The Soya Fraud

      No Comments on The Soya Fraud

The Cornucopia Institute (www.cornucopia.org) has just released a new report about organic soy products that’s sending shockwaves through the soy industry. By compiling information on the sourcing of soybeans, the use of toxic chemicals for soy protein extraction, and the use or avoidance of genetically modified soybeans, the Cornucopia Institute has created an Organic Soy Scorecard that reveals which soy product companies are truly trustworthy vs. those that are not.

The scorecard (http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/s…) takes into account:

• Where the soybeans are sourced from (many companies use “organic” soybeans sourced from China!)
• How the soybeans are processed (some companies bathe soybeans in toxic chemicals, then put the resulting extracts into infant formula!)
• How forthright the companies are in providing information to investigators.
• Whether the company tests for and avoids genetically modified soybeans.

You can read the full report on www.Cornucopia.org

Here’s who came out on top:

The soy companies scorecard

5-star rating
• Eden Foods – 100% of their soybeans are grown in the U.S. and Canada.

• Vermont Soy (Vermont) – 100% of soybeans also grown in U.S. and Canada (mostly in Vermont). Low-heat pasteurization helps preserve soybean nutrients.

• Small Planet Tofu (Washington) – Buys solely from American farmers.

• FarmSoy (Tennessee) – Real tofu made from soybeans bought from American farmers.

• TwinOats (Virginia) – Buys soybeans from an organic family farm in Virginia.

• Unisoya / Green Cuisine (Canada) – They grown their own organic soybeans on 400 acres.

4-star rating
• Organic Valley
• Great Eastern Sun
• Fresh Tofu
• Wildwood
• Tofu Shop

3-star rating
• Harris Teeter

2-star rating
• Trader Joe’s – refused to disclose sourcing information

1-star rating
• Pacific Natural Foods – Buys soybeans from China and refused to disclose the name of the organic certifier in China. Refused to respond to questions about the certification of their “organic” soybeans. Cornucopia wonders whether Pacific Natural Foods is engaged in “a marketing gimmick” when it claims its products are “Certified to the Source.” (Certified by who?)

• Vitasoy USA – Buys soybeans from China.

• Westsoy / SoyDream (both owned by Hain Celestial Group) – Refused to share sourcing information.

• Silk (Dean Foods) – Refused to participate. Says the report: Since Dean Foods acquired WhiteWave, its founder, Steve Demos, has left the company, along with almost all of the pioneering management — those who believed in “green” values. According to Demos, the company is now all about “green, with the dead presidents on it.”

Phenolic food compounds are all somewhat related, having a common ring formation (phenyl ring) as part of their molecular structure.  There are literally hundreds of phenolic compounds in plants that are responsible for most of the odour, colour and other characteristics of the plants.  In recent decades, agriculturalists have selectively bred plants with increased levels of certain phenolic compounds to make them more resistant to fungus. In doing so, they have  created plant foods that may cause adverse reactions in  humans. For example soybean plants of today have 200 times the amount of phenylisocyanate as in soybeans of just 30 years ago.

There are multiple sources of exposure to aromatic compounds. Aromatics are in pollens, food additives,  toothpastes, tobacco smoke, drugs, insecticides, perfumes,  dyes, ink, carpeting, cleaning solvents, auto exhaust fumes  as well as foods.   The list of problems associated with these compounds is long. It includes hyperactivity and learning disabilities in children, the irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, ear infection  in children, arthritis and migraine headaches. Phenolics appear to affect mood so that a person can be cheerful or depressed, according to the presence or absence of phenolics in the brain.

In a earlier post I also wrote about Soya and brain damage in men.

“Why Soya is not good for you”

Soya anyone?

Be well

Dr Sundardas

Why you should detox.

      No Comments on Why you should detox.

You may wonder about the significance of looking at environmental toxicity and its relevance to your health. More than two decades of practice and eleven thousand patients later, I am convinced that apart from nutritional deficiencies, environmental toxicity is the biggest factor behind the modern day tendency for disease and illness.

We are living in times fraught with stress and tension.  We are living lives where the food we eat,the water we drink and the environment we live in could be poisoning us. The aim of this blog is not to alarm but to inform.  Given the  state of the world today, it is not really possible to run  away to a safe haven. Instead by a process of adopting an appropriate diet, simple safety pre-cautions and judicious nutritional supplementation, it is possible to reduce the  extent of damage.

What are free radicals? There has been a great deal of mention made about them. They are often treated like mysterious strangers in the night that cripple you, weaken you and accelerate your aging. What are they really? Oxygen is essential for basic cell-function in humans and most humans. However it appears that this is a mixed blessing. Although it gives us an evolutionary advantage over those life forms that do not require oxygen, it is simultaneously a threat to our survival. Oxygen can produce toxic substances in our body such as peroxide, superoxide, hydroxyl radicals and “excited state oxygen”.

To those who never had the benefit of chemistry lessons,I will briefly recap as follows. An atom or a molecule consists of a core of positive particles called neutrons and spinning around them are electrons or negatively charged particles. So long as the total number of positive and negative charges are equal, the atom or molecule is stable and all is well. However when we take in molecules that are not  electrically balanced and are capable of oxidising  substances by stripping electrons from other stable  molecules, we are dealing with a free radical.

When we say oxidation we are referring to the chemical reaction where a electrically unbalanced molecule takes an electron from a another balanced molecule.   We can see this destructive chain reaction occurring all around us as in metal when it rusts, rubber as it perishes, apples and potatoes as their cut surfaces turn brown. Similar processes also take place inside us, rapidly  when tissues are in contact with toxic substances such as  strong acids or more slowly when fatty substances in our  blood oxidise (become rancid) or as we age. For it is largely  free radical activity that causes our cells to age and  protein synthesising machinery to become less efficient. Itis this that causes skin to wrinkle and muscle tissue to harden.

A deficiency of specific nutrients may allow some toxins to produce severe damage to our cells by a process of free radical oxidation as we have already discussed above. Oxidation also occurs dramatically when fats inadequately protected by anti-oxidants like Vitamins C and E become rancid. Too much cholesterol/fat in your arteries causes oxidation, damage to their lining and eventually arteriosclerosis. On the obvious level, free radical damage can take the form of poor quality skin and lack lustre hair. It can aggravate whatever skin problems you may have. It can rob you  of your energy and leave you feeling lethargic, tired and  yes, even depressed.   Oxidising heavy metals such as lead, excessive iron or copper and cadmium produces similar damage; as do free  radicals in smoke and alcohol. Cells so affected can become cancerous or part of an arthritic or any other inflammatory process. In general free-radical activity can be held responsible for any if not all forms of degenerative disorders from cancer to diabetes. Symptoms of free radical damage can include the following;

Poor Skin                      Oily Skin              Weight Gain

Cellulite                         Fatigue                 Lethargy

Sore and tired eyes       Arthritis                Cataract

Infertility                       PMS                     Mood Swings

Cancer                           Fibroids                Tumours

Atherosclerosis             Heart Disease        Fibroids

Birth Defects                Endometrosis         Cancer

What steps should you take?

1) Drink clean filtered water

2) Eat clean (organic) food

3) Reduce your exposure to DDTS, PCBS and watch what you use in your household products, cosmetics, toiletries and cleaning agents. Also reduce exposure to radiation ie computer, handphones etc

4) Start internal detox programmes. Start with your blood type diet.

5) Start cleaning your gut. Try digestive enzymes and probiotics together with liver and gall bladder cleanses.

6) These can include replacing your mercury amalgams in your mouth and doing a heavy metal detox with oral chelation agents.

7) Start taking vitamins, minerals and supplements to correct deficiencies and reduce free radical stress.

8) Reduce stress in your life. This will reduce toxic hormones being generated in your body.

For quite a few years, we have been offering this programme to our clients. Its is called the “Cellular Rejuvenation Program”.

http://www.naturaltherapies.com/cell rejuvenation program.htm

Be well

Dr Sundardas

Death Begins in the Gut

      No Comments on Death Begins in the Gut

The human intestine maintains within its inner cavity a complex, crowded environment of food remnants and microbial organisms (called “the intestinal flora”) from which the body derives nourishment and against which the body must be protected. The relationship between the human host and her army of microbes is described by the Greek word, symbiosis, which means “living together”. When symbiosis benefits both parties, it is called mutualism. When symbiosis becomes harmful, it is called dysbiosis.

The first line of protection against dysbiosis and intestinal toxicity is strict control of intestinal permeability, the ability of the gut to allow some substances to pass through its walls while denying access to others. The healthy gut selectively absorbs nutrients and seals out those components of the normal internal milieu which are most likely to cause harm, except for a small sampling which it uses to educate and strengthen its mechanisms of immunity and detoxification.

Bacteria form the largest segment of the intestinal flora. The number of bacteria in the large bowel (about a hundred trillion) exceeds the number of cells in the human body. Intestinal bacteria perform some useful functions, so that our relationship with them is normally one of mutual benefit. They synthesize half a dozen vitamins, supplementing those which are obtained from food. They convert dietary fibre–that part of food which humans cannot digest–into small fatty acids which nourish the cells of the large intestine. They degrade dietary toxins like methyl mercury making them less harmful to the body. They crowd out pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella, decreasing the risk of food poisoning. They stimulate the development of a vigorous immune response. Four-fifths of the body’s immune system is located in the lining of the small intestine.

Bacteria are dangerous tenants, however, so that dysbiosis is a common problem. As powerful chemical factories, bacteria not only make vitamins and destroy toxins, but also destroy vitamins and make toxins. Bacterial enzymes can inactivate human digestive enzymes and convert human bile or components of food into chemicals which promote the development of cancer. Some by-products of bacterial enzyme activity, like ammonia, hinder normal brain function. When absorbed into the body, they must be removed by the liver. People whose livers fail this task, because of conditions like cirrhosis, develop progressive neurologic dysfunction resulting in coma and death. For them, the administration of antibiotics which slow the production of nerve toxins by intestinal bacteria can be life saving.

The immune reactions provoked by normal intestinal bacteria may be harmful rather than helpful. Inflammatory diseases of the bowel, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease (ileitis), and several types of arthritis have been linked to aberrant immune responses provoked by intestinal bacteria. Two types of aberrancy have been described. First, intestinal bacteria contain proteins which look to the immune system very much like human proteins; they confuse the immune system and may fool the body into attacking itself. Second, fragments of dead bacteria may leak into the wall of the intestine or into the blood stream due to a breakdown in the mechanisms which regulate intestinal permeability. Circulating through the body, bacterial debris is deposited in tissues such as joints, provoking an attack on those tissues by an immune system trying to remove the foreign material.

Unlike bacteria, parasites appear to serve no useful function. The part of the immune system which they stimulate does not strengthen the organism to resist serious infection; instead it contributes to allergic reactions, so that parasitic infection increases allergic tendencies.

Our digestive system is perhaps the most significant system in terms of its importance to us. It is simply not possible to live and continue growing if we cannot digest and assimilate the food we take in. It has also been labelled the “brain” of the body. In Oriental Medicine, the abdominal area which houses the Hara for the Japanese and the Tan Tien for the Chinese is the reservoir of life force and vitality. It is also our early warning system. When we are feeling a little under the weather, we often feel queasy when we think of food. When we are feeling nervous and agitated, we say we have butterflies in our stomach.

Most literature on detoxification refers to liver enzymes, as the liver is the site of the majority of detoxification activity for both endogenous and exogenous compounds. However, the first contact the body makes with the majority of xenobiotics is the gastrointestinal tract. Over the course of a lifetime, the gastrointestinal tract processes more than 25 tons of food, which represents the largest load of antigens and xenobiotics confronting the human body. Furthermore, since most drugs are consumed orally, the gastrointestinal tract is also the first contact with many drugs. It is not surprising, then, that the gastrointestinal tract has developed a complex set of physical and biochemical systems to manage this load of exogenous compounds.

Several factors influence how much of a chemical ends up in the system, requiring detoxification by the liver. The gastrointestinal tract initially provides a physical barrier to exogenous components. As previously discussed, the gastrointestinal tract is the second major site in the body for detoxification. Detoxification enzymes such as Cyp3A4 and the antiporter activities have been found in high concentrations at the tip of villi in the intestine. Adequate first pass metabolism of xenobiotics by the gastrointestinal tract requires integrity of the gut mucosa. Compromised barrier function of the mucosa will easily allow xenobiotics to transit into the circulation without opportunity for detoxification. Therefore, support for healthy gut mucosa is instrumental in decreasing toxic load.

In the last 20 years of practice, I have found all allergies and complex chronic disease have their origins in some kind of gut dysfunction. Keep your gut healthy. For the last twenty years I have been helping people have healthier “guts”.

http://www.naturaltherapies.com/detox.htm

Be well
Dr Sundardas

Is Your Thyroid Happy?

      5 Comments on Is Your Thyroid Happy?

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland fails to function adequately, resulting in reduced levels of thyroid hormone in the body. Cretinism is a type of hypothyroidism that occurs at birth and results in both stunted physical growth and mental development. Severe hypothyroidism is called myxedema.

There are many causes of hypothyroidism. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland, may lead to hypothyroidism. Some medical treatments, such as surgery or radiation to the thyroid gland, or certain drugs like lithium and phenylbutazone, may also induce this condition. Extreme iodine deficiency, which is rare in the United States, is another possible cause. Failure of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus to stimulate the thyroid gland properly can cause a condition known as secondary hypothyroidism.

Some people with goiter (an enlargement of the thyroid gland) also have hypothyroidism. Goiter can be caused by iodine deficiency, by eating foods that contain goitrogens (goiter-causing substances), or by other disorders that interfere with thyroid hormone production. In many cases the cause of goiter cannot be determined. While natural therapies may help to some extent, thyroid hormone replacement is necessary for most people with hypothyroidism.

Dietary changes that may be helpful: Some foods, such as rapeseed (used to make canola oil) and Brassica vegetables (cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower), contain natural goitrogens that appear to act by interfering with thyroid hormone synthesis. Cooking has been reported to inactivate this effect in Brussels sprouts.Cassava, a starchy root that is the source of tapioca, has also been identified as a goitrogenic food. Other goitrogens include maize, sweet potatoes, lima beans, and pearl millet.

Lifestyle changes that may be helpful: Preliminary studies have found an association between multiple chemical sensitivities and hypothyroidism. One study found a correlation between high blood levels of lead, a toxic substance, and low thyroid hormone levels in people working in a brass foundry. Of the 47 workers tested, 12 were considered hypothyroid; many of these individuals also complained of depression, fatigue, constipation, and poor memory (symptoms of hypothyroidism).

What is of great concern is not clinically evident hypothyroidism that is clearly testable and reasonably understood. It is sub-clinical hypothyroidism which is harder to detect and far more prevalent. Subclinical hypothyroidism can be detected or identified in the following ways:

1) Barnes Test: Measuring your temperature when rising in the morning on a daily basis.
If your temperature is consistently one degree centigrade or less, suspect your thyroid is under the weather.

2) Iodine patch test: Paint an iodine patch on your skin and watch to see how long it takes to disappear. If your thyroid is functioning well the patch will take more than 24 hours to disappear.

3) Blood Tests: Most physicians measure only T4 and TSH. However, T3 is a more sensitive marker for subclinical thyroid function. The T3 reading is often in the lower third range or clinically in the low range. Alternatively you can do both a T3 and reverse T3 test. In the presence of subclinical hypothyroidism, the reverse T3 will be high and T3 will be low.

Occupational exposure to polybrominated biphenyls and carbon disulfide has also been associated with decreased thyroid function. Nutritional supplements that may be helpful: The relationship between iodine and thyroid function is complex. Iodine is required by the body to form thyroid hormones, and iodine deficiency can lead to goiter and hypothyroidism.

Sources of iodine include foods (iodized salt, milk, water, seaweed, ground beef), dietary supplements (multiple vitamin/mineral formulas, seaweed extracts), drugs (potassium iodide, amiodarone, topical antiseptics), and iodine-containing solutions used in certain laboratory tests. Many nutritional supplements contain 150 mcg of iodine. While that amount of iodine should prevent a deficiency, it is not clear whether supplementing with iodine is necessary or desirable for most individuals. People wishing to take a nutritional supplement containing iodine should consult a doctor. Experimental animals with severe zinc deficiency developed hypothyroidism, whereas moderate zinc deficiency did not affect thyroid function.

Selenium also plays a role in thyroid hormone metabolism. Recently, severe selenium deficiency has also been implicated as a possible cause of goiter. In one study, it was reported that giving 50 mcg of selenium per day to people who were deficient in both selenium and iodine decreased thyroid function in those who were already hypothyroid. Other researchers have suggested that selenium should not be given to people who are deficient in both selenium and iodine, without first giving them iodine or thyroid hormone supplementation. There is no research demonstrating that selenium supplementation helps people with hypothyroidism who are not selenium-deficient.

Desiccated thyroid, also called thyroid extract, is used by some doctors as an alternative to synthetic thyroid hormones (such as thyroxine and levothyroxine) for people with hypothyroidism. Thyroid extract contains two biologically active hormones (thyroxine and triiodothyronine), whereas the most commonly prescribed thyroid-hormone preparations contain only thyroxine. One study has shown that the combination of the two hormones contained in desiccated thyroid is more effective than thyroxine alone for individuals with hypothyroidism. One doctor reported that in his experience, thyroid extract works better than standard thyroid preparations for some people with hypothyroidism.Glandular thyroid products, which are available from health food stores, have had most of the thyroid hormone removed and would therefore not be expected to be effective for individuals with hypothyroidism. Intact desiccated thyroid is available only by prescription. People with hypothyroidism who want to use desiccated thyroid must first consult with a physician.

Be well
Dr Sundardas

Early childhood programming and brain development.

      1 Comment on Early childhood programming and brain development.

Your brain has three parts: the stem or “reptile brain”, the limbic or “mammalian brain” and the neocortex. Researcher Dr. Paul MacLean has termed it the “triune brain” because of the three parts, each of which developed during a different time in the evolutionary history.

In the neocortex are all the higher intelligences that make human beings unique as a species. Psychologist Dr. Howard Gardner has identified many specific intelligences or “ways of knowing” that may be developed within a human being. Among these intelligences are linguistic, mathematical, visual/spatial, kinesthetic/tactical, musical, interpersonal and intra-personal.

Probably the highest of the intelligences and the greatest form of creative thought – is intuition. Intuition is the ability to receive or perceive information that is not available to our five senses. This ability is extremely acute in children between the ages of four and seven. Too often it is suppressed and crushed by authority figures who view it as irrational behaviour.

All of the higher intelligences including intuition are present in the brain at birth and over the first seven years they can unfold properly if nurtured. For these intelligences to be nurtured, several conditions must be met:

* the lower neurostructures must be sufficiently developed to allow energy
to move to a higher level;

* the child must feel physically and emotionally safe;

* there must be a model to provide the appropriate stimulus

Consider the timing of these developing intelligences. Linguistic ability unfolds while a person is still in the womb. A child isn’t taught its native language, if the mother has the ability to speak, she can’tprevent a child from learning it. In fact if a child is exposed during the first seven years, the liguistic intelligence will be activated.

In the first year of life, the sensory motor functions get going. This is accomplished through direct contact by the infant with its environment, by continual interactions with its mother and the things in its immediate world.

By age one or two, the sensory motor brain is suficiently advanced, and the baby shifts up to the next level of development. There is a great increase in neuron connections, and as the emotional-cognitive system fires up, the baby’s behaviour changes almost overnight. This is the period of the “terrible twos” and is dreaded by parents the world over. But consider this, this phase is essential for the higher development of the neocortex.

A traumatic event in a child’s preschool years may disrupt a key period when the brain is collecting and storing massive amounts of information, researchers say. A review of studies on animals, however,
suggests that extensive corrective experiences can help over time.

The report, “How a Child Builds Its Brain,” was based on studies that measured neural plasticity ‚ the molding of the brain ‚ in animals as they underwent training and learning experiences. It was one of several studies published in the March-April issue of Preventive Medicine, which was devoted to the
proceedings of a 1996 conference on the “Critical Period of Brain Development.”

Researchers at the conference agreed that a critical period exists when brain development is most ready for stimulation and synapse formation, and that a deprived child may never fully or healthily develop without careful and expensive intervention. They suggest mandatory preschool for all children.

The brain stores new information in systems ‚ one tied to its own developmental timetable and another that extracts potentially useful information for later use, said James E. Black, a physician and professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago and visiting professor at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I. at Urbana-Champaign.

In essence, Black said, “Experience alters brain structure to form persisting memories, not in a monolithic or rigid fashion, but rather utilizing multiple, flexible brain systems that can encode different types of experience and often on different developmental schedules.”

Animal studies ‚ particularly experiments on rats by Black and William T. Greenough, a neuroscientist and psychologist at the Beckman Institute ‚ suggest “positive, enriching experience will likely produce more synaptic connections in human children,” Black wrote.

While young mammals learn, an overproduction of synaptic connections is followed by a substantial decrease when information is stored or pruned and organized. If a species relies on the quality and timing of experience, Black said, the organization becomes vulnerable to disruption. On the other hand,
unique and individualized experience-dependent input ‚ where a squirrel hides a nut or a child’s mastery of a second language ‚ is stored in new neural connections. When a rat is exposed to an enriched environment, brain weight and thickness increase, and new synapses and new blood vessels form.

“While adults certainly retain neural plasticity and can be traumatized by experience, children are likely to be far more vulnerable to pathological experience, either abuse or deprivation, particularly during periods of rapid creation or modification of synaptic connections,” Black said.

The animal studies, he said, suggest that extensive and caring intervention can often break the cycle and heal the damage. Even if a critical period is misused or neglected, humans retain the potential to use corrective experience to make up for their early loss. By the same reasoning, he said, failure to
help abused or neglected children can lead to lifelong patterns of distress and dysfunction.

For the last 20 years I have been working with adults to process traumatic childhood programming
That was significantly impacting them with brilliant results. I called this program “Success Permission”

Be well
Dr Sundardas
http://www.fftcentre.com/spseminar.html

Losing Your Back Pain.

      No Comments on Losing Your Back Pain.

If you are reading this section, you are probably suffering with pain or you may know someone who is.  Please continue reading, because this page contains very important information on pain.

Because the cause of pain can vary from patient to patient and effective treatment methods vary as well, it is important to have a wide range of treatment modalities available to you . Acute pain is the most common symptom for which patients seek medical evaluation. New pain complaints result in 40 million visits to the doctor annually, and 45% of persons in the United States will visit a doctor for pain at some point in their lives. The prevalence of various chronic pain syndromes in the United States is estimated to range from 2% to 40%. Approximately 75 million persons in the United States live with “serious pain,” and nearly 50 million are partially or totally disabled by pain.

According to Western science, pain is associated with complex inter-relationships between the nervous system, spinal cord, thalamus, higher brain, neuro-peptide substances and emotions derived from cultural and past personal programming. Traditional Asian medical systems relate pain more to short-term or longstanding blockages in the flow and integrity of Blood, vital energy (Qi). In either case, pain can be viewed as a kind of alarm, an urgent message from the body-mind-spirit entity that something is out of balance in the system, and must be corrected to maintain health and homeostasis, or even life itself. In this way pain is useful, in fact a lifesaver at times, when it alerts us to take urgent action for survival and self-care. Yet in a lot of cases, pain becomes a self-perpetuating experience that remains long after the actual damage to the body is resolved. In some cases, such as with fibromyalgia or some neuropathies, severe pain can arise when there is no apparent injury to the body. It is these chronic pain cases that most challenge the Western pain paradigm.

One of the great contributions Oriental Medicine has made is the understanding of the Root and Branch of pain (and other disorders). In its simplest form, the Root refers to underlying causative factors that pre-dispose a patient to pain. These may involve longstanding emotional upsets and repression, viral or parasitic effects, organ imbalances, unresolved old injuries, or hereditary influences. The Branch of pain refers to the actual sensations of pain, restricted range of motion, joint degeneration or vertebral mis-alignments. The sensation of pain can be associated with any dysfunctional bodily system, not just the nervous system. Different types of pain are handled differently.

Pain is the #1 reason people go to the doctor, and one of the top reasons they seek out an complementary medicine practitioner. It is easy to find treatment for pain symptoms, but when pain becomes chronic, lasting   several weeks or more, people want answers and will seek out practitioners who will listen and help.

So any pressure that is placed on the emerging spinal nerve will create challenges both at the surface of the spinal segment (ARTT) as well as affect the visceral organs or other tissue. This gives rise to the Facilitated Segment. A facilitated segment results from trauma — either an accident of some sort or continued misuse. Whether or not the alignment of the vertebrae shifts, there is almost always a loss in range of motion. You might experience stiffness, soreness, or lack of flexibility in your back and neck. You might have some pain, or you might not.

Regardless, your body will be affected in some way! But facilitated segment are complex, and the problems they cause are a little bit more widespread. When the vertebrae are out of alignment, the ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and muscles — what we call connective tissue — is also affected. Damage to the connective tissues, mostly in the forms of very, very small rips or tears, usually is painful and does result in inflammation.
The following approaches to Pain Management in my practice has proved invaluable:

1) For acute injuries use an ice pack
2) For chronic injuries use an heat pack
3) Homeopathic remedies and creams that contain Arnica, Ruta can be very useful
4) Body work that involves Spinal manipulation ( for vertebral joint involvement) or Dorn, soft tissue therapy, trigger point therapy or Strain-Counterstrain methods, or even craniosacral if the injury was related to whiplash type trauma can be useful
5) Specific nutritional therapies to reduce inflammatory response like pancreatic enzymes and herbs like ginger and curcumin
6) Acupunture for pain mangement and balancing the meridians
7) Pulsating electromagnetic fields that send pulses of electromagnetic energy to switch off pain and accelerate healing.
8) Following the blood type diet can reduce inflammatory responses and reduce pain. (Look at previous posts on Blood Type)

Be well
Dr Sundardas

Under the Free Reports Section you can get: “ Pain Free Living”

http://www.naturaltherapies.com/pain/treatment.htm

http://www.naturaltherapies.com/neck n back.htm

Why People Put on Weight

      17 Comments on Why People Put on Weight

Culling from over 20 years of experience treating over 11000 patients, at least 50% for weight loss, I have concluded that food allergies, chemical toxicities, systemic candidiasis, dysbiosis and carbohydrate intolerance are among the main culprits for weight gain. This protocol is combined with the fundamentals of the blood type theory as researched and founded by Dr James D’Adamo, the writer of New York Best Seller Eat Right for Your Type for a weight loss and disease prevention programme for an overall healthier lifestyle.

1) Food Allergies – Foods that you react to. If you have a food sensitivity or intolerance than when you taken that offending item, it would often result in your metabolic activity slowing down as well as fluid being retained in an attempt to dilute the circulating toxic substances resulting in weight gain.

2) Chemical Toxicities – Chemical toxins that alter your body’s mechanisms. Toxic substances often impact the hormonal system (slowing it down), increase free radical production which uses up essential nutrients further affecting the rate of carbohydrate utilization. All of them result in weight gain.

3) Systemic Candidiasis – Intestinal overgrowth of candida. The candida overgrowth often generates toxins and increases free radical stress. These have been shown to slow down the metabolic rate resulting in weight gain.

3) Dysbiosis/Leaky Gut – Imbalance in the digestive system because of parasites, candida, insufficient enzymes. The diminished barrier functions of the small intestine with ageing may allow antigenic or mutagenic compounds to reach the systemic circulation. This may offer an explanation for the increased incidence of ageing-related disorders which can result from an increase in the intestinal absorption of environmental macromolecules. Endotoxin (internal production of toxins) production from gut dysbiosis reduces basal metabolic rate resulting in weight gain.

4) Carbohydrate Intolerance – Inability to metabolise carbohydrates. As a result of the insulin mechanism being overreactive , too much carbohydrate is stored away as fat rather than being utilized resulting in weight gain. This is how you can put on more weight with one inappropriate meal a day rather than 6 appropriate meals a day.

5) Lectins and agglutination (cells clumping together) -When cells clump together, they can interfere with proper absorption as well as assimilation. So if you take food that makes your cells clump together, you can put on weight

According to Dr D’Adamo, one effect of consuming specific polysaccharides is to agglutinate and thereby inactivate lectins that would otherwise bind the cells in the gut. Another way of avoiding this scenario is to minimise lectin intake through dietary avoidance of certain foods.

“A very good friend of mine, who was very fit, exercised regularly, had a massive paunch that he could not get rid off. When he was in his twenties, he used to run 15 km a day to lose 18kg of extra weight. Now in his early forties, he was still never able to get rid of it. When I told him that wheat, chicken and corn were his major issues (his blood type was (B+)) he was very surprised because his staple diet revolved around wheat and corn. Needles to say within days of changing his diet, he began to shed his weight effortlessly after a 20 year struggle.”

6) Indoles and indigestion – improper protein digestion resulting in toxicity issues.

7) Polyamines and their influence on health

Both the above factors (6,7) can increase tissue toxicity. Increased tissue toxicity results in weight gain and fluid retention.The principles behind the observations of James D’Adamo were researched by Peter D’Adamo, resulting in the basic theory determining the selection of foods according to blood group. This has been comprehensively illustrated in the series of books, starting with Eat Right 4 Your Type (ER4YT), which lists foods according to their status: beneficial; neutral or avoid.

8.) Hypothyroidism A condition affecting mostly women (especially in middle age) where the thyroid gland, found at the bottom of the neck, isn’t making enough thyroid hormone, which is key in balancing our body’s metabolism. “Hypothyroidism slows the metabolic rate. It can also cause fatigue, and sometimes when people are tired, they think if they have something to eat, they might feel better,” says Lorraine Watson, associate professor in the faculty of nursing at the University of Calgary and a weight management expert.

9) Polycystic ovary syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal imbalance that is associated with cysts, or sacs filled with fluid, in the ovaries, affecting women mostly during their childbearing years, it can seriously complicate ovulation; it is also associated with increases in weight and associated with insulin resistance and thus Type 2 diabetes.

10) Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight? – The findings come from eight years of data collected by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. Fowler reported the data at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego.”What didn’t surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity,” Fowler tells WebMD. “What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher.”In fact, when the researchers took a closer look at their data, they found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas.

We have been helping people lose weight for the last twenty years.
http://www.naturaltherapies.com/our services.htm

Be well
Dr Sundardas

Modern Medical Myths

      1 Comment on Modern Medical Myths

Very often, Western Medicine has maintained the claim that the procedures in Western Medicine are well researched, done by impartial scientists and there are multiple checks and balances in place to ensure that there is no abuse. The gold standard in Western Medicine is the placebo-controlled double blind study. Outlined below are the facts about what actually happens.

If a doctor (or a friend) tries to push a flu vaccine on you, ask them this one simple question: “Do you think there have been any placebo-controlled studies that prove flu vaccines actually work?” Your doctor will, of course, say, “Sure there are. There must be.” You then answer, “I’ll bet you my flu shot against your hundred dollars that you can’t cite even one such study.” After a few days of being scoffed at while they try to dig up a study that doesn’t exist, you’ll walk away $100 richer. (Remember, the study has to be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the efficacy of the flu shot. Such studies have never been done!)

Vaccines are the quackery of modern medicine. Mass vaccination programs not only fail to protect the population from infectious disease, they actually accelerate the spread of disease in many cases. Many website have cropped up over the last few years to counter the pro-vaccine propaganda put out by drug companies (who profit from vaccines) and health regulators (who serve the drug companies). One of those sites is www.VaccinationDebate.com , which lists the following historical facts about vaccines:

• In the USA in 1960, two virologists discovered that both polio vaccines were contaminated with the SV 40 virus which causes cancer in animals as well as changes in human cell tissue cultures. Millions of children had been injected with these vaccines. (Med Jnl of Australia 17/3/1973 p555)

• In 1871-2, England, with 98% of the population aged between 2 and 50 vaccinated against smallpox, it experienced its worst ever smallpox outbreak with 45,000 deaths. During the same period in Germany, with a vaccination rate of 96%, there were over 125,000 deaths from smallpox. (http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/020…)
The Hadwen Documents

• In Germany, compulsory mass vaccination against diphtheria commenced in 1940 and by 1945 diphtheria cases were up from 40,000 to 250,000. (Don’t Get Stuck, Hannah Allen)

• In 1967, Ghana was declared measles free by the World Health Organisation after 96% of its population was vaccinated. In 1972, Ghana experienced one of its worst measles outbreaks with its highest ever mortality rate. (Dr H Albonico, MMR Vaccine Campaign in Switzerland, March 1990)

• In 1977, Dr Jonas Salk who developed the first polio vaccine, testified along with other scientists, that mass inoculation against polio was the cause of most polio cases throughout the USA since 1961. (Science 4/4/77 “Abstracts” )

• In the UK between 1970 and 1990, over 200,000 cases of whooping cough occurred in fully vaccinated children. (Community Disease Surveillance Centre, UK)

• In the 1970’s a tuberculosis vaccine trial in India involving 260,000 people revealed that more cases of TB occurred in the vaccinated than the unvaccinated. (The Lancet 12/1/80 p73)

• In 1978, a survey of 30 States in the US revealed that more than half of the children who contracted measles had been adequately vaccinated. (The People’s Doctor, Dr R Mendelsohn)

• The February 1981 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 90% of obstetricians and 66% of pediatricians refused to take the rubella vaccine.

• In 1979, Sweden abandoned the whooping cough vaccine due to its ineffectiveness. Out of 5,140 cases in 1978, it was found that 84% had been vaccinated three times! (BMJ 283:696-697, 1981)

• In the USA, the cost of a single DPT shot had risen from 11 cents in 1982 to $11.40 in 1987. The manufacturers of the vaccine were putting aside $8 per shot to cover legal costs and damages they were paying out to parents of brain damaged children and children who died after vaccination. (The Vine, Issue 7, January 1994, Nambour, Qld)

One in seven scientists report that they have known colleagues to falsify or slant the findings of their research, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and published in the journal PLoS One.

A number of scientific data falsification scandals have emerged in recent years, such as the case of a South Korean researcher who invented data on stem cell research. At the same time, increasing controversy over close industry ties to medical research has called into question whether researchers who take money from drug companies might be induced to falsify their data.

“Increasing evidence suggests that known frauds are just the tip of the iceberg and that many cases are never discovered,” said researcher Daniele Fanelli.

The researchers reviewed the results of 21 different scientific misconduct surveys that had been performed between 1985 and 2005. All respondents were asked whether they or anyone they knew of had taken part in either fabrication (outright invention of data) or “questionable practices.”

Questionable practices were any improper procedure short of fabrication, including failing to publish results contradicting one’s prior research, modifying data based on a “gut feeling,” changing conclusions after pressure from a funder or selectively choosing which data to include in an analysis.

One in seven scientists said that they were aware of colleagues who had engaged in fabrication, while nearly half — 46 percent — admitted to knowing of colleagues who had used questionable practices. Only two percent, however, admitted to fabricating results themselves.

While two percent is higher than previous estimates of the prevalence of data fabrication, researchers believe that the number is still too low. In all likelihood, it reflects both a reluctance by researchers to admit to serious misconduct and a tendency to interpret one’s behavior as favorably as possible — questionable instead of fabrication, or acceptable rather than questionable.

Researchers in the medical and pharmacological fields were the most likely to admit to misconduct than researchers in other fields.

Sources for the above include: www.timesonline.co.uk

Be well
Dr Sundardas

Excitotoxins – Killing Brain Cells

      3 Comments on Excitotoxins – Killing Brain Cells

Excitotoxins are substances added to foods and beverages that literally stimulates neurons to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees. They can be found in such ingredients as monosodium glutamate, aspartame (Nutrasweet®), cysteine, hydrolyzed protein, and aspartic acid. Dr. Blaylock’s Book “Excitoxins: The Taste That Kills” describes what excitotoxins are, where they are found, and how they react in the body. Dr. Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon, presents the latest research findings to demonstrate how exposure to excitotoxins will damage nerve cells in the brain. The use of aspartame, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and monosodium glutamate in prepared foods and beverages continues to increase on a yearly basis. Dr. Blaylock clearly demonstrates that the neurotoxic potential of excitotoxins such as MSG and aspartame is so overwhelming that it can no longer be ignored. The message contained in this book is of particular importance to members of high-risk groups; the elderly, young children and those people at risk or with a family history of neurodegenerative diseases.

There is clear evidence of the dangers of MSG & Aspartame to children. Dr Blaylock writes a story of brain damage and betrayal worthy of wide attention, especially among women of child-bearing age and parents. He presents clear evidence of severe damage to the hypothalamus, the regulator of most hormone systems, when glutamates and aspartates are ingested by pregnant and nursing women or by children. The relationship between low blood sugar levels and enhanced damage should be a wakeup call for diabetics and hypoglycemics, as well. The future of our children is truly endangered!

Ingestion of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is also known to produce a variety of adverse reactions in some people. These reactions, although seemingly dissimilar, are no more diverse than the reactions found as side effects of certain neurological drugs. We do not know why some people experience reactions and others do not. We do not know whether MSG “causes” the condition underlying the reaction, or whether the underlying condition is simply aggravated by the ingestion of MSG. We only know that the reactions listed below are sometimes caused or exacerbated by ingestion of MSG.

Ingredients that contain processed free glutamic acid (MSG) and free aspartic acid – known neurotoxins — are used in baby formula. The fact that neurotoxins are present in baby formula is of particular concern since the blood brain barrier is not fully developed in infants, allowing neurotoxins to be more accessible to the brain then is the case in healthy adults.

The amounts of aspartic acid and glutamic acid found in the formulas analyzed have been listed separately in the above schedules. However, in studies using experimental animals, neuroscientists have found that glutamic acid and aspartic acid load on the same receptors in the brain, cause identical brain lesions and neuroendocrine disorders, and act in an additive fashion. Symptoms of MSG toxicity are;

Cardiac: Arrhythmia, Extreme rise or drop in blood pressure, Angina
Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), Circulatory Swelling

Muscular : Flu-like achiness, Joint pain Stiffness

Respiratory : Asthma, Shortness of breath, Chest pain, Tightness, Runny
Nose, Sneezing

Neurological : Depression, Migraine headache, Dizziness, Light-headedness,
Loss of balance, Disorientation, Mental confusion, Anxiety, Panic attacks,
Hyperactivity, Behavioral problems in children, Lethargy, Sleepiness,
Numbness or paralysis, Insomnia, Seizures, Sciatica, Slurred speech

Visual : Blurred vision, Difficulty focusing, Loss of Vision

Gastrointestinal : Diarrhea, Nausea/vomiting, Stomach cramps, Irritable bowel
Bloating

Urological : Swelling of prostate, Nocturia

Skin : Hives or rash, Mouth lesions, Temporary tightness or partial paralysis,
(numbness or tingling) of the skin, Flushing, Extreme dryness of the mouth

Millions of people in over 90 countries will suffer and even die due to FDA approved food additives currently found in over 5000 products. These deadly chemicals called excitotoxins are as common as every sugar-free and salt-free label you see in your supermarket. The most deadly is probably being consumed in mass quantities by yourself and your children RIGHT NOW! Aspartame commonly known as Nutrasweet, Equal, or Spoonful and soon to be many other brands now that may trigger clinical diabetes.

When the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in Aspartame coverts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants.) The methanol toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis; thus people were being diagnosed with having multiple sclerosis in error. The multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, where methanol toxicity is. Aspartame as Andy Ho the health writer in Straits Times has pointed out is deadly ant poison. I treated a patient who was incorrectly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when it was actually aspartame poisoning. We reversed the condition right down to the threatening loss of vision in the left eye in three months with a precision nutritional program that detoxified the toxic by by-products of aspartame in three months.

be well
Dr Sundardas

http://www.naturaltherapies.com/detox.htm

What does your tongue say about you – Tongue Diagnosis

      2 Comments on What does your tongue say about you – Tongue Diagnosis

Embryologically the tongue develops from the foregut. The primitive pharynx develops from the foregut. The pharyngeal apparatus consists of arches, grooves, membranes, and pouches. Each pharyngeal arch consists of a core of mesenchyme covered externally by ectoderm and containing an aortic arch artery, a bar of cartilage, a nerve, and muscle tissue.

The first pharyngeal arch produces two distal tongue buds (lateral lingual swellings) that form the anterior two-thirds of the tongue, and a median tongue bud (tuberculum impar) that has no identifiable adult derivatives.. The hypobranchial eminence overgrows the copula, forming the posterior third of the tongue. Some of the tongue muscles probably develop in situ from mesenchyme, but most develop from myoblasts that migrate from the occipital myotomes. The connective tissue, lymphatic vessels, and blood vessels of the tongue arise from pharyngeal arch mesenchyme.

The hypoglossal nerve innervates all intrinsic and extrinsic tongue muscles, except M. palatoglossus innervated by the vagus nerve. The general sensory innervation of the tongue depends upon pharyngeal arch contribution.

In a healthy individual, the tongue should have a solid, fleshy pink colour, with a thin whitish coating over the whole area. There should be an absence of other distinguishing features. As an acupuncturist and naturopathic physician I continue to remain fascinated by the diagnostics of the tongue.

The tongue can give valuable information on organ function. Many meridian lines run through the tongue and thus it is an important location of bodily function. During sickness the tongue will appear duller and even a different colour and texture than when it is healthy. Similarly the tongue may appear bloated when the body is experiencing edema or disorders that cause water retention. Marking on the tongue can relate to the lungs, gastro-intestinal, spleen, gall bladder and liver, kidney, urinary bladder and sex hormones.

Photobucket

Patients with pulmonary and or respiratory problem, the area just behind the tip of the tongue will be red or spotted like a strawberry. Tip of the tongue red refers to heart problems as well as worrying too much, nervousness. It also extends to hyperthyroid activity, acute appendicitis or the symptoms of PMS. (herbals like hawthorn will be useful)

Liver/ gall bladder problem – Sides of tongue reddest (Liver herbals like Milk Thistle or Dandelion, no alcohol).

If whole tongue is red and patient experiences dry mouth, then stomach problem.(Herbals like licorice, lotus root).May also be due to bacteria infecting the blood. (herbals like Echinacea)

Red spot on the tip of the tongue- person overworking, may experience insomnia and stress. Also deficiency of vitamins and nutrition.( Rest, relaxation , a spa holiday, multivitamins, valerian to help in sleep).If both sides of tongue are red, person may suffer from high blood pressure and a hyperactive thyroid.

Cracks in the tongue refer to B complex deficiency, chronic digestive problems, kidney, spleen and stomach problems (TCM style).

Cracking down the centre of the tongue towards the back is due to poor kidney function. Cracking closer to the centre is due to stomach or gastrointestinal problems and is also known as fissured tongue. If there are cracks running horizontally across the tongue in the middle area, it may also be a kidney problem and if there is a crack along the edges it’s a spleen problem. Any crack over 2 mm should be considered a serious condition and be given attention immediately. Asparagus extracts, Digestive enzymes and B Complex may be useful.

Tongue coating refers to the influential levels of heat and cold in the body. If you don’t feel well, obviously the sense of self esteem will take a beating. Generally the thicker the coating, the worse the problem. If the root of the tongue has a coating but no coating elsewhere, the condition is acute.

Respiratory – A thick coating all over the tongue. Thicker the coating and more mucosy, the worse the problem. Use herbal formulas for the lungs like mullein. Adopt a diet that is bland, warm food (cold hurts the lungs).

Stomach problems – yellowish white coating signals digestive problems. A diet like the above. Herbs like licorice or lotus root can be useful.

Be well
Dr Sundardas

http://www.naturaltherapies.com/detox.htm