Greens

Leafy green foods are an important part of healing candida, but apparently it can be overdone.  Hopefully, we all know that anything can be overdone.  Drinking tons and tons of green smoothies can eventually devastate the body's health says Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist.  The oxalate in the greens can create stones in tissue and that can only end badly.  Yes, leafy greens are foods and even candida sufferers should have their share of leafy green food, however, I believe in this case moderation is key.  Preparing lots of cultured food is important and at a certain point in the diet, eating lots of whole cultured greens is fine.  What I learned from Sarah's article is that even a shot of wheat grass juice is fine (because of the low levels of oxalate).

To be clear, I'm not saying to stay away from leafy greens and I don't believe that Sarah is saying that either. I believe that she is mostly warning not to overdo this green drink/smoothie business.  Leafy greens are magnificent and very, very healthy; but if you have candida or other problems that Sarah mentioned and you're OD-ing on the green juice, THEN you're heading for disaster.

Balance Your Diet

I recently read an article that a colleague of mine posted on Facebook. The article suggests that meat in dairy and even some fibrous foods kill gut flora and cause intestinal inflammation. Before I even read the article I commented that this could not possibly be true. In the GAPS diet, for example, there is a point where you will eat nothing but bone soup, ginger and honey. Now if the doctor who developed the GAPS diet found some success in a diet that mostly consists of meat and vegetables, that alone is a legitimate argument against the information given in this article.

The article, however, did say some things that I will agree with. Dairy, for example, can cause inflammation in some. Such individuals need to really watch it when they eat things like yogurt, which is actually supposed to help gut flora. Unfortunately, until there gut is healed the yogurt will only hurt them more. The doctors who developed the dietary protocols to heal autoimmune disease/leaky gut syndrome, do mention watching out for irritants such as eggs and dairy.

It's very possible that what the article meant was that the acidic nature of meat could actually kill gut flora. This I can actually believe, but even my nutritionist was very clear about raising the amount of fruits and vegetables in my diet; just not raw fruits and vegetables right away.  I had to start eating them cooked or cultured.  Part of the reason for this, I believe is to help raise the ph balance which creates a very unfriendly environment for Candida, (the main culprit of leaky gut syndrome). I just feel that people need to be extra careful when reading such articles because one may feel that they shouldn't eat meat at all. This is where we need to be careful no matter which leaky gut healing diet one chooses, balance is always key.

Happy Holidays!

Whether you celebrate anything from Hanukkah (which started on Thanksgiving for those who didn't know) right through until New Year's Day, I hope this is a warm and wonderful holiday season for all!

Healthy States and Unhealthy States

There are some cities in the United States that have little if any sense of what it means to eat healthy and/or be healthy. I have a friend who lives in the southern part of the United States, who wanted to find a health food store a few months ago. I was only too happy to help her look. Unfortunately, most people did not seem to know what organic food even was. I mean, every time I called a restaurant or a store people were utterly confused when I asked them about organic food. I admit that I was confused by their confusion; how do they not know what organic food is? Unfortunately, to some in the United States food is food; and that's the way it should be! Food should just be food!  It's the other stuff like GMOs and the processed garbage that should be labeled.

There is a very rural area in Pennsylvania where it's breathtakingly beautiful. But when you walk into the Walmart or any other shopping center in this area, it's hard not to notice that a majority of the community is overweight. There used to be a health food store in town, but they didn't sell any fresh produce at all. I discovered a town in Virginia recently, that has a very similar issue. There seems to be one health food store in the entire town, plus a farmers market that sells only two days a week. It would be a huge problem for me to live in such a town, because it's next to impossible for me to find real food in the mainstream grocery stores.

My heart breaks for such towns in the United States. Those are the communities that are doomed to be unhealthy and are likely to spend the rest of their lives wondering why.  There is hope all over the internet.  It didn't take me a very long time to figure out where to look for answers; I have the same hope for such people.

The Importance of L-Glutamine

Now I have a better understanding of why bone soup is so important in the GAPS diet.  One reason is because the fats help heal and repair tissue, but the other is for L-glutamine that also plays a part in healing the gut lining.  L-glutamine is an essential part of the GAPS diet and no wonder!  It is an amino acid and amino acids make tissue repairs.  L-glutamine tends to target the repair of the gut lining.

The L-glutamine factor also explains something that has puzzled me for several months now. The need for L-glutamine explains why if I lack red meat I can easily become fatigued or even sick.  My body needs red meat almost every day.  I can go a few days without red meat if I eat chicken, but I eventually need beef or goat.  This ALSO explains why there was a time when some doctors used amino acids to treat clinical depression.  According to Dr. Campbell-McBride, the "mental conditions" such as depression, ADD, autism as well as many others are all a result of leaky gut syndrome.  There are amino acids like L-glutamine that make repairs in the body.  Repair the leaky gut, then all of those nasty medical conditions like depression go away!

Fibromyalgia Symptoms - What Fibromyalgia Feels Like

When I first moved to California, there were two people I knew who had fibromyalgia. That very year was the first time I've ever heard of fibromyalgia, and yet I met two people the same summer who had it. It did NOT sound like fun from the little they told me of their experience with it.

There seems to be some debate about whether fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disease or a psychosomatic disorder. Fibromyalgia is, in fact, characterized by symptoms, which perhaps is why it can take years to diagnose properly. Many with fibromyalgia will simply go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as another condition.

If fibromyalgia is indeed the autoimmune disease some believe it is, then gut lining repair may actually work wonders for patients.  If it's a psychosomatic disorder, however, there is still a chance that gut lining repair may actually help anyway.  According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, there are several psychological disorders that begin with leaky gut syndrome.  It is very possible that fibromyalgia is one of those disorders.  So it may actually be beneficial to fibromyalgia patients to ask their doctors about how to heal their gut lining.

Please read the article below for more information on fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia Symptoms - What Fibromyalgia Feels Like

Caprylic Acid

Caprylic acid is one of the many medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil. On this blog I have written numerous times about the healing power of coconut oil. On numerous occasions I have labeled the coconut as a superfood; if you knew about the nutritional and medicinal benefits of coconuts one need not ask why.

In one of many leaky gut healing protocols, there is a doctor who highly recommends caprylic acid. One benefit of many, if not most or even all medium chain fatty acids is that they fight many disease causing microbes including Candida. Candida is usually the main cause of leaky gut syndrome. This is why a fungal killer is most vital in a leaky gut healing protocol. One doctor highly recommended caprylic acid, therefore coconut oil is as important in his protocol as bone soup is in Dr. Natasha Campell McBride's GAPS diet.

When I first started the GAPS diet, I wasn't able to eat coconut oil for some reason. Now that I've been on the gaps diet for a while I can eat it without a problem. I'm seeing a lot of other improvements in my overall health which is very encouraging.  Because of this, to all who suffer from autoimmune disease, I highly recommend seeing a health professional about healing your leaky gut.

Health Improvements

Around this time of year I usually get the flu or some other nasty upper respiratory infection.  This year, I had a scratchy throat, but seemed to have fought off whatever it was before it became something that would make me miserable. Even my doctor told me that is a sure sign of healing.

Where can I possibly begin to express my gratitude for healing methods such as the GAPS diet? After four years of being plagued by illness and fatigue, I'm finally in a place where I can more than hope for a normal life again.

More than ever, I'm so happy that I started this blog. I can testify to the fact that healing does not always begin with pharmaceutical drugs. In fact, the most complete healing cannot begin with pharmaceutical drugs. Our bodies were designed to heal themselves; the only reason why most of us have such a difficult time healing ourselves is because of all the toxins in the air, in our food and even in our clothing that blocks our bodies' healing abilities.

My father taught me many very valuable lessons, however, there is one that I will forever be grateful for.  He always said (quoting Steve Sinnott), that "Education is the great liberator" and he was right!  The more I learned about disease, health and how to heal, the more liberated I was from all of the lies and propaganda of mainstream media.  For any of you who are sick, I urge you to get educated about your disease.  Learn all there is to know about it.  Take the prescription drugs per your doctor's advice if you want, but DON'T rely on those drugs for healing!  There may very well be another way and the other way could rid your condition forever!  I've been there, I've seen it and I know this.  Trust me, chances are that you don't need to stay sick and dependent on prescription for the rest of your life.

December's Book: Revive

Autoimmune disease is a harsh reality for those who have it.  The video above does a great job of explaining why. Autoimmune diseases can affect just about any and every organ in the body. Mainstream medicine suggests there is no cure autoimmune diseases. Most people must be on some sort of immune suppressing drugs for the rest of their life. Patients with celiac disease often need to have gluten taken out of their diet for the rest of their lives.  It turns out that the doctors who made this "no cure" declaration are all wrong.

Leaky gut syndrome is found to have a direct connection with almost all autoimmune diseases; suggests a study recently done at the University of Maryland.  In other words, heal the leaky gut and you will heal your autoimmune disease.  This is why I feel so incredibly happy that I'm on the gaps diet; the goal is to treat leaky gut. A girlfriend of mine recently suggested for me to request testing for Hashimoto's disease. Although I will be talking to my doctor about this today, according to this study and according to what several doctors have hypothesized for years, it seems that I'm already being treated!




 

Snark, Accusation and Judgement, Oh My! (Part II)

There's very little that I could tell you about pharmaceutical drugs… except for why I avoid them. Vaccines I specifically avoid because they seem to do more harm than good. Now I have family members who get a flu shot every single year. They seem to swear by the vaccines. They believe that the vaccines are what prevents them from getting sick every single year. For these individuals I wouldn't suggest anything else. However, the young man who died recently because of brain damage that resulted from complications because of a flu shot, tells me that the flu shot is obviously not for everyone.

The article that I read last week led me to believe that there are people who are both ignorant and hostile toward people, like me, who would like to have the choice not to get a shot. I was told by a colleague of mine (another blogger), that the reason why so many were so hostile and so over the top with their response toward my desire to have a choice about this issue is because these people are paid to give a response on some sites. Now I have no proof that this is true, however, if he is right, the snark, the accusations and judgment makes a whole lot more sense.

Snark, Accusation and Judgement, Oh My!

There is an article about an individual who contracted pertussis (aka whooping cough).  She was very descriptive about what she went through when she was sick.  In fact, anyone who reads it must admit that pertussis sounds like anything but fun.  I feel badly for anyone who has to go through that, particularly babies.  I must say, however, the underlying message behind this article I DON'T agree with.

Basically, this article is to give reason why people absolutely MUST get vaccinated for things like whooping cough.  Now, I don't mean that she was just strongly suggesting it.  No, she and many who commented were in fact talking more about forcing vaccines on those who choose not to do it.  Many who commented denied the link between autism and mercury (in the thimerosal).  I mean, they were literally insisting that modern research says that there is no link.  Dr. Wakefield, of course, was attacked; I tried to talk about Dr. Boyd Haley's research and then HE was attacked.  When I commented (in the form of a question) how one source will tell us that mercury is safe and another will urge us to watch out for mercury, then I was attacked.  It went as far as people suggesting that those who don't get vaccinated should get fined.

Mercy!  Is THIS really what America is coming to?  A land that offers us NO right to protect our children against a drug that is poorly researched, that has maimed and killed and that is constantly applied so irresponsibly?  Once again, I played with the idea of leaving the land of the free, but for now, I'm going to stay and fight this oppressive darkness trying to take over what was once a free nation that was heading for more freedom and prosperity for all.  I decided to give it another go; so I put up my dukes to block and started typing more commentary.  Obviously I couldn't talk science with these people.  Any scientist who did good and proper research on this matter was labeled a "crackpot" or "fraud" or something; so bringing up research wasn't going to help these people.  They pretty much called any parent who claimed that their child had vaccine injury a liar and if I mentioned them, or worse, stuck up for them, then I was called ignorant.  So much for putting up my poor smokin' dukes!  These people were swinging without aim, so anyone so much as standing on the opposite side would get hit.

Finally, I realized that this was indeed a losing battle.  I deleted my account with them and sent the link to several of my colleagues who have their facts straight; particularly the ones who LOVE heated arguements and debates.  I hope they have better luck than I did.