Inflammation : The Omega Remedy

An inflammatory response is caused by many things including an invading virus, bacteria, or yeast/fungal infection as well as injury to joints, muscles, or tendons. Less well known causes are food allergy and/or deficiency. I'll be explaining that cause more in depth in this post. When inflammation occurs we should take notice of the symptoms and act immediately as inflammation starts off as a helpful indicator, but can also become a chronic deteriorating condition.

A quote taken from another website about inflammation states: "In some diseases, however, the body’s defense system (immune system) inappropriately triggers an inflammatory response when there are no foreign substances to fight off. In these diseases, called autoimmune diseases, the body’s normally protective immune system causes damage to its own tissues. The body responds as if normal tissues are infected or somehow abnormal."

Only one problem with that statement, "no foreign substances.." Allopathic doctors have yet to figure out that a foreign substance doesn't have to be a virus or bacteria, it could simply be food. Food that your body is allergic to as a result of inflammatory response from a lack of essential fatty acids like Omega 3,6, and 9. These essential, meaning absolutely necessary and not synthesized by the human body, fats are necessary for proper brain and nerve sheath development, as well as immune function on a cellular level. Let's examine a few facts about fats and their uses.

Brain Development- The brain is 60% fat and needs a balanced amount of EPA/DHA for proper development and function. Studies have shown that children with less of these essential fats, found in breast milk, suffered lower test scores and more ADD/ADHD symptoms that those with more. DHA has been linked in the making of neurotransmitters and the nerve sheath.

There have also been cases where skin blemishes because of hormonal imbalances have cleared up as a result of supplementing Omega 6, or GLA (Gamma Linoleic Acid).

Immune function- Omega fatty acids are vital for the healthy permeability of cellular membranes. Without these fats to maintain healthy cells an inflammatory response will result as homeostasis is interrupted. Homeostasis is the maintenance of static, or constant, conditions in the internal environment of the cell and, on a larger scale, the human body as a whole. In other words, with a disturbance in cellular membrane structure or function, virtually all cellular processes are disrupted. In the article on homeostasis it also discusses how too much permeability has a negative effect. Over-permeability will result in toxins easily penetrating the cell membrane because they don't have filters to keep them out.

To sum up this means if there is no penetration to nourish our cells, or too much penetration allowing toxins to freely enter our cells, they will die.

We get mainly Omega 6 fatty acids in our diet, but it's in dangerously high amounts. They are mainly derived from processed grains that have altered Omega 6 from it's healthful state. This causes an imbalance of Omega 6:3 which should be about 4:1. Most diets cause it to go up to as high as twenty, thiry, or even fifty to one.

Even with the imbalance, or the over consumption, of Omega 6 vs 3, I still find that when I give my clients an excellent source of GLA their hot flashes, PMS/PMT, and other immunodeficient symptoms ease or cease altogether. Thus proving that it's not only the amount but the source that is to blame. Know your sources of Omega fatty acids before you ingest them. For those of you who have an allergy to fish or seafood, flax oil is a excellent source of Omega 3. Women with hormonal imbalances can use starflower(borage) oil or evening primrose oil to deliver their hormones to where they need to be.

Some dry, but interesting articles on the topic of fats and blood aggregation, hormones, and cancers are here.

Anemia Reversing Foods and Supplements

Recently I had a client come to me with a very low blood iron count. Also known as anemia. Here were a few foods and supplements I recommended to increase her iron count.

Foods:
Highest levels of iron foods are kidney beans, pinto beans, molasses, rice bran, raw beet greens, mustard greens, lentils, dried peaches, and prune juice. Apples, Apricots, asparagus, bananas, broccoli, egg yolks, kelp, leafy greens (except spinach-it has oxalic acid that prevents iron uptake), parsley, peas, plums, prunes, purple grapes, raisins, rice bran, squash, turnip greens, and yams. Lean meats like lamb, turkey, and veal (I don't recommend veal for personal reasons) are moderately high as well as dried apricots, cooked beet greens, dates, lima beans, chili, cooked spinach, and dry and fresh peas. Also eat foods high in Vitamin C for iron absorption.

Blackstrap molasses is also high in iron. Add to herbal tea or take straight.

Foods high in oxalic acid that interfere with iron absorption are: almonds,cashews, chocolate, cocoa, kale, rhubarb, soda, sorrel, spinach (raw), swiss chard, and most nuts. This doesn't mean you can't eat them forever, it's just until you get the anemia sorted. Also avoid dairy and ice cream until levels are stable for a few months. Tea and coffee also interfere with uptake.

Herbal supplements
Alfalfa, bilberry, cherry, dandelion, grape skins, hawthorn berry, mullein, nettle, oregon grape root, pau d'arco, red raspberry, and yellow dock.

If you are pregnant avoid Oregon Grape Root. Best for pregnancy would be Red Raspberry as it tonifies reproductive organs.

But Why?

During a consultation this morning I was advising my client to avoiding wheat. It tested as being a toxin for her so I gave her some alternatives. Then her son added that a local bakery makes spelt bread. Delighted in the news I told her it would be best to start buying that instead. That's until I actually went to the bakery to investigate this wonderful new discovery.

Being sensitive to wheat myself I had to check it out. Upon entering I noticed they were all sold out, but I did see the sign for it listing some of the ingredients. It stated, "New wheat free spelt bread made with no additives or preservatives. Made with Spelt and Soya Milk." What? Soya milk? But why? And why can't I seem to get away from this dreaded bean?

I asked the woman behind the counter if they could make it with just cow's milk (which I dislike as well but it's better than soy) or another alternative to a milk product. She just shrugged and said they get in what the main location makes. See, there are 3 bakeries in this small town and all of them are the same company. Don't ask. And of course I had to go into the one that isn't the 'main' location. So now I have to write a letter to the bakery and ask if they will change the ingredient for 'soy sensitive' people like myself. You don't even want to know me when I'm eating soy. I'm like a bear with a toothache.

The woman at the bakery suggested I make my own bread. Does she know who she's talking to? I haven't the foggiest idea how to make bread. Something about yeast rising? This is so frustrating. I just want to go to a bakery and buy a bread that wont deplete me of minerals or make me fat. Wheat makes me load on the pounds.

Since moving to Ireland I've had to get acquainted with a few fun facts. 1. I'll never get a decent salad in a restaurant again, 2. soya flour is quickly becoming a staple ingredient in all breads, and 3. if I want to survive I'm just going to have to make all of my own meals, forever.

I guess it's true what they say; if you want something done right, you just have to do it yourself.

Cholesterol Myths Exposed!

How many of you are on Lipitor or another cholesterol lowering drug? Now how many of you feel like crap? Just what I thought.

Here is an excerpt from the website Second Opinions ...

"Cholesterol is an essential component in the body. It is found in all the cells of the body, particularly in the brain and nerve cells. Body cells are continually dying and new ones being made. Cholesterol is a major building block from which cell walls are made. Cholesterol is also used to make a number of other important substances: hormones (including the sex hormones), bile acids and, in conjunction with sunlight on the skin, vitamin D 3 . The body uses large quantities of cholesterol every day and the substance is so important that, with the exception of brain cells, every body cell has the ability to make it."

Visit this website to get a more thorough explanation of cholesterol and the facts about fats and coronary heart disease.

Most people think that you get cholesterol from the diet. In a way it's true. Foods that have cholesterol in them can get into the bloodstream, several studies have proven that. But for the most part your liver produces it. In fact, your liver produces more cholesterol when you don't get it from your diet. Hmmm does that mean that maybe it's necessary for proper function of all vital organs and body systems?

Cholesterol is produced by the liver to save your life. It binds to toxins that you take in on a daily basis and passes them safely out of your body. If you produce too little cholesterol and smoke, eat preservatives and food additives, inhale other airborne pollutants, and/or eat too much sugar, you most likely suffer from coronary heart disease or an array of other illnesses because you couldn't protect yourself.

Another important use for cholesterol is hormone delivery. I've known menopausal women who had cholesterol in the 300's (American reading) and suffered no hot flashes or symptoms of any kind. They owed it all to their HDL or High Density Lipoproteins. One way to remember HD is to refer to it as "Hormone Delivery".

For more information on what your cholesterol levels are, check with your doctor. For more information on what that test actually means, check with me.

Allergy Testing and Blood Type Diet Myth

Lately I have been doing so many allergy tests for foods that I've reformatted my consultations. Now when you come to see me the first thing I do is go over everything you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Then, through kinesiology, I test your body systems and all other whole foods that are found in your area. I will never test for Super Macs, Chinese food or the like because I already know the answer and it's an insult to every one's intelligence, including my own.

I used to strictly follow the Blood Type Diet by Dr. Peter D'Adamo with great success. Now since moving to Ireland I've noticed that no two people are the same even if their blood types match. There are several reasons why certain foods do well with one person and not with another.

Reasons Include, but are not limited to:

• Heredity-We have to date back your specific bloodline, not your blood type, to accurately test for allergies. No one in Ireland can eat wheat and not have some sort of reaction to it. I will discuss types of allergy symptoms below.
• HCI and enzyme count present in the stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, etc. Too little means food doesn't get broken down. When that happens, whole particles go through your digestive tract and can cause food sensitivities and digestive disorders. (Leaky Gut Syndrome).
• Blood Type can play a roll in what you are sensitive to. Even if you have all enzymes and HCI present, you can still not process healthy foods correctly and that leads to weight gain, weight loss, digestive disorders, and even undigested proteins in your bloodstream. That is never a good thing. Proteins in the blood can lead to agglutination (sticky cells) and cause tumors that may or may not become malignant. Never go by blood type alone as a rule.
• Weak immune system response.

Here is an excerpt I found in the book 'Food Allergy Relief' by James Braly, M.D.

"A food allergy develops when your immune system, by means of an odd mixture of immune cells, antibodies, and chemical mediators, reacts in an attempt to reject a food in your diet. Food allergy can result in death-from intestinal lymphomas, osteoporotic hip fractures, and asthma-or can create a living hell with years of unending pain and misery."

This is scary considering most people have no clue as to why they are sick or where the sickness stems from. Well guess what? 80% of your immune system stems from your gut. That's right. What you put in is what you get out. People use the phrase "You are what you eat". I like to go one step further and say "You are what you eat, digest, assimilate, and don't eliminate". If you have foods that you can't digest or cause allergies sitting in your colon, what do you think it's doing to the friendly flora that's supposed to be present? Or the nutrients that aren't being absorbed into your bloodstream because you're colon is toxic or inflammed? It's killing you.

There are 4 types of immune reactions in food allergy. Types 1, 2, 3, and 4. I will discuss Types 1 and 3 as they are the most common. More than one type of allergy can occur at the same time.

Type 1: Immediate-Onset Food Allergies

• Occurs in less than 5% of the population and mostly in children.
• Symptoms are stomach cramping, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, dull aching, bloating, heartburn, indigestion, constipation, gas, skin rashes, hives, eczema, swelling, wheezing, asthma, the sneezing stuff nose of a patient with allergic rhinitis, or the most dreaded, anaphylaxis.
• Other symptoms/diseases that are caused by food allergies are Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, epilepsy, and psoriasis.
• Happens from a few minutes to two hours after consumption.

Type 3-Delayed-Onset Food Allergy

• More common than Type 1
• Occurs from 2 hours to several days after consumption of allergenic foods (migraines occur within 48 hours)
• Reactions emanate from organs or tissue provoking more than 100 allergenic symptoms and well over 100 medical diseases.

A partial list includes:

• Allergic Rhinitis, nonseasonal
• Ankyslosing Spondylitis
• Anxiety, panic attacks
• Asthma
• ADHD
• Autism (due to milk and gluten in cereals)
• Bed-Wetting
• Depression
• Diabetes, insulin-dependent (Type 1)
• Eczema
• Epilepsy
• Fatigue, chronic
• Fibromyalgia
• Headaches (migraines, cluster)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Chrone's, ulcerative colitis, and Celiac Disease)
• Iron deficiency anemia
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Middle ear disease
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Sleep disorders

So before you rush you or your child to the doctor for a mental or physical ailment or disease, consider changing your diet first. A holistic nutritionist may be just what you need to feel better both physically and mentally. Supplements can be taken so flush your body of toxins, repopulate friendly flora, reverse allergies to certain foods, and help prevent or reverse poor nutrient status in patients with mal-absorption.

Helpful supplements are Quercetin Bioflavonoid, Probiotics, MSM, Glutamine, Omega Fatty Acids, and Vitamins and Minerals. Keeping a balance of healthy nutrients found in fruits and vegetables is the best line of defense. Rotation diets are highly recommended to relieve the gut of allergens. Slow reincorporation of allergenic foods, except dairy and glutens, is also recommended with certain supplements to build the body's immune response. Thus allowing you a larger menu to choose from.

Consult your doctor or Natural Health Consultant.

Wheat,Weight Gain, and Mucoid Plaque

If you're like the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people out there with wheat afflictions you might not know this. Even though symptoms don't show up while you're eating wheat, it could be the silent allergen. Here's a quick test to find out if you are allergic. First get a reading of your resting heart rate of beats per 15 seconds before you eat. Then have a slice of bread or some wheat crackers. Wait one hour and test your heart rate again. If your rate is up at least 2 beats every 15 seconds, you have a wheat allergy. You can test this with all foods, but it is time consuming and can't really be done with all foods as you may grow too hungry to wait. Just the main food allergies like wheat, onions/garlic, beef, corn, soy, and dairy products should be tested this way. Others can be tested through blood or by a kinesiologist.

Obvious food allergies are bloating, gassy, cramps, pains in joints, back, neck or head, and skin rashes. Most people don't realize what foods actually do to the human body. Just because it's a fruit, vegetable, grain, or nut, doesn't meant it's the right thing for you to be eating. Allergies and sensitivities are no laughing matter. Simple upset stomachs can lead to more serious symptoms like Chrone's Disease or Celiac's or even asthma (anaphylaxis).

Another huge problem with wheat, if you are allergic or sensitive to it, is it's a leading cause of weight gain. Wheat will slowly, but surely, make you very overweight, if not obese, if consumed when it should be avoided. Some people can process wheat products and suffer no ill effects, while others just look at wheat and gain 5 pounds.

If you are on a healthy weight loss diet full of fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, legumes, and grains and you're still not losing or even gaining weight, consider your grain source. Most people benefit from spelt pastas and breads and suffer no increase in weight. It's a healthy alternative and it's just delicious. Also consider kamut or rye breads instead. You'll have to visit a health food store to get these breads as they aren't sold in most grocery stores in Ireland as of yet.

Sprouted breads are the best alternative. In an earlier post I've linked a recipe for sprouted bread. All grains should be eaten just after they are sprouted. Oats, barley, and even wheat should all be soaked in water and consumed after sprouting. That way they are in their live form and give us the most nourishment with the least toxic response.

There is one last thing I will say about why we shouldn't consume grains in their refined or processed form. Two words: mucoid plaque. This link has pictures that are not for the squeamish. Click on the link for acid/alkalizing foods, and mucoid forming foods . You'll be shocked by the amount of mucous producing foods are in your everyday diet. Foods that seemed harmless, until now.

I highly recommend everyone to slowly change their diets away from the acid over to the alkaline and then do a cleanse. Only cleanse if you are healthy enough to do it. If you are at all sick DO NOT attempt a cleanse. It will make symptoms worse. You can also try to supplement vitamins and minerals before a cleanse to make sure you don't deplete all the good with the bad.

Contact me for more information.

P.S. Most breads on the market contains soya flour. Avoid these breads as well. Soya is a know mucous producer and depletes minerals. Also known to rapidly advance puberty in girls and slow it in boys.

Shocking News About Garlic

Garlic, Allium sativum L, is in the onion family Alliaceae. It's used for cooking and medicinal purposes. Up until recently I thought there were no side effects other than upset stomach from a sulphur sensitivity. This is just not so.

I had a consultation with a 4 year old femle client the other day and through kinesiology found that she has a virus present. Well, being 4 and unable to swallow pills (without testing her) I suggested rubbing fresh garlic on the soles of her feet just before bed. It's an excellent anitbacteria and viral as well as having many other healing/cleansing properties. So her Mother did what I suggested and in less than a minute her daugher was screaming in pain and pleading with her to remove it. Thinking her daughter was just being dramatic as kids can be, I know I've witnessed it loads of times, she removed it and put her to bed.

In the morning she went to her daughters beside and looked at her foot again to see if there really was a problem. Unbelievably she had what appeared to be a red burn mark on her skin the size of the clove of garlic. By the end of the day her cheeks were flushed as well.

Ruling out that she's a vampire, I went and searched for other known cases of garlic sensitivity. Apparently it's a known fact that the allicin (sulphur compound) present in crushed garlic can cause symptoms of 'skin irritation, reddening and even blistering. Low level intolerance or excessive intake can result in heartburn or flatulence.'

I'd recommended it to clients before and even heard of other people doing it for their kids with no ill effects. Garlic is still the number one thing I recommend to small children and infants to relieve colds, flus, fevers, and any bacterial/viral infections because of it's fast healing benefits. Plus it doesn't need to be ingested. Just be careful and heed a word of warning.

If you are going to apply garlic to the feet, please do a patch test if a kinesiologist is not available. If you notice any signs of sensitivity, wash the area immediately and apply aloe. This should counteract any blistering.

Another way we found there was a sulfer allergy was her reaction to her inhaler for asthma. It too contains a sulphite that when ingested causes her to become angry and tempermental. She was described as "being a totally different person" when on the inhaler. I asked the mother to consult her doctor to see if a change could be made. She then told me the doctors told her there were no other alternatives.

Now I don't for one single second believe there is only 1 asthma inhaler drug for acute symptoms on the market. I don't mess with emergency situations as natural health is slow healing over a period of time, so I told her to call other doctors here and even in other countries for their advice on the matter. Remember this: Doctor's are glorified sales people. They will never speak of a drug they are not promoting because they have no knowledge of it. That doesn't mean the drugs don't exist, it simply means they aren't aware of it and don't get a kickback from recommending it. Please go to several sources for information, hit the web, and get yourself educated on matters of health for you and your children. Never hand over full responsibility for the health and welfare of yourself and others to anyone. If something sounds odd or untrue, do the research. Information is there for the taking and no one has more access to information than you.