175 The GAPS Diet [23 July 2012]

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, in her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome, offers hope of a natural treatment for a wide variety of disorders including autism, asthma, allergies, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, and severe digestive disorders. If you think you or a family member might benefit from this program I recommend you get a copy of the book. You can see an outline of the program at www.gapsdiet.com, which I will further simplify here so you can get an idea of what all is involved.

There are three components to the program: diet, supplementation and detoxification. The GAPS diet is based on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet promoted by Elaine Gottschall in her book Breaking the Vicious Cycle – Intestinal Health Through Diet. Grains, dairy and processed foods are eliminated; certain meats, vegetables and fruit allowed. There is an Introduction Diet recommended to start with before going on the full GAPS diet.

Supplements include, of course, a therapeutic strength probiotic. Fermented foods like sauerkraut and kefir are also used to help re-establish healthy bacteria in the gut. For essential fatty acids use a good seed or nut oil and a high-EPA fish oil. Digestive enzymes and Betaine HCl are used to aid digestion. Vitamin A as cod liver oil is recommended. Specific nutrients that are determined to be deficient may be supplemented but other supplements are discouraged.

Eliminating toxin sources is the first and most important step towards detoxification by avoiding chemicals in food, household and cosmetic products. Juicing is recommended to help the body detoxify by providing concentrated nutrients in an easily absorbed form.

This may sound quite formidable but the book explains it well and makes it easier with tips and recipes. Certified practitioners who could assist you with the program are listed on the website – there are 3 in Alberta. Keep in mind that this program is temporary and becomes less strict as the digestive and immune systems improve, although some elements may have to be continued for life.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

174 The Vaccine-Autism Controversy [16 July 2012]

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride devotes a chapter of her book “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” to the vaccine-autism controversy. I’ve been avoiding this topic for some time, but I like her balanced approach.

Autism is one of the neurological conditions (including allergies, asthma, eczema, ADD, ADHD, etc.) common in children with a compromised immune system. A child’s reaction to a vaccination depends on his or her immune health: with a healthy immune system the reaction should be normal; with a seriously compromised system it could trigger one of these conditions; with a moderately compromised system it could further weaken their immune system setting them up for some other trigger to “break the camel’s back”. On the other hand Dr. Campbell-McBride reports seeing many severely immune compromised children, who have not been vaccinated, develop one or more of these conditions. This range of reactions, I believe, explains why the connection between vaccination and autism remains controversial.

Dr. Campbell-McBride does not advocate abandoning vaccinations altogether – she recognizes that they have saved millions of children’s lives – but believes that with more and more children born with compromised immune systems, the ideal of vaccinating everyone could now be doing more harm than good. Instead she proposes a comprehensive immunological screening program – through a questionnaire and testing – to discover which children have compromised immune systems and are therefore at greater risk of severe reactions. Those most at risk* should not be vaccinated. Those with healthy parents and no particular health problems but showing some immune system abnormalities should wait until the tests improve. Only healthy infants with healthy parents and who show normal immune development should proceed with vaccinations. Even then Dr Campbell-McBride recommends single vaccines only, spaced 6 weeks apart, to reduce adverse effects.

See Dr. Campbell-McBride's website www.gapsdiet.com for more details. In the Resources tab to access articles on autism and vaccines.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.
________________

* Dr. Campbell-McBride recommends no vaccinations for infants:
• with eczema, asthma, digestive problems or any other disorder which would indicate compromised gut flora and immunity;
• born to a mother with fibromyalgia, digestive problems, asthma, eczema, severe allergies, autoimmune disorders or neurological problems;
• or having older siblings with autism, severe eczema, asthma, allergies, ADHD, epilepsy or insulin dependant diabetes.
At a later age these children can be retested and, when they show no immune deficiencies, can be vaccinated using single vaccines spaced 6 weeks apart.

173 Gut Flora and our Immune System [9 July 2012]

Last week we looked at the benefits of gut flora. In this column I’ll concentrate on the effects of gut flora on our immune system. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, in “Gut and Psychology Syndrome – Natural Treatment for Autism, ADHD, Dyspraxia, Depression and Schizophrenia”, explains how the immune systems of people with GAPS Syndrome (discussed last column) are out of balance, often attacking their own bodies including the brain and nervous system.

Beneficial bacteria coat the epithelial surface of the small intestine and stimulate production of lymphocytes which in turn produce immunoglobulins, especially IgA, and other immune system regulators such as cytokines and interferons. These are our body’s first line of defense against pathological microorganisms. Beneficial bacteria also enable neutrophils and macrophages to function better. Their job is to destroy and gobble up viruses, bacteria and toxins.

The health of our gut flora affects the immune system of the entire body, not just that in the digestive tract. When the first line of defense in the lining of the gut fails, pathogens and toxins enter the bloodstream and our second line of defense is activated. This includes several different interleukins and IgE, the antibody involved in allergic reactions. These are not as effective at fighting pathogens, often allowing chronic viral infections to persist. If these antibodies become overactive they can lead to allergic and auto-immune conditions including asthma, eczema, chronic fatigue syndrome and neurological conditions like ADHD and autism.

Two additional effects of gut flora on the immune system are malnutrition and auto-intoxication. The nutrient deficiencies caused by a lack of beneficial bacteria (discussed last week) affect the immune system along with every other system of the body. And the unchecked growth of pathogens produces toxins like ethanol and acetaldehyde which depresses the immune system and attacks the nervous system.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

172 Benefits of a Healthy Gut Flora [3 July 2012]

I wrote about GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) in January 2012 (Column #147). Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a Russian trained neurologist practicing in the UK, discovered that all of her young patients with allergic, neurological, and psychiatric disorders – asthma, eczema, autism, ADD/ADHD, dyspraxia, and dyslexia – also had digestive problems. These children tended to be fussy eaters, complained of abdominal discomfort and had abnormal stools. When the digestive disorders were treated with a special diet, probiotics, and detoxification, the allergy and neurological conditions improved dramatically or disappeared altogether.

What is the connection between our gut and neurological health? A large part of the answer has to do with our intestinal flora – the bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in our gut. A healthy population of good bacteria has many health benefits:
• protects us from pathological microorganisms which can cause disease
• absorbs and neutralizes toxins including heavy metals
• absorbs many carcinogens and suppresses development of cancer
• protects the gut wall from pathogens which cause inflammation (IBD)
• digests cellulose (fiber) and lactose (milk sugar)
• synthesizes vitamins K2, B1, B2, B6 and B12
• prevents toxins, microbes and partially digested proteins from entering the blood stream where they can trigger allergies and other health problems
• controls certain iron-loving bacteria which cause anemia (iron supplements only make these bacteria stronger)
• nourishes the endothelial cells of the gut wall which in turn digest and absorb nutrients from our food to nourish the rest of our body.

Dr McBride sums it up: “A well-functioning gut with healthy gut flora holds the roots of our health.” Her GAPS patients were commonly deficient in magnesium, zinc, selenium copper, calcium, manganese, sulfur, phosphorus, iron, potassium, sodium, and vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, C, A, D, folic acid, pantothenic acid, omega 3, 6 & 9 efas, taurine, glutathione, and others. Small wonder they also suffered from neurological and other conditions.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

171 The Insect Repellent You Eat [25 June 2012]

Finally, a mosquito repellent that you eat! Doesn’t sound very appetizing, but that’s because we think of insect repellent as smelly, toxic creams or sprays. Xerion Dispensary Ltd, the developers of this remarkable new product they called Mozi-Q, insists it is safe with no known side effects. Health Canada must agree, as the product received approval for sale in Canada last month.

Xerion is a Calgary homeopathic clinic, the largest in western Canada. Mozi-Q is their first homeopathic product brought to market. A few years ago they discovered, in a textbook, a homeopathic remedy for keeping mosquitoes away and started to sell it in their clinic. Over four years of testing they improved the formula with four additional remedies. It worked so well they decided to manufacture it.

Mozi-Q works two ways: it greatly reduces the frequency of insect bites and also reduces your reaction should you get bitten anyway – no more itchy red bumps! It works on other bugs too besides mosquitoes – including flies, ticks, head lice and bed bugs.

Mozi-Q starts to work about 30 minutes after you take the first tablet, which is dissolved under the tongue. It lasts 3-5 hours before you need another one; there is no limit to how many you can take in a day. Because it is a homeopathic, it is non-toxic, has no contraindications for use, and does not react with any medication or herb. It is also safe for pregnancy, babies and children.

Now whenever mosquitoes start “bugging” you this summer, just pop a pill and they’ll leave you alone. Warning - always carry the box with you when you go out because your friends will want one too.

To learn more about Mozi-Q and Xerion Dispensary see www.mozi-q.com.
For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

170 Lysine – the “Cold Sore Cure” [18 June 2012]

Lysine is one of the eight essential amino acids, meaning that we must obtain all our daily needs in our diet. That is usually not a problem as lysine is found in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, pulses (lentils, beans and peas) and dairy. A vegan diet depending on grains for protein would be deficient in lysine, so it is commonly added to animal feed.

Lysine is an essential building block for all protein in the body, including hormones, enzymes and antibodies. It is important for increasing muscle and in the healing of wounds or surgery. Lysine plays a role in calcium absorption and is essential in the production of collagen, a protein found in skin, tendons and cartilage. Lysine also helps regulate serotonin, one of the anti-anxiety neurotransmitters I discussed in column #167.

Lysine is sometimes taken as a supplement to help fight infections of herpes simplex virus which causes cold sores. For this purpose, lysine is often taken in a formula along with zinc, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, and immune-supporting herbs like garlic, echinacea and goldenseal. Studies have found that a diet high in lysine and low in arginine reduces the frequency and severity of herpes outbreaks.

Lysine appears to inhibit herpes infections by suppressing arginine, the amino acid I wrote about last week, which is essential for the virus to replicate. Arginine and lysine compete with each other for absorption, so increasing lysine will create a relative deficiency of arginine. So if you are taking lysine for this purpose, you should avoid supplementing with arginine and temporarily reduce consumption of foods high in arginine (see list in last week’s column). Because arginine is also important to our health, long-term supplementation of lysine is not recommended.

Speaking of arginine, two functions that I missed mentioning last week are:
• arginine enhances the immune system by stimulating the thymus gland to increase production of B and T cells
• arginine stimulates the pituitary gland to produce human growth hormone (HGH)

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

169 Arginine – the NO Precursor [11 June 2012]

Arginine is an interesting amino acid. It is considered “essential” (meaning it is required in our diet) in infants and children whose synthesis pathways are undeveloped, and “conditionally essential” (meaning that some is required in our diet) in adults. Arginine is usually sufficient in our diets – it is found in meat, poultry, dairy, seafood, whole grains, nuts, seeds and even chocolate – but in certain situations is also taken as a supplement. As with all amino acids, look for the L-arginine form.

An important function of arginine is the production of the gas nitric oxide (NO). NO lowers blood pressure by relaxing the smooth muscles of the endothelium (lining of the blood vessels) thus dilating the arteries. This process increases blood flow when partially blocked arteries to the heart cause angina pain, or to the leg muscles cause intermittent claudication. Nitroglycerine works similarly in treating angina by releasing NO. NO is also essential for penile erections, so arginine is often used for erectile dysfunction.

Arginine has several other uses. Taken with RNA and the essential fatty acid EPA, arginine improves wound healing, especially bone injuries, and shortens post-surgery recovery time. Arginine is sometimes taken along with ibuprofen for migraine headaches. Arginine also plays an essential role in the detoxification and elimination of ammonia through the liver and kidneys.

There are several important cautions regarding arginine supplementation:

·         do not take arginine if you have had a recent heart attack

·         arginine may be helpful with congestive heart failure, but use with medical supervision.

·         take under medical supervision if you are on prescription drugs for high blood pressure or angina

·         stop two weeks before surgery, resume a few days after

·         women: avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding

·         men: use caution if you take arginine along with sildenafil (Viagra) as the combination may lower blood pressure too far

·         avoid if you are subject to cold sores as arginine reduces the absorption of another amino acid, lysine, which is believed to play a role in combating herpes simplex infections.

Despite all the precautions, arginine supplementation can be safe and effective in certain conditions. I’ll explore more about lysine and its relationship with arginine next week.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.