Anti-Candida, Inflammation, Heavy Metals Detox and Diet

[Scottie]

-Doesn't the microwaves destroy some important aspects (enzymes?) of the berries? Or is this just an urban legend...? I've been told e.g. not to warm the milk for our baby in the microwave because the nutrition value decreases by doing this.

I'd say it's probably not ideal, but when you first get up in the morning, it's cold, and you don't want frozen berries in your shake, it's pretty easy to just zap 'em in the microwave. Besides, the berries are basically there for a little flavor and not really for nutritional value anyway.

-I noticed that psyllium husk is no longer included in the "morning cocktail" - why is that?

It's there to keep things flowing. If you become constipated, increase the amount and/or add it back in. But I think many people will find that the rest of the shake mixture and detoxing effects will be enough to keep the elimination process running nicely.

It's too early to tell any effects yet, but I do feel more energetic all ready. Plus, I'm having some of the usual detox symptoms like irritation and muscle aches. And strangely, I don't feel as hungry as earlier - I eat much less. Is this typical...?

I noticed that, too. And after 2 months of anti-candida/detoxing, the hunger pangs and cravings are gone along with blood sugar swings. Last year, I would have needed to start eating tons of potatoes and starches to "say fueled" at this time of year. Now, I'm just enjoying the healthy foods I eat and how I feel, and I don't need chocolate, pastries, etc.

I can't emphasize enough that once you start this diet, you won't mind eating differently and keeping "goodies" to an occasional treat (AFTER detoxing!). It also really shows you how much we eat out of habit, including just how flimsy those "I like this, I don't like this" opinions are when it comes to food, flavor, etc.

Oh, and did I mention you'll feel a LOT better, too? ;D

 

[Laura]

Yes, we have ghee. It is fine to use. I don't seem to have any problem with good, natural butter, though. I can even tolerate a little pure cream. But no milk of ANY kind. I think it must be the proteins and/or the sugars in it. Within hours of having any, every joint in my body hurts and the phlegm nearly chokes me!

 

[brainwave]

"almond milk, oat milk, rice milk" - these aren't really milks. They are drinkable liquids made from almond, oat, rice with water base. They have no dairy and are not even related to real milk.

Any ideas on the merits of hemp milk? I tried it and it's taste pretty good and is thicker than rice milk for recipes.

http://www.ghchealth.com/natural-health/benefits-of-hemp-milk/

 

[Laura]

Hemp milk sounds great! I just haven't seen any in our little bio store here.

 

[Laura]

Besides, the berries are basically there for a little flavor and not really for nutritional value anyway.

Actually, the berries ARE there for nutritional value. If it was just for a "little flavor" it could be accomplished a lot more inexpensively.

See:
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/129255-Blueberries-Contain-Chemical-That-May-Help-Prevent-Colon-Cancer

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/153179-Getting-forgetful-Then-blueberries-may-hold-the-key

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/164367-Dark-hued-fruits-veggies-are-good-for-the-brain

Cumulatively, the berries produce antioxidant effects, neutralizing cellular damage created by free radicals of oxygen and blocking pathways by which oxidative stress damages cells. Perhaps more important, they function as anti-inflammatory agents to preserve cardiovascular as well as brain integrity. "Oxidative stress and inflammation are the evil twins of brain aging," Joseph insists.

Berries make a difference at the behavioral level, too. Aging rats fed the equivalent of a cup of berries a day navigate water mazes like pups, with few mistakes of memory. Plus, as Joseph told a meeting of the Metropolitan (New York) Area Geriatric Society, the animals were powered by leg muscles "that look like those in the legs of young rats."

As good as blueberries are by themselves, Joseph finds, they are more biologically extravagant in combination with certain other foods. Blueberries have a particularly complex relationship with fats - both the good kind and the bad.

Eaten, for example, with oil-rich walnuts or avocados, the berries act synergistically to keep brain cell membranes youthfully flexible - a feat of wide impact since every flicker of thought or intentional movement starts with a transaction across a brain cell membrane. Then, too, blueberries lower the body's burden of cholesterol, minimizing the threat of atherosclerosis in the blood vessels that supply heart and brain.

 

[Laura]

Probiotics 'may stop pneumonia'

Probiotics could be used to protect critically ill patients from developing pneumonia, according to scientists.

The friendly bacteria can block the colonisation by dangerous bugs of the airways of ventilated patients, the Swedish study concluded.

The probiotic solution performed just as well as normal antiseptics used to keep pneumonia-causing bacteria at bay, the journal Critical Care reported.

Being more natural it could pose fewer side effects, the authors said.

Probiotics Linked to 70 Percent Reduction in Kidney Stones

People who naturally carry a probiotic bacteria called Oxalobacter formigenes are 70 percent less likely to develop kidney stones than people whose dietary tracts lack the bacteria, according to a study conducted by researchers from Boston University and published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Researchers compared 247 people who suffered from recurring calcium oxalate kidney stones with 259 people with no history of kidney stones. They found that while 38 percent of the people in the healthy group had O. formigenes in their intestines, only 17 percent of people in the kidney stone group did.

"Our findings are of potential clinical importance," researcher David Kaufman said. "The possibility of using the bacterium as a probiotic is currently in the early stages of investigation."

Probiotics And Effectiveness In Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Several studies presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando highlight the safety and efficacy of probiotics in improving symptoms and normalizing bowel movement frequency in patients suffering from constipation or diarrhea related to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Bugs In The Gut Trigger Production Of Important Immune Cells

"There is more and more evidence that gut flora have a tremendously important influence on human health," says Yasmine Belkaid, Ph.D., chief of the mucosal immunology unit in the laboratory of parasitic diseases at the National Institutes of Health "If some set of microbes induces a specific immune response, this points to a way to manipulate the immune system," says Dr. Belkaid. "This new study is the first report that has associated a defined set of gut flora with the induction of specific immune cells."

The new research is from the laboratory of Dan Littman, M.D., Ph.D., the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Professor of Molecular Immunology at NYU School of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. "It's not the amount of microbial flora but the kind of microbial flora that seems to count," says Dr. Littman.

 

[Laura]

Researchers Find Fish Oil Reduces Inflammation

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil may help maintain the body's healthy response to inflammation, preventing the immune response from getting out of hand and leading to cardiovascular disease, according to a study conducted by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School, and published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

The researchers discovered that the blood vessels of many people have tendencies to form small lesions, even from a very young age. The normal healing process is for these lesions to become inflamed, for the inflammation to cool down, and then for the lesions to heal. In some cases, however, the inflammation appears to never cool, and the lesion never heals.

When the researchers intervened genetically to cause the body to produce more chemicals that encourage inflammation to cool, they found that blood vessels tended to heal themselves better. When they suppressed these signals, the inflammation and blood vessel damage quickly got out of hand.

"Resolution is not a passive process," researcher Lawrence C.B. Chan said. "It is active and produces specific anti-inflammatory mediators that 'cool down' the inflammatory process."

While some inflammation-cooling mediators are naturally produced by the body, others appear to function when ingested. One of these is the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug aspirin, which may account for its reported cardiovascular health benefits.

Another one, the researchers found, is omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in high quantities in fish oil and a few vegetable sources, such as flax seeds or certain algaes.

"Inflammation is a two-edged sword," lead author Aksam J. Merched said. "If resolution fails and the response gets out of hand, there is a never ending civil war in the body. Continued inflammation draws more macrophages [potent immune system cells] to the site of the inflammation. They produce molecules that turn this into a vicious cycle."

 

[Laura]

Male, interrupted: phthalates cause birth defects in boys

These chemicals give plastics flexibility, prevent perfumes from losing their scents, and keep nail polishes from chipping.

But in lab rats and mice, doses comparable to those we humans absorb from the environment can disrupt the formation of male genitals and otherwise feminize male animals. One small study from the University of Rochester also linked these chemicals to irregularities in male genital development.

Despite that, phthalates are added to numerous products ranging from deodorants to shower curtains to IV tubing in hospitals.

While the European Union has banned one type of phthalate in nail polishes and several others in children's toys, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is "assessing the toxicity of several phthalates," and awaiting results of a National Research Council study, expected next year, a spokesman said.

Melamine already in global food chain: experts

Rich in nitrogen, melamine gives low-quality food and feed artificially high protein readings.

"Traders can make a lot of profit by doing it," said Jason Yan, the U.S. Grains Council's technical director in Beijing.

Extremely high levels of melamine - as found in the Chinese baby formula - can cause kidney stones, and in extreme cases can bring on life-threatening kidney failure.

But while scientists say it's not dangerous to ingest small amounts, they cannot be definitive because there have been no tests on melamine's effects in humans. Until the contaminated baby formula became public in September, there was never any reason to.

That leaves consumers worldwide, particularly parents, worried about food products from China, and even those made elsewhere with ingredients imported from Chinese companies.

Methylmercury Warning

Recent studies hint that exposure to the toxic chemicals, such as methylmercury can cause harm at levels previously considered safe. A new analysis of the epidemiological evidence in the International Journal of Environment and Health, suggests that we should take a precautionary approach to this and similar compounds to protect unborn children from irreversible brain damage.

Philippe Grandjean of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, and the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, explains that the causes of suboptimal and abnormal mental development are mostly unknown. However, severe exposure to pollutants during the development of the growing fetus can cause problems that become apparent as brain functions develop - and ultimately decline - in later life. Critically, much smaller doses of chemicals, such as the neurotoxic compound methylmercury, can harm the developing brain to a much greater extent than the adult brain.

Methylmercury is a chemical compound formed in the environment from released mercury. Unfortunately, the methylmercury can be transported quickly around the body and may enter the brain. Serious problems will ensue if important developmental processes are blocked as there will be only one chance for the brain to develop.

The researchers point out that until recently research into the effects of pollutants on the brain has been clouded by the lack of information on actual exposure. Moreover, finding a direct link between specific problems with the brain and exposure relies on statistical, or epidemiological, analysis rather than case-by-case understanding. The researchers say that neurodevelopmental disorders of possible environmental origin affect between 5% and 10% of babies born worldwide, leading to dyslexia, mental retardation, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, and autism.

The toxicity of methylmercury is well known, but the researchers believe that the medical world has underestimated the risk of brain damage associated with exposure to this compound as well as numerous others. Professor Grandjean emphasizes that little research has been carried out into the effects of other neurotoxic chemicals.

"Until there is enough evidence to rule out effects of certain chemicals on the developing nervous system, a cautious approach would involve strict regulation of suspected developmental neurotoxicants and prudent counseling of expectant mothers regarding exposures to untested substances," the researchers conclude.

Exposure To Low Doses Of Mercury Changes The Way The Arteries Work

An international team of researchers has shown that mercury is another important factor in cardiovascular disease as it changes the way arteries work. One of the possible sources of exposure of humans to mercury is by eating contaminated fish.

The main effects of mercury affect the central nervous system and renal function. Over recent years the scientific community has reported an increase in cardiovascular risk following exposure to mercury, "although the mechanisms responsible for this increase are not completely known", state the authors of the new study that has been published recently in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology explain. {...}

Data confirm that low doses of mercury have a harmful effect on vascular function. Mercedes Salaices, one of the other authors of the study, emphasises that the impact of mercury "could be compared to the impact produced by other more traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes or hypercholesterolaemia". {...}

Humans have been exposed to different metal pollutants such as mercury, although the possible consequences to health are not known in depth. At the present time, exposure to mercury is due, mainly, to the consumption of polluted fish, to the administration of anti-fungal agents and Thimerosal antiseptics in vaccines and to the inhalation of mercury vapour from some dental re-constructions

The European Environment Agency (EEA) recommended a reference blood mercury concentration of 5.8 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml). It is considered that there are no adverse effects below this level. Data reveal that the concentration of mercury in the general population is less than 1 ng/ml, whereas in workers who suffer exposure in polluted zones, the levels are between 7 and 10. The percentage reaches up to 5.6 ng/ml amongst people who eat fish on a regular basis.

Study: Many pesticides in EU may damage human brain

Many pesticides used in the European Union may damage brain growth in foetuses and young children, according to a study published Friday.

The study urged the European Union to tighten restrictions.

"Toxicity to the brain is not routinely included in testing pesticides," Philippe Grandjean of the Havard School of Public Health and the University of Southern Denmark told Reuters.

"Because many of them are by design toxic to the brain of insects, it is very likely that they are also toxic to human brains," he said of a review of almost 200 scientific reports worldwide about the brain and pesticides.

"Laboratory experimental studies using model compounds suggest that many pesticides currently used in Europe...can cause neuro-developmental toxicity," Grandjean and two colleagues in Denmark wrote in the journal Environmental Health.

The developing brain of the foetus and young child is far more sensitive than the adult brain to disruptions from chemicals, they said. {...}

The study said that pesticide chemicals that could be damaging included organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, ethylenebisdithiocarbamates and chlorophenoxy herbicides.

Vaccine given to babies increases risk of childhood asthma

A vaccination given to babies has been linked to asthma.

Experts believe the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough jabs might provoke an immune system response which predisposes the body to the lung condition.

But delaying the vaccines by two months from the recommended age dramatically reduces the risk, doctors found.

They set out to test a theory that the timing of the triple jab affects the development of childhood asthma.

For the study, 11,531 children received four doses of the combined DTP jab. Babies are supposed to have their first dose by the age of two months.

It was found the likelihood of developing asthma by the age of seven was halved if this initial dose was delayed by two months.

Of nearly 5,000 babies studied who had the jab at the scheduled age, 13.8 per cent developed asthma.

This compared with a rate of 5.9 per cent in babies who were four months or older at first DTP immunisation.

The second, third and fourth doses of DTP were to be given at four months, six months and 18 months.

Researchers at Manitoba Institute for Child Health and the University of Manitoba, in Canada, also found a decreased likelihood of asthma if the other doses were delayed, but the strongest evidence was seen in relation to the delay of the first dose.

Only five per cent of children who had delays in all of their DTP jabs went on to develop asthma.

This figure jumped to 12 per cent among children who followed the immunisation schedule, it was reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The UK has the highest prevalence of asthma in children aged 13 and 14 worldwide. One in 11 children is affected.

The Canadian children mainly received a type of DTP jab given to millions of UK children until 2004.

However, some also received the newer form of the jab, containing a different type of whooping cough vaccine, called acellular pertussis.

This DTaP vaccine was phased into the UK during 2004. It is given at two months in combination with vaccines against polio and Hib disease - a type of influenza affecting babies.

Babies also receive vaccination against pneumococcal disease at the same time.
Some believe the volume of jabs overloads their immune systems.

 

[Aiming]

Yes, we have ghee. It is fine to use.

Thank you, Laura! :)

 

[foofighter]

Wow. I really appreciate you putting this together, because all of a sudden my current problems make sense. I'm having most of the symptoms listed for Candida, and some of them badly (being almost constantly numb in my left side of the face is sort of scary actually). One thing that tipped me off that there was something strange going on was a rash that wouldn't go away, and after having a glass of wine would just flare up immediately. I can't get it to go away completely, no matter what I do, and having read the material this seems to be because it's part of a bigger problem.

So, I need to get on the suggested diet ASAP I think. I've already ordered some priobiotics from Biovea, but I was wondering if anyone has recommendations on brands for probiotics. Threelac seems to be popular, but has mixed reviews in some places. Any other suggestions?

On a related topic, the trailer for "The Beautiful Truth" is just out, and it seems to deal with this topic a lot:
_http://www.thebeautifultruthmovie.com/
which refers to:
_http://www.gerson.org
Anyone with experience of the referenced Gerson therapy? From a cursory exam it seems similar to what has been presented here.

 

[foofighter]

I should add that I have realized that pretty much my entire diet is completely wrong. No wonder I'm feeling as I do. After having cleaned out my cupboards they are almost empty. Time to go through those cookbooks and see if I can find better recipes!

One specific question: what is your recommendation for breakfast? I used to eat lots of bread, but that's out now. Yoghurt doesn't seem like an alternative either. So what to do? Straight veggies/fruits only? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[Ruth]

I should add that I have realized that pretty much my entire diet is completely wrong. No wonder I'm feeling as I do. After having cleaned out my cupboards they are almost empty. Time to go through those cookbooks and see if I can find better recipes!

Have you tried the 'blood type diet' yet?
http://www.dadamo.com/

 

[foofighter]

Have you tried the 'blood type diet' yet?
http://www.dadamo.com/

So far I haven't tried anything related to blood type, for the simple reason that I have no idea what type I have. But I know that this might be something worth looking into as well, and now maybe is the right time to do it. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Nienna]

I should add that I have realized that pretty much my entire diet is completely wrong. No wonder I'm feeling as I do. After having cleaned out my cupboards they are almost empty. Time to go through those cookbooks and see if I can find better recipes!

One specific question: what is your recommendation for breakfast? I used to eat lots of bread, but that's out now. Yoghurt doesn't seem like an alternative either. So what to do? Straight veggies/fruits only? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

If you go back to page one of this thread and scroll 1/2 way down to reply #10, you will see Laura's streamlined menu for a candida/detox diet. It includes breakfast. ;)

 

[lostinself]

hello,

here's an old recipe for an infunsion to fight parasites, fungi etc. i've come up against it on a polish diet-related forum where several people claimed it to be quite effective. haven't tried it myself though. it may have been presented here already but the search function doesn't seem to be working at the moment so i'm not sure.

ingredients are:

* thyme herb - 50 grams
* sweet flag (calamus) rhizome - 50 grams
* elacampane root - 50 grams
* peppermint herb leaves - 25 grams
* walnut leaves - 25 grams
* wormwood - 10 grams
(all dried)

mix all the ingredients together. take 2 table spoons of the mixture, pour it into a vacuum flask and fill the vessel with 2 or 3 glasses of boiling water. wait an hour and the infusion is ready to drink. 3 cups a day for a week, then 1 cup a day - the longer, the better.