Category: Health

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Our world has become a diverse place because of people traveling from every corner of the earth to different countries around the world. Often they bring with them not only their customs and traditions but the different species of bacteria that are unique to their country.  Parasites are everywhere.  They are in our food, water systems, and the air we breathe.

Carl Zimmer in his book “Parasites Inside the Bizarre World of Nature’s Most Dangerous Creatures”, prefaces the horrific story of a young boy named Justin from a remote town called Tambura in Southern Sudan. He was only twelve years old. His frail body was laid on a thin frame of a bed.  His shoulders were thin and his belly curved inward like a bowl.  His neck was so swollen that it was hard to tell where the back of his head began. His eyes bulged in a froglike way, and his nostrils were clogged shut. His neck and back were so stiff that when lifted by a nurse, he rose like a plank. For weeks his body had been overrun with a single-celled parasite, and the medicine he was getting was not effective.

Causes of Parasitic Invasion

Parasites are dangerous organisms that disrupt the friendly bacteria balance in the body. As the name suggests, they live off other organisms with the sole purpose of thriving while destroying everything in their path that they foresee as a hindrance. Parasitic infection many times lies at the root of many illnesses. Our bodies are the host to a vibrant ecosystem. This vast array of species of bacteria that populate this system is known as the microbiome forms a coordinated defense system against harmful pathogens. However, there are times when this perfect balance is disrupted because of chronic stress, poor diet and lack of exercise which can lead to long-term illnesses. Also, the quality of the food that is eaten these days is devoid of their nutrients due to over-processing and soil erosion. This is where the topsoil is displaced due to wind, rain, snow, humans and other environmental factors. Also, the soil loses its richness over time because of the planting of crops back-to-back hence the land does not get any chance to rest and re-mineralize.  According to (Exodus 23:10-11) For six years, you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

 Signs of Parasitic Infestation

Coupled with this are other factors that affect our environment, such as toxic waste from pesticides and chemicals that impact our water systems. In third-world countries, parasites are prevalent because of the scarcity of proper drinking water and sanitary conditions. When a breach takes place, it leaves the door wide open for the predators to seize the opportunity to destroy the good bacteria by creating dysbiosis in our digestive tract. For many, this is the start of their digestive woes; bloating, cramps, nausea, belching, GERD, fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, cravings, an insatiable appetite even after having eaten for a short period, weight gain or loss, flushing of the skin, mental health problems such as depression, apathy, and moodiness, unexplained weakness, tachycardia attacks, headaches, restlessness, chronic fatigue, ringing in the ears, difficulty breathing, unexplained breathing issues, bad breath, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, blurred vision, floaters in the eyes, itchiness especially in the back and around the anus, grinding of the teeth and bed-wetting, especially in children, outbursts of anger, anemia, and an overall diminished vitality that significantly impacts one’s quality of life. Do you sometimes feel like you’ve been bitten on the inside? That was a parasite. They make a meal of you and they know how to hide so that you can never find them or when you do, it may be too late. When these insidious enemies take over the control of our delicate ecosystem, they create a toxic overload that causes chaos in the body and results in a compromised immune system that allows them to remain undetected. With compromised immunity, we are prone to develop a host of chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, food intolerance, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and other immunosuppressive diseases.

Cleanliness

Parasites are everywhere, and we can prevent them if we practice cleanliness. For example, washing our hands after using the bathroom, playing with pets, before eating, and practicing hand washing for good hygiene throughout the day. There are millions of people all over the world who are affected by parasites and are not aware of this because some of them are good at living in the body for years, causing no symptoms. Some of the most common forms of parasites found in humans are tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms. You can read more about them at this link: https://www.newscientist.com/gallery/mg20327161300-enemy-within-human-parasites/

In Deuteronomy 23:10-14, God gave instructions to the children of Israel about the cleaning of their environment.  If there be among you any man, that is not clean because of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again. Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee: For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.

My Experience with Parasites

Some years ago, I suddenly began feeling unwell. It was just a general feeling of malaise. Since I was very concerned about this, I called a friend in New York to discuss it.  She said parasites caused it.  It made little sense to me however; I went along with her suggestion to buy an herbal compound recommended. I ordered it online, and it arrived within days.  It was a 14-day detox, and I started taking it immediately.  One of the first things I noticed was that there were black spots on certain parts of my body. Although I was scared, I continued with the product because in my previous research I had learned that the skin is the biggest elimination organ for moving toxins quickly out of the body.  I was purged and within a short time, not only did I feel better, but the spots went away, leaving me with radiant skin.  Sadly, I did not follow the instructions and repeated the treatment for the next two months.

Managing Parasitic infection

Parasitic infection is very complex, hence it is very difficult to get rid of it, and sometimes, medical intervention is required.  However, there is hope as there are so many simple things that you can do to make your gut an unfriendly host to them.  Eat more fiber-rich vegetables, especially those that are bitter, roasted pumpkin seed with cayenne pepper, pineapple, papaya, garlic, onions, and sesame seeds, and eat generously from the cruciferous family; cabbage, broccoli, kale, radishes, and arugula.  Certain herbs are effective against parasites however, these should be prescribed by a trained herbalist. Avoid all sugars, even those that are healthy because parasites thrive on sugars.  Also, consider doing intermittent fasting a couple of days per week, drinking herbal teas and detoxing every three months.  Lastly, seek divine guidance because the God who made you has the power to heal your body.

And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Exodus 15:26

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, nor am I promoting any products. The views in this post are mine and are not intended to treat or cure parasitic infections. 

For our purposes in this article, the MICROBIOME is the population of organisms living in our digestive tract.  It is composed of many species of bacteria, yeast, and maybe some protozoa.  These organisms generally match the population of organisms living in our soil.  Most often a child’s microbiome is well established by age 3.  The child’s first ingestion of organisms is during the birthing process.  This ingestion carries a lot of importance because children born via C-section are found to experience significantly increased gut-related health problems as compared to children born via normal vaginal delivery; especially if the mother’s microbiome is optimum.  Right along with gut flora (another name for microbiome) introduction, the child’s immune system gets an “education” and these two systems mature at about the same age of 3. Those children who had the opportunity to play outside and eat mud-pies have healthier immune systems.  After age 3, the microbiome is considered to be “set for life”.  It is estimated that any healthy person’s gut flora includes about 1,000 species of bacteria and yeast.  There is much overlap of species between people and much diversity as well.  However, there is what is called the   “core species”  of 57 varieties found in every healthy person. www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/microbiome/

Dietary changes normally induce rapid changes in the gut flora. However, antibiotic use, major stress, major illness, advancing age, trauma, and major surgeries will adversely affect a person’s microbiome.  Sometimes restoration of normal gut flora can be difficult; more on that problem later.

What is the practical significance on a person’s health consequent to changes in gut flora?  There is a cause/effect relationship between an unhealthy microbiome and health challenges such as the following: brain development and behavior, appetite and food cravings, hormonal balance, gene expression, neurotransmitter balance, systemic inflammation, anxiety, obesity, and autism.  Nearly any health challenge a person may suffer is associated with a poor microbiome.  Please refer to a very good and entertaining lecture at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mioR_WrkRaU&t=784s 

Keep reading for some very important and practical considerations which you need to know and implement right now.

A group of about 8 species of gut flora in a healthy gut both produce and eat butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid.  These organisms produce butyrate from dietary fiber.  They produce so much butyrate that 5% to 15% of a person’s total daily caloric intake could come from butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids produced by the gut flora.  The gut also depends on butyrate for regeneration.  The gut lining renews itself every few days.  So, HERE IS A PROBLEM: when the diet has insufficient fiber, these bacteria have insufficient food and decline resulting in insufficient butyrate to maintain a healthy gut.  The gut lining can degenerate and get leaky so that toxic material from the gut gets into our circulation and cause systemic inflammation and the excess toxic load overwhelms the immune capacity.  This may cause or at least contribute to autoimmune diseases.  The SOLUTION is to adhere to a diet with plenty of fiber.  NO dairy product has fiber.  NO flesh food has fiber.  Refined grains have minimal fiber.  Very few Americans consume adequate fibre for maintaining a healthy gut and dietary fibre supplements have failed to help, butyrate supplements have failed to help, and supplementation of “probiotics” has not helped.  The best diet is a plant-based diet; it is the diet for optimum health in every way including providing the best dietary fibre for the microbiome.

Have you heard of TRIMETHYL AMINES?  It has been discovered that trimethylamine oxide causes oxidative damage to the delicate lining of blood vessels along with inflammation of the tissues.  This substance is commonly elevated in those with plaque build up in the blood vessels.  It is impossible to not be developing plaque build up in blood vessels when Trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) is present.  So, where does TMAO come from?  Certain bacteria in the gut convert a couple of amino acids commonly in food into trimethylamine (TMA).  TMA irritates/damages the gut lining and can cause a leaky gut.  Not only is the TMA readily absorbed, but the leaky gut lets a flood of toxins into our circulation.  This condition causes diseases just like insufficient butyrate causes disease as noted above.  What about those bacteria in the gut which produce TMA?  Where do they come from?  Well, diet rapidly changes the gut flora.  The bacteria which produce TMA become dominant when a person’s diet contains meats, fish, eggs, or dairy products.  Stop ingestion of these foods, eat plants and the TMA goes away and the butyrate comes back.

Wheat/gluten sensitivity has become very common.  Could this problem be related to changes in the gut flora?  There is an association, but is it the cause or one of the consequences or both?  Whatever, it is known that our gut flora accomplishes a significant part of food digestion.  A more recent discovery is a substance secreted by much normal gut flora needed for good immune function in the gut and maintaining good gut health.  This substance, named terrahydrite, was first discovered in the soil produced by the soil microbiome.  The next discovery was that when given by mouth to people with various gut problems, the problems went away.  For more studies, a group of people with wheat/gluten sensitivity problems were selected.  Endoscopies with biopsies of the gut were completed and the degree of damage if any was documented.  Then the subjects were fed wheat products and follow up endoscopies with biopsies completed again.  Thus, gut lining damage was verified by endoscopy with a biopsy.  Then the study was repeated except along with eating wheat products, terrahydrite was given before the meals.  The follow-up endoscopies with biopsy verified not only prevention of more damage but also significant healing.  Then this same study protocol was repeated with people confirmed to be suffering from celiac disease.  The result – terrahydrite was shown to be healing the damage from celiac disease!  This is the first documented reversal of celiac disease damage.

Glyphosate (RoundUp) is at toxic levels in most of the food grown in the USA.  It kills normal flora both in the soil and in the gut.  It is likely a causative factor in the marked increase in wheat sensitivity.  Following the same study protocol as was done for evaluation of wheat sensitivity and celiac disease, terrahydrite was found to not only protect the gut from Round-UP inflicted injury but to result in healing of the gut lining.

Terrahydrite has markedly improved the treatment of gut dysbiosis and associated health problems.  It has been found helpful for the re-establishment of a healthy microbiome.  It is marketed as ION-BIOME.  Just do a google search on ION BIOME.

CONCLUSION: eating plant-based, eating organic, and using ION BIOME can heal and prevent many gut flora related health problems.

Delford Roth D.O.

The dawning of the 21^st century has brought along with it a new wave of chronic illnesses that were pretty much unheard of in the 19^th century.  Medical professionals and scientists are having difficulties trying to come up with adequate and effective treatments that will help to fight these acute medical conditions. Could phytochemicals be the solution to bolstering our immune system to effectively ward off many life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, heart diseases and diabetes?

What are phytochemicals?

            Phytochemical are the biologically active non-nutritional plant compounds in vegetables, fruits, grains and other plant foods. (Hai Liu, R. 2003) They are known to decrease the risk of many persistent medical issues.  Over five thousand phytochemicals were identified however, a large percentage are still not known.  Researchers are convinced that the protection received from phytochemicals that are found in fruits and vegetables may be more significant than is currently accepted because oxidative stress is caused by free radicals that are the primary drivers of many critical illnesses. (Hai Liu, R. 2003)

Phytochemical Sources

Phytochemicals also called phytonutrients are available in legumes, beans, herbs, fruits, whole grains, vegetables, seeds and nuts.  They are categorized based on their chemical composition and useful properties.  Phytochemicals are often defined as (flavonoids, flavonols, flavonols, proanthocyanidins, and procyanidins.  (Webb, D. 2013)

According to ( Zhang, et. al. 2015) phytochemicals also exist in consumable macrofungi, microalgae, and herbal plants used in medicine.  Fruits like berries, grapes Chinese date, persimmon, plum, Chinese wampee and tropical fruits like guava, sweetsop, mango, naseberry, and pomegranate also certain wild fruits are loaded with antioxidants and phytochemicals. Polyphenols and carotenoids are the two primary phytochemicals since they supply more of the antioxidants found in our foods. For example, anthocyanins and ellagitannins are the main antioxidant compounds among the phytochemicals of strawberries (Zhang, et al 2015).

Fruits with a higher concentration of phenolic content have better results against oxidative stress.  An example would be the effectiveness of the grape seed extract to scavenge against ABTS radical was positively connected with the number of phenolic compounds. (Zhang, et. al 2015)  Carotenoids give food their yellow, orange, and red colors.  Lycopene, lutein and cryptoxanthin are the main carotenoids in the diet and our bodies and fruits and vegetable are their main sources in our diet. (Zhang, et. al 2015)

Oxidative stress in the bodies of humans can cause an imbalance to develop which can lead to oxidative damage of the large biomolecules such as lipids, DNA, and protein. ( Zhang, et. al 2015)  This damage is accountable for the onset of many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancers, and aging.  Therefore, antioxidant phytochemicals could play a key factor in treating and preventing critical illness.  ( Zhang, et. al 2015)   Human and in vitro studies concluded that phytochemicals have antioxidant qualities. The antioxidant capacity of

serum/plasma is proven to increase when fruits and vegetables are consumed in large quantities daily. For example, the serum antioxidant capacity increased remarkably after a group of elderly women consumed red wine, strawberries, vitamin C and spinach. These results are reflective of the outcome from previous studies that uncovered that the antioxidant capacity of plasma was increased notably when ten servings of fruits and vegetables were consumed for fifteen days.

( Zhang, et. al 2015)

How  Phytochemicals Properties prevents Cardiovascular Disease

Research has reported a strong correlation between a phytochemical-rich diet and a lower incidence of heart disease.  Intake of dietary flavonoids was significantly inversely associated with death from coronary artery disease and inversely related, however, less significant with the incidence of myocardial infarction.   (Rui Hai Liu, 2003) A study done in Japan recently showed that the total intake of flavonoids; quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, luteolin and ficetin was inversely correlated with the plasma total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations. (Rui Hai Liu, 2003)

According to Joshipura et al,  the total fruit and vegetable consumption were both individually associated with lowered risk for coronary artery disease; the inverse association between total consumption of fruit and vegetables and coronary artery disease was noticed when the daily consumption of fruits and vegetables was greater than  4 servings per day. ((Rui Hai Liu, 2003)

Phytochemical’s role in Cancer  prevention

There has been proof that antioxidants can lessen the risk of cancer. This is confirmed by  Block et al (11)  based on an epidemiological evaluation of 200 studies that analyzed the connection linking fruits and vegetable consumption and cancers of the lung, colon breast, cervical cancer, oesophagal cancer, oral cavity cancer, stomach and bladder cancer, pancreas and ovary.  (Rui Hai Liu, 2003)

 One hundred and twenty-eight of the total number of one hundred and fifty- six nutritional research, found that eating more fruits and vegetables proved to offer more protection from chronic illnesses.   It was noted that there was a higher rate of cancer among those who ate less fruit and vegetables.  (Rui Hai Liu, 2003)

A higher level of protection was discovered in twenty-four of twenty-five cases of lung cancer. Fruit remarkably offered more protection in terms of cancers of the oesophagus, and larynx.  In 26 of 30 studies, fruits and vegetable intake provided more protection with regards to cancers of the pancreas and stomach and in 23 of 38 studies of colorectal and bladder cancers. (Rui Hai Liu, 2003)

A study in   Finland observed  9959 males and females between 15-99 years old showed an inverse relationship between flavonoid intake and the incidents of all cancer sites combined. After 24 years of follow up, it was noted that lung cancer risk reduced to 50% in the highest quartile of flavanol intake.  (Rui Hai Liu, 2003) Consuming quercetin in onions and apples was found to be inversely related to lung cancer risk in Hawaii.  The effect of onions was very strong against squamous cell carcinoma.  Boyle et at (14) observed that increased plasma levels of quercetin following a meal of onions were accompanied by increased resistance to strand breakage by lymphocyte DNA and decreased levels of oxidative metabolites in the urine. (Rui Hai Liu, 2003)

Type 2 Diabetes

Research has indicated that foods that are rich in phytochemicals could lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.  It is estimated that this could be done by lowering inflammation,  boosting sensitivity to insulin and stopping increased weight which is a key factor in diabetes. (Webb, D. 2013)

So far, the effects of polyphenols on fasting blood glucose levels and insulin sensitivity by labs and animal studies have been positive.  Including polyphenols in the diet will stop the digestion of carbohydrates and the absorbing of glucose in the intestine, trigger the secretion of insulin from the pancreas, regulate the release of glucose from the liver, initiate insulin receptors and the uptake of glucose in tissues sensitive to insulin and moderate intracellular signaling pathways and expression of a gene. Researchers have discovered that a lowered risk of type 2 diabetes is associated with eating more green leafy vegetables, which are rich in phytochemicals. (Webb, D. 2013)

Polyphenols present in tea and cocoa help to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.  Studies from eight European countries confirmed this.  It showed that those who drank four or more cups of tea daily had a 16% lowered risk in comparison to those who didn’t drink tea. (Webb, D. 2013)

Neurodegeneration

Phytochemicals offer protection against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s which are neurodegenerative diseases. Studies also indicate that phytochemical-rich capsaicin found in red pepper and curcumin found in turmeric, epigallocatechin gallate in tea, and resveratrol in grapes, wine and peanuts could offer neuroprotective effects. . (Webb, D. 2013)