a beneficial mineral for the teeth.

Building Healthy Teeth

You cannot drink a chemical and expect to have healthy teeth. Good teeth are only built through good nutrition, and this means avoiding the harmful foods as well as including the natural fruits, vegetables, and so on.
Which foods are the tooth destroyers? Refined carbohydrates, in the form of sugars, sweets, breads, pastries, cakes, and cooked foods, are the worst foods for the teeth. The white sugar and white flour in these products are nutrient-robbers, and they set the stage for cavity formation. Other poor foods are those high in phosphorus and acid-forming elements such as soft drinks (the chief source of inorganic phosphorus in the American diet) and meat.
The most important person in tooth care today is not the dentist but the mother-to-be. A pregnant woman’s diet determines the quality of teeth that her child will have throughout the early years and the entire adult life. After birth, the child should be fed only the optimum foods. If this practice is continued through adulthood, perfect dental health will be a reality.

The acidity level of the saliva

Dr. David Klein says that "The integrity of the teeth is largely determined by the overall quality of the diet and the acidity of the saliva. Diets deficient in minerals, especially the trace minerals, promote weak tooth structures. Diets high in acid-forming foods are notorious for causing tooth decay and dum inflammation. A predominantly acid-forming diet causes the saliva to be acidic at all times, dissolving tooth enamel, causing decay of the dentin and eroding the gums. Negative, distressful thoughts and emotions also create acidity.
The answer is to eat a mineral-rich, highly alkalizing diet and cultivate mental emotional poise. This will enable the body to detoxify acid wastes, alkalize the saliva, remineralise the remaining tooth structures and regenerate the gums to some extend. As you detoxify during the first year or so, the saliva can become more acidic, depending on your acid load level. This can cause further harm to the teeth. Here are some methods you can employ to raise the pH in your mouth during the detox phase: rinse and softly brush your teeth often using water, or baking soda or a solution of sea salt water; floss dialy; avoid all acid-forming foods; avoid all acidic fruits; avoid all oxalic acid-bearing vegetables; drink one or two glasses of fresh vegetable jice with dark leafy greens every afternoon. When your salivary pH upon arising is close to 7.0 and it remains above 7.0 all day, your teeth and gums will become healthier".

By the Skin of Our Teeth

Tooth decay is the most familiar dental disease, yet it is the degeneration of the gums that is the most serious problem. Most tooth loss in this country occurs not from decayed teeth, but from poor gum health and bone loss.
Bleeding from the gums after brushing or flossing is the first sign of potential gum trouble. Healthy gums do not bleed. They should be a healthy pink, not a bright red, and they should hold the teeth firmly in place with no signs of recession.
Bleeding occurs because the gums have become irritated by a buildup of a substance called plague. What is plaque? Well, if you look closely around the base of your teeth where they join the gum line, you might find a white chalky deposit or perhaps a yellow band. That is plaque and that is what causes most dental troubles in this country.
Plaque is the acid-waste products of bacterial colonies that live in your mouth. As these bacteria eat, they excrete an acid substance which forms the chalky plaque that coats your teeth.
When this plaque is fresh (about one to two days old), it can usually be removed by simply brushing or flossing. If the plaque is left on the teeth, it becomes mineralized into a rock-hard substance called calculus.
Calculus is a hardened mineral deposit that forms at the base of the tooth and under the gum line. Eventually it can cover the entire tooth. As it hardens and creeps beneath the gum line, it becomes razor-sharp. The calculus deposits irritate, injure and eventually destroy gum tissue. It’s quite simple, usually even quite painless and sometimes quite permanent.
But why does this plaque occur in the first place? Is plaque buildup “natural?” What did man do before the invention of the toothbrush or of dental floss or of the dental hygienist?
Well, he rarely suffered from this plaque buildup because he ate foods that do not cause this condition. Only when dead foods, such as cooked foods, are eaten does this decay occur. This is why we are always told to brush after every meal. And this is good advice, especially if our mouths have been turned into cesspools of decay by junk foods, meat, white sugar and so on.

What Can You Do?

To have a healthy mouth, put healthy food into it. An optimum diet can prevent over 95% of all dental problems, and a regular cleansing program (brushing, flossing and scraping, if necessary) can just about solve the rest.
Unfortunately, many of us begin healthy practices and a good diet after dental problems have already started. It takes about 25 years or so to grow a healthy tooth. If we ate poor foods during that time period, it’s probably going to show up in our teen and gums at a later age.
So you see, even if you are now eating only the best foods and engaging in all sorts of health-promoting activity, you still might suffer from dental problems created by poor eating habits in your earlier years.
What you need to do is to correct all the old dental problems, stay on a good diet, and clean your teeth regularly and you’ll never have any pain or problems again.
If you are currently in pain, have tooth sensitivity, or have some sort of gum disease, find a good dentist who is sympathetic to your healthy lifestyle.
After you find a dentist you can trust, have the major repair work done that you need. A cavity won’t heal itself; a broken tooth won’t grow back—you just have to have these things repaired as best as possible and then make sure it never happens again. Also, insist on quality materials and quality workmanship from your dentist. Poorly and cheaply done dental work can cause more harm than the conditions they attempt to correct. One dentist said that most of his work comes from “fixing up” other dentists’ mistakes and shortcut attempts. Don’t compromise or “economize” when you’re having permanent corrective work done; after all, you want it to last a lifetime.
If you have these cavities filled, and you probably should, insist that your dentist does not use silver amalgam fillings. This is the most common type of filing (usually called “silver” filling). Actually, it should be called a “mercury filling” because it is 45% pure mercury which is a potent poison. The saliva in your mouth will interact with silver amalgam fillings and dissolve them so that the mercury enters your bloodstream. Even the FDA recognizes the dangers of “silver” fillings, and had they been developed recently, they probably would never have had a chance for approval.
You might be able to use a quartz or porcelain filling for cavities in the front teeth or for small areas. Porcelain used to chip easily on large surfaces, but recently has been improved and is worth investigating as a substitute for the common silver filling.
After you get your teeth back in shape, stay on a good diet and practice regular dental hygiene. Once these old dental problems are corrected and you eat only wholesome foods, you’ll never be bothered by tooth decay, gum disease, or mouth sensitivity again.
After all, good health should be something you can really sink your teeth into!

What toothpaste should you use?

Cleaning the teeth, like cleaning the body, is a mechanical not a chemical process. In other words, your primary concern in cleaning and brushing the teeth is to physically remove the plaque—not to apply some chemical to them than may be included in the toothpaste. In fact, toothpaste is not even necessary. A water-moistened brush is sufficient.
Many commercial toothpastes contain sugar (!), fluoride (harmful) and various abrasives. In fact, those glamour toothpastes that promise “whiter white” do their work with harsh abrasive compounds that may actually strip the enamel off the teeth. You’ll wonder where the yellow went, and you’ll also wonder where your teeth went after a few years of scraping them down.
In general, don’t use any toothpaste you wouldn’t feel comfortable eating because that’s actually what you are doing when you put it in your mouth.
One trick for whitening the teeth, is to brush your teeth with strawberries! Rubbing strawberries over the teeth and gums helps remove plaque and yellowing, and then you can eat the strawberries afterwards. Now that’s a “toothpaste” I can heartily recommend!
Regardless if you use toothpaste or not, a gentle brushing of the teeth and gums is just good hygiene—just like removing the dirt and grime that collects on the skin of the body. Of course, if you eat a predominantly raw diet, less “dirt”‘ will collect around the teeth anyway.

Source: T.C. Fry on Life Science: "Healthy Eyes And Teeth"

Gemma’s comments

In Europe we don’t use to have the problem of fluoridated water, but there is fluoridated salt in most inland countries, and fluoridated toothpaste.

Natural approaches to neurological, mental and behavioral disorders

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 15:28:00 +0100

Autism, epilepsy, schizophrenia, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, attention deficit, hyperactivity, dyslexia, dyspraxia, neuropathies, narcolepsy, etc.; all these conditions which alter the functioning of the central nervous system and the mind may be treated with natural approaches, whereby nutrition and toxicology play a fundamental role.
Neurotoxins, both endogenous (produced by the body itself) and exogenous (stemming from outside the body) are the main responsible substances for the diseases that concern us. Other sources of disturbance of cognitive and mental function are the deficit of nutrients, the disorder of neurotransmitters, the inflammation caused by the immune system and the oxidative stress.
In this article I will expose the main arguments supporting alternative schools that offer solutions to these diseases, as well as the proposal of LivingFullyNourished.

Continue reading Natural approaches to neurological, mental and behavioral disorders

The intestinal dysbiosis

The intestine-brain relationship and the fact that the intestine is the second brain is widely accepted by the community of alternative medicine. The GAPS therapy by Dr. Campbell-McBride, for example, is based on this principle.
The intestinal dysbiosis is an imbalance between physiological or symbiotic and opportunistic or pathological intestinal flora. It is based on the effect of the neurotoxins on the brain. These neurotoxins are produced by pathological and undesirable bacteria that are installed in the intestine, some of which are neurotoxic, such as the alcohol produced by yeast, such as Candida, toxins similar to tetanus produced by Clostridium tetani, and certain poisonous substances like dermorphin and deltorphin whose origins are still unknown. (1)
Dr. Campbell-McBride refers to the pernicious effect of yeast as follows:
“The most common pathogenic microbes shown to overgrow in the digestive systems of children and adults with neuro-psychiatric conditions are yeasts, particularly Candida species. Yeasts ferment dietary carbohydrates with production of alcohol and their by-product acetaldehyde. Let us see what a constant exposure to alcohol and acetaldehyde does to the body:
* Liver damage with reduced ability to detoxify drugs, pollutants and other toxins.
* Pancreas degeneration with reduced ability to produce pancreatic enzymes, which would impair digestion.
* Reduced ability of the stomach wall to produce stomach acid.
* Damage to immune system.
* Brain damage with lack of self-control, impaired co-ordination, impaired speech development, aggression, mental retardation, loss of memory and stupor.
* Peripheral nerve damage with altered senses and muscle weakness.
* Direct muscle tissue damage with altered ability to contract and relax and muscle weakness.
* Nutritional deficiencies from damaging effect on digestion and absorption of most vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Deficiencies in B and A vitamins are particularly common.
* Alcohol has an ability to enhance toxicity of most common drugs, pollutants and other toxins.
* Alteration of metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids in the body.
* Inability of the liver to dispose of old neurotransmitters, hormones and other by-products of normal metabolism. As a result these substances accumulate in the body, causing behavioral abnormalities and many other problems.
Acetaldehyde is considered to be the most toxic of alcohol by-products. It is the chemical which gives us the feeling of hangover. Anybody who experienced a hangover would tell you how dreadful he or she felt. Children who acquire abnormal gut flora with a lot of yeast from the start, may never know any other feeling. Acetaldehyde has a large variety of toxic influences on the body. One of the most devastating influences of this chemical is its ability to alter the structure of proteins. Acetaldehyde – altered proteins are thought to be responsible for many autoimmune reactions. Children and adults with neuro-psychiatric problems are commonly found to have antibodies against their own tissues.”(1)

Clostridium difficile 01" by Original uploader was MarcoTolo at en.wikipedia - Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here.This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #6260.Note: Not all PHIL images are public domain; be sure to check copyright status and credit authors and content providers.English | Slovenščina | +/−. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Dr. Campbell-McBride says the following about the Clostridium bacteria: “There are about 100 different Clostridia species known so far. They are present in the stools of people with autism, schizophrenia, psychosis, severe depression, muscle paralysis and muscle tonus abnormalities and some other neurological and psychiatric conditions. Many Clostridia species are normal inhabitants of a human gut. For example Clostridium tetani is routinely found in the gut of healthy humans and animals. Everybody knows that tetanus is a deadly disease, due to extremely powerful neurotoxin Clostridium tetani produces. Clostridium tetani, which lives in the gut, is normally controlled by the beneficial bacteria and does us no harm, because its toxin cannot get through the healthy gut wall. Unfortunately, patients, who we are talking about, do not have a healthy gut wall. In gut dysbiosis this powerful neurotoxin can get through the damaged gut lining and then cross the blood-brain barrier affecting the person’s mental development.” (1)
As for dermorphin and deltorphin, Dr. Campbell-McBride says the following: “These are two frightening toxic substances with opiate structure, which have been found in autistic children by a biochemist Alan Friedman, PhD. Dermorphin and deltorphin were first identified on the skin of a poison dart frog in South America. Native people used to dip their darts into the mucous on these frogs in order to paralyse their enemy, because deltorphin and dermorphin are extremely potent neurotoxins. Dr. Friedman believes that it is not the frog that produces these neurotoxins, but a fungus, which grows on the skin of this frog. It is possible that this fungus grows in the gut of autistic children, supplying their bodies with dermorphin and deltorphin.” (1)
Other effects of this dysbiosis are: weakness of the immune system and lack of nutrients due to improper digestion, transformation and absorption of vitamins, minerals and proteins that would make good intestinal flora. This deficiency also affects the proper functioning of the whole body, including the brain. Dr. Campbell-McBride explains: “The first and very important function is appropriate digestion and absorption of food. If a child does not acquire normal balanced gut flora, then the child will not digest and absorb foods properly, developing multiple nutritional deficiencies. And that is what we commonly see in children and adults with learning disabilities, psychiatric problems and allergies. Many of these patients are malnourished. Even in the cases where the child may grow well, testing reveals some typical nutritional deficiencies in many important minerals, vitamins, essential fats, many amino-acids and other nutrients. The most common deficiencies, recorded in these patients, are in magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, calcium, manganese, sulphur, phosphorus, iron, potassium, vanadium, boron, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, A, D, folic acid, pantothenic acid, omega-3, 6, 9 fatty acids, taurine, alpha-ketoglutaric acid, glutathione and many other amino-acids. This usual list of nutritional deficiencies includes some of the most important nutrients for normal development and function of the child’s brain, immune system and the rest of the body.
Apart from normal digestion and absorption of food, healthy gut flora actively synthesises various nutrients: vitamin K, pantothenic acid, folic acid, thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), ciancobalamine (vitamin B12), various amino-acids and proteins. Indeed, when tested, people with gut dysbiosis always present deficiencies of these nutrients. Clinical experience shows that restoring the beneficial bacteria in their gut is the best way to deal with these deficiencies.” (1)
General treatment to rebalance the intestinal flora has different versions. Ranging from classic antibiotics recommended by conventional medicine, through more natural antibiotics based on essential oils and other natural products, to options based on nutrition. Dr. Campbell-McBride's says the following about antibiotics: “Dr. William Shaw at Great Plains Laboratories describes in detail about a number of autistic children, who showed serious improvements in their development and biochemical tests while on anti-Clostridia medication. Unfortunately, as soon as the medication was stopped the children slipped back into autism, because these children do not have healthy gut flora to control Clostridia neither to allow their toxins through the gut lining into the bloodstream”. (1)
The LivingFullyNourished approach belongs to the type of nutrition-based treatments, like the GAPS therapy, which are designing an appropriate diet for each person to "starve" these bacteria and parasites and promoting foods that nourish the good bacteria.

Opioid peptides from gluten and casein

Opioid peptides are also neurotoxic. These are substances resulting from improper digestion of gluten and casein. Its effect in the brain is similar to a drug. Here you can find another article on opioid peptides in more detail.

Sugar and artificial sweeteners

You can read about the harmful effects of sugar in this other article.
To sum up:
* Sugar feeds undesirable gut bacteria, such as yeast bacteria, causing intestinal dysbiosis.
* Sugar is demineralizing. In order to metabolize it, we need to resort to reserves of minerals of the body such as calcium, potassium and above all magnesium. It also “steals” vitamins, especially from the vitamin B group, causing a significant lack of nutrients that affects brain function.
* Sugar consumption leads to repetitive cycles of hyperglicemia/hypoglycemia which cause irritability, fatigue, migraines and sugar addiction. Finally, insulin resistance or diabetes may also be produced.
* Sugar is more addictive than cocaine.
These effects (demineralization, hyperglycemia/hypoglycemia cycles, gut dysbiosis) can be seen as the consequence of the intake of refined products, not only sugar, but also refined grains and flour.
Although parents and nutritionists mostly observed a significant decrease in hyperactivity of their children when eliminating sugar from their diet, there is no research to support this observation. The existing research conclude the absence of sugar-hyperactivity relationship. (5)
In my opinion, the reason for this is that a group of children who consume sugar is compared with a control group that consume a sugar substitute: aspartame or other artificial sweetener. Obviously, it is concluded that there is no difference between the two groups, and that artificial sweeteners are equally harmful (or even worse) to health as sugar.
There are studies indeed, showing the relationship between sugar consumption and the risk of schizophrenia (6) as well as the relationship to depression (10) (11).
Our bodies also release endorphins such as dopamine and serotonin to accompany this sugar rush, which is why, at first, we’ll feel happier, and perhaps even calmer. However, these receptor sites slow production to regulate the same endorphins that had us feeling so good, causing a crash in mood and even depression — and so the cycle begins and we reach for more sugar. (4)
A number of studies have shown that aspartame has a detrimental effect on brain function, neurological, cognitive, and behavioral health. In a 1986 evaluation of reactions to food additives, aspartame (in commonly consumed amounts) was linked to mood alterations (anxiety, agitation, irritability, or depression), headaches, insomnia, dizziness, and fatigue. A 1993 study found that individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to aspartame, suggesting its use in this population should be discouraged. A 2006 study found that high concentrations of aspartame can cause neurological symptoms, including memory and learning problems. In 2008, researchers asserted that excessive aspartame ingestion might be involved in the pathogenesis of certain mental disorders and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning. (2)
The sweeteners aspartame and glutamate, flavor enhancers, are excitotoxins, neurotransmitters that stimulate neuronal cells to death. These products can cross the blood-brain barrier when found in high concentrations in blood and also in small amounts when the blood-brain barrier is modified. (3)
According to Dr. Perlmutter (27), an excessive amount of glucose in the blood, from sugars and carbohydrates, has the effect of "glycation", which he defines as “Glycation is the process whereby glucose, proteins, and certain fats become tangled together, causing tissues and cells to become stiff and inflexible, including those in the brain. More specifically, sugar molecules and brain proteins combine to create deadly new structures that contribute more than any other factor to the degeneration of the brain and its functioning. Even being “pre-diabetic” is associated with a decline in brain function and shrinkage of the brain’s memory center; it is also an independent risk for full-blown Alzheimer’s disease.” And he holds the theory that “Alzheimer’s is type 3 diabetes”

Inflammation caused by food intolerances

Inflammation or the reaction of the immune system can have many causes. A food intolerance or allergy, stress, emotional problems and negative thoughts can lead to increased production of inflammatory substances, which have been shown to be able to cause a variety of symptoms including fatigue, slowed thought processes, irritability, agitation, aggressive behavior, nervousness, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, hyperactivity and varied learning disabilities.
In a study, 48 different foods were found to produce symptoms among the children tested. For example 64% reacted to cow’s milk, 59% to chocolate, 49% to wheat, 45% to oranges, 39 to eggs, 32% to peanuts, and 16% to sugar. Interestingly enough it was not only the children’s behavior which improved after the individual dietary modification. Most of the associated symptoms also improved considerably, such as headaches, fits, abdominal discomfort, chronic rhinitis, aches in limbs, skin rashes and mouth ulcers. (8)
A similar syndrome in adults has been called simply ‘cerebral allergy’. The allergy often appears in a masked form, in which the individual actually feels better after ingesting a favorite food. However, in a variable number of hours a severe let-down occurs and the patient experiences symptoms which may be diffuse and non-specific and often include headache, depression, nasal stuffiness and sleepiness.. (8)
In another study, out of 53 patients diagnosed as schizophrenic, 64% reacted adversely to wheat, 50% to cow’s milk, 75% to tobacco and 30% to petrochemical hydrocarbons. The emotional symptoms caused by allergic intolerance ranged from mild central nervous system symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, anxiety, depression, tension, hyperactivity and speech difficulties to gross psychotic symptoms .(9)
The results showed that the group of patients diagnosed as depressives had the highest number of allergies, i.e. 80% were found to be allergic to barley and 100% were allergic to egg white. Out of the group of people diagnosed as schizophrenics 80% were found to be allergic to both milk and eggs. Only 9% of the control group were found to suffer from any allergies. (9)
Thirty patients suffering from anxiety, depression, confusion or difficulty in concentration were tested, using a placebo controlled trial, as to whether individual food allergies could really produce mental symptoms in these individuals. The results showed that allergies alone, not placebos, were able to produce the following symptoms: severe depression, nervousness, feeling of anger without a particular object, loss of motivation and severe mental blankness. (9)
The relationship of celiac disease to neurologic and psychiatric complications has been observed for over 40 years. Gluten sensitive patients also have a host of neurologic and psychiatric complications. However it is notable, based on the lack of gut involvement, that neurologic and psychiatric complications seen in gluten sensitive patients may be the prime presentation in patients suffering from this disease. 57% of people with neurological dysfunction of unknown origin test positive for anti-gliadin antibodies against 12% of the control group. The best-characterized neurologic complication related to gluten sensitivity is ataxia, now termed “gluten ataxia”. Patients with gluten ataxia have inflammation at the cerebellum
Other diseases that have been studied profoundly regarding the gluten are neuropathies, headaches and psychiatric diseases such as epilepsy, anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism and mainly schizophrenia. In all cases, the percentage of gluten sensitivity is higher in this group of patients than in the control groups. (12)
There are various analysis of food intolerances. Allergist doctors use Prick skin tests to analyze the reaction of IgE antibodies. However, there are other antibodies such as IgG and IgA, which are not considered by conventional medicine and are usually responsible for intolerances related to neurological conditions and chronic diseases. Here is some more information about the analysis.

Phenols, salicylates, oxalates

Intolerance to certain substances such as phenols, salicylates and oxalates which are found in certain fruit and vegetables may cause serious reactions in some individuals leading to behavioral disturbances such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggression, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder, enuresis, dyslexia, tics, and to more severe manifestations such as epilepsy and seizures. (28)
The Feingold diet is low in phenols and salicylates.
Hypersensitivity to these substances is due to the inability of sulfation in the liver and a lack of enzymes that digest phenols. Recovering the ability to metabolize these substances can be treated with a specific diet, as indicated by Dr. Campbell. (1) A raw food diet also allows desensitization of foods containing these substances (28).

Additives

The consumption of products containing additives, especially colorants, has been particularly associated with hyperactivity.
Dr Egger and his team studied 76 hyperactive children to find out whether diet can contribute to behavioral disorders. The results showed that 79% of the children tested reacted adversely to artificial food colorants and preservatives, primarily to tartrazine and benzoic acid, which produced a marked deterioration in their behavior. (9)
Currently, artificial colorants in Europe have virtually disappeared from the market when manufacturers were forced to indicate on their product labels "could have an adverse effect on the activity and attention of children” in 2010.

Chemicals

Most studies of moderate pesticide exposure have found increased prevalence of neurologic symptoms and changes in neurobehavioral performance, reflecting cognitive and psychomotor dysfunction.. Pesticide exposure may also be associated with increased risk of Parkinson disease; several classes of pesticides, including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, have been implicated. Studies of other neurodegenerative diseases are limited and inconclusive. (13)
A more perfect match-up between the rise in glyphosate usage and incidence of autism is hard to imagine. More and more studies have revealed carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting effects of Roundup at lower doses than those authorized for residues found in Genetically Modified Organisms... The endocrine disrupting properties also lead to neurological disorders (learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), autism, dementia, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder). Those most susceptible are children and the elderly. (15)
Moreover, they have also been associated with other diseases such as asthma, allergies, cancer, endocrine disruption, fertility and fetal development problems. (14)
Various chemicals have neurotoxic effects. For instance; dioxins, bisphenol a (BPA), fluoride, tetrachloroethylene, flame retardants, toluene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, arsenic, etc.
Many of them are found in significant amounts in the atmosphere, in water, in food and in objects that surround us daily. In this other article you can learn more about the issue.

Medicine during pregnancy

Children exposed to long-term use of paracetamol during the mother's pregnancy had substantially adverse developmental outcomes at 3 years of age. (21)
The explanation for this occurrence is the increased oxidative stress due to taking this medication, increased in the case of lack of anti-oxidants in the mother.

Vitamin deficiency

B vitamins, especially B12, are essential for the proper functioning of the brain. These are involved in countless detoxification-related processes, the production of neurotransmitters and protecting nerve cells of the myelin sheath for nerve transmission. Its deficiency has been associated with neuropathy, psychomotor retardation, developmental disorders, and increased risk of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's. (22)
The lack of B vitamins is due, first of all, to intestinal dysbiosis that prevents proper synthesis of these vitamins by the beneficial intestinal flora. (1) A second factor is the robbing of micronutrients by refined products. And third, it’s very important the provision of micronutrients by following a diet that is rich in foods containing these vitamins and minerals.
At LivingFullyNourished we work to establish a diet that allows to recover a balanced intestinal flora and provide all the necessary micronutrients naturally. On this page you can find details about the reasons why the systematic micronutrient supplementation is not part of the approximation of LivingFullyNourished.

Fatty acid deficiency

Fatty acids are essential for the proper development of the brain: omega 3, omega 6, omega 9 and saturated fatty acids; as well as cholesterol are necessary and all of them are part of the membrane of all body cells. Out of these, the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are the ones that are essential, as the body can not synthesize them, so an external supply is needed. In contrast, 75% of the cholesterol is synthesized in the liver; the body can also synthesize saturated fatty acids from carbohydrates and proteins; as well as synthesize omega 9 from unsaturated fatty acids.
Lack of omega-3 is associated with an increased risk of hyperactivity, learning disabilities, behavior disorders, dyslexia, violence and depression.
A supplement of omega-3 DHA and EPA has been shown to improve concentration, the risk of dementia, bipolar disorder and depression (16), (17), (18) due to their anti-inflammatory action.
This deficiency is usually related to an excess of TRANS fatty acids and oxidized fats because they take the place of the good fatty acids. These harmful fatty acids are derived from hydrogenated fats, fats exposed to high temperatures, as well as from processed and industrialized food.
In addition, the fatty acids omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9 compete with each other, so if there is an excess in omega 6 and/or omega 9 then there is a deficit of omega 3. This is very common in Western civilization due to an excessive consumption of products derived from cereals and some vegetable oils which are rich in omega-6 (sunflower, corn, soybean, peanut and sesame); excess olive oil rich in omega 9; and lack of consumption of vegetables, nuts, fish and the beef of 100% grass-fed cows, which are rich in omega 3.
Another cause of fatty acid deficiency is the enzymatic fault which impedes the transformation of the fatty acids that are ingested as part of the food into fatty acids that should be be incorporated in the cells. For example, the omega 3 that vegetables and nuts contain is the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which must be transformed into docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to be integrated into the cells, through the action of several enzymes. These enzymes need certain micronutrients to perform their function as the B12 for the enzyme delta-6-desaturase. If these vitamins and minerals are missing, then these conversions can not be performed, resulting in lack of fatty acids. Other causes of inhibition of enzymatic function are toxins, alcohol, medicine, etc. (30)
Certain other foods; mainly oily fish and krill, directly provide the DHA that cells need, without being processed by enzymes, so a complementation in fish oil or krill is usually a good temporary solution until the metabolism is restored.
When the intestinal flora is recovered, micronutrient deficiencies are covered. If you also follow a proper diet, without harmful fats and excessive amounts of grain, the function of the enzyme system is restored and fatty acids are produced by the body in a proper way, covering all deficiencies.

Hypoperfusion

Apart from the action of opioid peptides and inflammatory action of gluten, other theories have been suggested to explain the action of gluten as harmful to the brain.
One explanation is that gluten cuts the blood flow to the frontal cortex. In a study, of the 15 untreated celiac patients, 11 (73%) had at least one hypoperfused brain region, compared with only 1 (7%) of the 15 celiac patients on a gluten-free diet and none of the controls. (23)

Oxidative stress

Oxidation is a normal and necessary process in the body, but when this function is increased, the effects are very harmful, as in the case of autism and cancer. Oxidative stress is much higher than normal in autistic children, and anti-oxidant substances are found in lower quantities. There are some alterations of antioxidant enzymes, too.
Increased oxidative stress affects many functions: membrane lipid abnormalities, inflammation, aberrant immune response, impaired energy metabolism and excitotoxicity, which could explain the symptoms of autism.(19)
It is believed that a treatment to alleviate oxidative stress can be effective in autism. Natural antioxidant substances found in fruit and vegetables are essential in this sense, given that supplementation with certain vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C and D, zinc and selenium, has been shown to improve symptoms. (20)

Intoxication caused by heavy metals

Numerous studies link mercury of the vaccines to autism (25, 26), as well as aluminum of the vaccines to Alzheimer's (23).
Another common source of intoxication are dental amalgams, which significantly affect the baby, as the mercury in the amalgams of the mother go through the placenta and may also contaminate the fetus, alternating the neurological development of the embryo. (26)
Other sources of mercury are vapors of mercury that come from broken thermometers, barometers and blood pressure cuffs; the chlorine industry, batteries and bulbs; fish, etc. Other heavy metals such as lead are found in water from old houses with lead pipes in some paints and in game meat; cadmium is found mainly in tobacco, instant coffee and seafood; aluminum is found in deodorants, aluminum pots and pans in addition to vaccines; and the list goes on with many more. For other sources of toxic you can consult this other article on the topic.
Mercury ions bond with micro tubulin structures, blocking and destroying the proper protective tubulin sheath around neuronal axons. Mercury exposure can increase the production of beta-amyloid, the protein that makes up the bulk of the amyloid plaque. The individuals with mild cognitive impairment have already started a build up of amyloid plaque. (25)
Apart from damaging the central and peripheral nervous system, heavy metals also damage the immune, endocrine, enzymatic, musculoskeletal system, and virtually any body part affected, and they are the most important negative epigenetic factor in altering the DNA methylation process.
The condition of mercury and other toxins on people depends on several factors: the type of mercury or toxin, the type of exposure, the toxin combination, but above all, individual sensitivity or detoxification capacity, which depends on the gene (ApoE gene), sex (boys are more at risk due to testosterone), and general health at the time of exposure.
Based on certain tests of heavy metal intoxication, such as porphyrins of red blood cells, it seems that the majority of children and adults with neurological diseases are affected by an intoxication. There are several naturopathic treatments to detoxify heavy metals: DMSA, chlorella, spirulina, etc. These types of treatment pose risks and produce side effects in many cases and are more severe than the intoxication itself. The opinion of LivingFullyNourished on detoxification is explained in greater detail on this other page.

Virus

Vaccines are not only harmful because of their mercury, aluminum, squalene, formaldehyde and other toxic products content.
According to Dr. Jean PILETTE (40), attenuated but live virus, which are used in some vaccines, once introduced into the body, may regain their virulence. They might then either cause disease or complications similar to those of the disease. For example, the oral polio vaccine may cause not only a mild form of gastro-enteritis, as does the polio virus, but also paralysis.
Likewise, the measles vaccine may not only cause an eruption, but also a paralysis of the oculomotor nerves or an encephalitis. The mumps vaccine may cause an inflammation of the testicles and rubella might cause joint pain. The yellow fever vaccine might cause an attack of fulminant viscera similar to that caused by the disease and may also be the source of various neurological conditions.
Consequently, vaccines with live germs are vaccines with potential infection. Diphtheria vaccine associated with a tetanus vaccine can have side effects such as neurological accidents, anaphylactic reactions and autoimmune diseases such as the Guillain-Barré disease. Vaccines to protect against tick-borne encephalitis might cause headaches, fatigue, irritation of the meninges, myelitis, spinal cord swelling and inflammation of nerve roots with paralysis or neuropathies. A Spanish study reported 4 cases of young women who in the month following their vaccination against cervical cancer developed a severe neurological disease characterized by loss of the myelin sheath of nerves. (40)

Fasting

As explained in this other aricle, researchers at the National Institute on Ageing in Baltimore said they had found evidence which shows that periods of stopping virtually all food intake for one or two days a week could protect the brain against some of the worst effects of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other ailments.
Scientists have known for some time that a low-calorie diet is a recipe for longer life. Rats and mice reared on restricted amounts of food increase their lifespan by up to 40%. A similar effect has been noted in humans. But Mattson and his team have taken this notion further. They argue that starving yourself occasionally can stave off not just ill-health and early death but delay the onset of conditions affecting the brain, including strokes. (37)

Genetics and epigenetics

Julie Mathews explains the following in her book “Nourishing Hope for Autism” referring to the genetic cause of autism: “If the disorder were purely genetic, monozygotic twins would both be autistic, 100% of the time. In actuality however, there is only a 60% concordance rate between monozygotic twins and a 86% concordance rate of the second twin having some features of autism or associated disorders” (28)
It is now known that gene expression is modulated by epigenetic factors. Julie Mathews adds: “Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene function that occur without a change in the sequence of the DNA. DNA methylation, is the best-understood epigenetic markers to date that affects this expression of the gene, without changing the DNA sequencing itself.
Gene expression can be influenced by toxic exposure and nutrients (or nutrient deficiencies). Both toxic exposure and healthful nutrients can significantly impact our epigenetics, or who we become to some degree”. (28)
That is to say, genetics predispose people to developing certain diseases, but it is the environment (food, toxins, emotions, etc.) that will determine if these diseases appear or not. This gives hope to the fact that the neurological, mental and behavioral diseases and any disease, including cancer, are not irreversible, even if you have the genes for them. Changing your environment and lifestyle, these can be corrected. It is not always easy to make major changes in life, that is true. In the LivingFullyNourished approach these difficulties are taken into account and a service is offered to direct and accompany the person in these changes.

Electromagnetic sensitivity

Electromagnetic sensitivity may be a cause of some neurological and behavioral disorders. Pylons, radio frequency antennas and mobile phones are devices that emit waves that cause more problems, but any electronic device could cause symptoms in some hypersensitive individuals.
A study about the effect of electromagnetic waves of mobile phones found that they indeed caused disruption in cognitive functions, spatial memory, in the well-being and behavior of adolescents, with exhibits ranging from 10 to 150 minutes. (38)
Other diseases related to electromagnetic pollution are some types of cancer such as leukemia, brain cancer and breast cancer, as well as spontaneous abortion, suicide, Alzheimer's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, neuropathy and cardiovascular disease. (39)

Other lifestyle factors

Sleeping, being in contact with nature, sports, sun exposure, and in general a healthy lifestyle has a significant impact on epigenetics, and therefore greatly influences the development of mental illness.
The children with sleep-disordered breathing were significantly more likely to show signs of hyperactivity, trouble interacting with peers, and conduct issues including aggressiveness and inability to follow rules. The study examined the effects of sleep-disordered breathing on children as young as 6 months. Researchers found that very young children who experienced some form of sleep-disordered breathing were, by the age of 7, 40-100 percent more likely to have behavioral problems similar to those used to diagnose ADHD. (31)
For more than a century it has been known that memory benefits from sleep, and research in this field has put forward different explanations for this phenomenon. (32)
The authors of a study concluded that a physical activity program of an additional 142 minutes of exercise per week on average improved cognition relative to controls in older adults with subjective and objective memory impairment. (33)
Newberg had older patients with memory problems practice meditation each day for 12 minutes for eight weeks. Their MRI results appeared positive and dramatically different after concluding the experiment. Furthermore, test results revealed that the benefit of praying or meditating can actually shape the brain.(34, 35)
A study results showed that children exposed to more TV increased their risk of delayed cognitive, language, and motor development. (36)
And certainly, multiple sensory stimulation therapies help to greatly improve cognitive development of children with autism and developmental disorders.
In LivingFullyNourished the importance of following a lifestyle that meets all the needs of the organism so that the person is well nourished from all points of view is highlighted. It will therefore be important to consider sleep, rest, physical activity, education and sensory stimulation, social life, stress management, emotional management, personal and spiritual development, etc.
If any important lacuna is detected in any respect, the person will be directed to a specialist therapist, if necessary.

Conclusion

According to LivingFullyNourished, efforts to recuperate the correct neurological, mental and behavioral functions are directed to the following changes:
1.- Recovering the intestinal flora
2.- Eliminating gluten, casein and sweeteners
3.- Investigating whether there are food intolerances to other foods
4.- Detecting a possible sensitivity to certain compounds such as salicylates, phenols and oxalates
5.- Removing all industrial food additives and harmful fats
6.- Identifying potential sources of toxins and avoiding heavy metals, pesticides, GMOs, endocrine disruptors, electromagnetic pollution, etc.
7.- Avoiding foods that rob the nervous system of B vitamins and other nutrients.
8.- Following a diet rich in anti-oxidants, detoxificants, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids in foods that nature offers
9.- Correcting epigenetic factors that trigger the disease manifestation
10.- Considering nutritional needs of the person other than food.

References:

(1) “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
(2) “Aspartame Studies”, http://aspartame.mercola.com/sites/aspartame/studies.aspx+
(3) “Essential Natural Hygiene Home Study Course. Part 4. Inferior Foods in the Human Diet, Lesson 21, Sugars and Sweeteners”, Dr. Robert Sniadach
(4) “Sugar Blues” William Dufty
(5) Wolraich ML, Lindgren SD, Stumbo PJ, Stegink LD, Appelbaum MI, Kiritsy MC. “Effects of diets high in sucrose or aspartame on the behavior and cognitive performance of children.” N Engl J Med. 1994 Feb 3;330(5):301–7. PMID: 8277950.
(6) “International variations in the outcome of schizophrenia and the prevalence of depression in relation to national dietary practices: an ecological analysis.”, British Journal of Psychiatry 2004 May;184:404-8., http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15123503?dopt=Abstract
(7) “A new paradigm for depression in new mothers: the central role of inflammation and how breastfeeding and anti-inflammatory treatments protect maternal mental health.” International Breastfeeding Journal 2007 Mar 30;2:6, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17397549?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_SingleItemSupl.Pubmed_Discovery_PMC&linkpos=3&log$=citedinpmcarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed
(8) “Are Food Allergies Affecting Your Brain Part 1?” http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/gluten-free-society-blog/are-food-allergies-affecting-your-brain-part-1/
(9) “Are Food Allergies Affecting Your Brain? Part 2”, http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/gluten-free-society-blog/are-food-allergies-affecting-your-brain-part-2/
(10) “Hold the diet soda? Sweetened drinks linked to depression, coffee tied to lower risk”, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130108162135.htm
(11) “Dietary pattern and depressive symptoms in middle age”, Br J Psychiatry. 2009 Nov; 195(5): 408–413. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2801825/
(12) “Neurologic and Psychiatric Manifestations of Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity”,Psychiatr Q. 2012 Mar; 83(1): 91–102. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3641836/#R27
(13) “Association of Pesticide Exposure with Neurologic Dysfunction and Disease” Environ Health Perspect. 2004 Jun; 112(9): 950–958., http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1247187/
(14) “Effects of Pesticides on Human Health”, http://www.toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Effects+of+Pesticides+on+Human+Health
(15)”Glyphosate Herbicide May Be Responsible For Future Half Of Children With Autism”, http://www.medicaldaily.com/autism-rates-increase-2025-glyphosate-herbicide-may-be-responsible-future-half-316388
(16) “Omega-3 fatty acid treatment of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study”,Paediatr Child Health. 2009 Feb; 14(2): 89–98. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2661342/
(17) “Omega-3 fatty acids for psychiatric illness“, http://www.currentpsychiatry.com/home/article/omega-3-fatty-acids-for-psychiatric-illness/21b3766b86f37caa92fb4aec3f6cc4e9.html
(18) Montgomery P, Richardson AJ (2008-04-16). Montgomery, Paul, ed. "Omega-3 fatty acids for bipolar disorder". Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online) (2): CD005169. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005169.pub2. PMID 18425912
(19) “Glutathione-related factors and oxidative stress in autism, a review.”, Curr Med Chem. 2012;19(23):4000-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22708999
(20) “Oxidative stress in autism”, http://www.foodforthebrain.org/media/229793/Oxidative_Stress_in_Autism__REVIEW_ARTICLE.pdf
(21) “Prenatal paracetamol exposure and child neurodevelopment: a sibling-controlled cohort study.”, Int J Epidemiol. 2013 Dec;42(6):1702-13. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyt183. Epub 2013 Oct 24., http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24163279
(22) “Neuroenhancement with Vitamin B12—Underestimated Neurological Significance”, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3875920/
(23) “First Case Study to Show Direct Link Between Alzheimer’s and Aluminum Toxicity”, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/03/22/aluminum-toxicity-alzheimers.aspx
(24)”’Gluten Brain': Wheat Cuts Off Blood Flow To Frontal Cortex, http://wakeup-world.com/2014/02/06/gluten-brain-wheat-cuts-off-blood-flow-to-frontal-cortex/
(25) “Synergistic Destruction: How Vaccines and GMOs Converge to Fuel Autism and Neurodegenerative Conditions”, Dr. Matthew Buckley, PSc.D., http://kinseimindbody.com/synergistic-destruction-how-vaccines-and-gmos-converge-to-fuel-autism-and-neurodegenerative-conditions/
(26) “Mercury toxicity: Genetic susceptibility and synergistic effects” Boyd E. Haley, PhD, http://homeoint.ru/pdfs/haley.pdf, http://mercury-freedrugs.org/docs/050821saveof_200x_BoydEHaleySlidesOnGenetic&OtherAggravatingFactors-HgPoisoning.pdf,
(27) “Grain Brain”, Dr. David Perlmutter
(28) “Nourishing Hope for Autism”, Julie Matthews, CNC
(29) “How Mercury Destroys the Brain-University of Calgary”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtFsy0rQsak
(30) BioMed Research International Volume 2015 (2015), Article ID 690692, “Factors Influencing the Eicosanoids Synthesis In Vivo” http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2015/690692/
(31) “ADHD or Sleep Disorder: Are We Getting It Wrong?”, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/adhd-sleep-disorders_b_3193570.html
(32) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768102/,Physiol Rev. 2013 Apr; 93(2): 681–766. “About Sleep's Role in Memory”
(33) “Physical Exercise and Brain Function”, http://www.drperlmutter.com/physical-exercise-brain-function/
(34) Zeidan, Johnson, et al. "Mindfulness Meditation Improves Cognition: Evidence of Brief Mental Training." Consciousness and Cognition, 19(2): 597-605, June 2010.
(35) “Study Finds That Prayer Has Physical Healing Effects on the Brain”, http://www.christianpost.com/news/study-finds-that-prayer-has-physical-healing-effects-on-the-brain-119906/
(36) “TV Time Cuts Toddler Development”, http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/tv-time-cuts-toddler-development
(37) “Fasting can help protect against brain diseases, scientists say”, http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/feb/18/fasting-protect-brain-diseases-scientists
(38) “Neurological Effects of Non-Ionizing Electromagnetic Fields”, http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/sec09_2012_Evidence_%20Effects_%20%20Neurology_behavior.pdf
(39) “Health Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation”, http://www.patagoniasinrepresas.cl/final/dinamicos/efectosradiaciones.pdf
(40) “Maladies infectieuses et vaccins”, Dr. Jean Pilette http://www.infovaccin.fr/tzr/scripts/downloader2.php?filename=T004/fichier/0a/27/4opifdttx7sn&mime=application/pdf&originalname=Constituants_des_vaccins_version-actualisee.pdf

A gluten immune reaction in everyone

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 16:30:00 +0100

A research study shows that the innate immune system reacts against gluten in both celiac and non-celiac people producing interleukins, a kind of inflammatory substances. That means that we all are indeed sensitive to gluten.
The difference between celiac and non-celiac people remains in the adaptative immune system, that is to say, the antibodies produced against gluten.
In other studies, hundreds of diseases have been linked to gluten sensitivity.

Continue reading A gluten immune reaction in everyone

A study published in the journal Gut in 2007 (1) shows that an inflammatory substance, interleukin (IL) 15, is produced by the intestine when it’s subjected to different substances derived from gluten: 19-mer and 33-mer gliadin peptides.
It is known that in celiac disease, this innate response mediated by interleukin 15, damages the cells of the intestine, decreasing the absorption of nutrients and the capabilities of digestion of other food as well. IL 15 also causes the leaky gut syndrome, this is, an increase of the gut permeability that leads to allergies and intolerances to other food.
But in this study, even if IL15 was in every case produced by gluten, the biopsies of the intestine showed any damage in non-celiac people. The explanation given by the researchers was that there might be “a higher IL15‐sensitive response under the same stimulus, which might be mediated by a higher density of IL15 receptors in patients with celiac disease”.
Concerning the leaky gut syndrome, this was not analysed in non-celiac people. But Dr. Mouton (2) explains that gluten activates a substance called zonuline in the intestine, which leads to leaky gut in every case.
Moreover, the difference in celiac people is that gluten also triggers an adaptive immune system response, with the production of anti-transglutaminase, anti-endomysial and anti-gliadin antibodies, which can aggravate the damage to the gut even more.

However, they conclude that “The data obtained in this pilot study support the hypothesis that gluten elicits its harmful effect, throughout an IL15 innate immune response, on all the individuals.”
The exact effect of this inflammatory substance, a part from the injury on the gut lining, is not yet detailed, but as every inflammatory substance, it surely must have a deleterious effect on everybody’s health. This must be true, because other studies link gluten to hundreds of different diseases, as it is exposed, for example, in this presentation by Dr. Peter Osborne “Gluten Sensitiviy, a Laymen’s Primer” and the book “The Dark Side of Wheat “ by Sayer Ji.
Quoting Sayer Ji in his article in GreenMedInfo.com “rather than look up the adverse gut responses associated with wheat, and particularly, wheat gliadin, as being a rare genetically-based aberration, we may want to reconsider the common, culturally reinforced view that wheat is an intrinsically healthy food that only an 'abnormal' subset of the human population has an 'unhealthy' response to. To the contrary, perhaps the immunoreactive effects that wheat gliadin induces indicates that we have a human species-specific intolerance to this 'food,' and that rather than look at these adverse effects as being 'unhealthy reactions to a healthy food,' perhaps we should look at them as 'healthy reactions to an intrinsically unhealthy (or metabolically incompatible) food.’ “
Instead of considering celiac people as sick people, I consider that they have a stronger immune system, and their body still is ringing the alarm against unhealthy food.
I think that when we are babies, our body refuses wheat products in different ways, in more or less strong reactions. This is one of the reasons for babies crying so much, having colic, reflux, eczema and other diseases (in order to know more about this topic, you can read this article). However, parents are not aware of the fact that the cause is wheat and other unsuitable food given to babies who are breastfed depending on their mother’s food, or included in infant formula, or in the first baby food. So the immune system becomes exhausted and turns off these alarms, the antibodies, without hope. So as we grow up, due to the innate inflammatory response, these first acute symptoms of food inadequacy become chronic diseases, as well as more and more life threatening diseases. As explained in this other article, opposed to what is commonly accepted, Natural Hygiene states that children have a more vigorous immune system than adults, and this is why they develop more acute diseases, while as we get older, we suffer more chronic diseases, because the body is unable to refuse and eliminate all the damaging substances. This is why doctors say that allergies disappear when children grow up, but they don’t mention that this happens at the expense of the appearance of other chronic diseases.

Concerning tests for gluten intolerance, following is some insight:

Celiac disease: Blood IgA antibodies anti-transglutaminase and anti-endomysium; and sometimes IgA and IgG antibodies to deamidiated gliadin peptide; followed by an intestinal biopsy if antibodies test is positif. These tests use to be ordered by medical doctors when there's a suspicious of celiac disease.
Gluten intolerance:
- Blood antibodies IgG to gluten. Some commercial tests are Imupro and Bloodspot IgG4 (non-invasive test).
- Stool antibodies IgA to gluten.

Click here to know more about tests.
Other arguments why I recommend avoiding gluten are to be found in this other article

-----------------------------

(1) Gut. Jun 2007; 56(6): 889–890. “Is gliadin really safe for non‐coeliac individuals? Production of interleukin 15 in biopsy culture from non‐coeliac individuals challenged with gliadin peptides”
(2) "Écosystème intestinal et santé optimale", Dr. Georges Mouton

Baby's colic and crying

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 16:38:00 +0100

Currently most of our babies are born enjoying good health. However, some of them do cry non-stop for hours, sleep little, eat too little or eat too often, have problems with reflux or vomiting, become sick on first exposure to the virus of their siblings, have dermatitis, conjunctivitis and various infections; and we still have not mentioned premature babies and other worrisome conditions like jaundice, febrile convulsions, etc. Regarding the mother, she often does not have enough milk to breastfeed and needs a supplementary feeding bottle, moreover, there may be frequent complications of childbirth and the cesarean rate is rising more and more, etc.
We consider all these problems to be normal: the heart-rending cries, the lack of sleep ..., we tend to say: this is what you are supposed to go through when you have a baby! But, is it really "normal"? Would it not be the normal case to have a happy baby, who can easily be comforted when its needs are met, having no problems sleeping, eating well and growing properly?

Continue reading Baby's colic and crying

Differences between breast milk and cow's milk

Without any doubt even conventional medicine agrees to it: breast milk is the best for babies. But how detrimental could the formula milk be?
Although the infant formula tries to mimic breast milk to the maximum, it is impossible for it to have the same nutritional effect.
First of all, formula milk is synthesized from cow's milk. Let us compare the main differences between these milks (2):
1.- The proportion of whey and casein proteins of human milk (30% casein, 70% whey) differs from that in bovine milk (82% casein, 18% whey). The soluble proteins in the whey fraction are more easily digested and tend to facilitate more rapid gastric emptying.
The types of proteins contained in the whey fraction differ between human and bovine milks. The major human whey protein is α-lactalbumin. The major whey protein in cow’s milk is β-lactoglobulin.
So human milk is low in protein, at least when compared with the milk of other species, especially cow’s milk. Human infants are designed to grow slowly. While it’s important for humans to develop strong bodies, even more important is brain development and the learning of social skills. (10)
2.- Lactoferrin, lysozyme, and immunoglobulin A are specific human whey proteins involved in host defense. Because these host-defense proteins resist proteolytic digestion, they are capable of a first line of defense by lining the gastrointestinal tract.
The three host defense proteins are essentially absent in cow’s milk.
3.- The pattern of fatty acids in human milk is also unique in its composition of very long chain fatty acids. Arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), derivatives of linoleic and linolenic acids, respectively, are found in human but not bovine milk. Arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids functionally have been associated with cognition, growth, and vision.
4.- Human breast milk, unlike cow’s milk, contains significant quantities of oligosaccharides. Milk oligosaccharides exert important prebiotic functions by promoting the colonisation of the intestine by beneficial bacteria.
5.- The fat in human milk comes with an enzyme, lipase, that breaks the fat down into smaller globules so this important nutrient can be better absorbed into the bloodstream. Cow milk doesn’t contain lipase.
6.- Vitamins A, C and E are five times more significant in breast milk. In general, all vitamins and minerals have a higher absorption rate in breast milk, and in the case of iron it is even 10 times higher.
7.- In human milk Epidermal Growth factor (EGF) is the most active growth factor, with insulin and Insulin-like-Growth-Factor-1 (IGF-1) playing smaller roles. Cow's milk has no EGF. IGF-I in bovine colostrum exceeds 1000 μg/l compared with 17 μg/l and 6.8 μ/l in human colostrum and mature milk respectively. Bovine milk lacks colony stimulating factor.

Infant formula

The baby food producing industry is constantly investigating how to reproduce breast milk in the laboratories, however, they are still very far from reaching this goal.
What processes is cow's milk subjected to in order to be transformed into infant formula milk?
Milk consists of milk protein, fat, sugar, minerals, salts, vitamins and minerals.
Formula milk is made by mixing similar substances in order to imitate most of the characteristics of human milk.
Basically, the performed industrial processes are: (10)

1.- Part of the casein is replaced by whey protein. The whey protein of the formula contains beta-lactoglobulin as well as serum albumin and immunoglobulin G in a lower concentration. In contrast, breast milk contains alpha-lactalbumin, lactoferrin, lysozyme and immunoglobulins.
2.- Cow's milk is low in lactose; and so, the first stage in the "humanizing' of cow's milk is to increase the sugar content. This is done either by adding more lactose or other sugars like sucrose, fructose, glucose and maltodextrin.
3.- Natural fats in cow's milk, which are indigestible for a baby, are replaced by vegetable fats, that are rich in inflammatory omega-6. These are extracted from fish or from the lecithin of the egg yolk, and in this case there is a possible contamination of the highly allergenic egg proteins.
4.- Vitamins and trace elements are added, but not always in their most easily digestible form.
5.- Other commonly used ingredients are some additifs such as emulsifiers and stabilizers added to prevent the separation of the oil from the water, and diluents such as skim milk and purified water.
6.- The resulting formula is subjected to pasteurization, homogenization, sterilization and standardization. During these thermal processes denaturation of proteins that provide immunological benefits occurs, retaining allergen susceptibility that can induce beta-lactoglobulin. These processes also involve the appearance of trans fatty acids from vegetable oils. Currently the European Commission limits trans fatty acids in infant formula to 4% of total fatty acids. However, it is a proved fact that trans fatty acids are highly detrimental to health and should be completely excluded from the diet of any person. (10)
As the lipase is heat-labile, it is important to recognize that the superior fat absorption from human milk is reported only when unprocessed milk is fed.
The exact final formula depends on each manufacturer.
“The attempts of the food chemist to modify the milk of one mammal, the cow, for feeding another, the human infant, have been largely unsuccessful, notwithstanding the claims made in the promotional literature. The reasons are obvious. It is not just the question of adding a sugar to get the carbohydrate content right, or of diluting to get the protein content right, nor of replacing butter fat with a mixture of vegetable oils. The entire structure of the protein in human milk is so very different from that in cow's milk . The fatty acid composition is unique for each mother and so also are the electrolytes and trace elements“ (13)
Soya is very rich in feminine hormones, isoflavones. The Suisse Federal Office for Public Health (OFSP) advises against soya milk for babies and young children, and suggests limiting consumption to one or two portions a day for older children and adults.
The properties of soya are a cause of much controversy. Some scientists consider them carcinogenic, disruptive to hormones and thyroid, but the main dispute is due to the content of phytohormones (isoflavones), phytic acid, hemaglutinine and goitrogen.
The resulting formula milk is thus an industrially processed food which contains chemicals, even more than industrially processed food for adults.
As a result, it is proved that the health of breastfed infants is much better than those fed on formula milk, due to several factors:
1.- Breast milk contains numerous immunostimulants that compensate for the immature nature of the newborn’s immune defense mechanisms. Immunoglobulins A provided by breast milk protect babies’ mucosal surfaces, who are unable to do it correctly by themselves. (1) That is why the combination of early lactation and formula milk is known to cause allergy to milk.
2.- Breast milk also protects infants against chromosomal abnormalities. (1)
3.- Some studies relate infant early ingestion of cow’s milk with Type 1 diabetes due to the fact that it contains bovine insulin. (1),(4).
4.- The risk of sudden death is 2-5 times higher in formula milk-fed babies. (5)
5.- Breast milk and breastfeeding promotes proper brain and intellectual development of infants. (5)
6.- Breastfed babies fall asleep more easily. (5)
7.- Regurgitations are much lower in breastfed infants because breast milk is digested much faster and, therefore, the stomach gets emptied more quickly. (5)
8.- Formula milk fed babies have diarrhea 2 times more. (5)
An important consideration to keep in mind is the composition of breast milk when the mother drinks cow's milk. Not all milk proteins are well digested and some of them reach the intestinal mucosa in significant amounts and may be absorbed intact by the body. Thus, the breast milk of mothers who consume cow's milk contains certain amounts of beta-lactoglobulin from the cow. A baby’s exclusion of cow’s milk also means the nursing mother’s abstinence of all dairy products and all sources of animal milk protein.
Some adulteration scandals of infant formula have come to light, such as the melamine scandal in China in 2008, the scandal of ink contamination in infant formula at Nestlé in Italy, France, Portugal and Spain in 2005, outbreaks of salmonellosis in 2008 and 2010 at Novalac milk, etc.

But what if the mother can not breastfeed?

A mother may either not have enough milk or she can not breastfeed for various other reasons. The effect of epidurals on breastfeeding will be explained in the next section.
It is preferred to go to a nursing mother who can breastfeed naturally, as people did in earlier times when a mother could not breastfeed, or otherwise, go to milk banks in hospitals, such as the Doce de Octubre in Madrid. (3)
The advantage of a nursing mother's milk is that it is"fresh" and therefore all its nutrients are intact. It is advisable to learn about the customs of the nursing mother: their food, smoking and drinking habits, etc. On the contrary, breast milk in milk banks has been pasteurized and extracted long ago, so many nutrients such as enzymes, antibodies and vitamins are destroyed or altered. Even so, it is infinitely superior to formula milk.
The advantage of the milk bank is that the mother can give her baby the milk bottle herself, so an important emotional bond that would be normally established during breastfeeding can be established this way.

The effects of the epidural anesthesia

In a study on epidural analgesia and breastfeeding, infants whose mothers had no labor analgesia scored higher on the breastfeeding scale than mothers who had epidurals or intravenous narcotics. (6) Another study found that 67% of women who had an epidural reported partial or full formula-feeding in the first 12 weeks compared to only 29% of women who had not. Mothers who had an epidural were also more likely to report having ‘not enough milk’. (7)
There is evidence to show that epidural anesthesia probably does diminish the neonate's early ability to suckle.
The effect of epidurals on the newborn is dosage and time-dependent. In general, the greater the medication dosage the more pronounced the alteration in neonatal function. However, this relationship is neither simple nor uniform as it is affected by the newborn's ability to metabolize or excrete the medication.(6)
Three other studies, examined labor epidurals and general neonatal behavior with differing results. Infants in epidural groups performed less well on the motor, state control, and physiologic response clusters of the Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale than the little-or-no-medication group. On the fifth day the babies in the epidural groups continued to show poor state organization. (6)
Epidurals increase the risk of instrumental delivery, can cause a fever in women in labour and often cause a drop in blood pressure and the baby may be born with more fluid. This might falsely inflate a baby’s birth weight. When he sheds this fluid, he might appear to lose more weight than ‘allowed. This might dent a mother’s confidence in breastfeeding.(9)
Epidural labor analgesia is only one of the many intrapartum interventions that may affect breastfeeding. Interventions such as maternal intravenous fluids, vacuum extraction, operative deliveries, and infant oral suctioning may also alter suckling. The use of synthetic oxytocin has been linked to an increase number of bottle-feeds and a shorter length of breastfeeding. This may be because it disrupts the release of natural oxytocin and increases the need for intravenous fluids. Skin-to-skin contact with your baby after the birth will help overcome any disruption to the natural release of oxytocin. (7)

Colic and gastro-oesophageal reflux

Out of all the events that occur in the case of newborn babies, perhaps colic and reflux are the most frequent ones.

The cramps are severe pain in the tummy and reflux is the regurgitation of ingested milk. The treatment offered by conventional medicine is antacids to reflux and colic drops to the cramps. Antacids alleviate the problem temporarily, but by inhibiting the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, they eventually make the digestion become worse.
There are also many natural remedies for colic and reflux ranging from warm water bags, massages, putting the baby in certain positions, etc., to certain herbs. However, the best option is to find the cause of their occurrence and this way avoid them.
From the viewpoint of functional medicine the main cause of these two problems is intestinal dysbiosis, certain bacterial overgrowth in the intestine strains, which produce excessive amounts of gas.
A baby, before being born is sterile. When arriving at birth, the baby receives its first dose of microbes to pass through the birth canal. Its skin, eyes and mucous membranes of the mouth and nose acquire their first microflora. The baby's digestive system gets its first population of bacterias, viruses and fungi through the liquids it swallows in the mother's vagina. So whatever lives in the mother's vagina, that is what the baby receives and it will populate the gut of the newborn, forming its intestinal flora. And vaginal microflora originates in the intestine. (12) Thus, the primary cause of an imbalance in the infant's intestinal flora is due to maternal dysbiosis.
However, it may also be due to inadequate nutrition with formula milk that contains harmful sugars and starches;

allergen proteins or other inappropriate compounds that babies can not digest. Another common cause is overfeeding the baby when the breast or the bottle are used to calm it down while the baby's actual needs are different: fatigue, sleep, boredom, need for love, dirty diapers, heat or cold, etc.
If the baby is breastfed and has colic or other problems the mother should also think about whether her diet is correct: if she is eating intolerant foods that may create inflammation or she takes certain medications, etc. All these factors may affect the baby.
These problems may also be due to many other causes, such as excessive air swallowing or stress. Babies are very sensitive to family problems, conflict situations create a kind of stress that can affect them a lot and may also be the cause.
In addition to examining the possible causes as well as a corresponding change in the baby's feeding and the mother's diet if necessary, the ingestion of probiotics should also be considered.
Certain analyses as the mother's gut flora and food intolerances analyses may be helpful in the final diagnosis.

Intolerances and allergies to milk

The allergy to cow's milk can cause abdominal pain or cramps, soft or loose stools (which may be bloody), constipation, vomiting, reflux, dermatitis as symptoms and manifestation occurs shortly after ingestion, only minutes or a few hours afterwards. They usually appear several days or weeks after introducing milk made with cow's milk.
Allergy to cow's milk is due to a reaction to any of the milk proteins: casein, beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-lactalbumin, the first two being the most likely to be the cause (1) The pediatrician often makes a test that measures IgE antibodies to determine if the baby has an allergy to cow's milk when these symptoms occur.
Conversely, casein intolerance, which is one of the proteins of cow's milk, provides a wide range of symptoms, and the time it takes to manifest is much longer, ranging from a few hours to several days. That is why it is much harder to detect, although there are different analyses in order to detect them which are based on measuring IgG antibodies to casein. In the case of adults, the effects of intolerance to cow's milk protein are diseases such as osteoporosis, anemia, auto-immunity (diabetes, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, thyroiditis, etc.), atopy (allergy, asthma, dermatitis, etc.) inflammation (rheumatism, fibromyalgia, Crohn's disease, etc.), gastro-intestinal disturbances (constipation, diarrhea, reflux, etc.). In children and babies these effects might be anemia, diabetes and atopy, but most frequently they are gastro-intestinal diseases: colic, constipation, diarrhea, reflux, etc. (1) This type of intolerance is never examined by pediatricians.
What pediatricians call an intolerance to cow's milk is an inability to digest lactose, the sugar in milk, but they do not consider the delayed hypersensitivity (not to be confused with an allergy) to milk proteins. Casein intolerance is fairly common in babies, while lactose intolerance is quite unlikelyin their case.

Preparation for giving birth

I would recommend the mother to prepare as soon as possible, before conception if possible. It is advisable to any woman who has any kind of health problem, however small it may seem, to check her diet. If she has any health problem, that may be caused by different factors such as the lack of nutrients, intestinal dysbiosis, an inflammatory process, toxic exposure, etc., all of which may affect significantly the development of the baby during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
In case she is perfectly healthy, probably her diet is good enough.
Other aspects that affect health should also be taken into account during pregnancy: the emotional state, exercise, rest, sleep, sun exposure, etc
.

Vaccines

I will not elaborate on this section because I could write numerous and extensive articles about the topic. I just advise you to be well informed about the advantages and disadvantages of vaccines in alernative studies. I include some links that I consider interesting on the subject.

Links

* http://www.efvv.eu/
* libro “Vaccinations: les vérités indésirables”, Michel Georget
* http://www.nvic.org/
* http://www.info-vaccination.be/?La-composition-des-vaccins-Dr-Jean-PILETTE
* http://tv.naturalnews.com
* http://www.info-vaccination.be

References

(1) “Ecosystème intestinal & Santé optimale”, Dr. Georges Mouton
(2) "Production of powdered baby food", GEA Process Engineering Inc.
(3) "Nodrizas del siglo XXI: madres que donan su leche para ayudar a criar a bebés prematuros" , 20 minutos
(4) "Wheat and Dairy", Diabetes and the Environment
(5) "Benefits of BreastMilk" , Ask Dr. Sears
(6) "Epidurals and breastfeeding", Australian Breastfeeding Association
(7) Volmanen P, Valanne J, Alahuhta S 2004, “Breast-feeding problems after epidural analgesia for labour: a retrospective cohort study of pain, obstetrical procedures and breast-feeding practices”. Int J Obstet Anesth 13(1): 25–9
(8) Garcia-Fortea P, Gonzalez-Mesa E, Blasco M, Cazorla O, Delgado M, Gonzalez-Valenzuela MJ 2013, “Oxytocin administered during labor and breastfeeding: A retrospective cohort study”. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med
(9) "Epidurals and breastfeeding", La Leche League
(10) "FÓRMULAS LÁCTEAS INFANTILES PARA LA ALIMENTACIÓN DEL LACTANTE SANO DURANTE EL PRIMER AÑO DE VIDA."
(11) "Fórmulas adaptadas para lactantes y modificaciones actuales de éstas"
(12) “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”, Dr. Natascha Campbell-McBride.

Constipation: remedies

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:10:00 +0100

In the previous article the main causes of constipation were discussed. In the current article the pros and cons of the different approaches to the treatment of constipation will be explained: from conventional medicine to natural and nutritional remedies as well as other therapies.

Continue reading Constipation: remedies

Laxatives in conventional and natural medicine

As you can find on the Internet (5), broadly, categories of treatments include bulk-forming products, lubricants, stool softeners, osmotic agents and stimulant laxatives. Products available are a mix of naturally-derived and synthetic products. Some of the most popular laxatives are naturally-derived from the senna plant, psyllium seed, etc. Both natural and synthetic products have very remarkably side effects.

Fiber is a bulk-forming product. Fiber works by increasing the water content and bulk of the stool, which helps to move it quickly through the colon. When ingesting fiber supplements or medicines, such as Agiolax, it's essential to drink enough water to minimize the possibility of flatulence and a possible obstruction. (5)
Aloe vera, Psyllium and fenugreek are also well-known herbal bulk laxatives.
Abdominal cramping, bloating or gas can occur when we are abruptly increasing or changing the dietary fiber intake. (5)

Lubricant laxatives, such as Lansoyl make stools slippery. The mineral or vegetable oil within these products adds a slick layer to the intestine's walls and stops the stool from drying out. (5) Mineral oil can absorb fat-soluble vitamins from the intestine (A, D, E, K), avoid the absorption of several nutrients in the body and lead to a deficiency of mineral and other nutrients. Mineral oil is not supposed to reach our lungs, or it can cause serious tissue damage, a condition called “lipoid pneumonia”. This is a rare incidence, but could happen if mineral oil “goes down through the wrong pipe”.
Mineral oil, also called “liquid paraffin”, is a derivative of petroleum. Crude oil is distilled into a refined product: gasoline. Mineral oil is a byproduct of that distillation process. It is therefore very cheap to make, and is produced in large industrial quantities.
Castor oil is a lubricant laxative as well as stimulant laxative, with very similar side effects.

Stool softeners or emollient laxatives contain docusate, a surfactant that helps to "wet" and soften the stool. (5) Docusate salts are thought to act as detergents in the intestine, reducing surface tension of liquids and fatty substances in the intestine, thereby softening stool consistency. Stomach pain, diarrhea, or cramping may occur. Irritated throat (with liquid or syrup forms) may also occur. Rectal bleeding is unlikely but a serious side effect. (6)

The osmotic laxative's mission is “the wetter the better”. These products include all hydrating agents that draw fluids into the intestine from the surrounding tissues: glycerin suppositories, sugar alcohols, saline salts, lactulose (such as Duphalac), and polyethylene glycol (PEG). (5) Gas, bloating, burping, stomach rumbling/pain, nausea, and cramps may occur. Other unlikely but serious side effects may occur: diarrhea, vomiting, muscle cramps/weakness, irregular heartbeat, mental/mood changes, seizures. (7)
Saline laxatives are non-absorbable osmotic substances that attract and retain water in the intestinal lumen, increasing intraluminal pressure that mechanically stimulates the evacuation of the bowel. Magnesium-containing agents also cause the release of cholecystokinin, which increases intestinal motility and fluid secretion. Saline laxatives may alter a patient's fluid and electrolyte balance. (5) Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate.
Sorbitol and xilitol are sugar alcohols. They have a laxative effect because sugar alcohols are not fully broken down during digestion. The effect depends upon the individual, and it can lead to diarrhoea in some cases.
Apple juice, pears, prunes and dates contain the sugar sorbitol, too.
Osmotic laxatives’s side effects are gastrointestinal diseases: bloating, colic, nausea, vomit, diarrhea, etc. (5)

Stimulant Laxatives, such as Dulcolax, work by stimulating the lining of the intestine, thereby accelerating the journey of stool through the colon. Stimulant laxatives also increase the hydration of stool. Do not use stimulant laxatives daily or regularly. This type of laxative may weaken the body's natural ability to defecate and cause laxative dependency by damaging the haustral folds of the colon, making the user less able to move feces through the colon on their own. One more caveat: the stimulant laxatives may cause cramping and diarrhea. (5)
Purgative laxatives are stimulant laxatives that contain anthraquinones, strong and irritating chemical compounds that force the bowels to evacuate, with the same possible side effects. This group includes aloe, buckthorn, cascara sagrada, rhubarb, and senna.
Spices like organic cayenne pepper, ginger and turmeric act as stimulant laxative. For example, Cayenne pepper stimulates the digestive tract, increasing the flow of enzyme production and gastric juices. They have also an antibiotic effect, killing both the “good” and “bad” bacteria in the gut. (8)

Dandelion root is a mild laxative.

Laxatives in food

On the other side, food containing magnesium is a gentle laxative. When feeling stressed, anxious or worried, magnesium relaxes the colon walls. Magnesium reduces tension on the walls of your colon which allows for a normal peristaltic action. Also, magnesium attracts water which means that more of it gets to the colon, only a good thing regarding the digestive tract because water makes the stools softer. Regularly including magnesium rich foods in our diet is just good housekeeping and will keep things regular.
All kind of seeds (squash, pumpkin, watermelon, flax, sesame, sunflower) and nuts (brazil, almonds, cashews, pine-nuts, etc.) are rich in magnesium, fat and fiber. But these products are very allergenic so it’s better avoiding eating them every day.
Prunes and dates are also an effective colonic stimulant, but they are very rich in sugar so they can contribute to a yeast overgrowth.
As previously stated, all fresh fruits and vegetables are laxatives because of their water and fiber content. Fats and oils can also help.
Apple juice, pears, prunes and dates are very rich in sorbitol, so they are laxative.
Drinking warm water as first thing in the morning can help in some cases.

Enemas, hydrotherapy and oxygen-therapy

Colonic hydrotherapy (also known as colon cleansing or colonic irrigation) is the process of injecting water, sometimes mixed with herbs, into the colon via a specially designed tube inserted into the rectum with the aim of removing feces and toxins from the colon and intestinal tract. Colonics cleanse the entire length of the colon, while in the case of self-administered enema, water only reaches part of the descending colon and sigmoid colon.
One negative theory associated with colonic hydrotherapy is that the beneficial gut bacteria is partially "washed out" by the process, as well as bad bacteria, so colonic hydrotherapists recommends patients to take probiotics after their treatment.
There are reports of people experiencing reduced constipation and general digestive improvements following colonic irrigation by oral administration, as well as improved vitality, better skin and an overall energy boost. (9)
Sheila Shea, an experienced hydrotherapy therapist, says “Colon hydrotherapy, colemas and/or enemas can be very helpful for constipation to help restore tone, reposition the intestines, relax muscles, create successful bowel habits and loosen and remove waste. The therapist or individual can use abdominal massage, lymph drainage, breath techniques and aromatherapy oils to accompany the intestinal hydrotherapies.”
If the origin of the constipation is candidiasis, parasites or gut dysbiosis, then an oxygen therapy may be a good solution. A number of people report good results using a variation of oxygen therapies for extinguishing candida. Oxygen and ozone may be rectally infused for candida. Scientific studies have proven that Ozone, properly introduced into the body in repeated applications inactivates viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and carcinomas in diseased cells. Rectal insufflation is considered a safe and simple method of ozone delivery that is particularly suited to the elderly, to babies and young children. Other methods of oxygen-therapy, such as direct intravenous injection are considered dangerous and without clinical advantages. (10)

Probiotics

Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms sold in capsules, which help restore or maintain natural balance of healthy bacteria in the intestines. Many people use probiotics as natural laxatives, while others take them to prevent or treat diarrhoea. In general, probiotics have motility regulatory effects.
Probiotics convert prebiotic fibres into short chain fatty acids which lubricate the gut and naturally stimulate peristalsis, and also convert fibres into acid lactic that may cause lowering in the pH of the intestines and increase muscle contractions along the colon. Probiotics achieve the same effect than osmotic and stimulant laxatives but in a natural way, and don’t irritate the gut in the process.
There is no single strain of probiotics to relieve constipation; what is considered to be an effective probiotic for constipation may not be the same with another person. Some strains such as bacillus subtilis, several strains of bifidobacterium, several strains of lactobacillus use to help most of the people.
Dr. Campbell-McBride states that “unfortunately most supplemental probiotics do not settle or colonise on the gut wall. In fact, probably the only time in our lives we have to populate our gut with beneficial bacteria is at birth, when the gut is sterile. So probiotics do their work in the lumen of the gut and then come out of the system.” She adds that “we have not yet found a way to replace the pathogens on the gut wall with beneficial bacteria. So it’s need to carry on taking probiotic indefinitely.”
Another issue is the question about the survival of probiotics until they get to the intestine. Dr Campbell-McBride says that “many of them do not survive the stomach acid… but, an important point to make here is that even dead, probiotic bacteria will do a lot of good in your gut”
Lacto-fermented foods are also a kind of probiotics, much more natural than supplementation. Dr. Campbell-McBride states: “Supplements of probiotics settle in the upper parts of the digestive system and generally do not make it all the way down to the bowel, while fermented foods will carry probiotic bacteria all the way down to the end of the digestive system.”
Other nutritionists have a different point of view. Summer Bocks says that sauerkraut “is one of the only foods that contains natural bacteria that inoculate and live within your intestines.” (11) She argues that the cabbage where the probiotics are carried, protect them and give them a “house” and nourishment to get to the intestine and settle.

Other therapies

There’s a large number of therapies that can relieve constipation: Cranial-Sacral, Osteopathy, Massage, Visualization and Meditation, etc.

Conclusion

There are many temporary remedies for constipation but all of them have side effects. The only way to avoid constipation permanently is treating the causes. As described in the first part of the article, there are many different theories that explain the origin of constipation; often different conditions appear at the same time, such as intestinal dysbiosis and hypothyroidism. The tests can help to determine these causes.
Clearly there are many factors that affect this condition, but maybe the most important one is food. A diet that is rich in fruit and vegetables helps regulate the intestinal transit, while meat and refined flour impede its performance. The role of other foods in the intestinal transit is not clear, so it is always best to see for yourself.
Thus, increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables is very important, but it will surely not be enough, and you must avoid foods that are causing constipation. In my practice I have seen many cases where constipation disappeared by changing the diet, removing junk and industrial foods, sugars, cereals that contain gluten and dairy products from someone’s diet. In other cases, the situation improved considerably, but some constipation still remained, and only by decreasing or even eliminating meat or starches could the improvement get completely standard. In those cases, there was a gut flora dysbiosis, where the opportunistic bacteria were thriving on that food because the person was intolerant to these products.
Regarding therapies, I would like to highlight the benefits of colon hydrotherapy, the liver detox, the ozone-therapy as part of the intestinal flora-restoring therapy, and therefore regulating the intestinal transit.

References:

(1) “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
(2) “The Life Science Health System”, T.C. Fry
(3) “The Amazing Liver & Gallbladder Flush”, Andreas Moritz
(4) “Ecosystème intestinal & Santé optimale”, Dr. Georges Mouton
(5) “Safely Using Laxatives for Constipation”
(6) “Docusate Sodium”
(7) “Lactulose”
(8) “ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF SPICES AND HERBS”
(9) “Effect of colonic irrigation on the bowel habits of constipated young women”, Sakamoto M, Fukai K, Mine H., Kawasaki Journal of Medical Welfare, Vol.9, No.1, 2003 9-14
(10) “OZONE Therapeutic Remedial Uses”
(11) “The Power of Probiotics for Digestive & Immune Healing”

Constipation: causes

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 16:51:00 +0100

We speak of constipation when someone is unable to pass stool regularly. The frequency of the regularity depends on each person, but we generally consider it as constipation when someone feels the need to defecate but this person does not achieve to do so, due to a lack of intestinal motility.
Constipation is detrimental because the stagnant stool rots in the large bowel, which leads to harmful toxins in the body. Apart from that, people also tend to have an uncomfortable feeling of unease.
There are many theories about the causes of constipation. In this article you will be able to read about some of them as well as understand the ways to deal with it.
In the second part of the article some remedies are exposed.

Continue reading Constipation: causes

The parasympathetic nervous system

The parasympathetic system is responsible for the stimulation of the "rest-and-digest" or "feed and breed” activities that occur when the body is at rest, especially after eating, including salivation, lacrimation (tears), urination, digestion and defecation.
In the case of defecation, the vagus nerve is responsible for carrying the impulse of the parasympathetic nerve from the central nervous system to the colon. When there is a problem that affects this nerve, the process of defecation may be affected. Such a problem could be a mismatch in the C1 vertebra. In this case, an osteopathic treatment may be the solution.
The parasympathetic nervous system uses chiefly acetylcholine (ACh) as its neurotransmitter, although peptides (such as cholecystokinin) can be used. As explained in this other article when broken down into peptides, gluten and casein release opioids, opium-like substances called "exorphins". Those exorphins can be partially released in the gastrointestinal tract by the action of our enzymes. Opioids, exorphins as well as opioid drugs (like codeine) carry the slowing down of the activity of the colon as a side effect, which can lead to serious constipation.

Hypothyroidism

One of the symptoms of hypothyroidism is constipation. When there is an insufficient amount of the thyroid hormone, many of the functions of the body decrease in activity. Hypothyroidism may weaken the contraction of the colon muscles which move the feces along the bowel.
There are many theories about the causes of hypothyroidism, one of which is autoimmunity caused by an immune system attack crossover between thyroid cells and certain foods or certain bacteria, due to their possible protein similarity. Another theory claims that the toxic environment and toxins produced in the gut are responsible for the malfunction of the thyroid.

Lack of bile

According to Dr. Campbell-McBride (1), when there is not enough bile excreted by the liver, the fats do not get digested properly; instead they combine with salts and turn into ´soap´ in the intestine, binding food together and making the person constipated. The most common reason for poor bile production is gallstones.
Bile stones are there form all of our lives, and in the initial states they are small and soft and pass easily through the bile ducts into the duodenum every time we eat fats. Once in the duodenum, the stones go all away to the bowel and get eliminated in stool.
In some people, due to abnormal gut flora and poor stomach acid production, the liver does not get enough stimulation to empty the bile into the duodenum, so the bile stones stay in the bile ducts too long and become calcified. As the stones accumulate calcium salts on their surface, they get larger and their surface becomes hard and rough, so they cannot be easily passed through the bile ducts.
Hard stones can lead to attacks of abdominal pain, but soft ones usually don't cause any pain while disturbing the passage of bile and they are not possible to detect in the X-rays.
In order to do a liver cleansing, there are different treatments. Dr. Campbell-McBride (1) suggests having her “GAPS Milkshake” regularly, a drink made of a mixture of vegetable and fruit juice, raw eggs and homemade sour cream (or coconut oil).
Other important treatments for liver detox are Andreas Moritz’s liver and gallbladder flush (3) and Dr. Clark’s liver cleanse. These treatments can be followed starting at the age of 4 if necessary, but it is best to wait until the age of 10 due to the discomfort produced during the cleansing.
Andreas Moritz says that the cause of constipation is the lack of bile itself, because bile serves as the body’s natural laxative. Constipation and sluggish bowel movements are the most common consequences of impeded bile secretion. In general, good fats may help against constipation. They lubricate our gastrointestinal tract to some extent, and make us secrete more bile, which is a natural laxative.

Intestinal dysbiosis: the lack of beneficial bacteria

According to Dr. Campbell-McBride (1), constipation is often a sign of deficient gut flora.
The beneficial bacteria play a crucial role in proper stool formation and elimination, particularly Bifidobacteria and physiological beneficial strains of E.coli. These microbes produce a whole host of enzymes and other active substances whose action stimulate the wall of the bowel to produce mucus for lubricating the stool and for passing it out.
It will be necessary to restore intestinal flora with a nutritional treatment based primarily on avoiding intolerant and/or unhealthy food, ingesting many foods that are rich in these families of beneficial bacteria and possibly some probiotics as well. The role of probiotics will be explained below in more detail.

Intestinal dysbiosis: Candida and other bacteria

Some yeasts such as Candida albicans, and many other opportunistic bacteria in the intestine forms a biofilm. A biofilm is a protective sticky substance that adheres to the intestinal wall in which microbial populations exist and are able to hide from the immune system and antimicrobials. This biofilm is impermeable to antifungals, antibodies and white blood cells.
There are a lot of natural remedies to fight candidiasis: essential oils of oregano, olive oil, herbs like psyllium and pau d'arco, some beneficial organisms such as Saccharomyces boulardii as well as probiotics. But the most important part is to avoid eating foods that feed yeast in the body, mainly carbohydrates and sugars that are not digested by the body, such as, for example, lactose.
It is empirically established by naturopaths that some foods such as cereals containing gluten and dairy products produce mucus in the intestine which usually spreads to other parts of the body, such as to the respiratory tract. Dr. Mouton (4) also supports this same opinion that has been held by numerous naturopaths for a long time.
In general, any undesirable bacterial overgrowth produces a sticky mucus in the intestine, which prevents the passage of stool in the bowel.
Opportunistic strains of E. coli involve enhanced mucus production that encases the bacteria forming a biofilm, Clostridrium produces acute inflammation with pus and mucus formation results in pseudomembrane formation.
The uncontrolled development of these opportunistic bacteria in the gut is caused by several factors. However, we can indicate antibiotics as the main cause.
It’s possible to evaluate the state of your gut flora with a microbiological stool test and urinary organic metabolites.

Parasites

Some parasitic worms are actually large enough to physically block the passage of nutrients and waste at certain points in the digestive system. Severe parasitic infections in the bile duct or the intestines can make bowel movements difficult, leading to worsened symptoms of constipation.

Food intolerances

In those people sensitive to some food proteins, fragments of proteins travel undigested to the intestine, and gets absorbed into the blood because of the leaky gut syndrome. Those foreign fragments trigger an inflammatory response, a swelling of the intestinal lining, which leads to constipation (possibly through partial obstruction due to the swelling).
A test of food intolerances can help to figure out if you suffer of these intolerances.

Psychological

Make sure that you do not make your child feel stressed or pressured about using the toilet. It is also important to let your children try things by themselves (when appropriate). Constantly intervening when they are using the toilet may make them feel anxious and may contribute to constipation.
Some children can feel stressed or anxious about using the toilet. They may have a phobia about using the toilet, or feel that they are unable to use the toilets at school. This fear or phobia may be the result of your child experiencing pain when passing stools. Some children and adults are so constipated that stools become hard and large, and the anus cracks and bleeds on the stool-passing. So the person becomes afraid of using the toilet. This can lead to poor bowel habits, where children ignore the urge to pass stools and instead withhold them because of fear of experiencing pain and discomfort. However, this will mean that their condition only worsens. It’s important to avoid reaching this point and to find a remedy on time, may it be just a temporary one.

Sedentarism, stress

Don't ignore the urge to have a bowel movement. Take your time in the bathroom, allowing yourself enough time to have a bowel movement without distractions and without feeling rushed.
Exercise can help constipation. There seems to be a relationship between exercise levels and the incidence of constipation, and in cases of vigorous exercise (e.g., running) there is clearly evidence of a significant increase in activity. The use of physical exercise can be helpful for modest constipation, but it does not seem to be effective for severe cases.
Stress makes our body secrete adrenaline and, on the longer term, the stress hormone cortisol. Stress reroutes our vital resources (like blood) to the parts that need energy during a fight or flight situation. Because the digestive tract is not vital when we are trying to escape danger, blood is rerouted to the lungs, the heart, and the skeletal muscles. The gastrointestinal tract, colon included, will be put on the back-burner. Not good for constipation sufferers. And this is even worse when the stress situation becomes chronic.

Food

Fiber

As it was explained in this other article, it is commonly accepted that there are two different types of fibers: soluble and insoluble, depending on their capability of water solubility. Most of the soluble fibers attract water and form a gel which is fermented by gut bacteria. It also slows down the digestion of starch and prevents spikes in blood sugar, so avoids the hypoglycemia-hyperglycemia cycle due to the fluctuant level of insuline. Insoluble fibers don’t dissolve in water, most of them are not fermented and speed up the passage of food and waste thought the gut, helping prevent constipation.
All plant foods contain both types of fiber in different degrees, but mainly starchy food such as pulses, some fruits and tubers contain a higher proportion of soluble fibers, while most of the cereals, vegetables, fruit and nuts contain more insoluble fibers, so they help fight against constipation.
High-fiber foods accelerate the pace of food residue in the intestine, while low-fiber foods slow down the pace and decrease the motility of the intestine, causing constipation.
According to the Natural Hygiene theory of T.C.Fry (2), constipation is caused by cooked food, animal products (meat, fish, eggs, diary) and food with excess of fiber (grains, tubers, legumes).
Natural Hygiene states that “For efficient and thorough digestion the body requires bulk in its food and nature has skillfully designed food for man which contains appropriate amounts of bulky cellulose fiber, that is vegetables and fruits, the amount incorporated in man's food apparently being proportioned exactly according to the design of the human alimentary canal and its ability to make use of it. Thus, it can be seen that persons who eat food not intended as food for man will do the body a disservice as will those persons who may eat suitable food but then alter, by application of heat, the fiber content of that food.
Some foods might contain too much fiber, more than the human body might be able to handle efficiently. Such foods should certainly be either completely avoided or, at least, restricted in the human food intake. They place too great a burden on the peristaltic and eliminative capabilities of the intestinal equipment. The cellulose in some foods can be abrasive to the mucosal lining and, long term, could lead to irritation and inflammation of the food canal. We refer to such foods as most roots, dried legumes and grains. These foods, especially if consumed uncooked, can be highly irritating as well as obstructive to free passage of the fecal residue, a condition which leads to packing of the canal with accumulating amounts of dried obstructive fiber, making the walls more or less rigid (the “piped” colon) and laying the groundwork for putrefaction and fermentation of contents. Obviously, too, the high cellulose content of the mentioned foods prevents complete digestion and interferes with absorption of nutrients that may be present in the foods.
When the foods that are best adapted to man's requirements are eaten, the fruits, the leafy green vegetables and a few nuts and edible seeds, and these are well masticated, we note that the digestive process extracts a maximum quantity of nutrients from the food and leaves most of the cellulose behind intact and this is then readily eliminated.
Every food intended for man has its required proportion of largely indigestible cellulose fiber. It is important that we consume our food in its natural state and not cooked, juiced or blended.”
Dr. Vetrano (2) further states that “such practices as cooking, blending or juicing affect the fiber content which is necessary for the proper movement of food through the digestive canal and for the stimulation of the secretion of normal digestive enzymes.”
Natural Hygiene states that “a low-fiber diet allows carcinogens to be concentrated and held in contact with the bowel mucosa for long periods, while a high residue diet (a vegetarian diet) produces more rapid passage of body waste.”
He says that “the length of man’s intestines is much longer than that of the carnivore’s. This is because meat and fish tend to putrefy rather quickly in the intestines and must be expelled quickly. Man’s lengthy intestinal tract cannot handle low-fiber foods such as meat quickly. Consequently, such foods decrease the motility of the intestines and fermentation results, along with eventual constipation.”
White flour based products should be on the list of foods that cause constipation because they have no fibers in them. But it is not clear that whole grains could avoid it.
Constipation condition is improved on a high-fiber diet. The combination of a high-fiber diet and increased fluid intake is the best option at avoiding occasional irregularity. Eating more fruits and vegetables is particularly efficient, because they are high in both fiber and fluids. But pulses, tubersand whole grains are not so high in water, so their role avoiding constipation is uncertain.

Toxemia

Natural Hygiene (2) believes that “The ingestion of any unwholesome food whether it is cooked, processed, or improperly combined will eventually result in systemic toxemia. This unwelcome state of illness affects the entire organism since the body reacts and functions as a whole. The body may be thought of as a unified structure working in harmony in order to maintain health. All bodily functions will be affected by the toxemic state and this includes the large intestine. Thus, constipation is a common result which we bring upon ourselves by eating cooked or otherwise denatured foods.
However, when raw fruits and vegetables are eaten in the presence of true hunger, all bodily functions proceed unhampered and the digestive process also proceeds perfectly.
We must not think of one particular food to move our bowels or another food to improve our vision, etc. The proper food will provide the correct conditions for the human body to carry on all of its functions and health will be the natural result. When the entire organism is healthy, so will be the bowels and the body will eliminate all of the waste products of metabolism along with the food fiber.
We must keep in mind that it is not the fiber alone that ensures health of the digestive canal. It is a proper diet combined with all of the other aspects of a hygienic lifestyle which will result in health of the entire body and all of its functions, including digestion. By following all of the principles of Natural Hygiene, the body will be free from toxic overloads which result in constipation and other disorders.”

Excess of calcium

It is very typical that most calcium supplements often cause constipation, as well other gastrointestinal issues like bloating, gas and cramps, etc. These gastro issues happen because rock calcium carbonate essentially turns off the production of stomach acids. This is why rock is used as the main component in antacids. It works great if you suffer from acid reflux and heartburn, but your digestive system pays the price! If stomach acids aren’t there to churn and break down your food, then it makes sense that constipation, bloating, gas, and cramps will be the result. Natural Hygiene stands that “studies have shown that the calcium in pasteurized and processed milk products is poorly digested and absorbed and used by the body. Indeed, the calcium in such products may be used more to form “stones” or inorganic deposits in the body instead of being used to build strong bones. Nature provides the minerals and other nutrients we need in a perfectly balanced combination within foods. When we introduce large amounts of minerals, vitamins, etc. in a fragmented form, we throw the body out of balance.”

Caffeine, chocolate and alcohol

Caffeine influences your digestive system in multiple ways. It is diuretic, it quickens the digestive process and it stimulates your colon. The effect of these mechanisms varies based on other physical factors; depending on your situation, caffeine can actually cause, relieve, worsen or prevent constipation. Some studies say that caffeine can make your colon absorb too much fluid too quickly. The colon’s overactive absorption of liquid also takes away the moisture needed to make your bowel movements soft, smooth and easy to pass. The dry, hardened stools that result from dehydration cause constipation. So, if you suffer from constipation and drink coffee, limit the dehydrating effect of caffeine in coffee by either drinking decaffeinated coffee or also drinking plenty of other beverages that do not contain caffeine.
On the other hand, other studies have demonstrated that if you regularly drink caffeinated beverages, the diuretic effects are almost negligible. In other words, if you drink coffee every day, your body retains the same amount of fluid from a cup of coffee as it does from a cup of water. If you don’t drink caffeinated beverages regularly, drinking a cup of coffee ends up being the equivalent of drinking about 2/3 of a cup of water. In other words, drinking coffee will hydrate you, just not quite as efficiently as water will.
Caffeinated drinks include coffee, black tea, caffeinated sodas (Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Red Bull, etc), and green tea if you are very sensitive to caffeine or you drink a large amount of it.
In the other side, in some situations caffeine can actually relieve or prevent constipation. In addition to being diuretic, caffeine also triggers the contraction of your colon.
Like caffeine, alcohol can dehydrate you and cause constipation. Limiting your alcohol intake can help relieve constipation.
Chocolate does not have a clear profile as culprit. It does contain some tannins that are astringent. When in contact with our mucosa, they "shrink" the tissues and thus diminish our secretions. This leads to a drier gut, and therefore to constipation. But the effect of these tannins is very much less important compared to all the other food we have talked about before.

Medicine

Other medicine such as antidepressants, antiepileptics, antipsychotics, opiate painkillers such as codeine and morphine, diuretics and iron supplements, among others may include constipation as side effect. See the information leaflet of your medicine.

Read the second part: "Constipation: Remedies"

References:

(1) “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
(2) “The Life Science Health System”, T.C. Fry
(3) “The Amazing Liver & Gallbladder Flush”, Andreas Moritz
(4) “Ecosystème intestinal & Santé optimale”, Dr. Georges Mouton
(5) “Safely Using Laxatives for Constipation”

Losing weight when underweight

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 16:55:00 +0100

The issue of weight loss is just as troublesome as weight gain. When you have tried every possible method to find your ideal weight, whether it would be necessary to gain weight or to lose it, and it just seems impossible to achieve the goal, you may feel like you are in a demoralizing situation.
This article discusses the possible causes of undesirable weight loss and the possibilities of fixing it.

Continue reading Losing weight when underweight

As a mother of a child with celiac disease, I was confronted with the sight of my daughter losing weight at the age of 8, even though she was eating all day long. Apart from that, she had very worrying physical and mental health conditions: recurrent respiratory and gastroenterological diseases, physical and mental exhaustion, depression, etc. Having a clear diagnosis with medical tests to prove it and a well-defined diet, we had no doubt about implementing it. But although most health problems were disappearing quite quickly, her weight still decreased for a few months and then it was stable without any increase during two long years.
Nowadays, as a nutrition therapist, I am often confronted with cases where I see weight loss without being able to find the underlying cause with conventional medical tests. In these cases, people have come to situations of such extreme thinness, that they are terrified of the fact of losing a single more gram. The concern about the situation of being underweight is such that it gains priority over having diseases that cause strong pain such as fibromyalgia or arthritis.
Often people are so underweight that the body uses the muscle to feed themselves; it’s the cachexia or wasting syndrome.
Leaving aside cases where a poor amount of food is eaten, either due to anorexia, extreme poverty or hunger strike, etc., or where the cause is emotional, such as depression, marginalization, etc., or it’s the side effect of a medicine or therapy, such as chemotherapy, we are confronted with cases in which there is no apparent cause of the weight loss. In such cases, mainly the proposed solution is to go on a nutritional therapy.

Eating a lot makes us gain weight, eating little makes us lose weight

The myth of when someone eats a large amount, this person will surely gain weight is not true at all. We've all seen people eating lots of food being still very thin. So the solution to the fact of losing weight is not to eat more food, but on the contrary; in many cases, overeating is one of the causes of thinness.
As discussed in this another article, overeating is one of the causes of intestinal dysbiosis and as a consequence, of malabsorption of nutrients as well.

Eating a lot in order to grow very tall

Since early childhood we have been told that it is necessary to eat everything on our plate to "grow up ". It is true that a certain amount of food is needed for children to grow and stay healthy, but how much food is that? Is it really necessary to have three full meals and two snacks a day?
Finding the right amount of food and the proper frequency of eating it is not easy. There is no universal rule about the amount of food each person should eat. But usually, three meals plus two snacks is really too much for an adult who is basically leading a sedentary life. A person in good health should be able to live without any problem eating a moderate amount of food.
For a child, the amount depends on the age, and as they grow, they must be capable of withstanding grabbing snacks without any problem. They would ideally decide themselves how much to eat, so we should not force them to finish everything they have on their plate, instead, they would stop eating when they feel that they are full. Can we trust them to eat the necessary amount if we give them the freedom to decide? Yes, we can, provided that they do not eat products that cause addiction, which are usually sugars, gluten, dairy products (from about 3 years old), stimulants such as chocolate and coke, etc. If they are given healthy meals, we can trust that they will eat what is necessary, and they won’t reject food because they prefer to eat other foods that give them more pleasure, but because their body is already full.
On the other hand, there are certain foods that stimulate the growth of children, such as dairy products. We must be aware of the fact that milk naturally contains a growth hormone, the so called IGF-I., which serves as a quick developer of small calves in large cows. Is this really what we want for our children? We must think about the effect of a hormone of this kind of features can cause on humans. Of course, it boosts growth, but what might happen if excessive cell growth is stimulated? The IGF-I is an insulin-like hormone, but with growth functions; bovine and human are identical. Numerous studies show a link between IGF-I and the development of various tumors (thyroid, bone, kidney, breast tumors, etc.) (1) (2)
Consequently, it is not true that for the proper growth of a child it is necessary to eat a lot of food. The important thing is to meet their needs in all aspects: healthy food, clean air and water, sunshine, exercise, rest, parental love, friendly social environment, academic and spiritual education, etc.

Causes of weight loss

Weight loss is mainly due to poor absorption of nutrients in the body. You can find the causes of malabsorption detailed in this article about the relationship between overeating and nutritional deficiencies as well.

Treatment

The proposal is to go on a diet that takes into account the intolerances and nutritional lacks. But obviously, the person who loses weight is not willing to accept a diet, as a diet is traditionally associated with losing weight, which is just what these people should avoid. However, diets do not only work for weight loss, but for the person to find his/her proper weight.
So the treatment consists of remedying the deficiencies of nutrient absorption, repairing intestinal villi as well as the intestinal flora and avoiding foods such as nutrient “thieves”.
When someone starts a nutritional treatment, it is normal to lose a little more weight at first, which really scares those affected. Here is what Dr. Campbell-McBride says about the weight loss one experiences when starting the GAPS diet:
“Regular consumption of carbohydrates and cereals causes water retention in the body. When we stop eating these foods, we lose the excess water, and therefore, we lose a little weight, which usually happens during the first weeks. Without the water retention, it is possible to see someone’s real weight and measure, which show the real extent of malnutrition of a person. Following the GAPS nutritional protocol, the digestive system begins to absorb foods properly and feed the body; bones start to grow denser, muscles, other tissues and organs become healthier, and therefore the result is weight gain. A person can continue being thin the rest of his/her life, if that is what his/her physique is like, however, they will be stronger and more energetic.”
Moreover, it is also common to experience an die-off reaction when intestinal pathogenic bacteria die, releasing a large amount of toxins at once, causing a worsening in the symptoms of the disease that is being treated. As a consequence, nutritional therapy should be started very slowly, so that the body is able to bear the process of detoxification. Therefore, this treatment usually lasts several years.
In some cases, the nutritional program must even incorporate fasting in case an in-depth detoxification is required. Paradoxically, the thinner and more malnourished a person is, the higher the toxicity in his/her body is, and therefore, the diet must be stricter, and maybe even a certain type of fast might be necessary.

Bibliography:

(1) « Growth hormone, IGF-I and cancer. Less intervention to avoid cancer? More intervention to prevent cancer? »,

(2) http://www.notmilk.com/

Toxics in our environment

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 14:09:00 +0100

We live sorrounded of chemical products. They can be found in most of kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, offices, cities, villages, food, medicines, etc. Luckily our body holds several mechanisms for detoxification that allow preserving life despite these agressions. But the detoxification pathwaty in some individuals (persons or animals) is blocked, and then the toxics are accumulated in the body and they cause the most dreadful diseases. So then, how can we avoid these products as much as possible?

Continue reading Toxics in our environment

The most dangerous toxics are heavy metals (mercury, lead and cadmium), because in contrast to some metals that can have beneficial effects at low dose, living beings can’t metabolize heavy metals, and they should be completely removed from the body. (1)
Acute intoxications have a devastating effect on health, but they can be detected quite easily and then quickly going to the hospital to remove this product from the body. But chronic intoxication at low and silent dosis is difficult to detect, cause chronic diseases and cancer, and the substance is really difficult to take them out of the body, because it has been stocked in different tissues like the brain, thyroid, liver, bones, etc.
Another possible frequently polluted product is tap water, because it’s consumed in a considerable daily amount and because we use to trust on the depuration process to remove all the contamination. But this is not always the case. Some cities in Switzerland, such as Bern, the following contaminants have been found: mesophile aerobic germs, traces of pesticides and benzotriazol, a corrosive substance (2). So one can imagine what kind of pollution can contain tap water in other cities from more polluted countries: traces of all kind of medicine, heavy metals, pesticides, endocrinian disruptors, …
The european “REACH” legislation requires to the industry to proof the innocuousness of their chemical products. 30.000 out of 100.000 substances identified will be tested in next 10 years, which means that in next 30 years we will still don’t know the possible toxicity of all the 100.000, without taking into account the new substances that will appear, or the substances that won’t be submitted to test because of their small production, or the doubtful objectivity of the results… (3)
In any case, if a suspicion about a chronic intoxication is raised, then some tests can be made in order to verify it. Also tap water can be analysed, as well as air.

Toxics can be the origin of diseases of any kind. Some examples are:

Neurological and degenerative diseases: developmental disorders, autism, hyperactivity, dyslexia, dyspraxia, alzheimer, parkinson, epilepsy, schizophrenia, memory loss, behavioural disorders, …
Cardiovascular diseases: heart failure, coronary artery disease, hypertension, atherosclerosis, dysrhythmias, …
Auto-immune diseases: multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, lupus, Guillain-Barré syndrome, Hashimoto thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, …
Endocrine disorders: early puberty, reproductive disorders, premenstrual syndrome, early menopause, acne, …
Allergy: asthma, hay fever, eczema, food allergy, …
MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity)
Cancer

Several research show the link between some chemicals with some diseases, for instance:

Plastics (BPA, phthalates): endocrine disruptor (fertitily, breast cancer, etc.)
Pesticides, insecticides, fumigation: MCS
Aluminium: alzheimer, macrophagic myofasciitis
Mercury (amalgams, vaccines, etc.): cancer, autism, parkinson, multiple sclerosis (hepatitis B vaccine)
Colorants: ADDH
Electromagnetism: electromagnetic sensitivity

Abreviations:

PTFE: perfluorooctanoic acid
APFO or C-8: ácide perfluoro octanico
BPA: bisphenol A
PBDE: polybrominated diphenyl ethers
PVC: polyvinyl chloride

Following, some of the toxic products you can more frequently find in our environment.

Kitchen:

Product	Chemical
tins, plastic containers, pastic wrapping	food transfer: BPA, phtalates (plastic), lead, cadmium
Teflon pans	food transfer: APFO
Aluminium tools and pans, aluminium foil	food transfer: aluminium
dishwasher soap	formaldehyde (traces in dishware)
microwave oven	escaping microwaves, modified food protein, release of dioxins, polyethylene terpthalate (PET), benzene, toluene, and xylene by the plastic containers
plastic and paper tea cups	tea transfer of chlorine (box), BPA (plastic)
house cleaning products	glycol ethers Alkylphenol ethoxylates Ethanolamines Fragrances Quaternary ammonium

Bathroom:

Product	Chemical
shower curtains	vapours : PVC, phthalates, lead, cadmium
cosmetics, soaps, perfumes, dyes, nail polish, deodorants	phthalates, parabens, sodium-laureth-sulfate, propylen glycol, formaldehyde, squalene, mercure, triclosan, BHA, fragrances, oxybenzone
deodorants	aluminium

Bedroom, living-room, office:

Product	Chemical
computers, portable, mobile phones, tv, electronics…	electromagnetic pollution, environment: PBDE

Buildings:

Product	Chemical
paints and varnish	vapours: APFO, lead, cadmium, arsenic, formaldehyde
energy-efficient light bulb, fluorescent tubes	vapours if broken: mercury
vinyl floor carpet	vapours: phthalates, lead
carpets, curtains, mattress	vapours: APFO, PBDE, formaldehyde
battery	environment: mercury, lead, arsenic
wood furniture	vapours: formaldehyde
fumigate	vapours: formaldehyde
insect spray	pyretrinoides
wall paper	vapours: lead, cadmium, phthalates

City:

Product	Chemical
gas from transport	lead (until 1971), cadmium
pneumatic’s particles	cadmium
petrol	benzene (vapours) , nanoparticles
incinerator, crematorium	mercury,dioxines
aeroport	kerosene, acustical

Country:

Product	Chemical
Fertilizer	mercury, cadmium
Pesticides, insecticides	cadmium, mercury, arsenic (until 1940)

Food:

Product	Chemical
“Light” products	Aspartame
Candies, chewing-gums, etc.	Colorants (E102-E155)
Chinese restaurant, instant soup, Restaurantes chinos, sopas de sobre, bouillon cube	Glutamate (E620-625)
Processed meat	E230, E251, E252
Fruit and vegetables	Pesticides, insecticides
Meat, milk	Hormones, antibiotics
Big cold fatty fish (tuna, salmon, shark, swordfish ) shelfish	mercury
Margarines	Trans fats
Grains (mostly corn and soya)	GMO
Tap water	Chlorine, lead (old houses), heavy metals, pesticides, medicines
Bottled water and drinks, tinned food, baby bottle	BPA, antimony, urane, acetaldehyde, cadmium
Barbecue	transfer of arsenic, insecticides from wood

New formed en food:

Product	Chemical
products submited to high temperature: chips, french fries, coffee, toasts, biscuits, breakfast cereals, burned barbecue meat	acrylamides
smoked saumon, smoked bacon	Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
pre-packed foods that have undergone heat treatment (coffee and small jars of baby food)	furane

School, toys and other products for kids:

Product	Chemical
Highlighters, glue	solvents (trichloroethane, toluene, xylene), heavy metals, aldehydes, phenols,chlorinates, aniline
costume jewelery	cadmium
plastic toys (PVC)	BPA, phthalates, lead, cadmium
makeup	lead, nickel, cobalt, chrome

Medicines:

Product	Chemical
heartburn	aluminium
vaccines	mercury, aluminium, squalene, polysorbate, antibiotics, formaldehyde, gelatin, contamination of virus
amalgams	mercury
eye drops	mercury
essential oils	formaldehyde (vapours)

Others:

Product	Chemical
cloth	formaldehyde (vapours)
deodorants, sprays, perfumed candles, essential oils, electronic diffuser	formaldehyde (vapours), benzene
degreaser, dry-cleaning, paint-stripper	organic solvents (chlorinated)
cigarettes	nicotine, carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, cyanide of hydrogen, cadmium, arsenic, cyanidric acid, mercury, DDT, methanol, polonium 210, toluene, formic acid, nitric acid, clorhidric acid, etc, etc.
smell of new car	formaldehyde (vapours), vinyl chloride

Advices to reduce the exposition:

1.- Air out the house every day, more frequently at hot temperatures.
2.- Avoid high temperatures or very wet ambient in closed spaces (car, house, etc).
3.- Choose wood products with a free-formaldehyde label.
4.- Wash clothes, blankets, tablecloth, etc. when they are new before first use.
5.- Avoid places with smoking pollution.
6.- Choose paints and vanish with low volatile compounds content.
7.- Avoid consuming any product that emanates strong smell, even if it’s a good smell, such as essential oils, perfumes, deodorants, cosmetic…) and evidently, bad smells (car petrol, paints, glue, etc).
8.- Buy organic products, avoid pots and pans made of Teflon and aluminium.
9.- Use only glass containers for food and liquids if possible, avoid plastic, cardboard , aluminium foil, tins, etc.
10.- Avoid grilled and smoked food.
11.- Rinse well all the dishes after going out of dishwasher.
12.- Minimise hygiene and cleaning products: water is usually enough. You can add some lemon juice, vinegar or bicarbonate of sodium for house cleaning.
13.- Filter tab water, I advice a reverse osmosis system.
14.- Avoid chlorinated swimming-pools.
15.- Clean grease and rests of other food off the oven to avoid smoke, otherwise the food cooked in the oven will be smoked, which contains PAH toxics.

To know more I recommend:

(1)    “Les effets du Mercure sur notre Santé”, Bernard Windham.
(2)    “L’eau est le miroir du monde où nous vivons”, Bon à savoir, mai 2011
(3)    “Purifiez votre eau de table”, Nadette & Richard Haas
(4)    Environmental Working Group, http://www.ewg.org/consumer-guides
(5)    Maurice Rabache, “Toxiques alimentaires”, Libra
(6)    Dr. Claudia Miller's QEESI Questionnaire, http://www.chemicalsensitivityfoundation.org/chemical-sensitivity-questionnaire.htm
(7)    “La composition des vaccins”, Dr-Jean-PILETTE
(8)    Association Toxicologie Chimie, http://www.atctoxicologie.fr/

Fructose intolerance

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 20:54:00 +0100

The origin of fructose intolerance is fructose malabsorption. It can cause gas, cramping and diarrhea and affects one in three adults. If you have any of these symptoms then read this article. It explains why fructose malabsorption cause these symptoms and how to stop them. The source of this article is SCDLifestyle.com

Continue reading Fructose intolerance

Fructose Malabsorption means that the body is not able to absorb fructose. Fructose is a form of sugar and readily available in almost everything we eat, including fruit and vegetables. Both fructose and glucose are different forms of sugar and they are in the most simple form and both forms of sugar require no digesting at all, they are already broken down into the most simple form for the body to soak right up. There in lies the problem behind fructose malabsorption, the fructose is not being absorbed into the body.

When fructose doesn’t get absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal wall like it’s supposed to, it is shipped further down the bowels and gobbled up by hungry bad bacteria. When the bad bacteria eat they make by-products such as methane and hydrogen gas that cause bloating, cramping, gas, diarrhea, and bad breath. In fact, there is a test for Fructose Malabsorption that measures the level of hydrogen in the breath. This is because the bad bacteria release hydrogen after digesting fructose which gets absorbed into the blood stream and removed by the lungs, finally expelled from the body through the breath.

So Why Can’t The Body Absorb Fructose?
There are several scenarios that would prevent the body from soaking up fructose. The first is a genetic disease that is hereditary and does not allow the body to deal with fructose, which is very rare. If there isn’t a genetic defect behind all this there are really only three things that could be going on. The bowels could just be moving way to slow in which case the fructose sits around not getting absorbed, allowing bad bacteria to feast on it, but this is also pretty rare for the small intestine (constipation takes place further along in the intestinal tract). The 2nd thing that could be going on is the GLUT5 and GLUT2 transporters could be deficient. GLUT5 and GLUT2 transporters are little escorts that guide the fructose across the intestinal wall and into the blood. If they are not around to escort the fructose it cannot be absorbed. This too has been found to be somewhat rare. The 3rd and more likely scenario is that small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is in full swing and the bad bacteria are gobbling up the fructose in the small intestine before it has a chance to be escorted to the blood stream in the first place.

The only way to stop this out of whack cycle that is causing the bacterial overgrowth and digestive unrest is (i) to stop eating sugars temporarily to starve out the bacteria and (ii) only eat things that the body can easily absorb to replace the nutrients you need to heal. That’s where the GAPS Diet comes in and accomplishes both of those things by eliminating complex carbohydrates (sugars, starches, and grains) and providing simple foods so the body can replenish the nutrients and begin to heal.

The advice of a nutritional therapist will help you to diagnose a fructose malabsorption, identify the food you must avoid and recommend the GAPS diet that suits better for you in order to heal the gut flora.

If you want to know which food contains fructose click here.

Could hay fever be a nutritional problem?

gemmac@gemmacalzada.com (Gemma Calzada) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:15:00 +0100

Several hypothesis try to give a reason of why hay fever or allergic rhinitis is touching more and more people in development world: hygiene hypothesis, genetic predisposition, polluted environment, ... but, what if food plays a determining role as trigger?

Continue reading Could hay fever be a nutritional problem?

Nutritional Origin of Allergies:

The root of the nutritional cause of allergies is a problem of food intolerance or hypersensitivity. The immune system becomes overloaded and tired because of the continuous activation due to intolerances, and makes it hypersensitive to any substance, natural or chemical that enters the body. But what is the origin of intolerances?

Several factors (toxics, inadequate food, stress, etc..) causes the leaky gut syndrome. Indeed, in a healthy gut, only properly digested food passes through the intestinal wall, but if there is an increased intestinal permeability then partially digested food and other substances slide through the small holes between enterocytes and get into the blood stream. There, these substances are recognized as foreign by the immune system and trigger an attack. It’s a delayed hypersensitivity, being the symptoms of this reaction manifested several hours, even days after ingestion of the intolerant food.

On the other hand, foods that are not completely digested reach the small intestine and serve to feed undesirable bacteria, with a consequent dysbiosis or imbalance of intestinal flora between beneficial bacteria and undesirable one. The development of some yeasts, such as Candida, includes flood of toxins in the body and the production of corresponding antibodies, which can be very numerous (up to 79 for Candida). The body becomes hypersensitive to any kind of external product because of cross-reactivity with toxins.

The lack of beneficial bacteria also prevents proper processing of food, especially vitamins, and later their absorption in the body. Minerals, in turn, are also kidnapped by bad bacteria. With a lack of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, the immune system ends up with dysfunction, as all other systems.

Beneficial bacteria also play an important role in the production of IgA antibodies in the intestinal mucosa. When this first line of defense fall, it is the turn of the second line to act, that is the IgE and IgG antibodies in the blood, who are the responsible of allergies and hypersensitivities. These antibodies become then overburdened, resulting in a hyper-reaction to all external stimuli.

But what’s the reason why an aliment can not be completely digested? It’s the enzymatic system who is responsible for carrying out the digestion of food. If this system fails, again due to toxics, stress, lack of sleep, lack of vitamins or minerals, or simply aging, then enzymes such as proteases, lipases or amylases are not functioning properly. For different reasons, which still nowadays there isn’t a scientific consensus, it is always gluten, casein and lactose the most problematic aliments for the enzyme system. Lipids, fructose, sucrose and starch follow after.

Fatty Acids Deficiency

Liver overloaded due to toxins produced by intestinal microbiota, the environmental toxics, stress, negative thoughts, etc.., is not in condition to perform their duties properly. One of its tasks is the transformation of fatty acids in the diet to prostaglandins which will lead to different systems: endocrine, nervous, skin, ... and immune! Because the enzymes produced by the liver will transform omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids into prostaglandins. But because of a diet high in saturated and omega-6 fatty acids from grains, meat from grain fed animals instead of grass fed, nuts and oils used in the food processing industry, but also by excess of sugar, enzymes can not produce anti-inflammatory prostaglandins from omega-3, but only inflammatory. This inflammation is the cause of cardiovascular disease, rheumatic diseases and allergies! The choice of the affected system will depend on the genetic of the person.

Calm down the immune system with nutrition:

To recover the proper functioning of the immune system, sources that cause the hypersensitivity and intestinal dysbiosis must be avoided: identify all sources of toxics, stress, have a good rest at night, avoid emotional blockages, etc. But when the intolerances are present, all intolerance foods must be avoided and nutrient deficiencies must be filled: omega-3 fatty acids, for example, but avoiding falling into the dependence of the intake of vitamins and minerals. Herbal treatments, homeopathic medicines, probiotics, foods rich in inulin and lactofermented foods go in the direction of repairing the gut villi, intestinal permeability and enzyme system. Blood tests, urine and stool can also help in this regard to determine the state of the intestinal flora and microbial families to be removed, the level of fatty acids, food intolerances (Cytotest, Imupro), etc..

Finding out food intolerances

Although science has made great strides and blood tests are increasingly sophisticated, it is not yet possible up to date, to know all intolerances by clinical analysis. In this regard, the elimination diet and challenge can be used. It means removing a different food or family food every some certain time and observing the improvement of allergic symptoms, until their disappearance. Sometimes it will be necessary to arrive to the Paleo diet, where only vegetables, meat and fish are allowed. Some people heal with the eviction of a single food, dairy products, for example, while others will need to do the Paleo diet or even vegetarian diet.

Once the person is healed, smooth attempts of reintroduction of some new food over given periods. The therapist / coach has the role to guide you in this process.

Knowing yourself

The best doctor is a person itself. Simply have a guide / coach that gives you ideas on ways that we should try, then it is up to the person itself, to make the effort to change their habits because healing must come from the inside.

To know and identify what foods are suitable for you, there are two main tools: clinical tests and the elimination diet and challenge. Clinical tests can advise you on the food hypersensitivities in IgG or IgA antibodies, the reaction of white blood cells to food, intolerance to sugars (lactose, fructose, saccharose), on intestinal dysbiosis, on opioid peptides of gluten and casein, etc.. But the most important work must be done by yourself, because science can not say everything about for food yet. As Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride said: "There is no universal rule, and anyone who tries to prescribe us when we should fast when we should eat and should not be listened to. No scientist, no doctor in the world and no laboratory can tell you what you should do personally. The only authority that everyone should listen to is his own body, because Mother Nature has taken billions of years to draw it"

The elimination diet is an aid for identifying foods that hypersensitize your immune system and, therefore, bring you to an allergic field. But before you begin, you must clear the brain of any preconceived notions about nutrition and doubting all the myths since childhood. Not easy at all! Then the therapist / coach can guide you on the order of the food to test and the time it takes food to hyper-sensitize the body.

Meditation is also used to gain a better awareness of themselves and know how to observe his body: recognizing when you are hungry and when you are full, a link between symptoms and food for the last meals, identifying patterns.

Photo by Andrionni Ribo