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Did You Know? (#2): Alphabet Soup

· By Peter Filak · Add Comment · In All, Did You Know?, Health
Did You Know?

Whether fully spelled out or just thrust your way via the media-friendly acronyms they notoriously become, there’s something a brewin’—and more often than not, it has been brewin’ for seventy-plus years already.

Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, two environmentalists, is their attempt to persuade you beyond the typical whisperings that buy your politicians those powerful chairs in which they sit. Imagine if we lived in a world where house fires were not deemed worthy of escape and that this “don’t escape” mentality, although leading to an upswing in burnt flesh and whoopee cushions for lungs, was being touted as the safest known practice. Safest—even though both common sense and the numbers say otherwise—because nobody wants to stop the money machine and because too many have become absolute in their trust.

And because of this—Rick and Bruce enter that house. Gasoline in hand. Cellular genocide in mind. Bumping right into you—me—us.

“These guys are the new tobacco lobby. The same people. The same politics.”

We laugh at Sara Palin, yet here we are, many years later—stirring up that same dust. Dan Aykroyd sells hypothetical bags o’glass at a price of laughter, but this same scheme is used to…

PHTHALATES

“Schetler says that as far as he knows, phthalates are not taken up by vegetables, but because they are fat soluble, they’ll get into meat, dairy and processed foods.”

This is good news for fellow veggie killers, but this article is still very young.

“Schetler mentioned a study from Japan, showing that phthalates in vinyl gloves worn by people handling and packaging food was one source of exposure for consumers.”

“…phthalates in milk products can also be traced back to the flexible vinyl tubing used in dairy barns to drain milk from milking machines into collection vessels.”

“The American Academy of Pediatrics has confirmed that ingestion of phthalates can occur when children mouth, suck or chew on phthalate-containng toys or other objects.”

“Phthalates are almost never listed as an ingredient on products that contain them.”

Look for the lovely ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ instead.

“I have to admit that I find the role of toy companies in exposing kids to toxins very surprising.”

What irritates a giggle out of me, is that the laws or safety regulations placed on these toys our toddlers mouth, bite, and snuggle to bits, are no different than the ‘no whole milk before nine months’ rule. Toxic before, but poison-less after?

TEFLON

“Non-stick frying pans, toaster ovens, cookie sheets and pizza pans have all been implicated in pet bird deaths.”

Teflon Toxicosis, also caused by irons, space heaters, carpet glues, and new sofas.

And how does Dupont respond to such accusations? Like Dan Aykroyd—how else?

“Sadly, bird fatalities can result when both birds and cooking pots or pans are left unattended in the kitchen—even for just a few minutes. Cooking fumes from any type of unattended or overheated cookware, not just non-stick, can damage a bird’s lungs with alarming speed. This is why you should always move your birds out of the kitchen before cooking (my emphasis).”

You. Yes, you. You stay in the kitchen. Just move the bird. Thank god we humans don’t have lungs—right?

PCBs, PBDEs, & FLAME RETARDANTS

“It turns out that PBDEs leach out of the products they are put into: the squishy foam in a sofa, the padding in a mattress and the back of a TV set. They waft into the air in our houses and offices and cars and sailboats and settle to the ground as dust.”

Crawl children. CRAWL.

Walk humans. And then put your feet—

MERCURY

“After seven meals/snacks in three days, I had managed to more than double the mercury levels in my blood.”

TRICLOSAN & ANTIBACTERIAL

“It tends to build up in animal and human fat tissues and has been detected in umbilical cord blood as well.”

Besides 1200 brands of cosmetics, the environmental working group has found this chemical in:

  • Liquid hand soap
  • Toothpaste
  • Underwear
  • Towels
  • Deodorant
  • Mattresses
  • Sponges
  • Shower curtains
  • Phones
  • Flooring
  • Cutting boards
  • Fabric
  • Children’s toys
  • Countertops
  • 140 items!

In 1879, Listerine was used solely as a surgical antiseptic. I know, as a nurse, that nurses cringe when they think about the current antiseptics used today. So how does it feel to know that your children will be gurglin’ away these very same chemicals? Like seriously, how does that taste?

2, 4-D & DDT

“It seems incredible that DDT was used widely in North America for only three decades but can still be causing cancer nearly 40 years after it was banned.”

Time Magazine - June 30, 1947

Time Magazine – June 30, 1947

DDT Wallpaper

BPA

“What in God’s name were they thinking when they started making household plastics out of a chemical that has been known for over 70 years to screw up the human body’s hormone system.”

“In that study we demonstrated that a dose of BPA twenty-five thousand times lower than had ever been tested also stimulated prostate development exactly like low doses of estradiol. This had been missed in the high-dose [BPA] studies.”

“With that one exposure,” Hunt explained, “we’re actually affecting three generations simultaneously.”

Let this next dialogue sink in.

“Now tell me how many individual molecules of BPA would be in that water drop.”

…

“Not even close. Try 132 billion. And each one of these molecules is able to turn cell receptors on and off just like hormones do.”

And for those that wear pink for breast cancer.

“The ones at 25 part per trillion showed double the amount of milk duct growth as compared to mice that hadn’t been exposed to BPA.”

THE BAD SCIENTIST IN ME FORGOT TO MENTION

Rick and Bruce went about their exposures to these chemicals in a way that mimicked modern-day life. They didn’t bathe in DDT or eat an entire sofa. They did the same things we do consistently on a daily basis. If the environmentally aware and proactive avoiders can have their contamination levels skyrocket after only 48 hours—imagine the possibilities.

More Did You Know?

Epilepsy: Carpe Vitam

· By Peter Filak · 3 Comments · In All, Diseases & Disorders, Health
Epilepsy

After Reading: Treating Epilepsy Naturally: A Guide to Alternative and Adjunct Therapies By Patricia A. Murphy

Forget Carpe Diem…

“…we need to dispel one myth promulgated by the medical profession: that prescribed medication and/or brain surgery are the only effective ways to treat seizures.”

“A seizure can be a response to stress, hypoxia (low oxygen), poorly controlled diabetes, alcoholism, drugs, low blood sugar, food allergies, even heart problems.”

Epilepsy is a condition believed to be rooted in the malfunction of electrical activity within the brain, via the nerves. It is diagnosed by the presence of recurrent seizures and tests such as the EEG which measures your electrical activity while noting abnormal variations. Putting a name to a condition and labeling the afflicted is easy, but treating and preventing it seems completely unattainable.

Can lifestyle modifications in diet, exercise, and stress ease the pressure to find a cure and eliminate our need to tinker with our surroundings in order to heal the internal? Do we become stuck with a diagnosis or do we choose sit and eat with it every day for the rest of our lives (pun possibly intended)?

NUTRITION

It is estimated that one to two out of every 100 in America have epilepsy and a Columbia University study has linked epilepsy with migraines. It found that 11% of the general public experience migraines compared to the twenty percent of epileptics. Sugar, chocolate, dairy, caffeine, and white flour, which can all be found in a nicely packaged factory produced square nowadays, are triggers to both epilepsy and migraines.

Patricia writes: “…they discover that a very small portion of food, far less than they previously ate, will start symptoms again.” We are designed to eat a certain way, we cannot be redesigned in order to fulfill some money-making scheme. We can and do become altered, both at the cellular level and at the environmental level, but never do we become redesigned.

CELIAC DISEASE

The Lancet has directly linked gliadin to eighteen different medical conditions, including epilepsy, autism, and celiac disease. Gliadin is believed to be the portion of the gluten protein found in grains that is responsible for our inability to properly digest it. We as a people (probably everyone) lack this ability to some extent and in referencing the results from the Italian Working Group Study, this becomes something we cannot ignore.

Seventy-seven percent of the patients (patients had cerebral calcification and epilepsy) had the symptoms of celiac disease. Not everyone is affected to the extent where the antibody reaction to gliadin produces an unobliging internal environment of inflammation, but everyone is indeed affected. Can seizures be the end result of a disrupted gastrointestinal tract? I would rank this at a more than a maybe.

MILK

“I hold milk and milk products to be absolute poison for anyone with any neurological disorder,” Dr. Robert Fried. Patricia writes that milk (cow) contains about twenty-five different proteins, five of which have been consistently linked with food allergies.

Patricia expands a bit on a very interesting concept of how milk can have deleterious effects on our health and be a promoter of epileptic activity. Acid base balance is literally part of the equilibrium that is kept within our bodies. It is this system that works diligently to counteract and maintain certain pH levels (7.35-7.45 are usually the accepted values), and it is the calcium in milk that depletes our very own calcium, thus disrupting this internal harmony.

ACID/BASE COMPENSATION

As calcium is used up via acid base balance, acidosis is what results, and this is a “calamity for seizure sufferers.” No need to worry yet, our body has compensatory mechanisms that can correct and regulate this system and according to Patricia, the kidneys are responsible for 35% of the workload and the rest is covered by our lungs. Take a deep breath and let it ease itself out slowly.

There’s no debate, your brain needed that, as well as every cell within your body. We are not equipped with the ability to breath only a couple times a day or even not at all. We are equipped in a way that our brain regulates the breathing process, a process in itself that goes about like a tip-toer in the background. We do have the ability to make adjustments: deep breathing, holding our breath, gasping… but each has its consequences (positive or negative).

As we become acidotic due to our body’s inability to adapt to what the dairy industry suckered us into, our lungs compensate by hyperventilating. Rapid breathing restores the balance (positive), but constricts blood vessels throughout the body and in our very vascular brain (negative). Our vessels transport blood, our blood transports oxygen and nutrients, and our vessels are now constricted!

Various body parts will scream for that oxygen and nutrients, but due to the compensatory maintenance, they must endure. This is why Patricia believes that milk can possibly be a causative agent for seizure activity. Seizures are your body telling you something is not right, whether your epilepsy was caused by trauma or by unknown reasons, something is obviously out of whack.

BRAIN ALLERGIES

William Philpott, M.D.: “fifty percent of seizures may be related to maladaptive reactions to foods, chemicals, or inhalants.” Patricia refers to these effects on the central nervous system as being brain allergies. Whether the brain allergy is induced by milk, eggs, wheat, or another environmental toxin, it can cause people to become confused, act drunk, or even have a seizure.

Kids can be tormented with:

  • Fatigue
  • Aggression
  • Irritability
  • Tantrums
  • Depression
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Inability to Concentrate

Adults can suffer from:

  • Manic depression
  • Phobias
  • Other Mental Disorders

Whether or not you choose to believe these connections, you should take allergies seriously.

A double-blind placebo controlled study in which a food regiment was followed to remove possible food allergens, further exposed food as a likely culprit. When re-introduced with the food, fifteen out of the sixteen participants had their symptoms reappear. The placebo group, given foods that were not deemed allergenic, had no reappearance of their symptoms.

ROTATING DIET?

Patricia recommends a rotating diet in order to avoid food sensitivities and she writes that sometimes it is not due to a poor diet, but malabsorption. My opinion, a rotating diet eliminates the causative agent some of the times, but never completely, and it is a poor diet and inefficient lifestyle that leads to an inflamed and over-burdened gut.

ALCOHOL

Walter Alvarez, M.D. took a retrospective look at the effects of alcohol on families. He found that 38% of the epileptics had a higher presence of alcoholism within the family compared to the presence of additional epileptics. Alcohol is a poison, an addiction, and its effects on neurotransmitters are similar to those of sugar, white flour, and refined carbs. Withdrawal from alcohol can lead delirium tremens, which is Latin for “shaking frenzy” (need I say more).

CAFFEINE

It is estimated that Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee each and every day. Like alcohol, coffee adversely affects blood sugar by raising it. Coffee is a stimulant and it amplifies your dependency through its addictive pull, and on a lighter note, it also helps constrict blood vessels so they cannot get sufficient oxygen and nutrients to the rest of your body. Withdrawal symptoms are then fledged throughout your body, and include headaches (possible coincidence?).

SUGAR

Patricia terms sugar (refined/unnatural) as “antinutrition” because it uses up vitamin stores and corrupts lipid metabolism. “Complex carbohydrates in most fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, break down into glucose more slowly than other carbohydrates” (also great sources of fiber) whereas simple carbs, such as those found in pastries, french fries, and pizza, bring constipation and low blood sugar levels along for the ride—constipation and low blood sugars are two common symptoms in epilepsy.

R. B. Allen believes that 50-90% of epileptics experience constant or periodic low blood sugar levels. Specific foods hit the system too quickly and yield an overproduction of insulin which drops your sugar levels. So, what happens when your body does not get its much needed supply of fuel?

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Fatigue
  • Shakiness
  • Headaches
  • Inability to concentrate
  • And even seizures

Fruit often gets lumped into this category too, but Patricia notes that fructose, the fruit sugar, accounts for only 5% of the net weight for most fruits.

SENSE OF TASTE

Yet again, another author (Patricia) mentions reorientation of our sense of taste, leaving artificially sweetened and manipulated foods tasting too sweet or even unbearable. These sugars provide no vitamins, minerals, enzymes, or fibers, yet they can be found everywhere:

FIBER

As mentioned above, fiber plays an all-so-important role in removing bodily wastes. If a diet constantly consists of a bombardment of non-nutritious and pro-inflammatory substances while lacking a good source of fiber, this trashy food will park itself in the garage (gut) and remain running (disaster-to-be). Your body will do a dandy job in trying to eliminate these wastes, but an insufficient diet disallows it of this ability. These wastes will recirculate and the brain is a future stop…

EXCITOTOXINS

“…when brain cells are exposed to these substances, they can become overly excited and fire very rapidly until they are exhausted to death,” Dr. Robert Blaylock.

“…chronic exposure to them can cause increasing damage.”

From what I learned in school over the years, especially college, I came to understand that our brains have the best defense system around. This defense system was responsible for blocking certain drugs and postponing the acceptance of others (SSRTIs, etc…). I learned that the blood brain barrier was impenetrable and this concept become impenetrable in of itself and I felt no need to delve any deeper.

According to Patricia though, some parts of the brain are not as protected as we would like them to be and they can even function as a “backdoor” access point to the rest of the brain. One such part, the hypothalamus, can apparently be affected by:

  • Various Toxins
  • Excitatory Proteins
  • Mercury
  • Iron
  • Low Blood Sugar
  • Etc…
MSG

MSG, a taste enhancer, found often with these labelings…

  • No MSG - my favorite for obvious reasons
  • Flavoring
  • Natural Flavoring
  • Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
  • Spices

…is an excitotoxin. High doses have been shown to cause cell death, low doses cause impairments over time, and the FDA only requires ingredients to be listed if they make up at least one percent of the total product. At this rate, companies can stick just about anything they wish into a product and you would never know, and if they did list it, a misleading label would prompt no further investigation.

In a safety report on MSG for the FDA: “motor disturbances and changes in seizure threshold have been noted in numerous studies,” yet it was deemed safe. Glutamate (MSG) has the ability to slowly seep through the “impenetrable” barrier of the brain and also the placenta. Yes, your children are not spared from its deathly grasp. If there is one thing neurologists know about newborns and children in general, it is that their brains are growing at amazing rates. Does it help to know that glutamate can be found in formulas, vitamins, and medications?

ASPARTAME

Another excitotoxin, aspartame, has been “accused of causing more than ninety side effects and contributing to brain damage, seizures, and cancer.” An astounding 80% of FDA food complaints have been about aspartame, yet you can find it on labels today. Between 1973 and 1990, those over 65 years of age have been dealt a blow: brain tumors are up 67%!

Aspartame has also been shown to increase the brain levels of phenylalanine and methanol. Methanol is converted to formic acid and formaldehyde, two “powerful neurotoxins.” Just as with MSG, aspartame is also capable of crossing the placental barrier and…

Aspartame has also been shown to increase free radicals (highly reactive substances).

Nutrasweet, a deceiving name, an unnatural sweetener, and utilizer of aspartame, has funded studies which were submitted to FDA to “prove” the efficacy of aspartame use. Funding for studies from the company that would be directly affected by the results is often thought to be off kilter. Not only did Monsanto, who owns Nutrasweet, fund these studies, they also hired government officials who approved them to work for Nutrasweet afterwards. Some of these studies showed evidence of the development of brain tumors and or death in mice… but this offers no proof of causing tumors within humans(?)!

NEUROTOXINS

“Since pesticides purpose is to kill living organisms, what potential effect might it have on humans, especially humans prone to seizures.” Some “interfere with biochemical interactions in the brain and cause seizures,” Mary Gilbert, M.D.

BABY FOOD

If animal studies show that even low-level injections and cause seizure activity, why do we allow such things as baby foods to have these pesticides within them. We wonder why disease is on the rise, I wonder why a toxin that was banned in 1920(!) can be found in baby food (oh yeah, less than one percent…). It was the Environmental Working Group Study that found sixteen pesticide residues within eight commonly eaten baby foods (Gerber, Heinz, and Beechnut).

It is recommended that you buy organic foods because “exposure over a prolonged period is more insidious and harder to detect” and organic foods have been found to be 75% richer in minerals.

HEAVY METALS

Heavy metals weigh in on the toxic side too. Mercury has been shown to cause:

  • Birth Defects
  • Brain Damage
  • Linked to various types of Mental Disturbances

Do not take it lightly when the media portrays some parents as quacks because they believe vaccinations are derailing their children. Instead, take a stand, and become informed about it. Some things sound crazy when they are interpreted by the uninformed, uneducated, and unopened minds of society, but with studies that can link aluminum to brain damage and nervous system disruption, can we actually sit quietly?

Aluminum found in:

  • Painkillers
  • Deodorants
  • Antacids
  • Table Salts
  • Some Flours

Patricia briefly mentions GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) or “frankenfoods,” as they call them in Europe. Long story short: these foods have had their DNA altered (by us), and DNA is the substance responsible for the “me-ness” or pretty much everything in every living thing.

HEALING FOODS

Patricia goes into great detail about the benefits of minerals, vitamins, and amino acids with epilepsy and shares valuable information about each. A diet specifically produced for use by epileptics, the ketogenic diet, was touched upon next.

KETOGENIC DIET

“Dr. Freeman says that several children have died as a result of unsupervised ketogenic diets.” “The diet is not nutritionally adequate, so multivitamins and mineral supplements…” I do share these quotes from this book in order to scare you and I urge you to recognize and acknowledge the seriousness of nutrition and your dietary choices.

Ketones are the residue or waste products of metabolized fats. In school, I learned about ketones and their relation to diabetes (DKA: diabetic ketoacidosis). DKA is a condition that is not sought after in the diabetic community, it is feared and treated as an emergency. So, how can epileptics profit where diabetics would shrivel?

Unlike diabetics, those with epilepsy do not have a diagnosed blood sugar condition and they may be able to more appropriately handle this emergency situation. That is my highly speculative opinion and it likely overshoots by quite a bit. My theory rattles the rim because this diet does indeed put the body in an overly awkward situational crisis.

Awkward because it seems to dissipate seizure activity while encouraging unhealthy consumption simultaneously. Some studies do back this diet up though: One from the 1930s: “completely controlled seizures in 50% of children on diet and markedly improved seizure control in 75%.” Another followed children aged 1-16 years for one year and found that 50% had greater than a 50% reduction while 27% of the studied population experienced a 90% reduction (Children averaged 410 seizures/month and tried six medications on average, prior to the study).

This diet lost a ton of grounding with the introduction of anticonvulsants, but is this the classic swap one evil for another? Our lives and our health should not be compromised due to our inability to negotiate our needs.

The ketogenic diet consists of:

  1. Getting 90% of your calories from fat
    • Butter, oil, heavy/whipped butter
  2. Entertaining a low protein and low carb appetite
  3. Avoiding all sugar
  4. Restriction of fluids – 1 oz/lb of body weight

A high fat diet has also been associated with:

  • Stunted growth
  • Constipation
  • Elevated cholesterol

If I haven’t scared you yet, it may benefit you to reread the last few paragraphs.

Patricia also mentions that children fare better with this diet because children have a greater ability (4-5x) to extract ketones from the blood to the brain.

“…forced to burn fat instead of sugar.” To me, this diet is like trying to fix your mother’s most cherished and recently chipped vase with a sledge hammer. You cannot force your body to do anything without some kind of consequence. Seizure activity may diminish, but other illnesses are surely sneaking their way in. I do not know much more about this diet than what was presented in the book, but it would be interesting to see how different diets affect epilepsy (vegetarian, vegan, etc…). In short, I do not find this option to be very appealing, let alone healthy.

STRESS

“You can have the best diet in the world, but if you are self abusive, anxious, or unhappy, your nervous system and digestive system may suffer.”

Patricia shares that “stress is a leading cause of seizures” and offers insight into various ‘stress busters’:

  • Biofeedback
  • Progressive Relaxation
  • Yoga
  • Meditation
    • A meditation study resulted in one third less seizures for those who meditated for the three months, unlike the control group.
  • Exercise
DEEP BREATHING

Breathing is so amazing, so complex, and so simple in that we can control it, alter it permanently or periodically, and because it can dramatically change us. “Breathing deeply from the diaphragm comes naturally to healthy babies. Unfortunately, many of us lose this natural capacity when we get older and acquire poor breathing habits.”

As mentioned in my article about fibromyalgia, a body that is constantly stressed or in the ‘fight or flight’ mode, has a diminished ability to heal itself and promote relaxation. Deep breathing turns on this relaxation response and settles the storm, and with time, it wards off future storms.

BRAIN WAVES

There are four types of brain waves (mentioned):

  1. Beta – awake, concentration, and possibly anxious
  2. Alpha – awake and relaxed
    • Lower levels in Epileptics.
  3. Theta – drowsy and before sleep
    • Thought to induce seizures.
  4. Delta waves – sleep
EXERCISE

“Ironically, seizures while exercising are rare, and overall, exercise helps reduce seizures.” You do not have to fear the hyperventilation effects of exercise either, this occurrence has been shown to improve the EEG reading (measures electrical activity within the brain). Patricia recommends that you do not exercise within four hours of sleepy time though.

MIGRAINES

Migraines and seizures are often accompanied by auras and Patricia offers a very interesting tactic in using auras to defend against the approaching seizure. She recommends attacking them directly:

  • Deep breathing to calm yourself.
  • Smelling something else (if it is a smell aura).
  • Pin-pricking above the tingling or tickling sensation of the aura.
  • We can also attack seizures with our sleep (another leading cause of seizures).

CHILDREN

One study found that 78 out 88 children achieved disappearance of epilepsy and migraines when food allergies were removed.

WOMEN

In a study with greater than two million subjects, the general population was found to have a 33% higher fertility rate when compared to epileptic women. According to Patricia, estrogen is a pro-convulsant, progesterone has a seizure protective effect, and this is likely linked to why 30% of epileptic women report catamenial (menstrual-related) seizures. Women tend to accumulate water a few days before they menstruate in order to be prepared for the eventual fluid loss, this is a buildup of pressure that can cause premenstrual seizure activity.

To help alleviate menopausal symptoms, Patricia recommends:

  • Exercise
  • Vitamins
  • Reducing meat, alcohol, sugar, and refined carbs.

MEN

38-71% of epileptic men been found to be hyposexual and have lower fertility rates. In one study, men who ate organic food produced 43% more sperm.

ELDERY & CONCLUSION

Patricia writes that the incidence of epileptic seizures rises dramatically after the age of sixty and that this may be due to the build up of unhealthy practices and habits over time. In my opinion, this is no coincidence. How can it be a coincidence that a disease process typically takes greater control of its host at a specific age? It cannot.

Our daily choices affect how many tomorrows we will have. We can have as many tomorrows as we set out to have, but we often lack the ability to achieve something tomorrow that can be achieved today (Now!). Do not put your natural pursuit of health and your intertwining relationship with the natural world onto tomorrow’s to do list. Carpe vitam (seize the life) because carpe diem (seize the day) is just not enough. Life is a daily process, ignorance occurs in weeks, months, years, and lifetimes. Grab hold and seize life for all of its purpose.

Do you have epilepsy (share what has worked for you)?

Do you know anyone with epilepsy?

Is it possible to heal naturally, or can we only benefit from what we create?

What are your feelings about this topic and health in general?

More Diseases & Disorders

Parents Against Vaccines: A Bunch of Quacks?

· By Peter Filak · Add Comment · In All, Diseases & Disorders, Health
DrBock-150x150

After reading: Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders By: Kenneth Bock, M.D. & Cameron Stauth

UPDATED MARCH 17, 2012 – SEE END OF ARTICLE

To begin, I will let the numbers do the convincing, and by the end, I can only hope that it is you who sets out to convince others. Autism has increased from one in every 2,500-10,000 to one in every 150-166; ADHD is up 400%; Asthma is up 300%; and Allergies are up an equally impressive 400%. Doctor Bock, the author of this book, claims that these numbers are presenting in epidemic proportions and I have been forewarned by some readers that these numbers have only gotten worse. An argument is sure to arise in any individual, whether afflicted or not, but whose argument is a bit weighty on false claims and whose is undeniably intriguing.

All four of these disorders, especially ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies, have become extremely common in society. Autism has also become exceedingly common, but I do not believe it has become as “normal” as the other three. I was diagnosed when I was younger with asthma and I also entertain a few allergies. It would be quite difficult for me to identify a single person I know who does not fill the criteria for any of these disorders. Almost everyone has been touched by these devastating disorders, yielding yet another societal norm, shielded by a ‘they have it, you have it, we all have it’ mentality.

Dr. Bock points the finger at four very interconnected reasons for how this came to be so normal today. They are:

  1. Toxicity
  2. Nutrition
  3. Vaccinations
  4. Methylation/Sulfation

TOXICITY

Whether we choose to permit them or not, toxins can gain entry into our bodies and they can even fester from within almost at a bombarding rate. Metabolism’s role is to breakdown ingested substances and use them to replenish the energy and materials that are constantly being utilized to rebuild our bodies. In with the new and out with the old (wastes) is a well-known and highly cherished motto sported by our bodies.

Hormones, ammonia (protein breakdown), acetaldehyde (alcohol breakdown), and various other substances have the potential to build up and overwhelm our body’s metabolism and defense mechanisms though. This allows for another infantry of toxins such as microorganisms, contaminants, drugs, alcohol, and even food additives to wreak further havoc within our bodies.

Microorganisms can enter your body unbeknownst to you or they can rise up when your body is failing to defend itself properly. We cannot always defend their entrance into our bodies—metal, pesticides, insecticides, and pollutants have become commonalities and almost unavoidable nowadays—but we can fight to promote an environment in which we are the only survivors.

Many of these microorganisms and contaminants are in plain sight, it is therefore not an awareness issue but rather an effortless laze. Many of us are guilty of exposing our bodies to these otherworldly toxins that have been specifically manufactured by our very own hands (usually machines in reality), including drugs, alcohol, and food additives. These substances also get the finger point from Dr. Bock because of their seemingly limitless abilities to overwhelm our health and natural defense mechanisms.

DETOXIFICATION

According to Dr. Bock, we can promote the phases detoxification and rid this madness from our bodies.

  • First, we must keep these items in the gut and promote a fast transit. If these items leak from our GI tract or even get absorbed into circulation, the rest of our body will have to enter the equation. Toxins are like ticking time bombs and the longer they exist within you, the greater the odds are that you will be the blast-zone.
  • Next, the liver takes these substances and usually makes them water soluble so that they can be more easily excreted. Getting them moving is part one, but if the process is slow, your odds are still high.
  • Thirdly, there are specific nutrients that can attach to these toxins and promote complete elimination. Fiber and fluids, as well as sulfated phytochemicals, are the recommendations of Dr. Bock. We know where to find fiber (not in a canister) and fluids (not soda), but what are phytochemicals? Some examples include garlic and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli.
  • Lastly, Dr. Bock recommends promoting an alkalinic environment by increasing the amount of green vegetables we consume while decreasing meat and sugar.

NUTRITION

Whether it is how those with autism have vision issues (avoiding eye contact) due to low levels of vitamin A or the troubling numbers that have sensitivities to food, especially wheat, dairy, and yeast, nutrition has shown to be an extremely vital part to the curative process. Yes, those affected have shown dramatic results when their nutrients have been restored (including normal eye contact) and their sensitivities removed.

These diseases and disorders offer an interesting dilemma, one that is only curtailed by medications. By the majority, medications are used to treat the symptoms but lack the ability to heal the problem at its root, as is the case with asthma when bronchial dilators and steroids are used to prevent and treat inflammation rather than the trigger of that inflammation. Although these drugs can be life-saving in a time of crisis, the false comfort provided is just that, comfort without treatment. There was one child mentioned within the text who had asthma and an extreme allergy to peanuts. Eating food one day from a trusted source, she was exposed to peanuts and later died—medications failed to save her.

Her case represents the severity located at one end of the spectrum, I urge you to not be comforted by this. My trigger for asthma while growing up was cat dander and whenever I had a respiratory infection. Cat dander and random illnesses can be avoided, and by doing this, I have not had a wheezing attack for many years now. Hers was literally one of life or death in the acute sense while the majority retain a life or death scenerio in its chronically compacting form.

TRIGGERS/FOODS TO AVOID

In the asthma section he mentions the importance of avoiding additional food allergens including: saturated fats (processed foods) and salt (pro-inflammatory). To counteract the allergens and promote a healthy immune system, he advocates for probiotics (restore our systems natural bacteria) and an intake of essential fatty acids (potent anti-inflammatory agents). Dr. Bock also promotes a gluten-free (wheat protein) and casein-free (milk-protein) as the beginning point diet for most of his patients (ADHD, Asthma, Autism, & Allergies).

According to Dr. Bock, the four worst foods for autistic kids are:

  1. Dairy
  2. Chocolate
  3. Yeast – exacerbates/causes intestinal candidiasis
  4. Combo of gluten and casein.
GENESIS OF ALLERGIES

Next, he goes into how allergies are created: nutritional factors, immune factors, and inflammation:

  • Intestinal hyperpermeability gets some of the blame and it is caused by yeast, alcohol, medications, lingering viruses, bowel dysbiosis, coffee, and food additives, all of which can be easily avoided. When undigested substances leak from our intestinal tract and gain unauthorized access into our circulation, thus being labelled foreign invaders (antigens), allergies are the result.  Our body goes into defense and seeks to destroy these antigens while simultaneously creating a databank of these invaders in case they ever decide to return—your body is essentially more prepared next time and will mount a bigger attack, involving much more inflammation and resulting in a more noticeable allergy.
  • Other nutritional factors include:
    1. Stomach acid deficiency – antacids deplete stomach acid.
    2. Lack of digestive enzymes
    3. Refined processed foods
    4. Poor eating habits – picky, too narrow, and lacking variety of nutrients.
  • The immune factors consist of:
    1. Immune overload – constantly sick/unhealthy internal environment
    2. Antibiotic overuse – destroys good bacteria and promotes yeast growth
    3. Being too clean – Hygiene Hypothesis
    4. Vaccinations – Measles Example: those who actually got measles had 50% less atopic diseases, including food and inhalant, than those who got vaccinated.
  • As for inflammation, Dr. Bock focuses on resolving gut inflammation initially because it tends to cause much of the distally located inflammation. An overwhelmed and failing immune system is what generates this distant inflammation. With a failure to thrive, our weakened immunity succumbs to the whims of allergens and additional toxins, granting them access to the rest of the body. This is a gradual process, one that can be be easily inhibited with a decision to do so.
DIETS
GLUTEN-FREE & CASEIN-FREE

Dr. Bock has several diets that he has found to be quite successful among his patients, especially the gluten-free and casein-free diet. Here is a list of things that often improve while on this diet:

  • Poor language skills
  • Bowel disorders
  • Mood disorders
  • Fatigue
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Hyperactive behavior
  • Skin problems
  • Insomnia
  • Cognitive disorders.

That short list is quite remarkable and has been shown to be effective in changing and even saving the lives of many.

So why does a diet free of gluten and free of casein show so much promise? Dr. Bock provides several interesting points. First, we have to understand how our body interacts with these two proteins. Gluten breakdown (casein is very similar) starts with the failure of an enzyme and continues with the creation of partial proteins similar to opiates much like our endorphins. These pseudo-endorphins promote feelings of spaciness or intoxication, feelings that can become pleasurable and worthy of an addiction to obtain them—this vicious cycle damages the methylation process which removes toxins and maintains neurotransmitter levels.

Apparently we did not eat wheat until about ten thousand years ago (advent of agriculture) and this was preceded by millions of years of fruits, vegetables, and meat. Nowadays, celiac disease is present in 1 in every 250—“Celiac disease, however, may be even more common than this, and may exist in a milder form among a much larger segment of the population.” The symptoms of celiac disease are very similar to those of ADHD and Autism, and this role of gluten may be causing misdiagnoses and prompting inappropriate treatment protocols.

Dr. Bock on how we became so entangled with milk: “Aggressive marketing campaigns of dairy industry’s wholesome and harmless health food.” For his dietary section, he first recommends removing casein (3 weeks for body to eliminate) and gluten (three months for body to eliminate). If this diet does not help the children, he allows them to decide whether or not to continue with it. It is extremely vital for them to remain absolutely casein & gluten free though, because even small amounts can have lasting effects.

When I initially became vegan, I still had some cravings, but very few compared to my earlier years of food addiction. As time progressed, I completely disconnected myself from food and I no longer feel the urge to eat something because it is in front of me and nor do I feel that I have to eat a certain way. “Kids will miss their favorite sauces and complicated concoctions at first, but the human appreciation of good food is notably flexible.” Our taste preferences do indeed change and Dr. Bock notes how we now begin to associate wheat and dairy with insomnia, diarrhea, and agitation, after finding relief in naturally nutritious foods.

EXCITOTOXINS

Excitotoxins are substances that can over-stimulate the nerves within our bodies, especially within the brain. Two examples of excitotoxins are MSG and Aspartame. We have all consumed them at sometime in our lives and maybe even today.

MSG has been shown to:

  • Damage and kill brain cells
  • Interfere with dopamine (ADHD)
  • One of the most common triggers of migraines.

Aspartame has been linked to:

  • Hyperactivity
  • Various other behavioral problems

This is why it is extremely important to understand the hieroglyphic-like words found on food labels, and sometimes they are hidden. Avoid eating these substances and avoid future problems that only come to public light when enough people have been affected.

OTHER DIETS

The author has also utilized three other diets amongst his patients.  All of his diets are mixed and matched in order to find the best results for each individual patient.

  • The Hypoglycemic Diet
    1. High protein and fiber
    2. Low calorie low starch veggies
    3. Avoiding sweets
    4. Limiting grains
    5. Limiting fruits (especially tropical)
    6. Limiting caffeine
    7. Avoiding fruit drinks
  • The Specific Carbohydrate Diet
    1. Eliminate all processed, artificial, and additive food items
    2. This diet also eliminated all grains including quinoa
  • The Oxalate Diet (not much research done on this diet)
    1. Removing oxalate which is found in many foods, for example: chocolate drinks, nuts, fruits, bread, starches, veggies, and condiments.

VACCINATIONS

Vaccinations are used in order to induce immunity within our bodies—we can get our immunity a few different ways: our natural immunity, immunity from our mother (breast milk), immunity from direct exposure to the agent, or immunity from a prick in the arm. I have had all my ‘required’ shots and I have always thought that the parents who were against immunizations were indeed a bunch of quacks. The media portrays them this way and I believed it. I am not walking around with measles or polio, I am living and breathing while they seem to be complaining because they are…?

Today (11/01/11) I asked my mom about my immunizations when I was younger. As mentioned earlier, I was diagnosed with asthma when I was much younger, but I was also an introverted individual when I was in pre-school and I still consider myself introverted at times. I wanted to know what their feelings were when I was younger. Did they think I had any developmental problems or did my doctors ever bring it up? Nope, according to them I was just an introverted child growing up and I showed no signs of autism.

I next asked my mom if I had any strange reactions to the immunizations. My mom said she was very careful and almost always paranoid about them, opting to never take me to get them when I was sick. When I did get them though, I would always have pre-seizure fevers and start shaking afterwards for some time. I have a history of febrile-seizures that led to a hospitalization one time when I was much younger. I also have a history of having no bowel movements for a stretch of eleven days and a ton of ear infections.

According to my mom, she had a few ear infections when she was younger and my dad cannot recall any. While in nursing school, I learned that ear infections were to expected among infants and I almost got the feeling that they were welcomed. I understood the anatomical theory and how that leads to more infections, but should multiple ear infections ever be considered normal (I do not think so)? We are born as very needy little creatures, but are we beyond fragile? Are we born crippled?

Back to my health history, I had no bowel movements for eleven whole days! The doctors said I was fine and I did eventually pass one. As for my ear infections, I was being blasted with antibiotics, so much so that my parents had to step in and stop it because they were not working, but rather making things worse. A potential hypothesis: I was immunized and exposed to heavy metals, it affected my body (especially my gut), my gut became overwhelmed and resulted in an ileus (intestinal obstruction), I developed ear infections and febrile seizures, my gut became even more overwhelmed by an overuse of antibiotics as evidenced by my parents, and I was diagnosed with asthma in the near future.

WHY THEY ARE NOT QUACKS

These parents are not a bunch of quacks. Quacks is actually a term used to describe dentists who used quicksilver (called quacksilver) for fillings. Quacksilver consisted of a silver/mercury combination and it guaranteed the patient would be constantly exposed to heavy metals. Those dentists who kept using it were deemed quacks and long story short, many years later, we still use heavy metals to preserve vaccinations.

Personally, I thought vaccinations were made in order to preserve health and sustain life, not to be preserved themselves by a poisonous substance.  Thimerosal is the mercury preservative that has gotten all the attention. According to the news today, it is a myth that flu vaccines, or any vaccines, are unsafe or contain any toxic chemicals. No studies have been done, as reported by the story, but there is an epidemic of diseases and disorders that did not exist before these vaccinations. It also brings light to the fact that thimerosal is only found in multi-dose vials (not nasal, not single-dose vials), and best of all, it is using the ethyl-mercury version, not the methyl-mercury version (thank god!).

I obviously had reactions when I was younger, and many others had even more severe reactions, but vaccinations apparently have nothing to do with it? Mercury is known to be extremely toxic and we as a human race have decided to process it into different forms (ethyl, methyl, etc…) and then let it loose within our circulatory system. Oddly enough, this is just like the foods many consume on a daily basis. I do target the pharmaceutical companies and food industry due to their lack of integrity. Money is not everything and that is why Dr. Bock shares this enlightening study: one in twenty pediatricians withheld vaccinations from their very own children.

So how much mercury were we receiving when the doctor swabbed our arms with alcohol before the ‘friendly’ prick…? At birth, the amount of mercury given was 36x too much! That is absolutely insane. Two groups, both religious, did not get any vaccinations. Neither group had developed any cases of autism and only limited numbers of ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies. Group one consisted of the Amish in Pennsylvania and the government claimed that their genetic links with each other provided the protection. That is a possibility, and not worthy of writing off just yet. The second group consisted of home schooled children in Chicago, a group that had no genetic links. There were 35,000 children in the Chicago study and there was no autism and no epidemic.

Another common debate is the use of live vaccines. The MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) is a live vaccine. Some believe that something live can cause harm and some enforce (government) that it is safe. With a healthy body and an intact immune system, we are built to handle infections that may come our way. With a battered immune system from poor nutrition, pollution, toxins, and even immunizations, we are left without a proper defense. We should not be kicked when we are down, should we?

The Hib vaccine has also been linked to 2,000-4,000 new cases of type 1 diabetes each year.

METHYLATION/SULFATION

I touched on this briefly in the nutrition section, but once again, this is the body’s natural process whereby it removes toxins. A buildup of toxins leads to problems throughout the body, as seen with asthma, ADHD, autism, and allergies.

CONCLUSION

We do control our bodies, we can control our environments, and we can prevent further epidemics. These parents are not a bunch of quacks and they truly do have a more than valid argument about whether or not immunizations are safe. I urge to seek the natural and avoid the avoidable. I urge you to not fall victim to the reckless biases of the media. I urge you to understand that epidemics do not typically occur out of thin air, let alone in bundles as did these four.

MARCH 17, 2012 UPDATE: A good friend of mine recently introduced me to a very convincing publication that lists studies of all sorts and aims to debunk the MMR, Thimerosal, and the Administration of Simultaneous Vaccines links floating around the public domain. After reading the article in its entirety, my opinion is that you should also do the same. I have read Dr. Bock’s book and I understand how his treatment method has helped so many of his patients, but if you fail to intertwine his successes with the gravity of this publication, I feel you are doing yourself a severe disservice.

Read it and incorporate it into your understanding of the disease process and whether or not your believe there is any link. Although there a few cracks here and there, the publication debunks these claims extremely well. Regardless of these cracks, I do not feel there is any evidence of a direct link between vaccinations and ADHD, Asthma, Autism, and Allergies. However, it would be beyond perverse for me to discredit and discount Dr. Bock’s work to present date.

It would be even more perverse for me to discount my personal reactions to these vaccinations when I was younger and also my development of asthma years later. The perversity would only continue if I were to separate what I had already known about the human body and contributors of disease from this newly gained knowledge. I have been on both sides of this crisis—first believing these people were quacks and later feeling intrigued and very agreeable to their claims. I now reside at a point based on my personal experiences and the knowledge I was able to gather up to present date. I reside with a notion to avoid vaccinations, because I do believe there is a contributing relationship between how the disease process becomes activated and vaccines.

Dr. Bock provides a modified vaccination schedule in his book and I urge you to be cautious about vaccinations and to take them seriously. The gravity of this publication is beyond convincing, but our disdain and emergence away from the natural and practical must be carefully considered. We can and do deny direct links, but we cannot deny the epidemic trending of disease. We can and do play with our environment and lifestyle in a scary and manipulative way, and unfortunately, our failure to find direct links has not converged us in finding a cure, but rather ejected us astray.

My final thoughts as of this update: I do not encourage vaccines because I do not believe in playing with the environment nor the body. I know, and I hope you know too, that almost nothing good comes from playing with the basics of life, and I am not sure if ‘almost’ should even precede ‘nothing.’ I feel diseases are too well hidden by the duration of life and that our inability to see how one “fix” seems to always necessitate another slew of “fixes” in an ongoing pattern contributes to our very downfall. I see the pattern of no direct links, but do you see the pattern enmeshed within that very same pattern?

We all contribute to a certain extent, I am just choosing to contribute as little as possible.

Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses

What are your feelings about vaccinations/immunizations?

Have you been diagnosed with one of these disorders (share)?

Do you feel that nutrition, immunizations, and other environmental toxins play a role?

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