MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS)
Written by Slawomir Gromadzki (“Swavak”), MPH
Healed of Multiple Sclerosis! (Published on 25 Apr 2012) This is a brief description of my journey from diagnosis of multiple sclerosis to a complete healing by faith in God, prayer and fasting, incorporating natural supplements and changing my diet:
If you decide to use Kombucha (as suggested in the video) make it from decaffeinated green tea instead of black tea or regular green tea as both are high in harmful caffeine.
Here you can find link which will show you How To Make Kombucha Tea at Home >
Read also: Kombucha and Multiple Sclerosis >
WHAT IS MS?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating autoimmune disease in which immune system turns against its own organism. In case of MS the immune system destroys the protective myelin sheath which covers nerves. The damage leads to various neurological symptoms caused by disturbed communication between brain and the entire body including spinal cord. In autoimmune diseases like MS (and psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, ulcerative colitis, Parkinson’s disease, and type I diabetes, among others), the immune system loses the ability to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys, and it starts attacking the normal tissues in the body.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms depend on the amount of damage and the nerves that are affected. In the early stage of the disease you may experience certain relapsing or remitting symptoms such as numbness and weakness of only one side of the body. The symptoms may become more pronounced especially after hot baths or physical activity. Other symptoms may include speech and vision problems, incontinence, etc. People with severe cases of multiple sclerosis may lose the ability to walk or speak clearly.
POSSIBLE CAUSES
– Stress, anxiety and depression. A number of published papers have shown that stress and negative emotions contribute to all autoimmune diseases including MS.
– Vitamin D3 deficiency. There is a growing amount of research which suggests that a lack of vitamin D could be an important factor in causing MS as well as other autoimmune diseases. Almost every person in England is deficient in vitamin D which is very important for human nervous and immune system.
In his bestselling book “China Study” Prof Colin Campbell wrote that, “Autoimmune diseases in general become more common the greater the distance from the equator. This phenomenon has been known since 1922. MS, for example, is over a hundred times more prevalent in the far north than at the equator!”
This statement leads us to a simple conclusion that MS may have a lot to do with the vitamin D (“sun vitamin”) deficiency as well as the modern unhealthy lifestyle of North America or Europe.
Since vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness, patients who correct their vitamin D deficiency significantly improve overall muscle function. Some patients with multiple sclerosis have no further symptoms when treated with vitamin D deficiency and when they maintain their 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels at more than 30 ng/ml.
While taking vitamin D3 supplements always remember to take also well absorbed magnesium (such as citrate) as vitamin D supplements lead to magnesium deficiency over time. If you can’t afford higher doses take at least 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day with meal. But since deficiency of this vitamin is so widespread (especially in the UK) it would be better to take 10,000 to 30,000 IU a day with meals with appropriate doses of magnesium. Another requirement for proper absorption of vitamin D is 200 mcg of Vitamin K2 MK-7 (Derived from Natural Natto) a day. Read more about vitamin D >
– Another extremely important nutrient to prevent and treat MS seems to be also Vitamin B12 as it very effective in preventing neurological damage in the body caused, for instance, by statins, high blood sugar levels, toxins, and other factors.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is regarded as rampant today (not only among vegans and elderly people) and that includes also people consuming animal foods. For this reason it is very wise to take this vitamin in the form of supplements. The most effective form of vitamin B12 is sublingual methylcobalamin. Unfortunately, the very common and inexpensive cyanocobalamin is difficult for the body to absorb, and the small amount that is absorbed usually fails to find its way into the cells. As a result, many people who take large doses of cyanocobalamin continue to be deficient in the vitamin.
Depending on your diet, lifestyle and all the mentioned above factors which may influence the absorption of vitamin B12 I would recommend taking about 2000 mcg of active vitamin B12 supplement (in the form of sublingual methylcobalamin) a day only with breakfast. Find out more fascinating facts about vitamin B12 >
BBC documentary about amazing recovery from MS-like symptoms which was the result of vitamin B12 supplementation:
Read a fascinating article on B12 >
– Mercury poisoning is believed to be another very important possible cause of MS as those who are diagnosed with this diseases usually have approximately 7 times higher levels of mercury than healthy individuals! Mercury may get into our body especially with drinking water, fish, flu shots or amalgam fillings. There are reasons to believe that toxic amalgam dental fillings often trigger MS-like symptoms due to their high content of toxic mercury which slowly poison the brain and nervous system. Daily Mail Online (24 Jul 2014) published a very interesting example of certain lady by the name Lizzie Parry who developed MS-like symptoms after receiving amalgam fillings and who recovered when they were removed:
“Maria Indermuhle had dental fillings three years ago, prior to getting married. Months later the Newlywed noticed ‘strange sensations’ in her legs. 18 months later she couldn’t walk, lost feeling in her hands, started losing her vision, suffered heart palpitations and was slurring her words. Doctors diagnosed Mrs Indermuhle with Multiple Sclerosis. Having researched her symptoms she found they were similar to those caused by mercury poisoning. A Swiss doctors tested her and claimed her body was riddled with the metal. She removed fillings, undertook drastic detox programme and is now well. Claims fillings caused poisoning but NHS Highland has not accepted liability. Scottish Government said the amalgam dental fillings – mixture of mercury, silver, tin and copper – are safe.
A woman diagnosed with MS after losing the ability to walk claims her symptoms were actually the result of mercury poisoning from dental fillings. Eighteen months after Maria Indermuhle had dental treatment, doctors told the 32-year-old she had the lifelong crippling illness multiple sclerosis. They warned the then 29-year-old the condition would leave her unable to walk and prepared her for a life on medication – crushing her dreams of becoming a mother. But Mrs Indermuhle, who is from Inverness but lives in Switzerland, is now back to full health, having had the fillings she claims were responsible, removed. Eighteen months after having mercury dental fillings, Maria Indermuhle, pictured with her husband Jacques, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She was unable to walk, and was suffering vision loss and weakness in her hands, but tests revealed the then 29-year-old had mercury poisoning Mrs Indermuhle said she has never been in contact with mercury, other than when she had the fillings fitted. NHS Scotland said amalgam fillings, which are made of mercury mixed with silver, copper and tin, are safe to use. The Scottish Government has paid more than £400,000 since 2008 to have thousands of the fillings removed from patients who have suffered an adverse reaction.
Mrs Indermuhle, who married her husband Jacques, 36, three years ago, left her home in Inverness for a new life in Switzerland. The 32-year-old said she ‘almost died’ and urged people with MS to check their symptoms are not the result of a similar poisoning. The interior designer said she wants to raise awareness of the similarity between the symptoms of mercury poisoning and MS, to help prevent other people going through the ordeal she endured. For a year, Mrs Indermuhle was in and out of hospital as doctors tried to establish what was wrong with her. In October 2012 she was diagnosed with MS. She said: ‘I was told MS was a progressive disease and that I would get sicker and I would have to inject myself with meds every day for the rest of my life and eventually be in a wheelchair. ‘I had a tearful weekend after that diagnosis. I was terrified. I felt completely alone, although my husband was great and very supportive.’ Three weeks before Mrs Indermuhle married her husband in Inverness, she had several mercury fillings inserted by an NHS dentist. She claims she immediately sensed something was wrong, tasting metal in her mouth straight after the treatment. ‘I brought this to the dentist’s attention but I was informed it was nothing to worry about,’ she said. ‘For six weeks after that, I couldn’t taste my food. ‘I arrived in Switzerland and I just got sicker and sicker. But I refused to believe that this was the end. I had only just married. ‘Then one day, I found the missing piece of the jigsaw. I discovered that mercury poisoning has the same symptoms as MS. ‘I found a doctor here in Switzerland who is a metal testing doctor. He did various tests and they came back confirming that my body was full of mercury. I did indeed have mercury poisoning.’ After contacting NHS Highland, Mrs Indermuhle received a letter expressing sympathy for her problems, but the health authority has not admitted responsibility. An NHS Highland spokesman, said: ‘We are very sorry that Mrs Indermuhle has experienced health problems and the impact it has had on her life. ‘The dental treatment she received was carried out under the NHS General Dental Services Scotland Regulations which recognise amalgam as the material of choice for posterior teeth. ‘We have been contacted by Mrs Indermuhle and have fully investigated and responded to her complaint. She has also been advised of the contact details for the Ombudsman should she remain unhappy with our complaint response.’ (source >)
In the 1800s the phrase ‘Mad Hatter’ originated after people realised hatters, who used mercury to process felt for hats, often suffered mental health issues. ‘Mercury poisoning has the same symptoms as MS, so maybe many men and woman are suffering like I was and it’s not MS at all, but mercury poisoning. ‘If anyone has MS, I would be asking myself the question, do they have mercury fillings and if so, get them out. ‘However, it’s crucial that mercury fillings are removed safely and that certain natural supplements are taken before the treatment. ‘And it’s not enough to just get the black fillings removed, you then have to do a big detox and this is best done with the help and support of a professional.’ The 32-year-old, who is considering pursuing a course at a holistic college in Edinburgh, said she and her husband’s plans to have children are now back on track. She said: ‘It’s now over three years since I got sick after my dentist appointment. ‘However, I have such a big awareness now of things I knew nothing about before. I eat differently and it’s now extremely important to me what I put in my body. ‘I am just so sorry I ever accepted having mercury amalgam fillings to be put in my mouth. If I had only known then what I know now. I have removed all my mercury fillings from my mouth. ‘I have done a big detox and haven’t touched any medications. It’s all been natural. All of those dreadful MS symptoms have gone. ‘There is no time I was ever exposed to mercury other than when I was at the dentist. ‘I live and love every day of my life more than I’ve ever done.’
Also watch: “Stacy Case, now an anchor for Fox WZTV in Nashville, emotionally tells an FDA town hall meeting in San Francisco in September 2011 how her health deteriorated after a dentist drilled out her mercury fillings and replaced them with more compounds containing the toxin. In 2008, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, disrupting her career. After her fillings were removed, she went into remission.” >
– IN ORDER TO DETOXIFY YOUR BODY FROM MERCURY TAKE HIGH DOSES OF CHLORELLA AND CHARCOAL!
READ MORE: CHLORELLA >, CHARCOAL >, AMALGAM FILLINGS >
– You must take Vitamin D3 because almost all people in the UK are deficient in Vitamin D! While using vitamin D3 supplements always remember to take also well absorbed magnesium (such as citrate) as vitamin D supplements lead to magnesium deficiency over time. If you can’t afford higher doses take at least 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day with meal. But since deficiency of this vitamin is so widespread (especially in the UK) it would be better to take 20,000 to 30,000 IU a day with meals with appropriate doses of magnesium. Children need lower doses of D3 of course. Another requirement for proper absorption of vitamin D is 200 mcg of Vitamin K2 MK-7 (Derived from Natural Natto) a day. Read more about vitamin D >
The most important way of obtaining vitamin D is of course through regular sun exposures during summer time between 10am and 2pm. Vitamin D has properties that defend against cell injury caused via free radicals and it affects detoxification pathways which are of importance in disc cell nutritional balance. Vitamin D also affects sensory neurons to modulate pain, influences neuron excitability and acts at the level of substantia gelatinosa and spinal ganglion in the process of sensory perception.
Since vitamin D supplements lead to magnesium deficiency, and because according to recent studies almost every in the UK person is now deficient not only in vitamin D but also magnesium, you must take 400 to 800mg of good quality magnesium every day.
– Magnesium citrate or another well absorbed magnesium: 2 times a day 200-400 mg between meals. The more vitamin D3 is used the more magnesium must be taken as D3 leads to magnesium deficiency.
Evidence is overwhelming that low levels of magnesium contribute to the heavy metal deposition in the brain that precedes multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s.
Magnesium and MS: Is Deficiency the Secret Cause? >
MS is simply caused by a magnesium deficiency >
– Good quality multivitamin-mineral formula (high in B vitamins): 1 tablet after breakfast. Please do not buy cheap formulas as their potency is very low and they contain only short list of inorganic ingredients. It must be a good quality formula such as Healthy Mega (HealthAid), VM75 (Solgar) or Special Two (NOW Foods) which are an excellent multi-vitamin and mineral formulas fortified with alfalfa powder, rutin, citrus bioflavonoids, bromelain, herbs, digestive enzymes and many other super nutrients. If your diet is very healthy and you stay away from refined foods, sugar and stimulants then take only 1/2 tablet after breakfast.
– Since Vitamin B complex (B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Folate) play very important role in dealing with ADHD I recommand getting B complex with a good quality multivitamin-mineral formula which is high in B vitamins. One of my favourite ones is Healthy Mega (HealthAid) as it is not only high in B vitamins and at the same time it contains zinc, selenium, herbs, digestive enzymes, micronutrients, and few super grasses. Compared with other popular formulas Healthy mega may contain even up to 60 times more vitamins per tablet!
Adults may take 1 tablet of Healthy Mega after breakfast, children 1/2 tablet (or less) crushed and mixed with juice after breakfast.
– Animal foods (all products that include meat and dairy) also greatly contribute to MS. Watch the video in which Dr Swank shares his ideas about link between animal diet and MS: VIDEO >
Responding to the above video, Alu Aluu wrote: “I had MS for 6 years. The day I cut out meat I never had a single MS attack. I have recently cut out eggs and dairy product and I have never in my life felt better. To any MS patients out there THIS WORKS!! Check out Dr John McDougall’s videos for more info on the recommended diet.”
There are reasons to believe that many MS sufferers developed the disease as a result of sensitivity to animal foods (meat and protein) especially animal fat and protein. The best proof that this idea might be true is the fact that many people recover from MS or at least greatly reduce the symptoms after switching to the healthy unrefined plant-based diet high in fresh vegetables and fruits.
There are reasons to believe that MS can be triggered by a specific allergic or abnormal reaction of the immune system to heated cow’s milk, all dairy products and gluten: “Diet is the most important factor to control the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. According to J.C. Ogilvie, “The key principle of coping with MS is to avoid foods containing gluten and dairy. It is believed that the consumption of these products (for people who are allergic) leads to the destruction of the myelin sheath” (J.C. Ogilvie, Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis).
– Bad lifestyle, unhealthy diet high in sugar, processed refined foods, nutritional deficiencies, artificial sweeteners, lack of exercise, stimulants, drugs, medication, and in particular excessive stress, depression and pessimism may lead to the oversensitivity of the immune system which changes it’s nature and starts attacking own body.
TREATMENT
Human body has an amazing natural ability to heal the damage caused by MS. For example, partial healing or regeneration occurs following each MS relapse. The inflammation causes oedema which results in swelling that compresses the myelin-coated axons and interferes with the transmission of nerve signals. As the inflammation and swelling disappear, and the relapse comes to an end, some of the axons begin to decompress and are able to function normally again. In addition, the myelin coating that has been damaged by the inflammation has some ability to regenerate. As long as the axon itself remains intact, the natural regeneration of myelin can smooth out the conduction of nerve impulses and result in some amount of improvement of symptoms. After the nerve fibre itself has been damaged, and scar tissue has formed, healing is much more difficult but it doesn’t mean it is impossible if you manage to implement all the principles and recommendations listed here.
NUTRITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
– Completely exclude meat, milk and all dairy products from your diet because they contain compounds which can initiate autoimmune response. Switch to a totally plant-based (vegan) unrefined diet eliminating the intake of all animal-based foods (dairy, meat products, and fish) as they contain too much protein, are packed with high-risk factors (cholesterol, triglycerides, dioxins, heavy metals, antibiotics, bacteria, virus, cancer cells, prions, etc.) and because they don’t contain fibre.
According to Professor Colin Campbell the author of the famous China Study, “The more you substitute plant foods for animal foods, the healthier you are likely to be.” The same scientist considers “veganism to be the ideal diet.”
If you only reduce the consumption of animal products you may not see the clear positive results and you definitely wont see them quickly which may lead to discouragement and resignation. However, when you decide to make radical changes in your diet and lifestyle and go on totally plant-based unrefined diet you will see the positive results much quicker and thus gain stronger motivation to keep on following this excellent nutritional approach.
Because careful analysis of past and present scientific research inspires every honest seeker of truth to conclude that the consumption of animal foods greatly increases the risk of most dangerous diseases (including MS) I’ve been always recommending a completely plant-based diet. However, if you feel like it would be too great a sacrifice for you to avoid all meat and dairy products, please don’t give up on all ideas presented in the pages to follow because you will still be able to reduce weight even if your diet will include moderate amounts of wisely chosen animal foods.
Nevertheless, I hope that after you carefully study the whole content of this book you will be strongly motivated and willing to make more radical changes in your diet and lifestyle, all the more since you don’t have to become a strict vegetarian overnight but you can change your diet gradually. And the most convenient way of doing it is not so much by removing all the unhealthy foods but rather by adding the high in fibre and nutrients plant products. In this way you will be gradually improving your diet and reducing the consumption of the low quality refined and high in fat and sugar processed foods. By following the instructions and recipes included in this book, you will significantly increase the percentage of high-nutrient foods and as a result you will start losing weight and will greatly improve your health as well as the physical and emotional well-being. At the same time you will reduce chances of developing serious diseases or even significantly increase probability of recovering in case you already suffer from one of them. However, if you, decide to make more radical changes in your diet and lifestyle you will see the positive results much quicker and thus gain stronger motivation to keep on following this excellent and optimal recovery plan.
Prairiepatch: “I was diagnosed with MS in 2000 and this option of diet was not even mumbled in my presence. I went on copaxone in 2006 and went off of it in 2010. Trouble with affording the stuff. I had a whopper of an exacerbation this year. Lost my vision, my hearing and could hardly walk. It was terrifying to say the least. Since then I discovered Dr. Roy Swank and his work and have been a low fat vegan for the last six months. I began to see improvement almost immediately. I have my sight back as well and my hearing and walking is much much improved, almost normal. I haven’t felt this good in years. What makes me angry is all of this could have been avoided if the diet was held out to me in the beginning.”
Maddcoop: “Just got off Avonex after 8 years. Tried Tecfidera Jan 2015. Broke out in hives. Stopped all MS drugs. I’m 45, eating lots more fruit & veggies, taking Vit D, Omega 3, tons of water….feeling GREAT….I need to get my hands on Swank book?”
I am aware that initially it might appear to you challenging or difficult to implement all those principles but please do not give up and try to repeatedly study the whole content of this recovery plan on a regular basis making sure you experience a systematic progress in practicing all the included principles. The more of them you manage to implement the better results you will see:
- Replenishing Glutathione (king of all antioxidants) is completely necessary for anyone suffering from MS. The best ways to increase glutathione is by going on a mostly raw vegan unrefined diet and taking supplements and herbal remedies: NAC, Alpha Lipoic acid, Turmeric, Chlorella, Methylcobalamin, Milk thistle, etc. An Italian group headed by Vince Calabrese found that GSH-peroxidase (Glutathione peroxidase) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients were consistently low. Their conclusion was that in MS, the fundamental activity of anti-oxidation is abnormal and that oxidative stress plays a causative role. Another study revealed that the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients was found to be almost entirely lacking in GSH. Researchers led by I. Singh at the University of South Carolina examined the fundamental tissue abnormality in multiple sclerosis. The actual myelin breakdown occurs to a large part because of the release of strong inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. These cytokines generate huge numbers of free radicals. Pre-treating neurological tissues with NAC (N-acetylcysteine) to raise glutathione levels protected these tissues from demyelination. Conversely, when GSH was chemically depleted, the demyelination grew worse.
- Avoid Amalgam (silver) fillings (remove if possible). Read more >
- Detoxify brain and body from Mercury, Fluoride, Lead, etc. using Vegatable juices, Charcoal, Milk thistle, Methylcobalamin, Tulsi tea, and especially Chlorella >
- Drink only Distilled or Filtered water (use Reverse osmosis filter) >
- Take Turmeric, Chlorella, Flaxseed (ground), and Gingko biloba
- Use Supplements: Vitamin B12 (Sublingual Methylcobalamin) >, Magnesium, B6 (P5P), B3, L-methylfolate, Zinc, Vitamin D3
- Take most powerful Antioxidants: NAC, Alpha Lipoic acid, Resveratrol
– Alpha lipoic acid: 2 times a day 250-300mg. Alpha lipoic acid has proven its ability to prevent oxidative stress caused by radicals and other factors in nerve tissue. It helps to maintain high glutathione levels which are found to be depleted in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Current research also reveals protective effects of alpha lipoic acid in neuropathy, excitotoxic amino acid brain injury, mitochondrial dysfunction, and other causes of damage to neural or brain tissue.
- Avoid: Statins, Flu vaccines, Drugs
- Treat Depression, Learn to control Stress, Think positive, Laugh
- Avoid meat, dairy, fish, eggs, sugar, refined foods, art. sweeteners
- Go on Hallelujah diet or plant-based unrefined diet (at least 50% raw)
- Take supplements with biotin. Like other B vitamins, biotin benefits the health of the nervous system, cognitive functions and mood, due to its role as a neurotransmitter. According to a French study high doses of biotin may help people with progressive form of multiple sclerosis (MS). One of the theories suggests this type of MS may be the result of a phenomenon called virtual hypoxia caused by a mismatch between increased energy demand by the damaged nerves and decreased energy production because of damage to the mitochondria (cell’s power stations). The mitochondria’s job is to generate energy for the nerve cells to function normally and biotin plays important role in this process. According to the results of the study over 90 % of patients given high doses of biotin experienced improvement. In another study high-dose biotin supplementation was effective in helping improve, and even stop progress of disability in patients with progressive and relapsing Multiple Sclerosis.
- Eat variety of raw sprouts
- Use only raw organic Coconut oil. For salad dressing use only cold pressed Olive oil, Flax oil
- Avoid all Stimulants (alcohol, smoking, caffeine, cannabis, drugs, etc.)
- Exercise every day
- Lose weight (reduce belly size)
- Treat Diabetes & Inflammatory diseases
- Padma 28 is a very effective natural remedy which consists of over 20 different herbs, as well as calcium. It mildly decreases (regulates) immune system activity which is very beneficial in autoimmune diseases. In addition Padma 28 produce some antioxidant effects. In Poland, a study conducted in the early 1990s found that 44% of people with MS who received treatment with Padma 28 saw clinical improvement in their disease”.
- Millions suffer from magnesium deficiency without even knowing it. Magnesium deficiency is often misdiagnosed because it does not show up in blood tests as only 1% of the body’s magnesium is stored in the blood. According to Dr. Norman Shealy, “Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient.” Dosage: Try to use a good quality magnesium of high bioavailability such as Magnesium citrate (powder by Viridian): 2 x 400mg 60 min before breakfast and about 1 – 3 hours before bed. If you take high doses of vitamin D3 you need 2 x 800mg (2 x 1 teaspoon). More facts about magnesium >
- Good quality multivitamin and mineral formula – 1 after breakfast or B complex (50 to 100mg each): 1 tab or caps after breakfast
- Vitamin B6: 50mg a day with meal
- Folate (Folic acid) – 400 mcg a day with meal
- Zinc: 15-30mg a day after meal
- Vitamin K2 MK-7 (derived from natural Natto): 200 mcg a day
- Omega 3 fats have been suggested by research to have a calming and anti-depressive effect on the nervous system enhancing brain health and mental well-being. Rich sources of Omega-3 are: flax oil, flax seeds (must be ground), soaked for 30 minutes or longer chia seeds, walnuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds.
- Good probiotic formula: with meals (2-3 x higher doses than recommended, for first month)
Acetyl-l-carnitine has significant therapeutic value in the treatment of neuropathic pain >
In addition, read carefully and do your best to implement all the principles and recommendations included in the HEALTH RECOVERY PLAN >
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Doctor Cures Her Multiple Sclerosis With Diet, Abandons Wheelchair (VIDEO) >
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
– Many patients say that it has observed an improvement after going on a gluten-free diet.
– Never use any animal fat and avoid also free plant fats such as refined oils or margarines.
Instead use only moderate amounts of cold pressed coconut oil, olive oil or flax seed oil. For cooking use only coconut oil as olive oils having low smoke point would produce free radicals being heated.
Apart from animal fats found in dairy and meat products also great majority of popular plat fats such as refined oils or margarines are very unhealthy and greatly contribute to the development of insulin resistance, cancer, fatigue, etc. Those bad plant fats include especially trans fats found in margarine and polyunsaturated fats found in the following oils: corn oil, sunflower oil, soy oil, etc. Because they all are high in Omega 6 pro-inflammatory fatty acids.
– Avoid foods containing refined sugar as it spoils your appetite, is more addictive than cocaine, weakens your immune system, and leads to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Sugar rots teeth, disrupts digestion, feeds anxiety and depression and attaches to collagen causing our skin to age, line and wrinkle prematurely. The more sugar you eat, the more your body has to make internal fat to wrap the sugar in and keep it away from your vital organs. However, sugar makes people not only fat and ugly but also depressed or aggressive as a result of causing nutritional deficiencies and overgrowth of Candida albicans which uses sugar to make dangerous brain-damaging neurotoxin acetaldehyde.
In case of sugar cravings take 2 x a day 1 tab of Bio-Chromium (Pharma Nord) as its bioavailability (absorption) is 10 times higher than that of regular chromium supplements. Apart from chromium also potassium is important to cope with sugar cravings. In order to have more potassium you need to consume about 7 cups of raw vegetable salad every day.
– If you tend to struggle with having a sweet tooth try to substitute the unhealthy products with fresh and dried fruits (dates, raisins, figs, prunes, etc.). If you miss traditional dairy ice creams, which are very unhealthy, make your own delicious and healthy ice creams by blending frozen bananas or other frozen fruits. You can experiment adding some raw honey (or sweeten the ice cream with xylitol or stevia), soya crème, lemon juice, plant-based milk, a little bit of carob powder, ground cashew or other nuts to improve the flavour.
– Don’t consume sweetened beverages and foods which are high in empty calories, refined sugar, white flour, and fat. Never use artificial sweeteners nor high glucose or high fructose syrup as they are more harmful than even refined sugar.
– Your vegan diet must include variety of unrefined plant products such as vegetables (mostly uncooked), fresh fruits, well-cooked legumes (pulses, beans), whole grains, and unroasted soaked overnight seeds and nuts.
– You can eat as much fresh and raw vegetables as you want (especially carrots, green leafy vegetables, and cabbage family), but if you prefer to cook them do it moderately or steam your vegetables. You will achieve much better results if your diet consists of at least 50% up to 85% of raw (uncooked) and unprocessed plant foods (especially raw vegetables and raw vegetable juices).
– Unrefined plant-based diet will lead to detoxification of the body and thus may result in some unpleasant symptoms such as headaches, nausea, rashes, pimples, diarrhoea or constipation, fatigue, etc. The healing process may also shortly increase pain or other symptoms which were felt in the diseased area of the body. If you experience these side effects, which are usually mild, don’t give up as they should disappear after a week or so and you will begin to feel much better than ever before.
– Include in your diet whole grain products, especially barley, millet, oats, buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth.
– Drink 2 glasses of cold-pressed vegetable juice (mostly carrots and green leafy vegetables) about 30 minutes before each meal, then start you meal with most healthy and nutritious foods.
– Avoid drinking fruit juices because they have high glycaemic index due to the fact that they are deprived of fibre and are high in sugar. Drinking fruit juices between meals will also cause stomach to release some digestive enzymes thus reducing their amounts during meals and impairing digestion.
– Make soaked overnight and cooked pulses (beans, lentils, chick peas, etc.) your best source of protein.
– Each day have a about a handful of one type of raw unsalted and unroasted soaked overnight nuts or seeds (ground sesame seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, etc.), changing them every day.
– Don’t eat overripe or unripe fruits, and avoid canned, fried, or frozen vegetables or fruits.
– It is better to not eat any sweet and flavoured yogurts (especially based on cow’s milk) because of fat and sugar content. Instead, from time to time have some unsweetened soy yogurt and mix it with sweet fruits, seeds (or nuts), oat bran or another good source of fibre, and add some raisins, dates, or a little bit of raw honey.
– Always eat good breakfast and avoid skipping it as otherwise you will be tempted to snack between meals and eat more in the evening which is unhealthy and dangerous because the metabolism at night slows down. Make breakfast the largest meal while supper the lightest.
– Try to have only two meals a day with the second one not later than 5:00 pm (if possible) remembering that any food consumed after 5 pm will tend to be stored as fat. If you must have the supper make it very light (only either vegetables or fruits). Vegetable juice would be the best option.
– Don’t eat between meals. If you are hungry warm water (or unsweetened herb teas) as it reduces appetite for about 30 minutes
– Never use refined salt but only Celtic salt (regarded as most healthy), Himalayan (pink, rock) salt or sea salt.
– Avoid stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine (in coffee, chocolate, green tea, cola drinks, etc.), theophylline (in tea) or and theobromine (in cacao and chocolate) because although they appear to give you a short time energy boost yet it is only a borrowed energy, which means sooner or later you will have to pay for it with the loss of energy. And, as soon as you feel exhausted you it will force you to use stimulants again and again thus causing a vicious circle and addiction. Apart from that stimulants also weaken your immune system and lead to nutritional deficiencies and may contribute to depression and other health problems.
Dr. John Minton of Ohio State University discovered that the primary causes of breast cancer in women are coffee, tea, colas and other caffeinated foods and drinks. Dr. Minton eliminated caffeine and theobromine (chocolate, cocoa) from the diet of women with breast lumps and gave them a diet that consisted primarily of organically-grown plant foods. As a result, pain, swelling and lumps disappeared within two to six months.
– Avoid overeating. In order to reduce appetite: Learn to control stress; Remember to drink 2 glasses of warm water between meals 3 times a day; 30 minutes before each meal drink 1 glass of cold pressed vegetable juice mixed with 1 or 2 teaspoons of spirulina or barley grass powder; Pray before each meal thanking God for the food and asking with faith for His strength to stop eating when you really should; Start each meal consuming big portion of fresh and raw vegetables; Always eat very slowly taking small bites and chewing food to a cream before swallowing. Doing this you will feel satisfied before eating too much.
– Avoid mayonnaise, pickled foods, vinegar, ketchup, mustard, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, pepper (black or red), cheese, soy sauce, baking powder, or refined salt, because they tend to stimulate appetite and irritate the stomach and nervous system.
– Do not keep any junk refined foods at home as the accessibility to junk food encourage people to eat it.
– Fast one day each week from breakfast to breakfast, or skip one or two meals (not breakfast) one day a week as it will allow your digestive organs to rest and improve their functioning.
– Avoid eating fruits and vegetables at the same meal as it may lead to fermentation.
– Include uncooked carrots, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cauliflowers and other vegetables in your diet as they are low in calories, but high in fibre and essential nutrients. In this way your body will stop craving for more food in between meals as it will have enough nutrients. Raw cabbage reduces the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat.
– Never fry your foods but cook or bake them without oil.
– Instead of microwave use halogen oven.
– If possible and needed in your case try to include some of the most effective natural remedies, herbs, and supplements such as: Alpha-lipoic acid, Acetyl L-carnitine, NAC, Moringa, Charcoal, Green clay, Bee pollen, Bee propolis, Cat’s Claw, Pau d’Arco, Turmeric, Evening primrose oil, Hawthorn, Coenzyme Q10, Rhodiola, MSM (sulphur), Devil’s claw, Oat bran, Aloe vera, Noni juice, Goji berries, etc. Contact us if you are not sure which one to use in your case.
– Sleep 7 to 9 hours each night and go to bed before 10 pm because the more you sleep before midnight the more efficient your rest will be.
DRINKING WATER
– Drink 3 times a day 2 or 3 glasses of distilled (or at least filtered) water about 30 to 60 minutes before each meal or about 2 hours after. During hot days you need even more. Your urine should be transparent, if it is yellow it means you don’t drink enough water.
SOFT VS HARD WATER
The water you drink should be as low in minerals as possible (soft water) because minerals in water are inorganic and are not beneficial but harmful, especially calcium carbonate which contributes to kidney stones, heart attacks, arthritis or constipation. For this reason the best water to drink is distilled water as it is free from calcium and other inorganic minerals as well as all contaminants.
BOTTLED VS TAP WATER
Unfortunately, tap water is polluted with chlorine, fluoride, estradiol and all sort of other harmful contaminants. Here is the recent evidence how dangerous both tap and bottled water can be today: “A powerful form of oestrogen called oestradiol (100 times more powerful than natural oestrogens) is causing half the male fish in our (UK) rivers to change sex, research shows! Experts believe the hormone can get into drinking water and affect men’s hormones.”
The bottled water, on the other hand, is contaminated with bisphenols and tens of thousands of other dangerous chemicals found in plastic. For example, BPA and BPS and all the rest of bisphenols (there are about 15 of them) contribute to hormonal imbalance, cancer and many other health problems. Please keep in mind that it’s not only bottled water which is contaminated with bisphenols but also canned foods as they are often lined with BPA-contained plastic. Apart from that, toilet paper and thermally printed receipts contain the same chemical. When we touch receipts and eat food with unwashed fingers the traces of bisphenols get into our body too.
WATER FILTERS
Since water is so contaminated today make sure you filter both tap and bottled water using at least inexpensive carbon (charcoal) water filters. But if possible do your best to buy water distiller and drink distilled water (which is the best and most economical way to filter water) or if you still prefer filtered water install (under sink) a very effective reverse osmosis filter which includes carbon filter, reverse osmosis filter, alkaline filter and other elements which greatly improve the quality of tap water removing as much as 95 to 99% of contaminants found in water.
Make sure that the reverse osmosis filter is at least 6-stage and that it also includes the carbon (charcoal) and alkaline filters. A good example can be not so expensive Puricom Proline Plus 6-Stage Pumped Reverse Osmosis System with Alkaline Filter. But in order to find best filter which you can afford I would recommend spending more time to investigate this subject.
DISTILLED WATER
The best way to obtain safe drinking water is distillation. I believe this method is even better than reverse osmosis because it not only removes all contaminants but also all dangerous inorganic minerals from water. In addition, water distillers are not expensive (I bought mine for only £50), easier to use and more economic. Distillation is most effective because it removes the water from the contaminants, rather than trying to remove the contaminants from the water.
During distillation process water is boiled and evaporates (turns to steam). The boiling kills all bacteria, virus, parasite, and pathogens, and as the steam rises, it leaves behind waste material, useless and harmful inorganic minerals such as calcium, oestradiol, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, organic and inorganic chemicals, radioactive chemicals and other heavier contaminants. The steam is then cooled and becomes water again.
According to Dr. Allen Banik, “Distilled water is the greatest solvent on earth. It is the only water that can be taken into the body without damage to the tissues. What we as scientists and the public have never realized is that minerals collected in the body from water are all inorganic minerals, which cannot be assimilated by the body. The only minerals that the body can utilize are the organic minerals (from fruits and vegetables). All other types of minerals are foreign substances to the body and must be disposed of or eliminated. Today, many progressive doctors prescribe distilled water to their patients. All kidney machines operate on distilled water.” – Allen E. Banik, M.D., “The Choice is Clear”
Dr. Paul Bragg: “The greatest damage done by inorganic minerals (hard water)—plus waxy cholesterol and salt—is to the small arteries and other blood vessels of the brain (75% water). Hardening of the arteries and calcification of blood vessels starts on the day you start taking inorganic chemicals and minerals from tap water into our bodies. When distilled water enters the body, it leaves no residue of any kind. It is free of salts and sodium. It is the most perfect water for the healthy functioning of the kidneys (83% water). It is the perfect liquid for the blood (83% water), the ideal liquid for the efficient functioning of the lungs (86% water), stomach, liver (85% water) and other vital organs. Why? Because it is free of all inorganic minerals. It is so pure that all liquid drug prescriptions are formulated with distilled water.” Dr. Paul Bragg, N.D. Ph.T., “The Shocking Truth About Water”
Here is what Dr. James Balch: “There is only one water, and that is clean, steam distilled water. No other substance on our planet does so much to keep us healthy and get us well as water does.”
Dr. Teofilio de la Torre: “Instead of drinking the hard water of springs or the chlorinated water of the cities, it will be to our advantage to drink distilled water to prevent calcification of the body.”
Dr. Charles McFerrin: “Distilled water is ’empty’ water – a hungry water, a water capable of absorbing body poisons. You have had the experience of trying to use an old post office blotter on the desk. Everybody had used it and it is so full of ink that it will not suck up any more. So it is with a ‘full’ water, a water full of chlorine, aluminium, etc. Such water does not have the capacity of absorbing body impurities.” —Dr. Charles McFerrin, July 1955 issue of Nature’s Path.
Examples of inexpensive water distillers >
In addition you only need to buy a set of cheap small carbon filters as they need to be replaced evry two months.
Read more about DISTILLED WATER >
EXERCISE
– In order to enable the healthy plant-based mostly raw diet to be more effectively used by your body you need to exercise on a regular basis. It doesn’t mean that without exercising this diet wouldn’t work as you will see the results even if you don’t want or can’t exercise, but if you do include this very important element it will greatly increases the effectiveness of the whole program.
As soon as you wake up in the morning, remember to drink 2-3 glasses of water and then exercise for at least 30-60 minutes. Brisk walking outside is the best exercise. If the weather is not good you can exercise at home using mate, treadmill, exercise bike, Xbox Kinect games, etc. But please remember that aerobic exercises (outside in the open air) are the best. You need a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity four to five times a week.
If you suffer from different heart conditions you shouldn’t start with energetic exercise routine. In this case you need to change the diet first, keep in touch with your physician, continue taking your prescribed medication, and after some time start from short distance and slow walking routine, gradually and carefully increasing the pace and distance every day. Only when you see positive changes in your health you can start slowly reducing the medication as otherwise it will cause negative side effects.
MOTIVATION AND EMPOWERMENT
– Please read carefully the most important section of this website titled the “GOSPEL OF FREEDOM” and also the “MOTIVATION and EMPOWERMENT“. It reveals the secret of finding the only source of true inward peace which “surpasses all knowledge”.
Combined with true faith this message will lead you to freedom from negative emotions such as anxiety or existential fears (one of the key sources of deadly free radicals). It will empower you with moral strength necessary to overcome long-cultivated bad habits or addictions often impossible to defeat on our own. This unique and most wonderful good news of the gospel will give you a powerful motivation to not only practice but also enjoy your new and very healthy way of life.
HYDROTHERAPY (WATER TREATMENTS)
Alternative (contrast) hot and cold showers will give a tremendous boost to the blood circulation, improve metabolism, the elimination of toxins, and stimulate both the nervous and the immune system.
Always start with hot shower and after about 3 – 5 minutes when your body is warm enough take a 3 – 5 min cold shower slowly reducing the temperature until it is really cold. After that, repeat this procedure alternating the flow of water from hot to cold, back and forth 3-5 times in a row. You can also start the whole treatment with hot shower followed by prolonged cold bath.
Cold water stimulates blood to flow toward the internal organs whereas the hot water directs blood toward the skin. Hot water enlarges blood vessels while cold water causes them to shrink. Therefore, the alternating hot and cold makes the circulation move in and out like an accordion. This has the effect of increasing the rate of detoxification and moving nutrients more readily to various parts of the body. Hot and cold showers can be taken 1 to 2 times a day.
The cold shower or bath, which is even more beneficial than hot, will not harm you if you precede it with good hot shower. Cold water by cooling our body forces it to burn more calories by activating the brown fat which boosts fat burning. Brown fat can play a very important role in controlling body weight because it is a heat-generating type of fat which burns energy instead of storing it. Although it is called “fat” it actually works more like a muscle than fat.
Apart from cold also hot treatments such as sauna can be beneficial in treating inflammations, infectious diseases, skin problems, poor blood circulation, obesity, etc. as it boosts immune system and helps in eliminating toxins from our body. In addition it is also effective in removing excess fat which can be explained by the fact that fats become water-soluble when they are exposed to the temperature higher than 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) thus forcing the body to eliminate the excess fat together with water during the process of sweating triggered by sauna or another prolonged hot treatment such as hot foot bath, hot shower, etc.
Sauna is recommend especially after exercising.
If your main goal is to lose more fat it is suggested that you should drink a lot of water (1 to 2 litres) about 30 to 60 minutes before sauna and 30 minutes after but not during the time you stay in sauna.
Also remember that although sauna or other hot treatments can be beneficial and help to lose weight it must be frequently interrupted with cold showers. Apart from that, during any prolonged hot treatment a cold compress on the forehead and neck should be applied constantly.
If you experience any health problems please consult the use of sauna and other prolonged hot or cold treatments with your physician.
Find out more about HYDROTHERAPY >
© 2016 Slawomir Gromadzki – All Rights Reserved
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Nutrition Instead of Drugs to Treat Autoimmune Diseases
By Dr Joel Fuhrman
According to the National Institutes of Health, autoimmune diseases affect 23.5 million Americans, and the prevalence is rising. Autoimmune diseases are one of the top ten leading causes of death for women under the age of 64. The direct costs of autoimmune diseases are estimated to be around $100 billion per year.1
Unfortunately, the most common methods of treating autoimmune diseases are fraught with serious side effects:
Rheumatologists commonly prescribe immunosuppressive drugs for patients with autoimmune diseases. These drugs decrease the immune response by damaging the immune system itself. When the immune system is suppressed, the body is much more susceptible to other infections and cannot repair damaged tissue.
Cytotoxic (toxic to cells) and chemotherapeutic agents are the active part of immunosuppressive drugs, and this treatment is similar to undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. These cytotoxic agents are potentially dangerous – for example, the FDA has issued a warning for Remicide, a drug commonly used to treat autoimmune disorders, linking it with an increased risk of lymphoma, leukopenia, and opportunistic infections with fatal outcomes.2
Immunosuppressive drugs greatly increase cancer risk. A 10-year study of patients undergoing immunosuppressive drug treatment found that the patients had a 400% increase in cancer risk.3
Drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis are also strongly associated with a wide spectrum of hepatotoxic effects and drug-induced liver disease.4
Fortunately, numerous studies have shown proper nutrition to be an effective and safe treatment for autoimmune diseases. 5,6,7,8,9 Proper nutrition removes toxins while simultaneously providing nutrients that normalize malfunctioning immune responses. Also s fasting is an effective adjunct to a high nutrient diet for autoimmune sufferers. I previously reported numerous case studies documenting the contribution of fasting to remission of autoimmune disease in published case reports.10 Autoimmune diseases, similar to cancer and heart disease, are primarily a result of inadequate early-life nutrition. While it is always preferable to prevent these diseases through diet in the first place, recovery through proper nutrition and intermittent fasting is possible in most cases.
By transitioning to a high nutrient plant-based diet and uncovering hidden food sensitivities, many of my patients who once suffered from autoimmune diseases have made significant improvements or have recovered and are free of illness as well as toxic side effects of the drugs. Read about Laurie’s freedom from MS flare-ups; and many more stories of people who overcame autoimmune diseases with a high nutrient diet. Forfurther information, read my Position Paper on the Nutritional Care of Autoimmune Diseases.
Autoimmune Disease Success Stories >
Diet and Multiple Sclerosis
By John A. McDougall, M.D.
Multiple sclerosis is common in Canada, the United States, Northern Europe; it is rare in Japan, elsewhere in Asia, and in Africa.
When people migrate from a country of low incidence of multiple sclerosis to a country of high incidence, their chance of getting this disease increases as they learn new ways to live and to eat.
countries with lots of cases of multiple sclerosis are also wealthy countries. An exception is the wealthy country of Japan. But there is an explanation for this: even though the Japanese have money, stress, pollution, and the smoking habits characteristic of people in other industrialized nations, their traditional rice-based diet is more characteristic of the foods consumed in poorer nations.
A diet filled with rich foods assails us with many different substances that may be related to diseases that trouble us, but the animal fats, especially those from dairy products, have been most closely linked to the development of multiple sclerosis. One important theory proposes that cow’s milk consumed in infancy lays the foundation for injuries to the nervous system that appear later in life. Cow’s milk contains one fifth as much of an essential fat, called linoleic acid, as does human mother’s milk. This essential dietary-derived substance helps to make up some of the chemical components in nervous tissues. Children raised on a linoleic acid-deficient, high-animal fat diet, as are most kids in our modern affluent society, quite possibly starting life with a damaged nervous system, susceptible to insults and injuries in later life.
Analysis of brain tissues has shown that persons with multiple sclerosis have a higher content of saturated fats than do people who do not have this disease.
The factors that can precipitate the attacks of multiple sclerosis in mid-life are suspected to be viruses, or allergic reactions, and/or disturbances of the flow of blood to the brain.
Most likely, whatever factor may be involved, there is a close tie to the circulatory system, because the areas of injury sustained by the nerve cells surround blood vessels.
One theory holds that the primary injury to a person with multiple sclerosis is caused by a decrease in the supply of blood to tissues in certain parts of the brain. Dietary fats in the amounts consumed by Americans can and do cause a decrease in flow of blood to many kinds of tissues, including those in the brain. Fats from the gut enter the blood stream, coat the red blood cells, and thereby inhibit the normal property of their membranes that keep the cells from sticking together. Therefore, blood cells coated with fats do stick together, forming clumps that slow the flow of blood to vital tissues. In many blood vessels the clumping and sludging become so severe that the flow of blood stops entirely, and the overall oxygen content of the blood falls. Tissues deprived of nutrients and oxygen for even short periods of time will die. Could something as basic as this be a factor in the attacks that destroy nerve cells in victims of multiple sclerosis?
A low fat diet reduces frequency of attacks. During World War II civilian people in Western Europe were under tremendous stress, as their countries were occupied by one enemy or another, yet doctors observed that patients with multiple sclerosis needed 2 to 2 1/2 times fewer hospitalizations during this war period. At that time all kinds of foods were scarce, and the civil populations could no longer afford to eat their meat-producing animals. Instead, they ate the grains and vegetables that earlier had nourished their cows, chickens, and pigs. The overall result was a significant reduction in the amounts of animal products they ate, and, therefore, in the amounts of animal fats they consumed.
Following publication of these observations about improvement in the well-being of multiple sclerosis patients (as well as of patients suffering from other diseases; such as atherosclerosis), Dr. Roy Swank, former head of the University of Oregon’s Department of Neurology and presently a practicing physician at the Health Science Center of the University of Oregon, began treating his patients with a low-fat diet. Dr. Swank can draw now upon more than thirty-five years of experience in the use of a low fat diet for more than three thousand multiple sclerosis patients. His results are unchallenged by other studies, and unmatched in effectiveness by any other treatment for this crippling disease.
The course of this disease usually leads to a progressive decline in the patient, reducing him to existence in a wheelchair (or worse) likely by the end of 10 years. However, according to his landmark research published in the Archives of Neurology, Dr. Swank reports that if this disease is detected early, and if attacks have been few and the patient adopts a low-fat diet, then he has a 95% chance of remaining in the the same condition, or even for improvement over the next 20 years. Even people who have had multiple sclerosis for a long time, and have already suffered severe neural damage, will slow its progress with a change to the low-fat diet.
The healthiest diet is based on low-fat vegetable foods. In recently published research in the December 1988 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Swank presented data, from patients studied for more than 34 years, showing the importance of strict dietary practices for multiple sclerosis patients. First, he and his colleagues found that every incremental increase in intake of saturated fats (that is animal fat) is associated with a corresponding increase in frequency of attacks.
Second, to arrest the disease the diet must contain as little fat as possible, or approximately 7% fat. Those on a low fat (17 g) diet lived almost 3 times as long and generally improved their level of function. On a high fat diet (42g) the average patient went from active to wheel chair and bed ridden (or dead) over the three and a half decades of study.
A diet consisting of starches, vegetables and fruits contains only 5 to 10% total fats, and less than half of this amount is represented by the saturated fats.
Dr. Swank has added a small amount of vegetable oil (polyunsaturated) to his diet, hoping that the poly-unsaturated fats may make the diet more palatable, if not more helpful. However, studies that simply added oils high in essential fats, such as linoleic acid, to the diet have shown conflicting results concerning any benefit. Therefore, I believe the low-fat content of his diet (not the added vegetable oil) is the explanation for his successful treatment of people with multiple sclerosis. Dr. Swank himself also inclines toward the view that the lowest level of saturated (animal) fats is the critical issue.
Furthermore, other health reasons prevent me from adding vegetable oils to a person’s diet. At the very least, these oils contribute calories that may lead to obesity, and, at worst, they may promote cancer and gallbladder disease.
READ MORE ON MS BY DR MCDOUGALL >
The Multiple Sclerosis and Diet Saga >
Dr. McDougall Interview with Dr. Roy Swank, MD
Dr. Roy Swank, MD
Dr. Roy Swank, MD is the founder of the Low Fat Diet treatment for multiple sclerosis. Dr. Swank served as the head of the Division of Neurology of the University of Oregon Medical School (Oregon Health & Science University) for 22 years, and has published many papers in the most respected scientific journals on this subject. The following is a transcript of an interview with Dr. Swank conducted by John McDougall in 1998:
John McDougall (JM): Dr. Swank, most of us have heard of MS; could you give us a rundown on what the life of a person with MS is like?
Swank: These people are all energetic before they get the disease–they are driven people, always wanting to be busy. Once they get the disease they can’t be that active. So fatigue becomes a very important symptom. Then they begin to have neurologic symptoms, with repeated exacerbations, until they become quite disabled. They may have double vision or blindness at one time or another. They may lose control of their bladder, arm or leg. There is usually a partial recovery from these attacks, but they reoccur and become more severe. Soon patients have difficulty walking, they lose their balance and become clumsy; they have numbness and tingling, and sometimes burning. These things continue on and the course is steadily downhill. At about 10 to 15 years they often end up confined to a bed or wheelchair. Because of the disability and fatigue, they lead a very frustrated life. Patients go from a cane to a wheelchair to bedridden. Only about 5 to 10% of patients have a milder type of disease that does not result in this 0gloomy future.
JM: Forty years ago you figured out that MS was caused by food. How did you reach this conclusion?
Swank: At that time doctors thought MS had something to do with geography, because as you got further away from the equator the disease became more common. Scientists thought it might be due to magnetic fields, but I reasoned it could be a matter of food. The further north you go, the less vegetarian people become, and the more carnivorous they are.
Looking at the literature and going over the United Nations food intake throughout the world after WW II, it was quite obvious that multiple sclerosis and heart disease both occurred in areas where large amounts of saturated (animal) fat were consumed. It was surprising to find that those populations with a high incidence of MS were those who consumed more than 100 grams of fat a day; where the disease was uncommon they consumed less than 50 grams of fat a day. For example, there was no MS in the Orient. I soon discovered that during World War II people in Western Europe, when food was scarce, had less MS and fewer attacks if they already had the disease. People living in prison camps during the war had no MS, but when they got out and returned to meats and dairy products they starting developing MS.
At one point we did a survey in Norway, which showed a high incidence of the disease in the small dairy farming areas in the mountains where the fat intake was very, very high. Along the coastal fishing villages, the saturated fat intake was very low, and they had very few cases of multiple sclerosis. When you compared the two areas there were eight times as many MS cases in those mountainous, high-saturated-fat consuming areas than along the coast where they were primarily fishermen.
JM: Some of your early work showed the effects of fat on circulation.
Swank: We found a heavy-fat diet caused changes in circulation. After a typical, high-fat American meal red blood cells become very sticky and would bind to one another. About three hours after a meal they aggregated together to form clumps. And these clumps are large enough and tough enough so they can obstruct circulation in small capillaries throughout the body. We have also seen these changes in animals after feeding them a high-fat diet, and we also found a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier in these animals. I think this kind of injury results in the perivascular lesions (damage around blood vessels classically seen in MS) that are typical of MS.
JM: How did you start treating patients with MS with a low-fat diet?
Swank: We started treating patients at the Montreal Neurological Institute where we did studies comparing people on low-fat diets and high-fat diets. In our initial study of 25 patients, six did not go on the diet and, of these, five soon died, but of the 20 that went on the diet, only one died and the other 19 remained exactly the same as when they started, in other words no disability after 35 years (This was published in the Lancet1 in 1990).
At the University of Oregon, we found that patients who adopted a very low-fat diet, following an early diagnosis of MS, had a 95% chance of remaining free from further disability. When we compared our patients, after 35 years; the group who strictly followed a low-fat diet had a death rate of 31%. They not only avoided death from MS, but also death from heart and other diseases. Those who followed a high-fat diet had a death rate of about 80%.
But, they have to follow the diet strictly because even small amounts of fat make a big difference. In the study we published in the Lancet in 1990, we found that a difference of eight grams of saturated fat intake daily resulted in a threefold increased chance of dying from multiple sclerosis.1 (That means daily consumption of as little as one ounce of pork sausage at 10 grams, one medium cooked hamburger at 14 grams, an additional three ounces of porterhouse steak, or 2 ounces of cheddar cheese at 12 grams, significantly increases the risk for victims of MS.)
JM: You must have had people charging your doorstep, scientists from all over the world wanting to know about this wonderful low-fat diet treatment. The MS Society must be bending over backwards to tell people about your miraculous accomplishments.
Swank: Not really. You know, most people in this country expect to be cured by a pill, and have a cure that is almost instantaneous. With the low-fat diet, the people actually have to work to get better, and have to cure themselves. And as far as the MS Society, John, they don’t mention it because they didn’t discover it. It wasn’t their research dollars that found this treatment. So they’re not going to tell anybody. I discovered it in my small office here, in the basement of the University of Oregon Medical School.
JM: Was there any interest at all in diet back in the 1940s and 50s?
Swank: No, I was more or less considered a quack. I wondered why doctors felt this way. I think one of the reasons was economics. It doesn’t cost much to eat well and take care of yourself with a highly vegetarian diet. I was originally brought on board at the University of Oregon because of my interest in fats. The cardiologists felt there was some value in this.
JM: What does the Swank Diet consist of?
Swank: Most importantly it is a very low-fat diet. We use a little bit of animal protein in the form of skim milk, egg whites, fish, and the white meat of turkey and chicken. Otherwise, it is a low-fat vegetarian diet. We have found over the years that the vegetable oils can be added, from 10 to 30 grams a day, unless one is overweight.
JM: What do you think about adding vegetable oils to your diet?
Swank: Well, I think it’s worthwhile. We have looked at this over a number of years, and have found that the skin and the hair seem better in women. There is also some reserve of calories for energy. Best of all, however, is the fact that the patients can follow the diet more easily if they can have some oil. It makes it more palatable for them.
JM: Would you get upset at them if they decided they wanted to avoid the oil because they were too fat?
Swank: No. I vary the oil for that particular reason. If they are too heavy I cut back on the oil, and we absolutely cut out all saturated fats. We only allow about 10 grams of saturated fats, and that’s about as low as we can get it.
JM: Are there other things an MS patient should do?
Swank: Exercise, but don’t exercise to the point where you tire yourself out, and take a nap, one hour at least around the middle of the day. That is very helpful. The fatigue is sometimes so great that it is more disabling than the neurological problems. We see this fatigue lessen on a low-fat diet. Every month, patients will be able to increase the amount of exercise they can do.
JM: You are now 90; what are you going to do for the next 15 to 20 years?
Swank: I’m just going to hang in there. I just love seeing people in my office. I only work part time. But I love to work with healthy people who are so enthusiastic. (Dr. Swank retired at age 91 in the year 2000. He is now living with his wife outside of Portland, OR and still consults informally with some of his former patients.)
SUMMERY
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive neurologic disease found in genetically susceptible people. An estimated 250,000 to 350,000 people are affected with MS in the USA. This disease develops between the ages of twenty and fifty, and is characterized by recurrent attacks on the nervous system. After 10 years, even with the best treatment modern medicine can offer, half will develop progressive MS, and will require some form of walking aid within 15 years following the onset of MS – and mortality is increased four-fold over the general population in patients with advanced disability.5 Therefore, any person suspected of having multiple sclerosis should consider this a very life-threatening disease and look into all reasonable possibilities to arrest its progress.
Worldwide, the incidence of multiple sclerosis crosses all racial barriers and geographical boundaries, and is common in Canada, the United States and northern Europe. However, it is rare in Africa, Japan, and other Asian countries. This difference most likely reflects the richness of the population’s diet. Scientists have found a very strong positive correlation when consumption of cow’s milk is compared with the incidence of MS worldwide.6,7
One theory proposes that cow’s milk consumed in infancy lays the foundation for injuries to the nervous system that appear later in life.8 Cow’s milk contains one fifth as much of an essential fat, called linoleic acid, as does human mother’s milk. Children raised on a linoleic acid-deficient, high-animal fat diet – as are most kids in our modern affluent society – are quite possibly starting life out with a damaged nervous system, susceptible to insults and injuries in later life. The possible sources of injury that can precipitate the attacks of multiple sclerosis in mid-life are suspected to be viruses, allergic reactions, and/or disturbances of the flow of blood to the brain caused by a high fat diet.
Another theory proposes an autoimmune basis for this disease. MS has much in common with autoimmune type 1 diabetes mellitus, including nearly-identical ethnic and geographic distribution, and genetic factors.9,10 The damage to the nervous system may occur through a process known as molecular mimicry. In susceptible people, cow’s milk protein may enter the bloodstream from the intestine. The body recognizes this as a foreign protein, like a virus or bacteria, and makes antibodies to it. Unfortunately, these antibodies are not specific only to the cow’s milk protein and they find similar proteins in the nervous system (the myelin). The antibodies attach to these tissues and destroy them. In the case of diabetes, the antibodies looking for cow’s milk protein attack the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas (See the July 2002 McDougall Newsletter). These kinds of diseases are known collectively as autoimmune diseases and include rheumatoid arthritis, nephritis (kidney disease), lupus, arteritis (artery disease) and many other common diseases.
Therefore, people seeking to effectively treat MS and wanting to avoid progression of their disease need to eat a healthy, low-fat, plant-based diet as recommended by Dr. Swank. Considering recent evidence, strict avoidance of all animal proteins, especially dairy proteins, is also very important.
Comment
“When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) the neurologist told me that it was not a death sentence. Out of his 108 patients who have been diagnosed with MS, only five or six are in wheelchairs. I told him that I will not be in a wheelchair, it was not an option. I then started taking copaxone and, after the sixth day, decided it was not the right thing to do. I started to research if there any alternative treatments. I learned about Dr. Fuhrman and made an appointment. On my first visit Dr. Fuhrman told me that MS is not a problem and we could handle it. My wife broke down in tears. He explained what I needed to know, gave me a diet to follow, and I was on my way. I have only had one follow up visit with him because I have steadily improved, no more numbness when I bend my neck, no more touching cold things on my legs and feeling like they are hot. I have absolutely no symptoms. Since then, I have sent many people to Dr Fuhrman, some with MS, some with lupus and they all are doing better… Thank you!” Mark
Autoimmune Diseases (Chapter 9 from the book “China Study”
By T. Colin Campbell)
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a particularly difficult autoimmune disease, both for those who have it and for those who care for its victims. It is a lifelong battle involving a variety of unpredictable and serious disabilities. MS patients often pass through episodes of acute attacks while gradually losing their ability to walk or to see. After ten to fifteen years, they often are confined to a wheelchair, and then to a bed for the rest of their lives. About 400,000 people in the U.S. alone have the disease, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.39 It is a disease that is initially diagnosed between twenty and forty years of age and strikes women about three times more often than men. Even though there is widespread medical and scientific interest in this disease, most authorities claim to know very little about causes or cures. Major multiple sclerosis Internet Web sites all claim that the disease is an enigma. They generally list genetics, viruses and environ-mental factors as possibly playing roles in the development of this dis-ease but pay almost no heed to a possible role for diet. This is peculiar considering the wealth of intriguing information on the effects of food that is available from reputable research reports. Once again cow’s milk appears to play an important role. The “multiple” symptoms of this disease represent a nervous system gone awry. The electrical signals carrying messages to and from the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and out through the peripheral nervous system to the rest of the body are not well coordinated l and controlled. This is because the insulating cover or sheath of the nerve fibers, the myelin, is being destroyed by an autoimmune reaction. Think of what would happen to your household wiring if the electrical insulation became thin or was stripped away, leaving bare wires. The electrical Signals would be short-circuited. That is what happens with MS; the wayward electrical signals may destroy cells and “burn” patches of neighboring tissue, leaVing little scars or bits of sclerotic tissue. These “burns” can become serious and ultimately destroy the body. The initial research showing an effect of diet on MS goes back more than half a century to the research of Dr.
Roy Swank, who began his work in Norway and at the Montreal Neurological Institute during the 1940s. Later, Dr. Swank headed the Division of Neurology at the University of Oregon Medical Schoo1.43 Dr. Swank became interested in the dietary connection when he learned that MS appeared to be more common in the northern climates. There is a huge difference in MS prevalence as one moves away from the equator: MS is over 100 times more prevalent in the far north than at the equator,l° and seven times more prevalent in south Australia (closer to the South Pole) than in north Australia.44 This distribution is very similar to the distribution of other autoimmune diseases, including Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. 45,46 Although some scientists speculated that magnetic fields might be responsible for the disease, Dr. Swank thought it was diet, especially animal-based foods high in saturated fats.43 He found that inland dairy-consuming areas of Norway had higher rates of MS than coastal fish-consuming areas.
Dr. Swank conducted his best-known trial on 144 MS patients recruited from the Montreal Neurological Institute. He kept records on these patients for the next thirty-four years Y He advised his patients to consume a diet low in saturated fat, most of whom did, but many of whom did not. He then classified them as good dieters or poor dieters, based on whether they consumed less than 20 gl day or more than 20 gl day of saturated fat. (For comparison, a bacon cheeseburger with condiments has about sixteen grams of saturated fat. One small frozen chicken pot pie has almost ten grams of saturated fat.) As the study continued, Dr. Swank found that progression of disease was greatly reduced by the low-saturated fat diet, which worked even for people with initially advanced conditions. He summarized his work in 1990, concluding that for the sub-group of patients who began the low-saturated fat diet during the earlier stages of their disease, “about 95% .. . remained only mildly disabled for approximately thirty years. “Only 5% of these patients died. In contrast, 80% of the patients with early-stage MS who consumed the “poor” diet (higher saturated fat) died of MS. The results from all 144 patients, including those who started the diet at a later stage of disease, are shown in Chart 9.4. This work is remarkable. To follow people for thirty-four years is an exceptional demonstration of perseverance and dedication. Moreover, if this were a study testing a potential drug, these findings would make any pharmaceutical manufacturer jingle the coins in his or her pocket. Swank’s first results were published more than a half century ago, then again and again and again47 for the next forty years. More recently, additional studies have confirmed and extended Swank’s observations and gradually have begun to place more emphasis on cow’s milk. These new studies show that consuming cow’s milk is strongly linked to MS both when comparing different countries52 and when comparing states within the U.S.51 Chart 9.5, published by French researchers, compares the consumption of cow’s milk with MS for twenty-six populations in twenty-four countries. 52 This relationship, which is virtually identical to that for Type 1 diabetes, is remarkable, and it is not due to variables such as the avail-ability of medical services or geographic latitude. 51 In some studies researchers suggest this strong correlation with fresh cow’s milk might ci.. be due to the presence of a virus in the milk. These more recent studies also suggest that saturated fat alone probably was not fully responsible for Swank’s results. The consumption of meat high in saturated fat, like milk, was also associated with MS in these multi-country studies,54 while the consumption of fish, containing more omega-3 fat, was associated with low rates of disease. S5 The association of cow’s milk with MS, shown in Chart 9.5, may be impressive, but it does not constitute proof. For example, where do genes and viruses come into play? Each of these, in theory, might ac-count for the unusual geographic distribution of this disease. In the case of viruses, no definite conclusions are yet possible. A variety of different virus types have been suggested and a variety of effects on the immune system may be involved. However, nothing very convincing has been proven. Some of the evidence is based on finding more viral antibodies in MS patients than in controls, some is based on sporadic outbreaks of MS among isolated communities, and some is based on finding virus-like genes among MS cases. With regard to genes, we can begin to puzzle out their association with MS by asking the usual question: what happens to people who migrate from one population to another, keeping their genes the same but changing their diets and their environment? The answer is the same as it was for cancer, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. People acquire the risk of the population to which they move, especially if they move before their adolescent years. This tells us that this disease is more strongly related to environmental factors than it is to genes. 59 Specific genes have been identified as possible candidates for causing MS but, according to a recent report,3 there may be as many as twenty five genes playing such a role. Therefore, it will undoubtedly be a long time before we determine with any precision which genes or combinations of genes predispose someone to MS. Genetic predisposition may make a difference as to who gets MS, but even at best, genes can only account for about one-fourth of the total disease risk. 60 Although MS and Type 1 diabetes share some of the same unanswered questions on the exact roles of viruses and genes and the immune system, they also share the same alarming evidence regarding diet. For both diseases, a “Western” diet is strongly associated with disease incidence. Despite the efforts of those who would rather dismiss or mire these observational studies in controversy, they paint a consistent picture. Intervention studies conducted on people already suffering from these diseases only reinforce the findings of the observational studies. Dr. Swank did brilliant work on MS, and you may recall from chapter seven that Dr. James Anderson successfully reduced the medication requirements for Type 1 diabetics using diet alone. It’s important to note that both of these doctors used a diet that was significantly more moderate than a total whole foods, plant-based diet. I wonder what would happen to these autoimmune patients if the ideal diet were followed. I would bet on even greater success.
CHLORELLA REPAIRS DAMAGED NERVE TISSUE
Numerous reports indicate that chlorella may be effective in reducing the symptoms of both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, presumably due to its glycosaminoglycan (glucosamine precursor) content.
Chlorophyll is literally the “blood” in all green plants that allows them to turn sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. It just so happens that the world’s #1 highest source of chlorophyll is chlorella! Research on the health benefits of chlorella have led it to be used in naturally detoxing people from radiation exposure, heavy metal poisoning as well as chemical toxicity from various pesticides, herbicides, fungicides etc.
Chlorophyll is identical to human hemoglobin (which is the substance that makes up most of a red blood cell). The only difference is that in chlorophyll the central atom is magnesium whereas in hemoglobin it is iron. When we consume the chlorella algae we get a massive dose of “plant blood” which through biological transmutation, turns into our own blood.
The chlorophyll in chlorella benefits and cleanses the liver, which is the chief organ for detoxing your body on a daily basis. If your liver is functioning at its optimal level, it will speed up the process of detoxification from the myriad of poisons we come in contact with on a regular basis.
CGF (chlorella growth factor) is another highly renowned quality presented in chlorella facts and research.
However, I don’t literally mean that people start growing in size at rapid rates. Rather, some of the amazing health benefits of chlorella growth factor include: greatly increased rate of tissue growth and repair (great for athletes!), immune system enhancement, free radical scavenging and it speeds up the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria (resulting in improved digestion and an increased ability to absorb nutrients in your longevity diet).
Chlorella, spirulina and blue green algae have all been found to be potent cancer fighters. In particular, the chlorella growth factor makes this the most desirable ally to have when fighting or recovering from any degenerative disease. The chlorella facts and research point towards it being particularly effective in the treatment of cancer, especially if you have made the choice to undergo chemotherapy (which is a massive toxic assault on your entire body).
Another important ability found in the myriad of chlorella facts is how well it rebuilds nerve tissue. Damaged nerve tissue is a component in many debilitating diseases such as multiple sclerosis, seizures, Alzheimer’s, sciatica, Parkinson’s and more. Mercury poisoning is specifically known to cause nerve damage by destroying the myelin sheath around nerve cells. Chlorella benefits this by first pulling mercury out of the body (which may or may not be implicit in the above mentioned diseases) while at the same time the chlorella growth factor then stimulates the bodies own innate ability to repair its own damaged nerve tissue.
Nerve repair can happen whether or not there has been mercury contamination present in the first place. However the rapid rise of these diseases in recent decades indicates a hidden cause that is thought by many to be due to mercury poisoning along with other lifestyle factors and not the old scapegoat of genetics. Chlorella facts have also shown that it contains the essential fatty acids necessary for building and repairing nerve and brain tissue.
Individual chlorella algae have tough indigestible cellulose walls, so it’s important for you to only purchase cracked cell chlorella.
All of these amazing chlorella facts are based upon cracked cell chlorella that is organic, non-pasteurized and not freeze-dried. If you buy a brand or variety that is contaminated or damaged (due to high heat or extreme cold) the chlorella benefits simply won’t be as optimal, most notably the essential fatty acid content is very susceptible to extreme temperatures as well as oxidation. You don’t want to lose the benefits of nutrients such as the GLA (which inhibits excessive cell division, which is the case in tumor growth). To help preserve these nutrients store your chlorella, spirulina and other microalgae in cool dark places.
Everything I have mentioned this far can benefit your human longevity potential, but out of all the chlorella facts, the most remarkable component for lifespan development is its high content of DNA and RNA.
Our bodies require nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) for directing cellular growth, renewal and repair. The human body’s ability to repair its DNA and RNA with nucleic acids diminishes with age. In fact, a lack of nucleic acids speeds up the aging process as well as weakening immunity. Getting a source of these building blocks for genetic repair is definitely a major key to winning the longevity game. Did I mention that chlorella facts have also shown that the RNA and DNA it contains will make your skin more elastic?! Many centenarians that are questioned about their diet for longevity happen to eat a lot of foods high in nucleic acids like sardines. However, the health benefits of chlorella algae indicate that it is a much better and safer source for DNA and RNA than sardines or other organ meats. The only known chlorella side effects are nausea, upset stomach (possibly due to an inability to digest the cellulose wall, in which case supplementing with a digestive enzyme that contains cellulase might help) and the possibility of developing a high uric acid content in the blood which can lead to problems such as gout or arthritis etc. This is due to the high RNA content which when metabolized turns into uric acid. The human body needs a certain amount of uric acid to function but too much of it causes uric acid crystals to form in the joints. People who get gout are often overeating many high purine foods such as organ meats, sardines, game meats, sweat breads, large amounts of any animal based foods and more (purines like those in RNA break down into uric acid). You’d have to eat excessive amounts of chlorella, spirulina and other microalgae on a daily basis to exceed your body’s uric acid needs. Most people following the living food diet aren’t eating excessive amounts of meat anyway, and don’t need to worry about this.
The chlorella facts tell us that a good daily dosage is approximately 5 grams. If you are using it to clear out accumulated toxins you can go as high as 10 grams a day for quite awhile. The other problem you might experience with chlorella is if you go on it too fast it has a tendency to help you evacuate your bowels quite thoroughly. This is because it pulls water into the colon. As with any new food you are trying out for the first time, start with a smaller dosage and work upwards. On that note, is is great for constipation!
In conclusion, another great reason the chlorella facts have shown us to consume this super-food is that it has an alkalizing effect on the body due to its high content of alkaline minerals. Minerals such as calcium and magnesium make chlorella, spirulina and blue green algae amazing foods for people who need a diet high in protein but who don’t want to experience the debilitating effects of consuming very acidifying animal products in excess (or at all!). The health benefits of chlorella seem to be never-ending, but what can you expect from such amazing algae-based live superfoods?
Do NOT take vitamin C with Chlorella! It tends to loosen the binding of the mercury and other heavy metals the chlorella is holding! This means that these toxins will go right back into your tissues rather than being eliminated. The toxins may go into vulnerable tissues such as liver, brain or kidneys. Do not take Vitamin C within 3 hours of a Chlorella protocol dose.
NOTE: Readers have been asking me for some clarification on the Vitamin C question. I have included the exchange below so you have a clear understanding:
Question: Hi. I appreciate your chlorella article. When you advise that chlorella not be taken with vitamin C, does this apply to chlorella smoothies made with fruit containing vitamin C such as lemon, or higher dose supplements?
Answer: To clarify, only a large amount of Vitamin C would be problematic – either a pure ascorbic acid or other form of Vitamin C supplement, OR juice of 1/2 lemon or grapefruit. Other than that, not to worry about a small amount of lemon juice or other fruit that contains Vitamin C.
DO take 30 minutes before meals or coffee enemas! A Chlorella protocol works best for detoxification when this green food is taken with a glass of water or juice 30 minutes before a meal. This is because the Chlorella will then be waiting in the small intestine to capture and bind toxins as the gallbladder releases bile.
If you do coffee enemas, the same 30 minute head-start will benefit you in the same manner and goes a long way to prevent Herxheimer reaction.
SOURCES
https://www.drfuhrman.com/success/SuccessStory.aspx?id=260
“Superfoods for optimal health: Chlorella and Spirulina” by Mike Adams (ebook)
“Superfoods” by David Wolfe (North Atlantic Books, 2009)
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