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Rassel-Daigneault Holistic Health Center
Nutrition Articles & Tips

Aspartame: What You Should Know
Aspartame is a sweetener used in foods. It is found in NutraSweet, Equal, diet sodas, various brands of tea mixes, chocolate mixes, cookies, gelatins, puddings pre-sweetened cereals, yogurt, gums, etc. Over half the adult population consumes products containing aspartame. It is promoted by a multibillion-dollar industry as a way to avoid sugar and lose weight.

Although the FDA has received thousands of reports of adverse effects from this chemical, little regard has been given to its serious health effects. H. J. Roberts, MD, FACP, FCCP, is director of Palm Beach Institute for Medical Research and on staff at St. Mary’s and Good Samaritan Hospitals in Florida. During his many years of practice and research, he discovered what he calls “Aspartame Disease.” In his book, “Aspartame, Is it Safe?” he explains his experience.

Patients reported various, seemingly unrelated symptoms such as: headache, dizziness, nausea, weight gain, mood changes, anxiety attacks, chest pain, swelling, diarrhea, abdominal pain, vision changes, fatigue, seizures, sleep problems, memory loss, rash, ringing in the ear, numbness, etc. Patients avoided aspartame for two weeks to see if symptoms changed. Most of their complaints lessened or disappeared when aspartame products were stopped and recurred after resuming the products.

Aspartame is made of three chemicals: aspartic acid (40%), phenylalanine (50%), and methanol (10%). The first two are amino acids (building blocks of proteins) and methanol (methyl alcohol) is a known toxin. In the small intestine, the methanol is metabolized producing formaldehyde (a deadly neurotoxin), which is then converted into formic acid. Within cells, formaldehyde and its breakdown products damage cellular proteins, impair DNA function, and cause retinal damage, among other things. (Methanol, from the Emergency Medicine and Primary Homecare page and Neurotoxic Interaction of MSG, Aspartame, and other Toxins, text from Dr. Markle, as self-appointed expert on aspartame.)

Dr. Roberts claims that these chemicals are responsible for many symptoms. For some it appears to be addictive. Once eliminated, some experience withdrawal symptoms such as severe irritability, tension, depression, tremors, nausea, sweating and craving for the products. The symptoms usually cease once the product is reintroduced. Dr. Roberts strongly recommends that children, pregnant women and diabetics avoid use. The chemicals can cross the placenta becoming 3 or 4 times more concentrated. He says children often have more severe reactions. He always associates it with brain tumors.

If you research this topic, you will find some claiming it’s safe and others, like Dr. Roberts, warning of its dangers. If you consume aspartame and experience any symptoms, eliminate aspartame for two weeks and see if your symptoms subside. If they do, avoid it. Introduce other drinks (water, carbonated and flavored water, sodas with natural sweeteners, herbal teas (iced or hot). Read labels to avoid products containing aspartame. The FDA has received many complaints about aspartame. Dr. Roberts’ and others think it should be banned. Don’t wait until the experts are in agreement. Take steps to see if it is a problem for you and your family.

Attention and Concentration

Recent studies indicate a 330% increase in psychotropic drug use in children under age twenty over the past 10 years (study was over a population base of 990,000 individuals). This is staggering, both for what it represents to us personally as families and parents, but secondarily to our culture and society.

There are many things that can be employed nutritionally to turbo charge the brain function and perhaps make drug intervention unnecessary. Research finds everyday new applications of safe and known nutrients to assist the normal physiology of mentation and concentration. These things work! It is vital to try the lesser measures before beginning to medicate a young child in the developmental years, as it is so easy to interrupt the subtle mental, emotional and social evolution occurring. Some people say that addictive patterns can be introduced in childhood pre-disposing individuals to addictions later in life.

Currently school systems are experiencing a 400% increase in autism over the past 10 years, each individual requiring extensive support and special attention. The cost of this is staggering and crippling. It is well known that essential fatty acids are very influential in assisting the normal brain function. Every impaired individual should be supported with basic foundational nutritional approaches to observe how optimized their function can become.

Sugar and the high American glycemic diet have been implicated for years in ADD and hyperactive disorders. Simple and appealing diet modifications directed by profound nutritional understanding may significantly enhance cognition and attention span. Food allergies are also a culprit robbing the body of its vitality and over stimulating the adrenals creating a cascade of behavior disturbances. When these chronic immune burdens are removed within three days improvement is obvious. The most suspicious food allergies are cow milk products, corn, wheat, and soy. By eliminating these things for 2 weeks and then reintroducing them one at a time it is demonstrated which one(s) are offending.

Our children are not temperamental biological mechanisms with inherent Ritalin stimulant deficiencies – they are profound miracles of biochemical individuality. They must be given the opportunity to achieve the full genetic potential. It is vital that we find more natural means of supporting childhood developmental challenges, and only medicate if all other alternatives prove inadequate.

Autoimmunity – A Nutritional Strategy

Until recently the issue of autoimmunity was not even accepted within the scientific community. Although initially introduced in late 70’s, the mechanism of autoimmunity was considered radical until the late 1980s. Throughout the ’90s autoimmune diseases proliferated until it seemed almost common to know a person with an autoimmune disease.
Autoimmunity literally means that the immune system has developed antibodies to attack its own tissues. There are many theories as to why this may happen. This paper will present three of the main theories behind this event. Traditional medical approaches seem to concern themselves only with trying to control the secondary symptoms of autoimmunity instead of addressing the underlying causes, which are still enigmatic and mysterious.

One possible mechanism of autoimmunity concerns the integrity of the cellular and nuclear membranes. When these membranes begin to lose their integrity leaking minute amounts of nuclear genetic material directly into the bloodstream these nuclear proteins are perceived by the liver as indication that upstream tissue damage has occurred. In response the liver develops what are called natural tissue antibodies (NTA’s) that are put into circulation designed to target the upstream tissue breaking down and degrading the perceived damage before infection by an external agent can occur. This seems an intelligent response on the part of the body and may be addressed simply by encouraging healthy membrane physiology through the application of healthy essential fatty acids and phospho-lipids, which are the primary components of the cellular and nuclear membranes.

A second mechanism thought to cause autoimmunity is described as molecular mimicry. In this model it is possible for certain inoculants to induce immune responses to protein sequences that are similar to normally occurring tissue. The best example of this is the relationship between acquired immunity to German measles from vaccination and the autoimmune disease of Ankylosing Spondylitis, in which the nucleotide sequences in the proteins of these two tissues are almost identical with only one nucleotide sequence different. This causes the acquired immunity of the vaccination to attack the normal occurring tissue in the body thinking that is a foreign protein. Many such mechanisms are speculated involving multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases.

A third and final theory, called the dual signal hypothesis, describes the possibility of the immune system being up-regulated and hyper-reactive simultaneous to another injury occurring. As a result the overly ambitious immune system identifies this injury as an antigenic marker and thus begins to attack that tissue is if it were an infection. It is very common to note that many autoimmune diseases onset following severe physical or emotional trauma within 6 to 12 months.

In any of these cases the employment of foundational therapies seeking to balance all systems of the body can assist in bringing resolution to the autoimmune diseases. Down-regulation of immune activity by reducing inflammatory and chronic infection burdens while simultaneously balancing bio-terrain issues can gradually improve symptoms and result in remission. While it is difficult to repair tissue that has been attacked and damaged by an autoimmune response, it is reasonable to expect an interruption to the progression of the autoimmune disease. In this way autoimmunity can be contained without the ongoing use of imbalancing and dangerous drug therapies.

Blood Pressure and Regulation

Idiopathic Hypertension is the name of elevated blood pressure with no explainable etiology/cause. The elevation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure represents an increase in vascular tone for the purpose of increasing blood pressure.

There are a number of speculated mechanisms that may contribute to this reaction and adaptation body. The adrenal and kidney responses result from increased stimulation and stress resulting in increased tension of the vascular tone. Oftentimes elevated blood pressure is a body response to high levels of inflammation and allergy in the environment or diet. The body interprets all stress as a wild animal trying to attack it, and so stress that comes from eating certain foods has a reaction of stress that is similar to societal stress, or that comes from truly being in peril. It registers the same on the endocrine system, making no distinction between psychological stress and biochemical stress and circumstantial stress.

As we reduce the stress of our lifestyle and our diet we significantly reduce the adrenal responses to stress attempting to elevate its metabolism and prepare itself for fight or flight responses. A most subtle but consistent factor that should be explored in high blood pressure situations is the presence of chronic food allergies. Most typically corn, soy, milk or wheat can influence the inflammatory levels, creating chronic inflammation resulting in elevation of corticosteroids. Often simply by eliminating the food allergies within three days the blood pressure will be falling and within two weeks it is within the normal range.

It is always best to correct high blood pressure by determining the cause of the elevation, rather than to suppress the symptom only. Magnesium and organic potassium and minerals significantly relax the body. Ionic calcium reduces acidosis and thus reduces tension. When the natural interventions fail reduction of food allergies should always be employed to correct the possible cause of the elevated blood pressure.

Blood pressure medication is very difficult to reduce and discontinue once the body has become accustomed to. Blood pressure medication will often require subsequent drugs as we get older. It is always desirable to avoid the need for medication until it is absolutely necessary. Oftentimes blood pressure medication will interrupt other functions of the body such as energy levels, ability to respond to stressful situations and libido, especially in men.

High blood pressure is an intelligent body response to imbalance. The difficulty is to determine what the imbalance is. Blood pressure may naturally be balanced bringing about the elimination of symptoms, instead of symptom suppression. Many are herbal remedies being employed as simply natural approaches to tactics of suppression of blood pressure, and are still symptom-based therapy. The only real correction is to assist the body back into balance and eliminate its need to elevate the vascular tone.

Breast Cancer in the Modern World

Mammograms and thermal imaging are great tools to aid in the detection of breast cancer, but they only find a problem after it has begun and they do nothing to detect the risks before the disease begins to manifest itself. It is obvious that waiting until a problem develops before trying to address it is one of the reasons why so many people die of cancer. It is possible to determine your risk of developing breast cancer and therefore to make intelligent diet, lifestyle, and nutritional changes that may reduce the likelihood of manifestation.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S. accounting for 32 percent of all female cancers. Breast cancer is responsible for 18 percent of cancer deaths in women, and is second only to lung cancer as the cause of death from cancer among American women. In the year 2001 an estimated 192,200 women were diagnosed and 40,600 of these women died from the disease. The older woman has greater chances of developing breast cancer, with approximately 77 percent of the cases occurring in women over 50 years of age. Caucasian, Hawaiian and African-American women have the highest incidence of invasive breast cancer, four times higher than the lowest group including Korean, American Indian and Vietnamese women.

Cancer develops at a cellular level for years or decades before a tumor is large enough to be identified using modern imaging techniques. While genetics point to breast cancer potential, the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 seem to be implicated in only three to five percent of breast cancers. With the acceleration of the onset of menstruation from 16.5 years old in 1842 to 13 years in 1995 and to 11 or 12 years in the year 2003 parallels an increase in breast cancer onset later in life. The Shanghai Breast Cancer Study showed that women who exercised during adolescence and adulthood experience a 40% reduction of breast cancer incidence. Researchers reported two factors that increase the risk of developing breast cancer being increased abdominal body fat distribution and increased weight at age 30. Endocrine disruptors can be synthetic or natural estrogens that act on the endocrine system by mimicking, blocking or interfering in the natural instructions of hormones to cells. Well-known endocrine disruptors are the drug DES, dioxin, PCBs, DDT, pesticides, and plasticizers. It was also reported in 2003 that women with Type II diabetes are 17 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than those without.

Sources of estrogen as a risk to cancer include endogenous formation from inside the body, xenobiotics from environmental toxins, and hormone replacement therapy. In every case whether one takes it or makes it, the body must metabolize it, and this requires a healthy liver capable of methylation processes in Phase I and Phase II liver detoxification. Famous studies indicate that breast cancer is vastly increased in countries where increased milk production per capita is low, the highest of which is in the Americas, while Japan has the lowest incidence of breast cancer with the least milk production per person. Thyroid metabolism when reduced has also been shown to negatively influence the metabolism of estrogen.

The cruciferous vegetables that promote the production of methyl groups formed in the digestive tract assist in the detoxification and reduction of estrogen to healthy metabolites. Studies show a significant reduction in the risk of breast cancer with regular consumption of brassica (cruciferous) vegetables which include brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, kale and turnips. Calcium d-glucarate and DIM (di-indole methionine) as supplementation can be employed to reduce the Beta Gluco-uronidase from building up in the intestine which has been associated with an increase in cancer.

In summary to reduce the risks of breast cancer, simply reduce carbohydrates to stabilize insulin levels, eliminate dairy, reduce red meat and alcohol consumption, increase fiber, increase brassica vegetables, increase exercise, and the reduce exposure to xeno-estrogens. Nutritionally it is recommended that Livaplex and Livco with Vitanox be employed to reduce estrogens by promoting liver detoxification, along with calcium d-glucarate and DIM.

It is possible to change the outcome of cancer by understanding what created it. Do not wait for a lump to go bump in the night to awaken to all that can be done to support the health and well-being that may actually prevent all this form and potentially all forms of cancer.

Cancer – A Nutritional Strategy

It is said that with cancer the best strategy is prevention! The truth is, according to Boyd a famous pathologist, the body is in and out of a cancerous state 40 times each day. There is function of the normal body that is able to identify and control the development of cancer on a cellular level. When this function stops working there is the possibility of developing a focus of cancer called a tumor. A tumor is a much more difficult challenge for the body to resolve, than the singular cancer cell.

Prevention can be achieved by reducing the risk factors, especially those which create a chronic immune burden, toxic burden and especially estrogen concentration. This is accomplished by lifestyle modification and by nutrient supplementation to support the body’s innate ability to detoxify, specifically phase I and II liver function and lymphatic and immune function. The use of family history review and using the cancer potential survey it is possible to determine an individual’s risk tendency and therefore indicate the level of prevention that should be elected.

When cancer does occur there are some basic principles that should be employed. Cancer is a primitive tissue that is undifferentiated and therefore it is not very sophisticated in its ability to metabolize, requiring primarily sugar to thrive. Simply by reducing sugar and sugar-forming foods from the diet it is possible to reduce the nourishment of the tumor. As well by moving more into a ketotic fat-burning state it is possible to encourage the body toward a cannibalistic state in which it begins to consume any unnecessary tissue. Ultimately the goal is to get the body to eat the tumor.

One principle of cancer is that the body deals with cancer the same way it deals with infection. Certain principles dictate that by unburdening the immune system of chronic sub clinical or cavitated infections the immune system can be freed to more potently attend to any tumorous activity. This is especially so with low-grade infestations of parasites, yeast proliferation and cavitated infections carried under the teeth or in body cavities. These infections may be in reduced and eliminated thus liberating the immune system to the greater ambition of attacking any tumor formation.

The liver is considered by all cancer experts to be essential in achieving control over cancer. Phase 1 and 2 liver detoxification can be encouraged with the use of lifestyle and diet modification and nutritional supplementation. This is essential to the body’s immune ability to identify abnormal cell growth in and target it with white blood cells. It is proven that proper calcium function is an essential flag to activate union responses. Almost all natural cancer therapy includes intense systemic and liver detoxification.

It is also possible to promote enzymatic functions through enzyme therapy and supplementation, as well as by bio-terrain assessment and support. Some enzymes and antioxidants are respected for their ability to anecdotally reduce tumor activity. While many Western cancer therapies are successful at controlling and killing tumors, it should be pointed out that unless the body is balanced and corrected from its former imbalance it may reproduce the cancer yet again. Many people waste the blessing of remission by not being active during the remission to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

In general it is evident that the immune system has been overburdened and inundated in this toxic imbalanced world. This is our first and most important responsibility when dealing with cancer. Caring for foundational issues in cancer can be done individually or complement your eye alongside other therapies.

Controlling Cholesterol

Cholesterol has become the focus of a great deal of attention in the modern medical world. Many people have thought that cholesterol is something that signifies a tendency towards coronary artery disease and heart disease, and it is generally assumed that is very difficult to bring cholesterol levels down if elevated and that a statin drug would need to be employed to accomplish the reduction. There are a number of factors that should be considered when it comes to considering cholesterol balance.

The original study of cholesterol done in the 1960s on approximately 240,000 subjects found that cholesterol levels above 300 directly associated itself with an increased risk of heart disease. What was also reported in the same study also was that cholesterol less than 130 directly associated itself with an increased risk of cancer. At first it was thought that cholesterol came from animal foods and fats that were consumed in the diet, although it was later discovered that two-thirds of the body’s cholesterol is actually fabricated in the liver. Today with our new understanding around healthy fats and the impact of carbohydrates and high glycemic diets it is revealed that elevated triglyceride levels result in a downstream elevation of cholesterol. Chemically when triglycerides are high they automatically cascade downstream into high cholesterol. While the triglycerides lab values for the common American are said to be normal under 200 or 150 (depending on the lab), the truth is that any triglyceride level above 90 will result in unnecessary elevation of cholesterol. Oftentimes simply by limiting the glycemic intake in the diet the triglycerides fall to under 90 and the cholesterol naturally follows into range, optimally to be between 160 and 180.

If the triglycerides are under 90 and the cholesterol continues to be elevated it oftentimes suggests the possibility of some food allergy congesting and slowing the digestive process thus resulting in elevated cholesterol resorption from the gut. The most common allergy in this situation is eggs, and an estimated 30 percent of the population is allergic to eggs (lactalbumin). By eliminating eggs, if one is allergic to them and limiting the glycemic intake, the cholesterol naturally comes to an optimal level. It used to be expected that these changes in cholesterol take months or even years and that therefore legitimizes the employment of certain statin drugs to lower cholesterol. These triglyceride and cholesterol imbalances can actually be corrected profoundly within 7-10 days demonstrated by lab work. It is so simple to limit the glycemic index in the diet and see the triglycerides fall and subsequently the cholesterol normalize. It also is rewarding to discover that we can control our own chemical imbalances without having to use drugs to achieve this.

HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein) is another consideration. HDL’s are able to help transport cholesterol through the blood and keep it from plaquing onto the arterial wall. HDL’s can be increased through exercise and through certain nutrients including red wine. Recently another factor has become a consideration as the level of Homocysteine protein in the blood acts as Velcro to attach the plaque to the arterial wall. Although normal levels allow up to 12-15, it is optimally recommended that Homocysteine be kept under 7. Interestingly enough Homocysteine is a purely nutritional event and if elevated simply adding vitamins B6, B12, folate and folic acid usually will return it to an optimal level. This is very good predictor of heart risk. Another influence to arterial wall plaquing is C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP represents the state of inflammation in the body and therefore the subsequent stickiness of the arterial wall. By keeping our body free of chronic infection and immune burdens, especially allergies, the C-reactive protein will fall to less than .04 where there is very little likelihood that plaquing will occur.

There are multiple factors that influence the lipid profile of our blood. A few of them have been outlined above so that a person can begin to explore their own capability of controlling their own cholesterol levels. It is an exciting thing to find that you are in control of your chemistry rather than the genes you inherited determining your destiny. Many people have been skeptical to believe how quickly the lipid profile could be optimized, and many have chosen not to try. When it is possible to see profound change within seven days there is every reason to be encouraged to try experimenting with your own lipid levels.

Fats and EFAs
There is the great deal of controversy around the truth of including fats and oils in your diet. Many people say that fat and oil cause some common degenerative diseases. The final truth is that unhealthy oils create unhealthy people and healthy oils build health in people.

Fats are short, medium and long chain molecules comprised of many essential fatty acids connected together. Just like protein is comprised of amino acids, fats are comprised of fatty acids. Some fatty acids are essential to our diet, without which life cannot be sustained. This is to say that the essential fatty acid (EFA) cannot be manufactured in the body in sufficient amounts to supply the needs of the body and so is considered essential to diet for health and well being.

Of primary concern with fats and oils is the condition of rancidity. When oxygen and light are allowed to penetrate oil certain bonds in the molecules are caused to break thus changing the integrity of the oil and turning it rancid. Perhaps in this way oil and fat represent the most fragile and delicate aspect of our diet. For this reason great care must be taken with unsaturated fats and oils to prevent oxygenation, heat and light from damaging the molecules. In general rancidity contributes to premature aging and poor skin health, and subsequent loss of membrane health affecting every cellular function in the body.

These days attention has come to the proper balance of multiple essential fatty acids, specifically omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Many products coming on the market present multiple fatty acid blends that provide the array of essential fatty acids needed. This actually makes it easier to achieve proper balance because it does not require so much deliberation in selecting foods as a source of unique essential to fatty acids.

Essential fatty acids are vital especially to hormone production and membrane construction at the cellular level. When we use trans fatty acids that have been hydrogenated (bubbled with hydrogen gas to bond and stabilize all the delicate bonding sites thus eliminating rancidity, but also eliminating the ability of the oil to participate in healthy function) there is a displacement of health EFA’s by hydrogenated fats attributed to reducing the surface area of the cellular membrane by as much as 70 percent. This creates the expression “famine in the midst of plenty” due to a loss of surface area for cellular respiration and exchange to occur across.

In the end simply the naturally occurring oils and fats properly protected from light, heat and oxygen are safe and life sustaining. Olive oil and butter are especially good and renowned for the contribution they provide. Non-food source oils (such as cotton seed, borage, and canola or rape seed) should be second to food source oil, and hydrogenation should be avoided completely.

Gylcemic Indices of Foods

It is best to choose food with glycemic indices of 50-80. Foods in this range will give us the best chance to minimize exaggerated insulin responses.

Click here for a list foods with their Glycemic Indices

The Healing Process – Peeling the Onion

The healing process is often described as peeling an onion. Layer after layer of imbalances and weakness are corrected giving the impression of peeling the onion. Typically this process continues until there are no layers of weakness left to find, and this is what constitutes complete whole body healing. Indeed as each layer is peeled it may be surprising to discover the development of symptoms that had not formerly existed. This is very normal and explainable and a good sign that progress is being made.

Ultimately the human body is constantly in an effort to heal and repair itself, saving energy and reserves in an effort to heal the chronic wounds and imbalances. If given a chance the body will completely repair and renew itself to a perfect state. The way to support this is by reducing toxic and immune burdens to the body, providing vital and energized nutrition, and practice a lifestyle that respects the subtle needs and rhythms of the body. This is why we approach your health in a wholistic way with the concept of evolution towards entire whole body healing process, strengthening system after system, tissue after tissue.

One of the most confusing things about the healing process is what has been called the ‘retracing phenomenon.’ It has been said that any step of degeneration or decline that the body went through in the process of becoming ill it has to return through in the process of becoming well. Step by step. Sometimes this means that symptoms will get worse before they get better, and this often conflicts with our desires to simply feel better.

Typically retracing phenomenon, going back through a repair and recuperative process, is relatively short lived. Retracing symptoms last anywhere between hour-long individual episodes to at the most a few days. One way that one can distinguish between disease symptoms and healing symptoms is how quickly the healing symptoms change and develop into something new. As well often while these healing symptoms are occurring there is simultaneously a general sense of well-being and improved energy.

Healing symptoms can involve catarrhal cleansing such as phlegm, diarrhea, excessive urination and aching in muscles and joints headaches, or any symptoms that might have been experienced in the process of becoming ill. This is especially true in chronic illnesses or imbalances that have existed for a prolonged period of time. For example in neurological conditions such as MS or neuropathy it is a positive sign to find tingling and neurological sensations as healing begins.

There is no greater encounter with the vital force that made the body than healing processes. In general we do not yet fully comprehend what the healing power of the body can achieve.

Infant Formula – Substitution for Human Milk

The initial formula for infant growth and development has always been a matter of great concern and discussion in and around the scientific community. We have believed many things in the past and have been wrong and been right. The efforts behind this formula have been to duplicate the constituents of real human milk as an alternative to infant nutrition without the availability of mother’s milk, or as a supplement to insufficient mother’s milk.
Thorne research Labs pioneered the formula below as a way to constitute available infant formula that would not be milk (dairy) or soy based, from which so many reactions occur. The following is a complete and comprehensive formula to support the neonatal and infant stage of development.

  • 2 heaping tablespoons Medipro Powder Mix (Thorne Research)
  • 4 tablespoons of Maple Syrup
  • 2 tablespoons of the oil mix (EFA Oil)
  • 1 teaspoon of Coral Legend calcium and multimineral

Low Carbohydrate Meal Suggestions

BREAKFAST

  • Yogurt/ Cottage cheese with nut butters (Almond, Cashew, Tahini) and Tamari roasted almonds, fruits
  • Protein powder (Soy, Rice, Whey) in juice milks or water
  • Eggs and sausage (turkey, chicken, beef, pork, soy) or bacon
  • Smoked salmon

SNACK

  • Almonds
  • Cashews
  • Pecans
  • Fruit in limited amounts
  • Jerky

LUNCH

  • Salad with chicken, turkey, beef, cheese (avoid croutons), sprouts
  • Soups with no noodles or potatoes
  • Eggs
  • Tuna fish or meats

SNACK

  • Popcorn
  • Protein Drink
  • Fruit in limited amounts

SUPPER

  • Meat, Fish, Fowl, Eggs, Tofu
  • Vegetables
  • Salads with sprouts and/or fajita strips
  • Soups and chowders (avoid noodles)

SNACK

  • Nuts
  • Sweet Potato Chips
  • Popcorn
  • Jerky

NOTE: ALL FRUIT JUICES SHOULD BE DILUTED BY 50% WITH WATER

Mercury – The Issue of Excretion

The issue of heavy-metal toxicity has increasingly become a complication in health care because of its ability to interrupt normal physiological processes. As a result for effective strengthening of individual glandular and organ system to occur heavy-metal body burden must be considered. Heavy metal exposure is entirely environmental, especially including vaccinations and flu shots, dental applications, and pesticide or xenobiotic exposure.

There are several ways to gain impressions of what the heavy-metal toxic load status is in the body. These include hair analysis, stool analysis and challenged urine tests, which are more expensive and complicated. Primarily, when evaluating heavy-metal toxicity it is important to determine whether a healthy degree of excretion is occurring. If there is no excretion present it indicates that the individual is impaired in his ability to excrete. Because mercury is to some degree present in our modern-day lifestyle it is in a constant state of excretion. If the excretion is above the normal level it indicates that the person is challenged with excessive heavy-metal toxicity. Therefore when interpreting heavy-metal toxic load it is important to determine that some excretion is occurring and is within normal limits.

The reason heavy-metals are considered so toxic is that they may interrupt normal physiological processes at cellular levels. There are many ways they may cause this, and they are sometimes called hormone disruptors or biochemical disruptors. What this means is that instead of the hormone being able to bind at its appropriate physiological site a heavy-metal displaces it and binds instead, thus interrupting the ability of the hormone to activate a certain function. This can often appear like a hormonal or physiological deficiency when in fact is simply because heavy-metal toxicity has interrupted normal physiological pathways. It should be noted that heavy metal toxicity can often result in moodiness and energy depletion and emotional congestion.

The most severe heavy-metal interference is clearly caused by mercury. Recent studies at the University of Calgary showed visual microscopic evidence of how mercury interrupts normal physiological processes. It was demonstrated that mercury displaced and occupied the beta receptor of the GTP (Guanisine tri-phosphate) receptor site on the tubulin molecule, thus impairing its ability to link together creating the cellular skeleton. This is especially important because it destroys the cytoskeletal structure resulting in a collapse of cellular integrity. While this does not kill the cell completely, it does melt and turn the cell to mush, interfering with normal function. In the case of nerve tissue it specifically creates tangles in the nerve extensions due to a loss of a healthy sheath and structure. Mercury can do this in any tissue since tubulin is the fundamental cytoskeletal structure of every cell. This becomes a very severe issue to the person who is impaired or unable to excrete mercury.

The excretion of mercury requires normal physiological methyl formation. It was recently discovered that certain genes are essential to the ability to form healthy methyl groups. Specifically the genes for MTHFR (Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase), MTRR and MTR are required to form methyl groups, and that when these are deficient (from one or both parents) it results in the inability to induce methyl detoxification. This can be supported nutritionally and assisted in these types of individuals. Recently there was a study done at Stanford University that showed of five different strains of mice injected with mercury only one strain developed autistic tendencies. This suggested that there are certain genetic tendencies amongst the population toward methyl formation. It is suggested that with a genomic study identifying the MTHFR gene that this segment of the population that is deficient could be predicted and therefore support may be anticipated. This is a new development in our ability to understand why certain people have difficulty with mercury and why others don’t.

Regardless of whether one has genetic potential to produce methyl groups or not it continues to be an issue of overall toxic metal body burden. If the mercury body burden exceeds the person’s ability to excrete then in fact bioaccumulation and toxicity result. This may be what occurs in senility and Alzheimer’s in the geriatric who is given flu shots or extensive metal dental appliances and secondarily develops an increased heavy metal burden. It is now understood how to prevent and improve these tendencies in people.

With the use of cilantro, coriander and chlorella it is possible to encourage binding and excretion of mercury and other heavy-metals. It is said that mercury is the most severe heavy-metal to detoxify, and thus if excretion of mercury is achieved the other heavy-metals follow as well. Nutritional support of the homocysteine pathway may simultaneously promote healthy methyl formation, promoting detoxification of mercury. This is accomplished by supplementation of vitamin B-6, B12, folic acid and folate. Healthy parotid gland function is also essential for the body to identify heavy-metal presence and thus with parotid nutritional support it is possible to intensify heavy-metal elimination.

While everything is not yet understood about heavy-metal physiological impact, much more is known than was 10 years ago, and it is increasingly possible to reduce the overall heavy-metal body burden.

Migraine – Treat the Curse or Cause

Vascular headaches have long troubled many people, and if you have never had one you may consider yourself fortunate. Whether it is once in your life or each week, one migraine is one too many. Many people subsist in fear of the potential triggers and factors that can bring on a migraine, struggling to try and understand what is happening, why their head hurts so badly.

The questions are why do the vascular mechanisms that supply the brain become abnormal, and then what can be done about it. The standard of care in the health community seems to focus only on symptom suppressing pain management, which even at best is merely a mild palliative in the real management of this malady. In nutritional practice using foundational measures to bring about balanced body physiology a great deal of success has been achieved in learning about the underlying cause and supporting the body to prevent headaches from ever developing.

First let’s review what we know about migraines from experience: a prodromal phase precedes the pounding pain characterized by hallucinations, visual disturbances with halo effects around objects, photophobia (light sensitivity), impaired mentation and nausea; a secondary phase follows, characterized by severe pain and pounding, more severe photophobia, and nausea (in fact the migraine usually abates after finally throwing up). This resolution to normal following vomiting may be the greatest insight into the causative mechanisms at work.

There are two stages, both characterized by profound changes in the vascular supply to the brain. The first prodromal stage is experienced because of an initial vascular constriction or starvation creating secondary localized hypoxia (loss of oxygen), and this is why the brain hallucinates without the necessary blood/oxygen for proper function. Then the vasculature, apparently fatigued by the effort of constriction, seems to lose its tone and simply dilate, sagging into the surrounding structures and creating the pounding pressure that is so crippling. Most drug therapies seek to interrupt this vascular phenomenon. In fact, in the past ergot amine drugs were employed even though they potentially compromised circulation to the heart at the same time. Even now very little is offered except to attempt to interrupt the vascular dilation, which while it provides essential relief is not a correction to the cause of the condition, and it also costs the person a few days of being mildly drugged.

It seems that the questions need to be asked: Why does the vascular phenomenon occur, and what sets it off? Most chronic migraine sufferers know that certain foods and smells, such as chocolate, citrus or other aromatics and perfumes, can trigger the migraine. Certainly food sensitivity and allergies can exaggerate the migraine syndrome and exploring this avenue may begin to provide insight into preventing the onset of the vascular event. Yet again why is it that a food or smell can activate a migraine complex? I learned early in practice that simple liver/gallbladder cleansing seemed in many cases to resolve headaches and migraines, and from this the following explanation is proposed.

When the upper digestive system becomes imbalanced, especially the ability of the stomach to create the proper acidity, empty its contents into the small intestine, and prevent the build up of fermentive weaker acids in the stomach, distress is referred back up the vagal nerve distribution reporting to the brain that imbalance exists in the stomach. When this nervous tone exceeds minor amounts and begins to shout, there is a spillover effect into the adjacent basal brain centers that control vascular supply. As this spillover occurs, the vascular centers are stimulated to the degree that they increase vascular tone, and constriction occurs, so that too little blood is reaching the oxygen/nutrient hungry nervous tissue in the brain. After a period of constriction the vascular structures, or perhaps the vascular nervous control centers fatigue and dilation occurs, until of course the stomach vomits and empties itself of the distress/stimulus causing the vagal nervous feedback.

What if instead of waiting to throw up we were able to restore the normal stomach balance and interrupt the vagal/vascular feedback phenomenon before it begins? This is done with Phosfood (orthophosphoric acid) 25 drops in water hourly or more frequently as needed as soon as the first sensation of prodrome comes on, or one can use Apple Cider Vinegar or fresh lemon juice (1-2 Tbsp in water). These are simple ways to acidify the stomach and assist in restoring the proper environment to the upper digestive processes. More extensive nutritional supplementation may be required to bring about repair and recovery of upper digestive competence so that this imbalance no longer is hair triggered, especially focusing on the gallbladder delivery of bile for fat digestion and emulsification.

Often migraines are activated by hormonal variations associated with menstruation or following pregnancy, which at first seems mysterious. When the stomach and gallbladder/pancreas functions are balanced even these hormonal triggers are reduced and less apt to activate the migraine. Also it is important to note that the pituitary, so involved in menstrual cycles and ovarian function, is the same glandular control for upper digestive function. It has always been well known that pituitary support can enhance digestive secretions and efficiency, which may be why variations in the pituitary change digestive conditions and activate the migraine complex.

It is always exciting to correct underlying causes and see conditions change. There are always so many other invisible effects balanced when such foundational corrections are made. Indeed it is a cascade of improved function and health, most profound of which is the relief available to those suffering migraines.

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