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30/10/2009

Beware of the dangers of soy

(NaturalNews) Soy. It is found in seemingly every prepared and processed food item available on the market. Whether it is soy protein, soybean oil, or soy lecithin, soy derivatives have become an almost universal additive in American food products. Commonly thought to be a healthy, protein-dense food, the soybean has been touted as a wonder victual capable of feeding the planet and stopping world hunger. Truth is, unfermented soy is one of the most harmful, toxic substances to ever become so predominant in the food chain.

The History of Soy
Historically, ancient farmers planted soybeans in order to infuse their soil with nutrients such as nitrogen; their food crops benefited from the enriched soil that the soy plants provided. Typically attributed with Asian diets, soy has always played a minor role in eastern fare and, when consumed, it is done so fermented from a whole bean.

The traditional Japanese diet, for instance, includes over 100 biologically-unique foods per week with soy products accounting for only a few items. In Pearl Buck's 1931 bestselling Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Good Earth, she writes of Wang Lung, a Chinese subsistence farmer who rises to power in pre-revolutionary China because of he and his wife's hard work and determination . Raised in China herself, Buck's story contains scant mention of soy consumption as part of the typical Chinese diet.

Ancient pictographs from the Chinese Chou Dynasty period also confirm that soy was traditionally not used as food but as a crop-rotating plant that served to replenish the planting soil with nutrients. Throughout the centuries, it gradually gained popularity in various fermented forms.

Only in recent decades has corporate soy production become commonplace, ushered in by gales of misinformation claiming it as a health food in all its processed forms. Even in Asian countries, 90% of soy consumption involves processed, unfermented soy products much like the ones consumed in America.

What's So Bad About Soy?
Soybeans naturally contain a host of anti-nutrients and toxins, including trypsin inhibitors, hemaglutinin, phytic acid, and phytoestrogens.

The potent trypsin inhibitors present in soy significantly curtail protein absorption, causing abdominal distress due to hampered absorption of crucial nutrients and amino acids. Animals fed diets that contained large amounts of trypsin inhibitors developed pancreatic problems including cancer.

Hemaglutinin is a substance that is responsible for causing red blood cells to clump together and form clots. Both trypsin inhibitors and hemaglutinin have been deemed "growth depressant substances" for their contributions in stunting essential bodily functions.

Phytic acid, or phytates, is another nutrient absorption inhibitor that deters the uptake of essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. Present in the bran of seeds, phytic acid will offset the intake of nutrients by stopping their absorption within the intestinal track, leading to severe mineral deficiencies. Zinc, the "intelligence mineral", is the one most completely blocked by soy phytates. Soy has also been shown to have the highest phytic acid content of any other grain or legume ever studied.

Phytoestrogens are chemical compounds found in some plants that mimic the estrogen hormone. Soy products are particularly rich in isoflavone phytoestrogens which are capable of significantly disrupting human hormonal balance, particularly in men. A study conducted by Harvard University revealed a definitive correlation between soy consumption and low sperm counts in men, indicating that high soy consumption can instigate reproductive harm and suppress testosterone levels.

Genetic Engineering
To add insult to injury, the GMO Compass database records that as of 2008, 92% of soy crops in the U.S. are genetically modified varieties. GMOs are continually shown in independent studies to cause serious harm in the human body, a frightening prospect when considering that soy derivatives are found in virtually every processed food product.

One of the most prevalent culprits is soy lecithin, an emulsifier that is added to processed foods to stabilize the ingredients with one another. Soybean oil is another popular additive found in all kinds of foods from mayonnaise and salad dressings to cakes and breads. Besides the fact that they are soy-based and highly prevalent, these ingredients are most often derived from GMO soybeans.

Even organic products may contain GMO soy lecithin since this particular ingredient falls outside the realm of organic requirements, a controversial loophole that many have taken charge to have changed. Most organic products specify non-GMO soy lecithin but it is always important to investigate and verify.

Eat Soy Sparingly, and Only Organic
The proper way to eat soy is whole, organic, fermented, and sparingly. Soy milk, tofu, soy nuts, and other popular food items are essentially toxic due to the inherent toxic properties of unfermented soy. Many of these products are also highly processed and genetically-modified.

Soy formulas are inadequate and potentially dangerous for babies as they do not contain the vibrant array of vital nutrients found in the mother's breast milk. Many doctors affirm that soy formulas lack essential fatty acids (EFAs), cholesterol, immunoglobulins, and other nutrients necessary for proper cognitive and neural development in the child. As it turns out, many babies are allergic to the highly-processed proteins and ingredients in infant formula.

For adults, soy products like miso, tamari, and shoyu that have been properly fermented are not only delicious but healthy when used in various food preparations. Fermentation eliminates virtually all of the anti-nutrients and toxins present in raw soybeans. Tempeh is another whole fermented soy food that is high in protein and dietary fiber, making it a pertinent vegetarian meal option.

Small amounts of fermented, organic soy foods in conjunction with a diverse, whole foods diet will serve the body well. Rather than consume inordinate amounts of chemically-processed soy as is becoming typical in the American diet, particularly among vegetarians, soy should be shrouded among an array of complete food items - preferably as a condiment and always fermented.

Sources:

Deville, Nancy. Death by Supermarket: The Fattening, Dumbing Down, and Poisoning of America. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2007. 83-108.

The Ploy of Soy - The Weston A. Price Foundation

The Effects of Antenatal Exposure to Phytoestrogens on Human Male Reproductive and Urogenital Development - The Weston A. Price Foundation

Harvard study: Soy sinks sperm count - WorldNetDaily

Soybean - GMO Database

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Chlorella detoxifies against mercury

(NaturalNews) There's mercury everywhere around us, it seems. It's in the food (seafood), the medicines (vaccines) and even the lights (compact fluorescent lights). And that doesn't even cover mercury fillings still used by crazed dentists who insist mercury is "perfectly safe" to chew on!

All the sane people have already figured out that mercury is highly toxic to human health, but how do you get mercury out of your body once you've ingested it?

That's where chlorella enters the picture. This amazing microalgae superfood binds to mercury and helps remove it from your body, safely and naturally. It doesn't get 100% of the mercury out (chelation can help with that), but it does an amazingly good job for a natural, food-based dietary supplement.

I've taken chlorella for over a decade. It's one of the mainstays of my nutritional supplementation (which also includes spirulina and astaxanthin). Learn more about chlorella in this collection of supporting quotes we've compiled for you.


Chlorella is a single-cell, fresh water algae that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, chlorella growth factor, and other beneficial substances. It is about the size of a human erythrocyte (red blood cell) or about 2-8 microns in diameter. Chlorella is high in chlorophyll, giving it a rich green color. For many years, chlorella has been accepted as a detoxifier, and it is commonly used in colon cleansing regimes. Chlorella appears to bind to heavy metals as well as other toxic substances in the bowel and help with the detoxification process.
- Disease Prevention and Treatment by The Life Extension Editorial Staff

There are several species of chlorella. Those most commonly used in nutritional supplements are Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Chlorella is rich in protein. In addition, it is rich in chlorophyll, carotenoids, such as astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, flavoxanthin, loraxanthin, neoxanthin and violaxanthin. Chlorella also contains the xanthophyll, echinenone.
- PDR for Nutritional Supplements by Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik

In rats, chlorella was found to promote the excretion of dioxin in the feces. The mechanism of this action is unknown. The pharmacokinetics of chlorella in humans have not been studied. However, the proteins, lipids and carbohydrates in chlorella should be digested, absorbed and metabolized by normal physiological processes. A chlorella extract has demonstrated anti-tumor and anti-metastic effects in animal experiments. Chlorella has shown some experimental anti-atherogenic activity and some radioprotective and chemo-detoxifying effects.
- PDR for Nutritional Supplements by Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik

Once the mercury burden is lowered from the intestines, mercury from other body tissues will more readily migrate into the intestines where chlorella will effectively remove it. It is the fibrous material in chlorella that has been shown to bind with heavy metals and pesticides like PCBs that can accumulate in our bodies. Chlorella traps toxic metals in the GI tract and acts as an ion exchange resin. Chlorella is a species of unicellular fresh water algae that has been shown to possess detoxifying properties enabling it to assist or support the human detoxification system.

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29/10/2009

Vegetable juice promotes weight loss

(NaturalNews) Daily consumption of vegetable juice may not just help increase vegetable consumption, but also improve the effectiveness of weight loss strategies, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California-Davis and presented at the Experimental Biology Conference in New Orleans.

The study was funded in part by the Campbell Soup Company.

The researchers conducted the study on 81 adults with metabolic syndrome, three-quarters of them women. Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of symptoms -- central obesity, high blood levels of trigylcerides and fasting glucose, high blood pressure, and low levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol -- that significantly raise a person's risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. All the participants were advised to follow an American Heart Association-recommended diet high in fiber, fruit, vegetables, minerals and low-fat diary, and low in salt and saturated fat. They were also told to drink 0, 1 or 2 cups of low-sodium, high-potassium V8-brand vegetable juice daily.

After 12 weeks, participants who drank either one or two cups of vegetable juice per day lost an average of four pounds, while those who drank no vegetable juice lost only one pound. The researchers also found that people in the vegetable juice groups had significantly higher vitamin C and potassium intake, and a significantly lower intake of carbohydrates.

Drinking vegetable juice also made people significantly more likely to reach the recommended intake of five fruits and vegetables per day. Among those not drinking vegetable juice, less than 25 percent reached the daily fruit and vegetable goal, in contrast with more than 50 percent of those in the one-cup-per-day group and 100 percent of those in the two-cups-per-day group.

"What we found in this study is that drinking vegetable juice seemed to address some of the key barriers to vegetable consumption such as convenience, portability and taste, so individuals were more likely to meet their daily recommendations," researcher Carl Keen said. "Furthermore, vegetable juice drinkers reported that they actually enjoyed drinking their vegetables, which is critical to adopting dietary practices for the long-term."

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com; timesofindia.indiatimes.com.

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28/10/2009

Oregano oil- antiparasites agent

(NaturalNews) It's not widely known, but oregano extracts are extremely effective at eliminating parasites in humans. And a lot of people have parasites they simply don't know about.

So here, we've collected a number of supporting statements about the anti-parasitic properties of oregano. You'll learn a wealth of information by reading what follows. But before we present the list, let me recommend three sources for oregano oil that you might want to check out after reading this:

Global Healing Center: www.GHChealth.com

North American Herb & Spice: www.P-73.com

Vitacost: www.vitacost.com

Just search for "oregano" on any of these three websites and you'll find what you're looking for. I strongly recommend all three of these companies, and I personally know their owners. (I have no financial relationship whatsoever with any of these companies and don't earn anything from the sales of oregano products.)

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Chelation

(NaturalNews) Abundant, durable, malleable, resistant to corrosion: No wonder lead has been such a popular metal throughout human history. Ancient Romans found a multitude of uses for it, from lining water pipes and drinking vessels to sweetening wine. What they didn't realize were the detrimental health effects of this metal. It is now believed that lead poisoning was responsible for the bizarre behavior, mental incompetence, gout, stillbirths, and sterility that afflicted the Roman aristocracy- and quite possibly contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire.

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Many illnesses are caused by inflammation

(NaturalNews) There is a surprising link between Heart Attacks, Cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases. These other diseases include all forms of Autoimmune disorders including Arthritis and MS, Parkinson's, Osteoporosis, Diabetes, Obesity, Allergies including Asthma and Food Intolerances, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and many other pain disorders. And there is much evidence to suggest that the link is inflammation. The modern diet and lifestyle is likely to cause inflammation in the body, and this can lead to a variety of illnesses.

Inflammation is now the hottest area of medical research, as drug companies rush to find remedies for this modern day epidemic. Unfortunately, these drugs are generally dangerous and don't get to the root of the problem.

Inflammation is the age-old immunological defense mechanism that causes the area of tissue of an injury to become red, hot and swollen. Most of the time, inflammation is a lifesaver that enables our bodies to fend off various disease-causing bacteria, viruses and parasites. The inflammatory response should subside after it has fought off any invaders to an injury site and has allowed the healing to begin. However in certain circumstances, the inflammatory response fails to shut down and becomes chronic.

This is often due to poor dietary and lifestyle factors which promote chronic inflammation. Immune cells use "free radicals" to kill off pathogens and other foreign invaders. Free radicals (also known as reactive oxygen species) are unstable particles which puncture and damage cells around them. This is great for killing bacteria, but it can also damage healthy cells if allowed to become out of control. In a body with chronic inflammation, there is therefore increased free radical or "oxidative" stress in the body. Free radicals damage blood vessels, joints, cell membranes, nerves and just about any other part of the body - this is why chronic inflammation is so bad for us. Free radical stress is also essentially how we age.

The body has an army of natural defense against free radicals; these are known as anti-oxidants. In states of chronic inflammation, the body can become depleted of anti-oxidants, and hence free radical stress does a lot of damage. This in turn causes more inflammation and more free radicals! It is essential to break this cycle of damage by lowering factors which promote inflammation, and by boosting our anti-oxidant status through dietary and lifestyle changes.

One last point - do we want to "boost" our immune system if it is already "over-active" due to inflammation? The answer is yes and no! There is only one PART of the immune system which gets over-active and begins to create problems with inflammation. Another part of the immune system works along a different line of attack; it does not create inflammation, but does a very important job fighting off bacteria, parasites, cancers cells and viruses. Many people today have signs of inflammation, yet also come down with yeast infections, viruses, dental infections and so on. In a sense their immune system needs modulation, reduction of the pro-inflammatory side, and a boost to the other side which fights off the baddies without inflammation.

Risk factors which promote inflammation:

-A poor diet can create micro-nutrient deficiencies. Type "B" malnutrition is rampant in the Western countries. This is a diet high in calories but deficient in nutrients, resulting in obesity and poor health. Micro-nutrient deficiencies make us more susceptible to low grade infections such as helicobacter pylori (the cause of stomach ulcers), gum disease, recurrent urinary tract infections, and Chlamydia. All low grade chronic infections can set up a chronic inflammation in the body.

-Poor gut health. A significant part of the immune system is found in the gut. The immune system in the gut is one of the most important first lines of defense against the outside world; after all, it is the area where matter from the outside is brought inside the body. The gut contains many billions of bacteria; most of them are good and help promote good immunity as well as good digestion, and they help with the absorption of nutrients. However, if there is an over-growth of "bad bacteria", these produce toxins and trigger the immune system. This is known as gut dysbiosis and can trigger a systemic low grade inflammation throughout the body's immune system. A symptom of poor gut health are food intolerances. A diet low in fiber and high in saturated fat and sugar promotes gut dysbiosis. Constipation is very bad for your health!

-Stress causes inflammation through worsening gut health, makes the body more susceptible to chronic low grade infections and lowers the immunity to bacteria, viruses, parasites and so on. All of this can trigger inflammation. Stress can also reduce cortisol hormone levels if adrenals are exhausted, which is a natural anti-inflammatory hormone.

-Obesity. Fat cells behave like immune cells, spewing out messages to increase the inflammatory immune response. Therefore a sedentary lifestyle and a diet high in fat and sugar promote inflammation.

- Environmental pollution such as pesticides, heavy metals and other toxic chemicals from things like exhaust fumes and electrical appliances.

-Excessive sunlight since sun burn is free radical stress.

-Excessive exercise since the process of energy production produces free radicals as a by-product. Some exercise is good for you but overdoing it at the gym every day is very bad for you.

-Trans and hydrogenated fats made from over-heating vegetable oils. These are also found in processed and refined foods and deep fried foods.

-A diet deficient in anti-oxidants; (anti-oxidants can be found in most fruit and vegetables).

www.medterms.com/script/main/art.as...
nutrition.about.com/od/.../a/antiinflamfood.htm
users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/.../I/Inflammation.html

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26/10/2009

NEW ! Blood test for breast cancer early detection

(NaturalNews) Ah ... ladies ... can you imagine the freedom of life without mammograms? That yearly dread - the compression, the anxiety, the direct radiation to delicate tissue - may all be a thing of the past.

A new blood test is in development that may prove to be even more effective than mammograms. Mammograms give false negatives 10% of the time, false positives 20% of the time. In addition to false positives, there is increasing concern regarding possible harm from mammograms.

In a study involving 5,685 women, published in the July 15, 2000 issue of the International Journal of Cancer, the association between diagnostic radiation exposure and breast cancer was examined. The results of this study conclude that some forms of low-dose radiation may increase the risk of breast cancer. The study also found that women who underwent diagnostic chest x-rays for pneumonia or tuberculosis had more than twice the normal risk of breast cancer.

An article published in the January 28, 2009 Journal of the American Cancer Institute goes so far as to say that early mammograms may actually harm women who carry the BRCA gene.

"The risk of radiation-induced breast cancer may outweigh the benefits of mammography in women under the age of 30 who carry a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2, according to a mathematical modeling study."

Dr. Russell L. Blaylock estimates that annual mammograms increase the risk of breast cancer by two percent a year. So over 10 years the risk will have increased 20 percent.

An authority on the negative health effects from ionizing radiation, Dr. John W. Gofman estimates that 75% of breast cancer cases can be prevented my limiting or avoiding exposure to such radiation procedures such as mammography and x-rays.

The debate over whether mammograms save lives rages on. If you or someone you know had a lump discovered and subsequently removed after discovery by a mammogram, no doubt, you know there is value in screening. That is the beauty of this new blood test. Women can continue to be screened, without the risk of added radiation.

This new blood test, called the BC-SeraPro, measures the concentration of certain proteins in the blood that indicate breast cancer. These proteins, "blood markers," can indicate whether or not a system is functioning properly. This test may offer the opportunity to treat breast cancer at its earliest stage. Researchers are hoping that this test will catch breast cancer even before it shows up on a mammogram.

"This is a test for measuring the concentration of proteins in the blood and how they differ from the normal state will tell is about the presence of disease," says Ira Goldknopf, Ph.D., director of proteomics at Power3 Medical in the Woodlands, Texas. Dr. Goldknopf further states: "The method analyzes specific proteins and these proteins show what is going on with the patient in terms of the disease and how the disease is playing out on the patient."

The BC-SeraPro has a 90% success rate. The test should be available in breast cancer clinics early next year.

Provista Life Sciences is already offering a blood screening called the BT Test, or Biomarker Translation Test. The BT test screens for multiple cancer-related proteins. Will Gartner, President and CEO of Provista Life Sciences states: "With an accuracy rate above 80 percent, the BT Test gives women and their doctors another crucial measure for early breast cancer detection. We are thrilled to be able to offer more women the opportunity to catch the disease in its treatable phase, when life-saving treatment is most effective."

Currently, the BT Test is prescribed by doctors to be used in conjunction with annual mammograms. The BT test is strongly recommended for women at heightened risk for breast cancer, along with women with dense breast tissue.

In a previous study reported in the August 4, 2006 issue of the ACS` Journal of Proteome Research, 250 breast cancer patients and 95 patients without breast cancer were administered a blood test measuring the presence of breast cancer. The results of test had demonstrated that they could recognize the presence of breast cancer in the blood about 95 percent of the time. The researchers state:

"Better blood-based testing may aid in early diagnosis, may reduce the need for open biopsy and could provide new modalities for monitoring of therapy."

Welcome news!

American Chemical Society (2006, August 29). Toward An Ultra-sensitive Blood Test For Breast Cancer.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/...

Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2009, January 28). Early Mammograms May Have Net Harm in Some BRCA Mutation Carriers.

The following is an excellent, comprehensive article surrounding the subject of the potential dangers of regular mammograms:

http://www.naturalnews.com/010886.html

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20/10/2009

Keep your body alkaline fo a good health

(NaturalNews) The term pH stands for potential hydrogen. It is the degree of concentration of hydrogen ions in a substance such as water, blood and food. pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14. The lower the pH reading - the more acidic a substance is. The higher the pH reading, the more alkaline the body is. A pH of 7 is neutral. Ph balance is the balance of acid and alkaline in all fluids and cells throughout your body. Our bodies are alkaline by design and acid by function. This means that our bodies function more efficiently when slightly alkaline, but bodily functions, such as digestion, are acid producing. So what can we do to ensure that our bodies remain more alkaline and balanced?

The human body's metabolic process is naturally acid producing. However, this waste needs to be neutralized or "balanced" so it can be safely eliminated from the body without damaging tissues and organs that are responsible for detoxifying the body. Alkalinity is needed to neutralize and balance acidity. The presence of alkalinity in the body's acid producing environment is counteractive to the onset of illness and disease and also prevents decomposition.

"Acidosis" refers to an acid pH. It is an imbalanced acidic condition of all bodily fluids. Almost all cellular functions in the body are sensitive to the pH of their fluids. If the pH falls too far to the acidic side the cells become poisoned in their own toxic wastes and will die. All chemical processes have an ideal pH. Your blood should have a pH of 7.35 - 7.45. Many studies show that people with a correct blood pH enjoy good health; whereas, people with a low, or acidic, pH are more likely to be ill. The slightest imbalance can cause serious illness and disease.

The body will do whatever it must to maintain the blood pH balance, and will continually steal acidneutralizing minerals from wherever necessary, such as calcium from bones and teeth. The blood will dump the acid into other body organs in an effort to detoxify itself. The organs then dump the acid back into the blood, creating a vicious cycle of trying to rid itself of acidity. This cycle can be ended with a properly balance pH.

Symptoms of mild cases of acidosis include headache, lack of energy, sleepiness, fast and shallow breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and loss of appetite. Acidosis can result in rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, lupus, tuberculosis, osteoporoses, high blood pressure and most cancers.

Metabolic acidosis occurs when the body has more acidity then alkalinity in it. Eating a diet of excessive meats, grains and breads, dairy products, sugar, overcooked, refined and processed foods and fast foods, can lead to an acidic pH balance. Other factors can include overload from pollutants and chemicals, emotional stress and negative thinking. Even excessive exercising (past the point of exhaustion) causes acidity.

The most important way to stay alkaline is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

- Increase the amounts of vegetables and fruit (alkaline foods) that you eat while decreasing the amount of acid-forming foods, such as grains, dairy products, pasta and breads. Juicing vegetables can be an excellent way to increase your alkaline food intake.

Just because a fruit or vegetable may be acid, that doesn't mean it will be acid when it is digested. When foods are digested, they turn into "ash". This ash is what determines if a food is acid or alkaline.

- It is important to remember that the method of cooking will also have either an acidic or alkaline reaction. For example, a potato that is baked or boiled in its jacket is alkaline food, whereas a fried potato is acid-forming.

- Make sure you drink at least 2 liters of good water per day. Normal tap water falls short of being good for you. Most city water has additives such as chlorine and fluoride, which are acid forming. Distilled water, water treated by reverse-osmosis or alkaline waters are best.

- Stress - Joy helps to alkalize the body. Take time to relax, have fun and laugh!

- Exercise will tend to make the body more alkaline, but exercising excessively will become acid-forming.

www.thewolfeclinic.com/phbalanceart...
www.antiagingresearch.com/ph_balanc...
www.zphbalance.com/

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18/10/2009

Respect body wisdom in healing

(NaturalNews) Have you ever wondered what is that stuff coming out of your nose when you have a common cold? Such nasal discharges are composed of dead viruses that were killed by the body`s defenses, dead white blood cells that were killed as a result of the infection, and of a liquid substance known as mucus which the body deploys as a vehicle to remove this dead matter.

If you take a conventional over-the-counter drug for the common cold, these drugs "work" by reducing the body`s ability to create mucus, which simply inhibits the body`s own efforts to eliminate the dead viruses from the body. Although these conventional drugs may stop the nasal discharge temporarily, the side effects of these drugs are that they lead to bronchial congestion, headache, and fatigue, which can be more problematic and discomforting symptoms than the original simple nasal discharge.

The lesson here is that just because a drug is effective in getting rid of a symptom does not necessarily mean that this treatment is truly curative (or even helpful).

WISDOM OF THE BODY

The basic assumption behind the broad field of natural medicine is that the human body has an inherent wisdom within it that strives to defend itself and to survive. Symptoms of illness are not simply something "wrong" with the person, but instead, symptoms are actually responses and efforts of the organism to defend and heal itself against infection and/or stress. Hans Selye, MD, PhD, the father of stress theory, once asserted, "Disease is not mere surrender to attack but also the fight for health; unless there is a fight, there is no disease."

Our human body has survived these thousands of years because of its incredible adaptive capabilities, and one of the ways that it adapts is through the creation of symptoms. Whether it be through fever and inflammation, cough and expectoration, nausea and vomiting, fainting and comatose states, and even the variety of emotional and mental states, each symptom represents the best efforts of the bodymind in its effort to fight infection and/or adapt to physical and psychological stresses.

Although symptoms may be the best effort of the organism to defend itself at that time, it is not usually effective to simply let the body try to heal itself. Most often, some treatment must be provided to help nurture, nourish, and augment the body`s own wisdom. The challenge to physicians, healers, and patients is to determine when to help aid this inner wisdom of the body and when to intervene to make certain that the body does not harm itself.

The word "symptom" comes from a Greek root and refers to "something that falls together with something else." Symptoms are a sign or signal of something else, and treating them doesn`t necessarily change that "something else." Ultimately, a symptom is a signal, a warning light that something is off-balance. It is akin to an oil warning light in your car. Although this light will go off if you unscrew the lamp, this simple action doesn`t solve the more complex problem that led to the light turning on in the first place.

In 1942 Walter B. Cannon, a medical doctor, wrote a seminal book entitled The Wisdom of the Body. This book, which is a classic in medicine, detailed the impressive and sophisticated efforts that the body deploys to defend and heal itself.

Many leading scientists, including the late Dr. Hans Selye, have taken Cannon`s work further, recognizing that symptoms are actually efforts of the organism to deal with stress or infection. And even more recently, Randolph Nesse, MD, and George Williams, PhD, authored Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine (New York: Times, 1995) in which they link the important role that symptoms and disease have to the evolution of the human body. Nesse and Williams show how our symptoms and seemingly normal body functions work as important defenses:

- Fever is an important, even vital, defense against infection.
- Tears help wash and cleanse the eyes.
- The respiratory system is bathed in antibody and enzyme-rich secretions that are propelled up and down the throat and bronchial tree so that invaders are killed.
- The ears secrete an antibacterial wax which helps to fight infection.
- The frequent washing of the mouth with saliva kills some pathogens and dislodges others so that the stomach`s acid and enzymes can destroy them.

Without having to tell the bodymind what to do, our innate survival instinct has developed sophisticated responses to both old and new infections and stresses.

Concepts in new physics offer further support for the notion that living and non-living systems have inherent self-regulating, self-organizing, and self-healing capacities. This ongoing effort to maintain homeostasis (balance) and to develop higher and higher levels of order and stability have been described in detail by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ilya Prigogine in Order Out of Chaos, Fritjof Capra in The Turning Point, and Erich Jantsch in The Self-Organizing Universe. In systems thinking, "perturbations" are understood as efforts of a system to re-establish balance and to increase its complexity so that there is greater dynamic homeostasis.

WHY HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES MAKE SENSE

The implications of recognizing that symptoms are efforts of the body to defend itself are significant. Because some conventional drugs work by suppressing symptoms, these drugs tend to provide helpful temporarily relief but tend to lead to other new and more serious problems by inhibiting the body`s defense and immune processes. Such drugs should be avoided except in dire situations or in extreme pain or discomfort when safer treatments are not working fast or adequately enough.

Because symptoms are adaptations of the body in its efforts to defend and heal itself, it makes sense to use treatments that mimic this wisdom of the body. Ultimately, homeopathic medicine is a well-known therapeutic modality that honors this wisdom of the body. Homeopathy is a type of "medical biomimicry" that uses various plant, mineral, and animal substances based upon their ability to cause in overdose the similar symptoms that the sick person is experiencing.

It may be no coincidence that two of the very few conventional medical treatments that augment the body`s own immune system are immunizations and allergy treatments, and these drug treatment modalities coincidentally derive from the homeopathic principle of similar (treating "like with like").

By using a medicine that causes similar symptoms as those of the sick person, the medicine is akin to being a "medical aikido" (the martial art that seeks to match and mimic the force of the attacker against the attacker).

It is not surprising that so many Eastern spiritual teachers have been trained in homeopathy or have simply become advocates for it. Swami Satchidananda and Swami Rama were formally trained in homeopathy, while Sri Aurobindo, Meher Baba, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Yogai Bhajan, Swami Muktananda, and Sri Chinmoy have been known to seek homeopathic care or advocate for it. The fact that many of these spiritual teachers also believe that life problems are not really "problems" but are opportunities for learning is part and parcel of the idea that symptoms are defenses in the body`s efforts to learn how to adapt to the world around us.

The Latin words, vis medicatrix naturae, make reference to "the healing power of nature," and these words and concepts form the basis for naturopathic medicine. Despite maintaining a healthy respect for the healing power of nature, neither naturopaths nor homeopaths think that it is effective to just let the body heal itself. Usually, it is necessary to give the body specific tools/treatments that help in this healing process. Homeopathy and other natural medicines that nourish and nurture the body`s own wisdom are good first steps to initiate a true healing beyond just symptomatic relief.

Consider that the most famous words from Hippocrates were "First, do no harm." It seems that Hippocrates was instructing us all to first try safer methods before resorting to the big guns of more dangerous conventional medical methodologies.

References:

Walter B. Cannon, MD. The Wisdom of the Body. New York: Norton, 1942.

Randolph Nesse, MD, and George Williams, PhD, Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine. New York: Times, 1995

Dana Ullman, MPH. Discovering Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st Century. Berkeley: North Atlantic, 1991.

Respect body wisdom in healing

(NaturalNews) Have you ever wondered what is that stuff coming out of your nose when you have a common cold? Such nasal discharges are composed of dead viruses that were killed by the body`s defenses, dead white blood cells that were killed as a result of the infection, and of a liquid substance known as mucus which the body deploys as a vehicle to remove this dead matter.

If you take a conventional over-the-counter drug for the common cold, these drugs "work" by reducing the body`s ability to create mucus, which simply inhibits the body`s own efforts to eliminate the dead viruses from the body. Although these conventional drugs may stop the nasal discharge temporarily, the side effects of these drugs are that they lead to bronchial congestion, headache, and fatigue, which can be more problematic and discomforting symptoms than the original simple nasal discharge.

The lesson here is that just because a drug is effective in getting rid of a symptom does not necessarily mean that this treatment is truly curative (or even helpful).

WISDOM OF THE BODY

The basic assumption behind the broad field of natural medicine is that the human body has an inherent wisdom within it that strives to defend itself and to survive. Symptoms of illness are not simply something "wrong" with the person, but instead, symptoms are actually responses and efforts of the organism to defend and heal itself against infection and/or stress. Hans Selye, MD, PhD, the father of stress theory, once asserted, "Disease is not mere surrender to attack but also the fight for health; unless there is a fight, there is no disease."

Our human body has survived these thousands of years because of its incredible adaptive capabilities, and one of the ways that it adapts is through the creation of symptoms. Whether it be through fever and inflammation, cough and expectoration, nausea and vomiting, fainting and comatose states, and even the variety of emotional and mental states, each symptom represents the best efforts of the bodymind in its effort to fight infection and/or adapt to physical and psychological stresses.

Although symptoms may be the best effort of the organism to defend itself at that time, it is not usually effective to simply let the body try to heal itself. Most often, some treatment must be provided to help nurture, nourish, and augment the body`s own wisdom. The challenge to physicians, healers, and patients is to determine when to help aid this inner wisdom of the body and when to intervene to make certain that the body does not harm itself.

The word "symptom" comes from a Greek root and refers to "something that falls together with something else." Symptoms are a sign or signal of something else, and treating them doesn`t necessarily change that "something else." Ultimately, a symptom is a signal, a warning light that something is off-balance. It is akin to an oil warning light in your car. Although this light will go off if you unscrew the lamp, this simple action doesn`t solve the more complex problem that led to the light turning on in the first place.

In 1942 Walter B. Cannon, a medical doctor, wrote a seminal book entitled The Wisdom of the Body. This book, which is a classic in medicine, detailed the impressive and sophisticated efforts that the body deploys to defend and heal itself.

Many leading scientists, including the late Dr. Hans Selye, have taken Cannon`s work further, recognizing that symptoms are actually efforts of the organism to deal with stress or infection. And even more recently, Randolph Nesse, MD, and George Williams, PhD, authored Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine (New York: Times, 1995) in which they link the important role that symptoms and disease have to the evolution of the human body. Nesse and Williams show how our symptoms and seemingly normal body functions work as important defenses:

- Fever is an important, even vital, defense against infection.
- Tears help wash and cleanse the eyes.
- The respiratory system is bathed in antibody and enzyme-rich secretions that are propelled up and down the throat and bronchial tree so that invaders are killed.
- The ears secrete an antibacterial wax which helps to fight infection.
- The frequent washing of the mouth with saliva kills some pathogens and dislodges others so that the stomach`s acid and enzymes can destroy them.

Without having to tell the bodymind what to do, our innate survival instinct has developed sophisticated responses to both old and new infections and stresses.

Concepts in new physics offer further support for the notion that living and non-living systems have inherent self-regulating, self-organizing, and self-healing capacities. This ongoing effort to maintain homeostasis (balance) and to develop higher and higher levels of order and stability have been described in detail by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ilya Prigogine in Order Out of Chaos, Fritjof Capra in The Turning Point, and Erich Jantsch in The Self-Organizing Universe. In systems thinking, "perturbations" are understood as efforts of a system to re-establish balance and to increase its complexity so that there is greater dynamic homeostasis.

WHY HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES MAKE SENSE

The implications of recognizing that symptoms are efforts of the body to defend itself are significant. Because some conventional drugs work by suppressing symptoms, these drugs tend to provide helpful temporarily relief but tend to lead to other new and more serious problems by inhibiting the body`s defense and immune processes. Such drugs should be avoided except in dire situations or in extreme pain or discomfort when safer treatments are not working fast or adequately enough.

Because symptoms are adaptations of the body in its efforts to defend and heal itself, it makes sense to use treatments that mimic this wisdom of the body. Ultimately, homeopathic medicine is a well-known therapeutic modality that honors this wisdom of the body. Homeopathy is a type of "medical biomimicry" that uses various plant, mineral, and animal substances based upon their ability to cause in overdose the similar symptoms that the sick person is experiencing.

It may be no coincidence that two of the very few conventional medical treatments that augment the body`s own immune system are immunizations and allergy treatments, and these drug treatment modalities coincidentally derive from the homeopathic principle of similar (treating "like with like").

By using a medicine that causes similar symptoms as those of the sick person, the medicine is akin to being a "medical aikido" (the martial art that seeks to match and mimic the force of the attacker against the attacker).

It is not surprising that so many Eastern spiritual teachers have been trained in homeopathy or have simply become advocates for it. Swami Satchidananda and Swami Rama were formally trained in homeopathy, while Sri Aurobindo, Meher Baba, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Yogai Bhajan, Swami Muktananda, and Sri Chinmoy have been known to seek homeopathic care or advocate for it. The fact that many of these spiritual teachers also believe that life problems are not really "problems" but are opportunities for learning is part and parcel of the idea that symptoms are defenses in the body`s efforts to learn how to adapt to the world around us.

The Latin words, vis medicatrix naturae, make reference to "the healing power of nature," and these words and concepts form the basis for naturopathic medicine. Despite maintaining a healthy respect for the healing power of nature, neither naturopaths nor homeopaths think that it is effective to just let the body heal itself. Usually, it is necessary to give the body specific tools/treatments that help in this healing process. Homeopathy and other natural medicines that nourish and nurture the body`s own wisdom are good first steps to initiate a true healing beyond just symptomatic relief.

Consider that the most famous words from Hippocrates were "First, do no harm." It seems that Hippocrates was instructing us all to first try safer methods before resorting to the big guns of more dangerous conventional medical methodologies.

References:

Walter B. Cannon, MD. The Wisdom of the Body. New York: Norton, 1942.

Randolph Nesse, MD, and George Williams, PhD, Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine. New York: Times, 1995

Dana Ullman, MPH. Discovering Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st Century. Berkeley: North Atlantic, 1991.

How to avoid harming parasites

(NaturalNews) Technically a parasite is any organism that lives off another organism, so this could include bacteria, fungi and viruses. However for the purposes of health, when talking about parasites we are referring to protozoa (single celled organisms), arthropods (insects) and worms that invade and feed off the host organism, often causing them harm. This can range from mild symptoms to serious illness, as well as chronic health issues.

Parasites can range from microscopic single cell protozoa to worms that are 15 feet long. The most common protozoan parasites in humans are Giardia lamblia, Enteramoeba histolytica, Blastocystis hominis and Crytosporidium. These are mostly picked up from contaminated food and water supplies and poor personal hygiene. The most common arthropods, apart from head lice are mites, ticks and fleas. These can carry other smaller cell wall-free bacteria like Borrelia burgdferi, responsible for Lyme`s disease. The most common worms are pinworms, roundworms, tapeworms, hook worms, Guinea worms and filarial. These can be contracted from traveling in undeveloped regions, contaminated water, pets and meat and fish.

Most people think parasite infections only occur in undeveloped countries; however, it is now estimated that as many as one out of six Americans for example, have parasite infections. Most of them do not realize it.

Acute infections with parasites like Giardia result in explosive or watery diarrhea within 3-5 days of exposure. Acute cases can also result in lowered immunity and nutritional deficiencies, dehydration, weight loss, blackouts, muscular and skeletal pain, blood sugar swings and menstrual irregularities.

Chronic parasite infections have been linked to chronic diseases like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Arthritis. Some people may not experience symptoms from a chronic parasite infection, but others will experience the following symptoms:

-Intermittent diarrhea and constipation
-Indigestion
-Rashes
-Hives
-Flatulence
-Bloating
-Fatigue
-Weight loss and inability to gain weight
-Allergic reactions to food
-Nausea
-Mucus in the stool
-Anorexia
-Cramping
-Night sweats
-Vomiting
-Fever
-Arthritis

The most common sources or causes of parasite infections are:
-Contaminated water
-Contaminated food
-Pets
-Foreign Travel
-Insects
-Sexual intercourse
-Poor hygiene
-Poor food preparation practices
-Occasionally infections can even be inhaled.
-Eating raw fish or sushi increases your chance of parasitic infections. Only go to good quality sushi bars which sell the freshest produce.
-Cut out all sugar and white refined carbohydrates as these feed parasites and encourage them to breed.

Foods that Fight Parasites Include:

Papaya, pomegranate and pineapple have anti-parasitic properties.Other anti-parasitic foods include raw garlic, fresh figs, onions, raw cabbage, kelp, blackberries, finely ground pumpkin seeds and ground almonds. Other good foods are those which feed good bacteria in the gut including bananas, leeks, Jerusalem artichokes, oats and salsify.

Cut out coffee, wheat and all cow`s dairy as these can irritate your gut when you have a parasite infection. Drink pure filtered water instead of tap water.

Cooking

Wash utensils after cutting meat and use a separate cutting board for meat. Spores from meat can seep into a cutting board and contaminate vegetables or anything else you put on the board Make sure you wash your hands after handling raw meat and fish.

Pets

Pets harbor worms and other parasites so do not sleep near your pets. De-worm your pets regularly and keep their sleep areas clean. Do not let pets lick your face and do not let your pet eat off your plate.

www.innvista.com/health/microbes/pa...
www.colon-cancer-digestion-health-z...
www.nvcentre.com/nvc2003/a_symptoms...

Words can improve health

(NaturalNews) Your words create your reality. The kind of words we use to describe our situations and our lives are the way that we perceive our lives to be. Our perception then is the reality. When you say things like something is a disaster or you are suffering from a disease, you are painting a clear picture for yourself and anyone listening that this is just the way it is. Can we, then, change our situations, or at the very least change our perception of a situation, by changing the way we speak about it? That is what positive affirmations are for. Research has shown that a positive outlook and attitude can improve a patient/s chances at overcoming serious medical conditions like cancer and chronic pain. It follows then that a positive mindset can help you overcome your negative beliefs about yourself and your life as well.

Saying that someone is a "pain in the neck" is a good example of using somehow meaningful language. Could saying that mean that literal pain in your neck could manifest? Is someone a "cancer" in your organization or family? By firing them or cutting off communication you could improve the quality of your home or work life, correct?

Choosing your words carefully is something that our mothers taught us as we grew. When you consider the powers of words in terms of doing what you say and saying what you do, you manifest the reality you live by your words and actions. Remember this as you make your way through each day and try to practice positive affirmations that will enrich your life and your soul.

Stop and think about the types of negative words you use to describe yourself on a daily basis. Do you say you "doubt you can", "wish I could", "don't like that", or are you just afraid? These are the words you can consciously work to replace in your vocabulary to improve your overall state of wellbeing and success. Take the time to consciously reprogram your thoughts and words to eliminate the negative and replace it with the positive.

Positive words and affirmations are the types of thoughts you want to have floating through your mind and coming out of your mouth. In this way you reprogram your thought patterns and with it your whole life. We fill our lives with the images that we focus on. Focus on love and love will come to you; focus on the bad and you will feel bad, look bad, and your relationships will be bad. This is a simple fact of reality. To master it all you have to do is literally change your mind.

Start each day with positive affirmations such as "today I will be the best and most positive I can be". Then as you go about your day, you can actually do it. Go out of your way to find the positive in every thought and situation even if you have to say that it was an "opportunity to learn" or a "challenge to be accomplished". Live happily and speak about it in a positive way. What will at first seem like a tough prospect will soon be second nature to you. No more doom and gloom; only a positive outlook and a positive, happy, well balanced life will be ahead for you.

http://www.naturalnews.com/024673_c...
http://www.speechmastery.com/positi...
Hidden Language Codes by R. Neville Johnston

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Relieve of stress and fatigue-naturally

(NaturalNews) Is there food that you correlate with stress? A fast food, high calorie meal grabbed at a drive-in restaurant might fill the bill. But the color, smell, juicy sweetness and cool texture of a delicious melon -- whether a cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew or another kind -- conjures up a relaxing scenario. Now scientists have found that a natural substance derived from melons may actually be an antidote to stress.

When most of us say we are experiencing too much stress, we mean we are overloaded with work, personal problems, and life in general. Of course, a certain amount of stress can be stimulating and even exciting. But when we have stressors without a break, a host of symptoms from irritability and an inability to concentrate to a fast heartbeat, headaches and a reduced resistance to infections can develop. So it's not hard to suspect a causal connection between feeling stressed out and showing physical symptoms.

In fact, recent studies have demonstrated a correlation between perceived stress and what scientists call oxidative stress -- a steady state level of oxidative damage in a cell, tissue, or organ caused by the reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS, such as free radicals and peroxides, represent a class of molecules derived from the metabolism of oxygen that has been linked to several diseases, including metastatic breast cancer.

Antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes are known to help break down potentially harmful oxygen molecules in cells, potentially preventing ROS damage to tissues. So scientist Marie-Anne Milesi and her colleagues at Isoclin, a clinical research organization located in Poitiers, France, decided to test an ingredient derived from a melon which is rich in SOD enzymes to see if augmenting the body's ability to deal with ROS would help people resist burnout from high stress levels.

For their double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, just published in BioMed Central's open access Nutrition Journal, the scientists recruited seventy healthy volunteers between the ages of 30 and 55 years who complained of experiencing daily stress and fatigue. Once a day for four weeks, 35 of the research subjects took a dietary supplement based on a proprietary melon juice concentrate (corresponding to 140 IU of SOD per capsule) and the other 35 were given a placebo. Stress and fatigue were measured using four different psychometric scales known as FARD, PSS-14, SF-12 and the Epworth scale.

There were no adverse side effects found but the group that received the melon juice concentrate capsule had significantly reduced signs of stress and fatigue. They experienced better concentration, less weariness and insomnia and less irritability. In a statement to the press, Milesi noted there was a strong placebo effect in the 35 research subjects who received an inactive capsule filled with starch. However, the group that received the actual melon-derived SOD had far greater improvements in fatigue and feelings of stress, especially after four weeks.


"The placebo effect was only present during the first seven days of supplementation and not beyond. It will be interesting to confirm these effects and better understand the action of antioxidants on stress in further studies with a larger number of volunteers and a longer duration," Milesi said.


In additional research news about stress relief from melons, this summer Japanese scientists from the Institute of Gerontology at Nippon Medical School in Kawasaki reported in the journal Behavioral Brain Research that a SOD supplement derived from melons prevented stress-induced impairment of cognitive function in animal studies. The researchers also found that melon superoxide dismutase extract promoted antioxidant defenses in the brain and prevented stress caused impairment of spatial memory.

For more information:
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/p...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...

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16/10/2009

Psoriasis- natural ways

(NaturalNews) Psoriasis is a skin condition where reddened rashes or plaques covered in slivery scales can appear on the skin of the scalp, back of the wrists, elbows, knees, buttocks, ankles and sites of repeated trauma. There is a family history in 50% of cases. The condition is fairly common, occurring in 2-4% of the population, and mainly in Caucasians. Some individuals also experience associated arthritis (psoriatic arthritis). So what causes psoriasis, and how can it be treated naturally?

Psoriasis is caused by a buildup of skin cells that have replicated too rapidly. The rate at which skin cells divide in psoriasis is roughly 1000 faster than normal skin cells. This high rate of replication is simply too fast for the cells to shed, so they accumulate, resulting in the silvery, scaly characteristic of psoriasis.

The problem results from a basic defect within the skin's cells. Although genetic factors play a significant component, rebalancing the defect in skin cells is the prime therapeutic goal. A number of problems appear to cause or contribute to the condition.

Incomplete digestion increases levels of undigested protein in the bowel and creates compounds called polyamines. These contribute to the excessive formation of skin cells. Polyamines have been found to be increased in individuals with psoriasis. Taking protein digesting enzymes to ensure proper protein digestion may help.

Toxins from bacteria in the gut have been found to be higher than normal in individuals with psoriasis. These toxins increase skin cell proliferation. Low fibre diets are linked to increased bowel toxicity. Sarsaparilla has been found very useful to help reduce toxins from the bowel. A high fibre, low sugar, low saturated fat diet promotes good gut health. Probiotics may also be useful.

Inflammation can cause psoriasis since these individuals often have a far higher production of inflammatory compounds called leukotrienes. Leukotrienes have been found to increase cell proliferation. These compounds are produced from arachadonic acid; a fat found solely in animal fats and other animal food sources. Omega 3 fats will reduce these pro-inflammatory fats, and individuals with psoriasis have been found to be deficient in omega 3. Quercitin, vitamin E, garlic, onions, omega 3 fats and minimising sources of arachadonic acid in the diet may all help reduce the inflammation and the psoriasis.

Treating liver problems in individuals with psoriasis has been found to be of great benefit. Alcohol consumption may significantly worsen psoriasis. It increases absorption of toxins from the gut and reduces the liver's capacity to detoxify them. Milk thistle has been found to be of value in the treatment of the liver and psoriasis.

Food allergies, the common one being gluten, may be important for some patients with psoriasis. Allergy testing can be very useful in this.

Decreased levels of certain nutrients, or an increased need, can result in psoriasis. Nutrients include vitamin A, zinc, chromium selenium, glutathione, vitamin E and Vitamin D.

Ultraviolet light has also been found to be very useful in treating psoriasis.

Foods to avoid:

- Avoid sugar and white refined carbohydrates as they feed bad bacteria in the gut and can increase toxins absorbed from the gut.

- Minimise saturated fat from dairy produce and fatty cuts of red meat since they contain the pro-inflammatory fat arachadonic acid that has been associated with psoriasis.

- Minimise alcohol as it increases the absorption of toxins from the gut and reduces the liver's ability to detoxify toxins.

Foods to increase:

- Increase intake of sources of fibre including all vegetables and fruit, lentils, beans and gluten-free grains.

- Ensure you eat sources of oily fish which contains the anti-inflammatory omega 3, three times per week. Oily fish includes salmon, trout, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and tuna.

- Other non-fish sources of omega 3 are flax oil, hemp oil and walnuts.

- Eat pumpkin seeds, linseeds and sunflower seeds as these contain a range of anti-inflammatory essential fatty acids and zinc, which supports good skin health.

- Try more gluten free grains such as brown rice, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, tapioca, corn and quinoa.

- Try alternatives to milk including unsweetened soy milk, oat milk and rice milk.

- Figs, prunes, kiwi and papaya are all very good for the skin.

- Use rosemary, caynenne pepper and turmeric in your cooking as they contain anti-inflammatory properties.

- Make plenty of vegetable juices including raw beetroot, artichoke, carrots and apples with a base of celery and cucumber as these will help cleanse the liver.

Ensure you chew your food thoroughly and sit down at each meal where possible as this will improve your digestion and absorption of protein.

Sunbathing is also helpful for psoriasis because it increases levels of vitamin D. However, avoid getting sunburned as this can increase the risk of skin cancer.

Consider ultra violet light therapy for three minutes three times per week using 295-305nm.

Ensure you manage your stress levels: moderate exercise, yoga, tai chi, meditation and all good forms of relaxation.

www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C139462.html
www.psoriasis.org/netcommunity/subl...
www.nutritionalmedicine.org.uk/phdi....

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Rebalance thyroid function

(NaturalNews) The thyroid gland lies in the neck, just below the Adam`s apple. It produces the hormone thyroxin which controls the rate of metabolism in the body. The thyroid gland is also the body`s internal thermostat; it controls the hormones which control the speed the body burns calories and uses energy. If the thyroid gland under-produces thyroxin, it can slow down all metabolic processes in the body. This can lead to fatigue, weight gain and sensitivity to the cold that many sufferers of low thyroid report. So what are the symptoms of an under active thyroid, and what changes can we make to rebalance it?

Low thyroid can be created by nutrient deficiencies through poor diet and stress. Iodine, zinc, and Vitamins C, B and E are all important for thyroid function. A poor diet may deplete these essential nutrients, and stress can use them up too quickly.

Low levels of active thyroxin can also be created when the body has trouble converting thyroxin into its active form in the body (known as T3). One reason for this can be adrenal fatigue, since the adrenals produce a hormone that converts thyroxin into its active form. The adrenal glands produce a hormone that helps us adapt and deal with stress. They also help control blood sugar; so again, poor diet and excess stress can deplete the adrenal glands, which in turn block active thyroxin.

For this reason it is often important to support the adrenals whilst treating low thyroid function. For adrenal tests and treatment, speak to your practitioner.

Low thyroid can also be created when the body effectively becomes allergic to the thyroid hormone. This is called Hashimoto`s disease. With this condition the immune system has anti-bodies to thyroid and begins to attack the thyroid gland. This condition can be tested for by taking a complete thyroid test which can be offered by your practitioner.

Common symptoms of low thyroid are:

- Extreme fatigue
- Intolerance to cold
- Mental drowsiness
- A slower heart rate
- Thinning hair
- Constipation
- Dry swollen skin
- Low libido
- Weight gain even with a poor appetite
- And heavier periods for women
- Depression
- Muscle weakness

Low thyroid has also been associated with:

- High cholesterol
- Candida
- Chronic fatigue
- Fibromyalgia

Cut out the following foods:

- Sugar and all refined carbohydrates in food and drinks as they create blood sugar imbalances, which contribute to adrenal stress, which can in turn lead to low thyroid function.

- Cut out processed and refined foods as they can contain chemicals which can deplete the body of nutrients needed for proper thyroid function

- Avoid excess amounts of Soya products as it is a goitrogen and can lower thyroid function

- Avoid excess amounts of the following goitrogenic foods: millet, turnips, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peanuts, pine nuts and mustard. Note: cooking can reduce the goitrogens in these foods.

Increase the following foods:

- Eat foods rich in iodine which include seaweeds such as kelp, kombu, armae, dulse, swiss chard, organic minced beef, organic egg yolk, lecithin granules, sesame seed butter, artichokes, onions, garlic and nuts and seeds

- Vitamin C, Vitamin E, zinc and Vitamin B are all important nutrients for the thyroid, so include the following foods in your diet: fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, avocados, poultry, whole grains and eggs

- Exercise is particularly important in treating low thyroid. Exercise stimulates thyroid secretions. A low to moderate intensity program for a minimum of 20 minutes three times per week is ideal. Exercise could include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, dancing or aerobics classes

- Minimizing stress is also advisable as it can compromise digestion and create nutrient deficiencies which can lead to a lowered thyroid function. Regular relaxation like taking hot baths, walking in nature, massage, meditation, gentle yoga or tai chi would be useful.

www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothyro...
www.thyroid-info.com/dietbook.htm
www.health911.com/remedies/rem_thyr.htm

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14/10/2009

Cause of heart attacks

What Causes Heart Attacks?

By Tom Cowan, MD
http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases...rt-attacks.html


The kidneys nourish the heart.
-Traditional Chinese medical texts.

The story of how I came to understand the cause, and therefore the appropriate treatment, of acute coronary syndrome involves fascinating elements of surprise and serendipity. I thought it best, therefore, to describe how this tale unfolded for me.

Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) describes a constellation of illnesses that include angina (chest pain), unstable angina (basically bad chest pain) and myocardial infarction (otherwise known as heart attack or MI). These three illnesses form a continuum, with angina as the mildest symptom and heart attack—when there is actual death of the heart cells—as the most severe. The history of thought about this group of illnesses is both fascinating and controversial.

It seems that heart attacks were rare in this country until about the 1930s. The incidence of fatal MIs quickly increased from about 3,000 per year during that decade to almost half a million per year during the 1950s. In fact, mid century, this formerly rare disease had become the leading cause of death in the US. The incidence has risen continually since then until just recently, when it seems that the tide may be turning a bit and the incidence lessening, or at least leveling off. Nevertheless, after decades of reckless fiddling with the American diet as a way to prevent heart disease, almost a million Americans still die from heart disease each year.
The Conventional Theory

As you can imagine, when it became clear that we were suffering from an epidemic of this disease, physicians and cardiologists developed an intense interest in the cause and possible treatment of the disease. Around the late 1940s, the medical establishment proposed a simple and plausible explanation for MI, and this explanation soon became universally accepted.

The current thinking about heart attacks focuses on the blood supply to the myocardial (heart) cells from the network of coronary arteries, that is, the arteries that supply blood to the heart itself. There are four main arteries, each supplying blood to a different region of the heart. Medical experts believe that when one or more of these arteries gets blocked with plaque, a condition called atherosclerosis, then the inside of the artery becomes narrowed, the blood flow becomes compromised and, in times of myocardial stress (such as exercise or emotional trauma), the insufficient blood flow causes damage to the particular region of the heart fed by the blocked artery. This diminished blood flow first causes pain (angina) and then, if more severe, death to the heart tissue.

Here was an elegant and plausible theory. Voilà! Case closed. The only thing left to figure out was what was causing the arterial blockages. This answer was famously supplied by Dr. Ancel Keys in the 1950s. Keys fingered cholesterol as the culprit, claiming that excess cholesterol floating around in the blood built up as plaque in the arteries. For over fifty years the theory has survived without any significant changes. In fact, if someone has a heart attack today, we often call it a "coronary," referring to the presumed source of the problem, the coronary arteries.

This theory about the cause of heart attacks is so ingrained in our culture that until recently, even a medical skeptic like myself never really questioned it. My only issue with the theory centered on the material in the plaque, which research subsequently revealed to be mostly inflammatory debris, not cholesterol. But I never really gave any thought to the basic premise, namely, that blocked arteries cause heart attacks.

It should be mentioned that this theory about the cause of heart attacks has led to a massive industry devoted to its diagnosis and treatment. Angiograms (in which dye is injected into the vessels to see if they are blocked), bypasses, stents, angioplasties (like roto-rooters for blocked arteries), cholesterol- lowering drugs and lowfat, low-cholesterol diets are all based one hundred percent on the acceptance of blocked arteries as The Cause of acute coronary syndrome.

The whole debate in modern cardiology, both alternative and conventional, is how to stop the buildup of plaque or—more recently— how to prevent plaque in the arteries from breaking free and forming a clot, thereby completely blocking an artery already narrowed by the buildup.
The Digitalis Connection

Around two years ago I received an email from the son-in-law of a recently deceased and apparently well-known Brazilian cardiologist, Quintilaino H. de Mesquita. Before he died, Dr. Mesquita had published a summary of twentynine years of research carried out at his cardiology hospital, data on what he called the "true cause and effective treatment of MIs." His son-in-law and fellow researcher, Carlos Monteiro, emailed me a simple question, which was: "When you put your cancer patients on low-dose whole digitalis plant extract, does this lower their incidence of MIs?"

His question was actually a response to a series of articles describing the effectiveness of low-dose whole digitalis leaf extract in the treatment of a variety of cancers, which I had recently posted on my website, www.fourfoldhealing. com. I wrote back asking why he wanted to know this. He replied that in Dr. Mesquita's groundbreaking study on what he called the myogenic (that is, arising from the muscle) theory of heart disease, he had stumbled on an unexpected result: the digitalis they were using to treat MIs had also dramatically lowered the incidence of cancer in their heart patients, and mine was the only website they found that mentioned this association.

As I had never heard of either the myogenic theory or of the use of digitalis for heart attack, I asked what this was all about. His response was a box of articles and books all published over the last fifty years that seemed to refute the coronary blockage theory of MIs and support what he called the myogenic theory. I spent the next two months poring over these studies until I became convinced that this was perhaps the biggest medical news of the decade, maybe of the entire century.
The Myogenic Theory

Briefly, the myogenic theory of MIs states that:
The coronary obstruction theory does not adequately explain all the observed facts concerning MIs.
The major etiologic (cause and effect) factor in an MI is a destructive chemical process; specifically, in situations of stress on the myocardial (heart muscle) tissue, often as a result of small vessel disease, the myocardial tissue gets insufficient oxygen and nutrients. This leads to destructive lactic acidosis in the tissue which, if unchecked, leads to death of the myocardial cells. This process is largely unrelated to coronary artery disease.
The regular use of cardiotonics, primarily low-dose whole digitalis extracts or an extract of another herb called g-strophanthin, prevents this lethal acidosis and therefore prevents and corrects the true cause of this syndrome. The result is substantially lower morbidity and mortality from heart disease.

Let's look at some of the data supporting these three conclusions. First, does the coronary obstruction theory adequately explain the observed facts? Interestingly, in the 1940s and 1950s, when the coronary blockage theory was first proposed, the majority of cardiologists did not accept it. They pointed out that while coronary arteries are not the only arteries to have plaque, the only tissue to suffer from decreased blood flow during a heart attack is that of the heart. In other words, no one has a spleen attack or a kidney attack, yet the arteries feeding these organs also get plaque buildup.

Furthermore, the medical literature reveals some surprising findings. In a 1998 paper by Mirakami,1 the author found that of those with an acute MI, 49 percent had a blockage, 30 percent had no coronary blockage, 14 percent had insufficient blockage to impair blood flow, and 7 percent had "another condition." In a 1972 paper,2 a researcher named Roberts showed that in acute MIs, only 50-60 percent had evidence of sufficient blockage to impair blood flow. And a 25-year autopsy study of patients who died from an acute MI, carried out by Spain and Bradess, found that only 25 percent had sufficient blockage to account for their MI, while a total of 75 percent had only mild to moderate blockage.3 In a second paper,4 these same authors reported on a surprising discovery: when a heart attack is fatal, the longer the time elapsed between the MI and death (and then subsequent autopsy), the more likely they were to find significant blockages. If death occurred one hour after onset of an MI, only 16 percent had sufficient blockages to account for their MI; if death occurred 24 hours after the onset of an MI, the number with sufficient blockages to account for the heart attack increased to 53 percent. The authors concluded that the arterial blockages are a consequence, not a cause, of myocardial infarction.

As I looked into this subject further, I found that some of the most prominent cardiologists in our history were skeptical about the coronary artery theory of MI. For example, in 1972, Dr. George E. Burch stated, "The cardiac patient does not die from coronary disease, he dies from myocardial disease."5 A 1980 editorial in the prestigious journal Circulation states, "These data support the concept that an occlusive coronary thrombus (otherwise known as a blockage) has no primary role in the pathogenesis of a myocardial infarct."6 Finally, as recently as 1988, Dr. Epstein of the National Institutes of Health states: "They found that in an advanced state of narrowing of the coronary arteries, the supply of blood to the heart muscles is fully assured via collaterals that enlarge naturally in response to the blockage."7 In fact, researchers have found that the more the coronaries narrow, the less danger there is of a heart infarct.

These shocking studies dovetail perfectly with a different study, one that rocked the world of cardiology, published in 1988 titled "Twenty years of coronary bypass surgery."8 Referring to two major studies, the Veterans Administration (VA) study and the NIH Coronary Artery Surgery Study (CASS), the authors made the following statement: "Neither the VA nor the CASS has detected a significant difference in long-term survival between the medical and surgical treatment groups when all patients were included." In other words, surgery to bypass blocked arteries did not improve the chances of patient survival—not the result one would expect if blocked arteries were the cause of heart attacks. Thus, evidence for the coronary artery theory of MI is not strong; in fact, it is actually refuted in the relevant literature.
The Theory Fits The Facts

So, if heart attacks are not the result of coronary artery disease, then what does cause all these MIs? The myogenic theory of Dr. Mesquita, in fact, fits all the current observations about this condition. The myogenic theory postulates that as a result of disease in the small vessels—the capillaries and small arterioles—which is a consequence of such factors as stress, diabetes, smoking and nutritional deficiencies, heart cells, which are very active metabolically, suffer from inadequate oxygen and nutrient supply. This oxygen and nutrient deficiency increases under stressful conditions. When this happens, the heart cells revert to their backup system, which is anaerobic fermentation for energy generation— very similar to what happens in your leg muscles when you run too far or too hard. The anaerobic fermentation produces lactic acid which collects in the tissues. Because the heart, unlike your leg muscles, cannot rest, the acidosis progresses if untreated, leading to actual death of the myocardial cells.

As a result of this necrotic process, inflammatory debris collects in the tissues, and it is this debris that is the actual source of the coronary artery blockages seen in death from acute MI. As you would predict, the longer the time period between the MI and death, the greater the likelihood of blockage—exactly as observed in the studies. The only conclusion one can draw from this is that the heart cells die first and only then does the artery become blocked with debris liberated at myocardial cell death, which is precisely the kind of debris that is found in these blockages. The current practice of flushing out arterial blockages can help remove the debris and restore blood flow to the compromised arterial system, but this in no way suggests that blocked arteries represent the primary event in the sequence leading to an MI. However, the whole emphasis on the coronary artery blockage is fundamentally a dead end and doomed to failure, whether it is approached from a surgical (bypass, stents, etc.) or a medical (cholesterol-lowering drugs, restricted diets, etc.) point of view.
Myogenic Therapy

The myogenic theory points us to a very different kind of preventive treatment for heart disease, one that focuses on small vessel disease and the prevention of heart tissue acidosis. The theory also explains why stress, diabetes and smoking are such strong risk factors for MI, because these factors have all been shown to primarily affect small capillaries and small blood vessels, not the large coronary arteries. But the story gets even more interesting.

It turns out that there are simple, inexpensive and very effective compounds that effectively prevent lactic acidosis in the heart tissues. These medicines have been known for centuries as cardiotonics and have been used for treating heart disease in every traditional medical system in the world. The two best known are digitalis (the common foxglove) and strophanthus, an African vine. These plants are the source of so-called cardiac glycosides: digoxin and digitoxin from digitalis, and ouabain from strophanthus. The function of these compounds is to regulate the rhythm and power of the cardiac contraction and to prevent or reverse lactic acid buildup in the cardiac tissue. This is why these plants have been used for centuries to treat congestive heart failure, rhythm disturbances and other disorders of heart function.

The amazing thing is that these compounds are exact chemical copies of hormones made by our adrenal glands. And our adrenal glands produce these cardiotonics out of . . . cholesterol! Now we know why all the draconian dietary and pharmaceutical measures to lower cholesterol have not resulted in a decrease in the rates of MI, and why numerous studies have shown that as we age, those with the highest levels of cholesterol live the longest. When we lower cholesterol, we are depriving our bodies of the very substance they need to manufacture cardiotonics.

The myogenic theory also explains why stress can lead to heart attacks. In conditions of stress, our adrenal glands must work very hard to create numerous hormones that regulate the blood sugar and help the body heal. If the adrenal glands are weak or overloaded, production of cardiotonics goes on the back burner.

While there are few studies in the conventional literature that have considered the effectiveness of digitalis or strophanthus in the treatment of MI, Dr. Mesquita's clinical results over twenty-nine years show a dramatic lowering of the death rate, recurrent MI rate, angina rate and all symptoms in the spectrum of acute coronary syndrome with the use of oral low-dose digitalis glycosides. These results are published in Teoria Miogenica Do Enfarte Miocardico, available through the Infarct Combat project website, www.infarctcombat.org.

Also, a German cardiologist, Dr. Berthold Kern, used g-strophanthin in a study for the German government which showed a dramatic reduction in MIs in his practice, down from the expected 400 to 20, with the use of this medicine.9 Furthermore, many reports are coming in from Germany in which doctors have noted a decrease of up to 81 percent in angina attacks with the use of oral g-strophanthin.10

In my practice, I generally use oral strophanthin in the form of the preparation known as Strodival for all my angina and MI patients, and I have uniformly recorded a decrease in angina episodes, improved exercise tolerance and, thus far, no MIs. When combined with a nourishing traditional diet, cod liver oil, high vitamin butter oil, CoQ10 (which helps strengthen the heart muscle) and Standard Process heart nutrients (Cardioplus, two capsules three times per day, and Cataplex E2, two tablets three times per day), I have seen a huge improvement in the lives of patients with this otherwise devastating condition. (Note: Both digitialis leaf and Strodival are prescription-only items which need to be prescribed by a doctor who is well versed in their use.)

The final irony is that the traditional Chinese doctors were correct. The kidneys (their way of referring to the adrenal glands) help the body deal with stress as well as make hormones (digoxin and ouabain) that keep our marvelous hearts healthy, strong and open to enjoy the full richness of life

Sidebars
Why Plaque Is A Problem

While plaque in the arteries leading to blockage may not be the main cause of heart disease, there is no doubt that the phenomena of athersclerosis (plaque formation) is a real problem in people, especially as we age. Certain sections of our arteries are subject to thickening and the formation of what is called fatty streaks for reasons that have to do with flow dynamics, that is, the velocity of blood flow and turbulence in that particular artery. A certain amount of thickening in places where the blood creates a lot of pressure on the arteries is normal and protective, and it therefore occurs in everyone. But the build up of plaque is a different situation and can lead to many problems. For example, blocked arteries in the legs can cause calf cramps and pain, which we refer to as intermittent claudication (leg pain while walking). In the brain, plaque formation leads to ischemic (lack of blood flow) stroke. In the kidneys, diminished blood flow due to plaque formation is a possible contributing factor in some cases of hypertension (high blood pressure). Likewise, blocked arteries leading to the liver or spleen can result in reduced function of these organs. The reasons for this plaque formation are unclear. Although scientists have long blamed such build up on high cholesterol levels in the blood, informed medical researchers today often cite inflammation in the vessels as the cause. Of course, this inflammation is secondary to other factors, such as stress, consumption of processed vegetable oils and nutrient deficiencies (particularly of vitamins A and C and minerals like copper). But plaque formation is not a sufficient explanation for the whole phenomena of myocardial ischemia. The reason the heart but not the spleen or the liver has "attacks" is because the energy use of the heart is so much higher and also because the heart can never rest. Because scientists have overlooked these factors, treatment of heart disease today is far less effective than it otherwise could be. The only other organ that might be said to suffer from an "attack" is the brain when a stroke occurs. However, strokes usually happen when a clot forms in one of the arteries feeding the brain. The process is not the same as lactic acid build up in the heart.
How To Protect Your Capillaries
Avoid high blood sugar: diabetes is a serious risk factor for capillary damage. A high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet is your best defense against diabetes. If you have diabetes, follow the protocol posted at www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/ diabetes.html.
Don't smoke! Smoking is a risk factor for capillary damage.
Engage in moderate outdoor exercise.
Avoid commercial liquid vegetable oils, which are full of free radicals that can damage capillaries.
Follow a nutrient-dense traditional diet
Be Kind To Your Adrenal Glands

Since the adrenal glands, specifically the adrenal cortex (the outer portion of the adrenal gland), produce protective cardiotonics, an important strategy in protecting yourself against heart attack is to strengthen the ability of this important gland to work properly.
Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and related substances in coffee, tea and chocolate. Caffeine causes the adrenal medulla (the inner part of the adrenal gland) to produce adrenaline. In response, the adrenal cortex must produce a host of corticoid hormones that bring the body back into homeostasis. Repeated jolts of caffeine can lead to adrenal burnout, a situation in which the adrenal cortex is unable to produce the myriad of protective and healing substance for the body, including the cardiotonics.
Don't try to lower your cholesterol—the cardiotonics are made from cholesterol.
Take cod liver oil for vitamin A. The body needs vitamin A to make all the adrenal cortex hormones from cholesterol. Vitamin A intake should be balanced with vitamin D (from cod liver oil) and vitamin K2 (from the fats and organ meats of grass-fed animals).
Don't consume trans fats. Trans fats (from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils) interfere with the enzyme system needed for the production of adrenal cortex hormones.
Take care to avoid low blood sugar. When blood sugar drops too low, the adrenal glands go into overdrive to produce hormones that bring the blood sugar back up. This means avoiding sugar and not skipping meals. There is just no substitute for three good meals a day, at regular intervals, which contain adequate protein and plentiful amounts of good fat.

References
American Journal of Cardiology, 1998; 82:839-44.
Circulation, 1972; 49:1.
American Journal of Medical Science, 1960 240:701.
Circulation,1960, 22: 816.
American Heart Journal. 1972 Mar;83(3):340-50.
Circulation 1980 Jul;62(1):17-19.
Epstein SE. American Journal of Cardiology 1988 Apr 1;61(10):866-8.
Killip T. New England Journal of Medicine 1988 Aug 11;319(6):366-8.
Unpublished communication.
Unpublished communication.

About the Author

Thomas Cowan, MD, is a physician in private practice in San Francisco, California, a board member of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and a regular contributor to our "Ask the Doctor" column. His book The Fourfold Path to Healing is now available from NewTrends Publishing, http://www.newtrendspublishing.com/. Visit Dr. Cowan's website at http://www.fourfoldhealing.com.

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Thyroid disease

An Interview With Dr. Raymond Peat

A Renowned Nutritional Counselor Offers His Thoughts About Thyroid Disease

by Mary Shomon
http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/ray-peat.htm


Raymond Peat, Ph.D. is editor and researcher of a popular and well-known monthly newsletter on nutritiona and health, as well as author of a number of cutting-edge publications that look at aging, nutrition, and hormones from a biochemical perspective. Dr. Peat has a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Oregon, with specialization in physiology. He has taught at the University of Oregon, Urbana College, Montana State University, National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Universidad Veracruzana, the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, and Blake College. He also conducts private nutritional counseling.

I had the privilege to conduct an interview with Ray Peat in November of 2000, touching upon a few of the many interesting points he raises in his various publications.


Mary Shomon: Why do women with treated hypothyroidism frequently still have inappropriately high levels of cholesterol and high triglycerides, and what can they do to help lower these levels?

Dr. Ray Peat: Often it's because they were given thyroxine, instead of the active thyroid hormone, but hypertriglyceridemia can be caused by a variety of things that interact with hypothyroidism. Estrogen treatment is a common cause of high triglycerides, and deficiencies of magnesium, copper, and protein can contribute to that abnormality. Toxins, including some drugs and herbs, can irritate or stimulate the liver to produce too much triglyceride. T3, triiodothyronine, is the active thyroid hormone, and it is produced (mainly in the liver) from thyroxine, and the female liver is less efficient than the male liver in producing it, as is the female thyroid gland. The thyroid gland, which normally produces some T3, will decrease its production in the presence of increased thyroxine. Therefore, thyroxine often acts as a "thyroid anti-hormone," especially in women. When thyroxine was tested in healthy young male medical students, it seemed to function "just like the thyroid hormone," but in people who are seriously hypothyroid, it can suppress their oxidative metabolism even more. It's a very common, but very serious, mistake to call thyroxine "the thyroid hormone."

High cholesterol is more closely connected to hypothyroidism than hypertriglyceridemia is. Increased T3 will immediately increase the conversion of cholesterol to progesterone and bile acids. When people have abnormally low cholesterol, I think it's important to increase their cholesterol before taking thyroid, since their steroid-forming tissues won't be able to respond properly to thyroid without adequate cholesterol.

Mary Shomon: You feel that progesterone can have anti-stress effects, without harming the adrenal glands. Is progesterone therapy something you feel is useful to many or most hypothyroid patients? How can a patient know if she needs progesterone? Do you recommend blood tests? And if so, at what point in a woman's cycle?

Dr. Ray Peat: Estrogen blocks the release of hormone from the thyroid gland, and progesterone facilitates the release. Estrogen excess or progesterone deficiency tends to cause enlargement of the thyroid gland, in association with a hypothyroid state. Estrogen can activate the adrenals to produce cortisol, leading to various harmful effects, including brain aging and bone loss. Progesterone stimulates the adrenals and the ovaries to produce more progesterone, but since progesterone protects against the catabolic effects of cortisol, its effects are the opposite of estrogen's. Progesterone has antiinflammatory and protective effects, similar to cortisol, but it doesn't have the harmful effects. In hypothyroidism, there is a tendency to have too much estrogen and cortisol, and too little progesterone.

The blood tests can be useful to demonstrate to physicians what the problem is, but I don't think they are necessary. There is evidence that having 50 or 100 times as much progesterone as estrogen is desirable, but I don't advocate "progesterone replacement therapy" in the way it's often understood. Progesterone can instantly activate the thyroid and the ovaries, so it shouldn't be necessary to keep using it month after month. If progesterone is used consistently, it can postpone menopause for many years.

Cholesterol is converted to pregnenolone and progesterone by the ovaries, the adrenals, and the brain, if there is enough thyroid hormone and vitamin A, and if there are no interfering factors, such as too much carotene or unsaturated fatty acids. Progesterone deficiency is an indicator that something is wrong, and using a supplement of progesterone without investigating the nature of the problem isn't a good approach. The normal time to use a progesterone supplement is during the "latter half" of the cycle, the two weeks from ovulation until menstruation. If it is being used to treat epilepsy, cancer, emphysema, migraine or arthritis, or something else so serious that menstrual regularity isn't a concern, then it can be used at any time. If progesterone is used consistently, it can postpone menopause for many years.

Mary Shomon: What supplements do you feel are essential for most people with hypothyroidism?

Dr. Ray Peat: Because the quality of commercial nutritional supplements is dangerously low, the only supplement I generally advocate is vitamin E, and that should be used sparingly. Occasionally, I will suggest limited use of other supplements, but it is far safer in general to use real foods, and to exclude foods which are poor in nutrients. Magnesium is typically deficient in hypothyroidism, and the safest way to get it is by using orange juice and meats, and by using epsom salts baths; magnesium carbonate can be helpful, if the person doesn't experience side effects such as headaches or hemorrhoids.

Mary Shomon: Do you feel that there are any special considerations, issues, or treatments for men with hypothyroidism?

Dr. Ray Peat: Thyroid supplements can be useful for prostate hypertrophy and some cases of impotence and infertility. Occasionally, a man who can't put on a normal amount of weight finds that a thyroid supplement allows normal weight gain. Leg cramps, insomnia and depression are often the result of hypothyroidism. Heart failure, gynecomastia, liver disease, baldness and dozens of other problems can result from hypothyroidism.

Mary Shomon: Many people describe how they are clinically hypothyroid, with elevated TSH levels, but have extremely high pulse rates. Do you have any thoughts as to what might be going on in that situation?

Dr. Ray Peat: In hypothyroidism, thyrotropin-release hormone (TRH) is usually increased, increasing release of TSH. TRH itself can cause tachycardia, "palpitations," high blood pressure, stasis of the intestine, increase of pressure in the eye, and hyperventilation with alkalosis. It can increase the release of norepinephrine, but in itself it acts very much like adrenalin. TRH stimulates prolactin release, and this can interfere with progesterone synthesis, which in itself affects heart function.

I consider even the lowest TSH within the "normal range" to be consistent with hypothyroidism; in good health, very little TSH is needed. When the thyroid function is low, the body often compensates by over-producing adrenalin. The daily production of adrenalin is sometimes 30 or 40 times higher than normal in hypothyroidism. The adrenalin tends to sustain blood sugar in spite of the metabolic inefficiency of hypothyroidism, and it can help to maintain core body temperature by causing vasoconstriction in the skin, but it also disturbs the sleep and accelerates the heart. During the night, cycles of rising adrenalin can cause nightmares, wakefulness, worry, and a pounding heart. Occasionally, a person who has chronically had a heart rate of 150 beats per minute or higher, will have a much lower heart rate after using a thyroid supplement for a few days. If your temperature or heart rate is lower after breakfast than before, it's likely that they were raised as a result of the nocturnal increase of adrenalin and cortisol caused by hypothyroidism.

Mary Shomon: You have written that for some people, there is a problem converting T4 to T3, but that diet can help. You recommend a piece of fruit or juice or milk between meals, plus adequate protein, can help the liver produce the hormone. Can you explain a bit more about this idea and how it works?

Dr. Ray Peat: The amount of glucose in liver cells regulates the enzyme that converts T4 to T3. This means that hypoglycemia or diabetes (in which glucose doesn't enter cells efficiently) will cause hypothyroidism, when T4 can't be converted into T3. When a person is fasting, at first the liver's glycogen stores will provide glucose to maintain T3 production. When the glycogen is depleted, the body resorts to the dissolution of tissue to provide energy. The mobilized fatty acids interfere with the use of glucose, and certain amino acids suppress the thyroid gland. Eating carbohydrate (especially fruits) can allow the liver to resume its production of T3.

Mary Shomon: You have recommended if supplemental T3 is used, a thyroid patients "nibble on a 10-15 mg Cytomel tablet throughout the day." Can you explain why? Would compounded time-released T3 as available in some compounding pharmacies do the same?

Dr. Ray Peat: Most hypothyroid people can successfully use a supplement that contains four parts of thyroxine for each part of T3, but some people need a larger proportion of T3 for best functioning. The body normally produces several micrograms of T3 every hour, but if a large amount of supplementary thyroid is taken in a short time, the liver quickly inactivates some of the excess T3. Taking a few micrograms per hour provides what the body can use, and doesn't suppress either the liver's or the thyroid's production of the hormone.

I have only rarely talked to anyone who had good results with the so-called time-release T3, and I have seen analyses of some samples in which there was little or no T3 present. It is hard to compound T3 properly, and the conditions of each person's digestive system can determine whether the T3 is released all at once, or not at all. I don't think there is a valid scientific basis for calling anything "time-release T3."

I have been told that the company which now owns the Armour name and manufactures "Armour thyroid USP" has added a polymer to the formula, and I think this would account for the stories I have heard about its apparent inactivity. Some people have found that the tablets passed through their intestine undigested, so I think it's advisable to crush or powder the tablets.

Mary Shomon: You feel that excessive aerobic exercise can be a cause of hypothyroidism. Can you explain this further? How much is too much?

Dr. Ray Peat: I'm not sure who introduced the term "aerobic" to describe the state of anaerobic metabolism that develops during stressful exercise, but it has had many harmful repercussions. In experiments, T3 production is stopped very quickly by even "sub-aerobic" exercise, probably becaue of the combination of a decrease of blood glucose and an increase in free fatty acids. In a healthy person, rest will tend to restore the normal level of T3, but there is evidence that even very good athletes remain in a hypothyroid state even at rest. A chronic increase of lactic acid and cortisol indicates that something is wrong. The "slender muscles" of endurance runners are signs of a catabolic state, that has been demonstrated even in the heart muscle. A slow heart beat very strongly suggests hypothyroidism. Hypothyroid people, who are likely to produce lactic acid even at rest, are especially susceptible to the harmful effects of "aerobic" exercise. The good effect some people feel from exercise is probably the result of raising the body temperature; a warm bath will do the same for people with low body temperature.

Mary Shomon: You feel that chronic protein deficiency is a common cause of hypothyroidism. How much protein should people get (as much as 70-100 grams a day?) and what types of protein, in order to prevent hypothyroidism?

Dr. Ray Peat: The World Health Organization standard was revised upward by researchers at MIT, and recently the MIT standard has been revised upward again by military researchers; this is described in a publication of the National Academy of Sciences (National Academy Press, The Role of Protein and Amino Acids in Sustaining and Enhancing Performance, 1999). When too little protein, or the wrong kind of protein, is eaten, there is a stress reaction, with thyroid suppression. Many of the people who don't respond to a thyroid supplement are simply not eating enough good protein. I have talked to many supposedly well educated people who are getting only 15 or 20 grams of protein per day. To survive on that amount, their metabolic rate becomes extremely low. The quality of most vegetable protein (especially beans and nuts) is so low that it hardly functions as protein. Muscle meats (including the muscles of poultry and fish) contain large amounts of the amino acids that suppress the thyroid, and shouldn't be the only source of protein. It's a good idea to have a quart of milk (about 32 grams of protein) every day, besides a variety of other high quality proteins, including cheeses, eggs, shellfish, and potatoes. The protein of potatoes is extremely high quality, and the quantity, in terms of a percentage, is similar to that of milk.

Mary Shomon: You talk about darkness and shorter days of winter as a stress. It's known that more thyroid hormone is needed by some patients during colder weather. Are there other things you recommend patients do to "winterproof" their metabolism?

Dr. Ray Peat: Very bright incandescent lights are helpful, because light acts on, and restores, the same mitochondrial enzymes that are governed by the thyroid hormone. In squirrels, hibernation is brought on by the accumulation of unsaturated fats in the tissues, suppressing respiration and stimulating increased serotonin production. In humans, winter sickness is intensified by those same antithyroid substances, so it's important to limit consumption of unsaturated fats and tryptophan (which is the source of serotonin). When a person is using a thyroid supplement, it's common to need four times as much in December as in July.

Mary Shomon: You have reported that pregnenolone can be helpful for Graves' patients with exophthalmus. Can you explain further?

Dr. Ray Peat: Graves' disease and exophthalmos can occur with hypothyroidism or euthyroidism, as well as with hyperthyroidism. Pregnenolone regulates brain chemistry in a way that prevents excessive production of ACTH and cortisol, and it helps to stabilize mitochondrial metabolism. It apparently acts directly on a variety of tissues to reduce their retention of water. In the last several years, all of the people I have seen who had been diagnosed as "hyperthyroid" have actually been hypothyroid, and benefitted from increasing their thyroid function; some of these people had also been told that they had Graves' disease.

Mary Shomon: You are a proponent of coconut oil for thyroid patients. Can you explain why?

Dr. Ray Peat: An important function of coconut oil is that it supports mitochondrial respiration, increasing energy production that has been blocked by the unsaturated fatty acids. Since the polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibit thyroid function at many levels, coconut oil can promote thyroid function simply by reducing those toxic effects. It allows normal mitochondrial oxidative metabolism, without producing the toxic lipid peroxidation that is promoted by unsaturated fats.

Mary Shomon: Do you have any thoughts for thyroid patients who are trying to do everything right, and yet still can't lose any weight?

Dr. Ray Peat: Coconut oil added to the diet can increase the metabolic rate. Small frequent feedings, each combining some carbohydrate and some protein, such as fruit and cheese, often help to keep the metabolic rate higher. Eating raw carrots can prevent the absorption of estrogen from the intestine, allowing the liver to more effectively regulate metabolism. If a person doesn't lose excess weight on a moderately low calorie diet with adequate protein, it's clear that the metabolic rate is low. The number of calories burned is a good indicator of the metabolic rate. The amount of water lost by evaporation is another rough indicator: For each liter of water evaporated, about 1000 calories are burned.

Mary Shomon:You have talked about internal malnutrition as a problem for many thyroid patients, due to insufficient digestive juices and poor intestinal movements. Are there ways patients who are treated for hypothyroidism can help alleviate this problem.

Dr. Ray Peat: The absorption and retention of magnesium, sodium, and copper, and the synthesis of proteins, are usually poor in hypothyroidism. Salt craving is common in hypothyroidism, and eating additional sodium tends to raise the body temperature, and by decreasing the production of aldosterone, it helps to minimize the loss of magnesium, which in turn allows cells to respond better to the thyroid hormone. This is probably why a low sodium diet increases adrenalin production, and why eating enough sodium lowers adrenalin and improves sleep. The lowered adrenalin is also likely to improve intestinal motility.

Mary Shomon: You've mentioned eggs, milk and gelatin as good for the thyroid. Can you explain a bit more about this?

Dr. Ray Peat: Milk contains a small amount of thyroid and progesterone, but it also contains a good balance of amino acids. For adults, the amino acid balance of cheese might be even better, since the whey portion of milk contains more tryptophan than the curd, and tryptophan excess is significantly antagonistic to thyroid function. The muscle meats contain so much tryptophan and cysteine (which is both antithyroid and potentially excitotoxic) that a pure meat diet can cause hypothyroidism. In poor countries, people have generally eaten all parts of the animal, rather than just the muscles--feet, heads, skin, etc. About half of the protein in an animal is collagen (gelatin), and collagen is deficient in tryptophan and cysteine. This means that, in the whole animal, the amino acid balance is similar to the adult's requirements. Research in the amino acid requirements of adults has been very inadequate, since it has been largely directed toward finding methods to produce farm animals with a minimum of expense for feed. The meat industry isn't interested in finding a diet for keeping chickens, pigs, and cattle healthy into old age. As a result, adult rats have provided most of our direct information about the protein requirements of adults, and since rats keep growing for most of their life, their amino acid requirements are unlikely to be the same as ours.

Mary Shomon: Do you think the majority of people with hypothyroidism get too much or too little iodine? Should people with hypothyroidism add more iodine, like kelp, seaweeds, etc.?

Dr. Ray Peat: 30 years ago, it was found that people in the US were getting about ten times more iodine than they needed. In the mountains of Mexico and in the Andes, and in a few other remote places, iodine deficiency still exists. Kelp and other sources of excess iodine can suppress the thyroid, so they definitely shouldn't be used to treat hypothyroidism.

Mary Shomon: What are your thoughts for Graves' disease/hyperthyroidism patients? Should they move ahead quickly to get radioactive iodine treatment, or are there natural things they might be able to try to temporarily - or even permanently - get a remission?

Dr. Ray Peat: Occasionally, a person with a goiter will temporarily become hyperthyroid as the gland releases its colloid stores in a corrective process. Some people enjoy the period of moderate hyperthyroidism, but if they find it uncomfortable or inconvenient, they can usually control it just by eating plenty of liver, and maybe some cole slaw or raw cabbage juice. Propranolol will slow a rapid heart. The effects of a thyroid inhibitor, PTU, propylthiouracil, have been compared to those of thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine. The results of the chemical treatment are better for the patient, but not nearly so profitable for the physician.

Besides a few people who were experiencing the unloading of a goiter, and one man from the mountains of Mexico who became hypermetabolic when he moved to Japan (probably from the sudden increase of iodine in his diet, and maybe from a smaller amount of meat in his diet), all of the people I have seen in recent decades who were called "hyperthyroid" were not. None of the people I have talked to after they had radioiodine treatment were properly studied to determine the nature of their condition. Radioiodine is a foolish medical toy, as far as I can see, and is never a proper treatment.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT RAY PEAT AND HIS PUBLICATIONS

For more information about Dr. Ray Peat, see the Publications Order Page to order Ray Peat's monthly newsletter, or his books, which include Progesterone in Orthomolecular Medicine, Generative Energy: Protecting and Restoring the Wholeness of Life, Mind and Tissue: Russian Research Perspectives on the Human Brain, Nutrition for Women,and From PMS to Menopause: Female Hormones in Context.

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