Re: Debunking Health Myths and some questions..

Hi Uny and All,

Forgive me if any of my following questions have already been answered! I'll do a search in the meantime to see if Uny has covered them. I have some concerns about diet, specifically:

Does excess fat in the diet contribute to candida?  An excess of anything is not healthy for any body (of course).  As you know, candida are a natural part of our digestive system (and uro/genital system).  What you may not know is that Candida is classified as a "saprophyte" ("An organism, especially a fungus or bacterium, that grows on and derives its nourishment from dead or decaying organic matter." ).  Yep, candida are part of the body's natural "clean up crew" - and without 'decaying organic matter', they have nothing to eat.  Of course when 'yeast meets sugar' the yeast becomes active and the fermentation process produces alcohol

According to this article: http://www.ei-resource.org/illness-information/environmental-illnesses/candid...

Putrefaction

Putrefaction dysbiosis results from diets high in fat and animal flesh and low in insoluble fiber which increases transit time and allows ingested material to putrify in the colon.  (but we don't know what kind of fat - animal or plant? We know coconut oil is anti-fungal, so that's certainly not a contributor to candida overgrowths...and healthy fats contribute to bile flow, which increases peristalsis, which causes the bowel activity necessary to prevent build-ups of 'decaying organic matter'.

Please read everything in the above article about Candida.  In a nutshell, what you need to do is deeply cleanse your intestinal tract AND re-establish healthy gut-flora.  The best (cheapest) way to start replenishing the various micro-biota in your intestines is with Water Kefir (I've got plenty of grains right now that I could send --no charge but the postage-- but it'll take 'em awhile to get to you, so if you could find a source that would get there faster, that would be better).  Milk kefir is also an option, but it's not one I'm familiar with (I'd only want to use raw/organic goat's milk, and I don't have a source.  Even though Christopher/Schulze would not agree, replenishing gut flora in cases of severe candida (by using milk kefir) is one area I'd consider using 'dairy' (but not 'typical yogurts' with various chemicals, sugar and non-organic pasteurized milk).  But no matter how you choose to "add" them, the terrain MUST be right for them to colonize properly - and as long as there is 'decaying organic matter', there's always going to be an overgrowth of Candida (in my opinion). 

Also, you want to be ingesting as many prebiotics as possible:

Definitions of prebiotic on the Web:

• Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth and/or activity of bacteria in the digestive system which are beneficial ...
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prebiotic_(nutrition)
  
• prebiotically - In a prebiotic context
  en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prebiotically
• prebiotics - Indigestible carbohydrates that stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) of the intestinal flora.
  www.thenibble.com/reviews/nutri/sweets/glossary.asp
  
• (literally "before life") the prebiotic compounds are molecular compounds that can lead to the formation of the living systems, from non ...
  smsc.cnes.fr/lexique/p.htm
• A food, like chicory, that nourishes the good bacteria that are already in the digestive system, causing them to grow. ...
  www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/definitions.htm
• Prebiotics are a food source for probiotic bacteria, to make them more effective. Some prebiotics have been shown to enhance the absorption of important minerals like calcium. They can take the form of items commonly added to foods, such as dietary fiber.
  www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/nutri/probiotics-glossary.asp
  
• prebiotics - These soluble fiber and antioxidant compounds support probiotic numbers in your gut. By encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria in the ...
  deliciouslivingmag.com/glossary/food/index3.html
• prebiotics - Non-digestible food ingredients that have a beneficial effect through their selective metabolism in the intestinal tract, which helps good bacteria grow and flourish. Prebiotics mostly come from carbohydrate fibres called oligosaccharides. ...
  investor.mapleleaf.ca/phoenix.zhtml
• prebiotics - Fermentable carbohydrates which act as food for good bacteria in the gut. Probiotics Live micro-organisms which can colonise the gut and add to ...
  www.spillers-feeds.com/en-gb/united-kingdom/SpillersHorseFeed/equine-nutrition/practical-equine-nutritional-advice-from-spillers/Feeding-Glossary/
  

Common food/herb prebiotics that are high in inulin: dandelion leaves & root, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, jicama, chicory root, burdock root, elecampane root, comfrey root, bananas, garlic, onions, leeks, some whole grains.

Are cooked foods really 'poison' to the body?- meaning, if I am on a raw food diet for a while and then stop, will I get violently ill because my body is 'detoxing'? No, cooked foods are not "poison" - if they were, we'd all have been 'dead & gone' YEARS ago.  But they're void of enzymes - and when enzymes aren't present, the body has to make the enzymes necessary to digest & assmilate the food.  When in healing mode, the last thing on earth we want to do is force the body to expend energy stores (and nutrient stores) to create enzymes when all we have to do is provide them by eating raw/steamed foods & juices.  This is 'imperative reading' to understand how integral enzymes are to our body & health: http://www.thedoctorwithin.com/enzymes/Enzymes-The-Key-to-Longevity.shtml

Does eating late at night- even a snack, contribute to health problems? Yep.  Our bodies (and every cell & microorganism in it) is on a natural wake/sleep cycle (with the sun/moon). Everything in the body knows what it's supposed to do and when...whether WE choose to sleep or eat or not.  So when we're supposed to be sleeping, our body is doing what it's supposed to be doing when it's sleeping...and that is not digesting food that we're munching at 2am :::sigh on behalf of all of us 'night-owls:::  So sleeping (and not eating) during natural sleeping hours is optimal for health & healing.  This seems like it's very integral for you - I've been meaning to get this book http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Sleep-Sugar-Survival/dp/0671038680/ref=sr_1_... but never got around to it...but I just added it to my 'cart.  Read the synopsis - that'll tell you a LOT that we ALL need to know: extending daylight artificially leads to a craving for sugar, especially concentrated, refined carbohydrates - More seriously, lack of sleep inhibits the production of prolactin and melatonin--deranging our immune systems and causing depression, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The authors prescribe sleeping at least nine and a half hours in total darkness in the fall and winter and switching to a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein, vegetables, and healthy fats. (of course, we're not going to agree with a 'high protein' diet...but that doesn't have anything to do with the adverse effects of being awake when our bodies need us to be asleep).

I have heard and/or read about these things, specifically of other people's experiences. I realize that here, with the Schulze/Christopher protocols and the IP, the point is to restore balance to the body and create homeostasis. Exactly.  But I know that as we cleanse and heal, we also become even more 'aware' or 'reactive' to things that are harmful, like perfume smells, paints, chemicals, even coffee etc.  I don't know that I'd say more 'reactive', but certainly more aware.  When people are dealing with EI-MCS (Environmental Illness/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) it can seem like quite a confusing roller coaster until it all 'settles down' and one can clearly tell the difference between the symptoms of illness 'reactions' and the 'awareness/warning signals'.  As one progresses in their healing, the detoxification system becomes able to handle more (and handle it more effectively), but it's very important to stay away from the 'stressers' that burden the system throughout the healing process.

As always, we're looking for a 'steady upward trend', and there's always going to be some 'dips' on that graph.

What does this all mean, for someone like me, who is already so reactive? How do I know if I am getting better or worse, meaning if I am just 'noticing' something as harmful, or am actually 'reacting'? It will become much clearer to you as you progress consistently...and consistency IS the name of the game!   You need to eliminate every possible 'toxic' variable and trigger.  Start by building a plan of what you are able to afford and do - then stick with it...if you keep throwing in variables, the picture will never be clear.  You likely already know what foods/substances are 'reactive' or 'toxic reactive' - eliminate them completely.  The difference between 'harmful' & 'reactive' is as easy as knowing what substances are harmful and which ones are not.  Example, you may 'react' to say, organic strawberries, but there's no way they're 'harmful'.

>>>How do I know if I am getting better or worse<<< More specifically, you are getting better IF you're cleansing, repairing and restoring your body consistently, according to a healthy plan & diet...no matter how you 'feel' or react.  Sure, there will always be things like this: garlic kills candida & parasites, this causes "die off"...but that doesn't mean you're getting worse.  It means you're experiencing die-off.  The more compromised a body is, the more 'symptoms' they will have while undoing the compromise.  These 'symptoms' are something to be expected.  Adding things like activated charcoal and CE's is very beneficial for relieving them (or stopping them from occuring).

I am not sure how many people can relate to this, but I struggle with this concept daily and am trying to understand it. I do also realize that I am still in the very beginning stages of healing my body- so things are still very up and down and it is hard to pinpoint what symptoms are related to what...I just want to continue to have hope that there is a way out of this cycle and that my system/brain/body will be 'normal' again one day!  There is NO SUCH THING as an "incurable disease"!!!  Everybody seems to think that applies to everybody but them! lol    Only doctors and allopathic/alternative medicine have some kind of a compulsive need to "pinpoint what symptoms are related to what".  We know that if we do the right things and address our body as a whole unit (rather than "pinpointing") our body's WILL heal themselves with our help.  Sure, we have to determine 'what is wrong', but as one consistently cleanses, nourishes and supports the body, the "what is wrongs' go away.  The more long-standing the issues, the more consistent one must be.

We all face the same challenge:  to stop doing what makes us sick, and start doing what makes us better.  We'll either do what we need to do, or we'll get worse.  There's honestly NOT "more to it" than that (well, we have to learn what we need to do, of course).   

You CAN do it!  

Thank you so much:)  You're welcome very much :)

Teresa. Unyquity