Inflammation is a major factor in pain and in all kinds of disease from arthritis to allergies, heart disease, obesity, neurodegenerative brain disease and more (see Inflammation: a Common Denominator of Disease).  And one of the primary causes of inflammation is an imbalance in the modern diet between two types of fats called omega-3s and omega-6s. These two fats are sometimes referred to together as the “essential fatty acids.” They are “essential” because our bodies can’t make them, so it’s essential that we get them from either food or supplements.  Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory, while most omega-6s are pro-inflammatory. The typical modern diet provides far too few omega-3s and way too many inflammatory omega-6s.  To make matters worse, those omega-6s are usually from toxic, processed vegetable oils.  Processing these omega-6 oils damages them, often converting them into dangerous trans fats, while contaminating them with added toxins. …

Health begins in the gut - the intestines; and, thanks to antibiotics, chlorinated water, bad diet, food allergens, and vaccinations, almost everyone has a major problem in their gut. Chronic gut inflammation, raging like an out-of-control forest fire, causes digestion issues, skin eruptions, weak immunity, allergies, autoimmune illness and a host of other health issues. The Vitamin C Flush is the fire hose needed to subdue the flames so the gut can begin to heal itself.There are many factors today that irritate the lining of the gut, which by the way, is where 70% of our immune system resides. Antibiotics kill beneficial bacteria, allowing pathogenic bacteria to proliferate and produce toxins that damage the gut wall. Chlorine in our water is an irritant. A diet of processed and fast foods is an inflammation-producing diet; the Big Four are major inflammation inciters - sugar, wheat and refined flour, processed oils and dairy/excessive animal protein. Food allergens prompt the immune…

The only thing that is constant is change ― Heraclitus We may not feel that different from day to day, but our bodies are constantly changing, breaking down old cells and tissues and replacing them with new cells and tissues.  Part of this constant change is self-repair. Have you ever marveled at how a cut or bruise heals, usually leaving no trace of injury, without your having to do a thing? But our bodies need two things from us to perform these miracles—good nutrition to supply the right raw materials, and protection from toxins. Lacking either, repairs can’t be made properly and instead of healing, the body begins to break down.   Inflammation is part of the repair process, and when repairs are complete, inflammation disappears.  But when repairs are incomplete, inflammation becomes chronic. It then causes chronic pain and further damage that elicits more inflammation in a vicious cycle. This is what happens in arthritic joints.  It isn’t “old a…

Gloria Swanson is known for playing the delusional Norma Desmond in the movie “Sunset Boulevard.” But in real life, she was a very sane and smart woman, and an early convert to the natural health movement. In the 1970s she toured the US helping her husband William Duffy to promote a book he authored that became a dietary classic, Sugar Blues. Sugar Blues is an indictment of refined sugar as a dangerous and addictive toxin with disastrous effects on the brain and mental health (both Linus Pauling and psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, who agreed with Duffy about sugar, are cited in the book). Although Duffy’s book has had a significant impact on a health-conscious minority, sugar consumption continues to ravage the mental health of millions of Americans in minor and major ways. It has been linked with all kinds of mental distress, from depression to schizophrenia, while sugar and a high-glycemic diet have been linked specifically with depression. As noted in a recent Newsclips article,…

Gut HealthOne good thing about getting older is that we generally become more self-accepting, warts and all.  And if we’re getting a little paunchier in our mid-sections, in the broad scheme of things it’s just not the big deal it would have been in our greener years. Besides, as my good friend Alice says, “everybody’s fat now.” But cosmetic issues aside, gaining fat is an indication that our cells are in trouble. The fact that we’re hardly alone in this predicament doesn’t mean it’s not something to be concerned about. A spreading middle means we’re headed in the wrong direction—the direction of premature aging and chronic disease. Fat cells produce inflammatory chemicals, and chronic inflammation is a common denominator of chronic disease. Being overweight increases your risk of high blood sugar and is the single best predictor of developing type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar causes glycation—a “sugar-coating” of proteins, and since our bodies are made of protein, gly…

According to Tylenol manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is used by 50 million Americans each week to treat pain, fever, and the aches and pains associated with cold and flu. It’s become as common as aspirin.And like aspirin, this over-the-counter drug is assumed to be quite safe. In fact, it gained its reputation as being safer than aspirin and the other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) because it was, as a famous actress told us in a TV ad, “gentle on the stomach.” Translation: it doesn’t cause gastrointestinal bleeding, while NSAIDs do. Then why would neurologist and pain management specialist Aric Hausknecht, M.D., call it “by far the most dangerous drug ever made?”Perhaps because, although when used in low doses its side effects are generally mild, it is notoriously over-dosed when used to address pain. According to the National Institutes of Health, acetaminophen overdose poisons the liver and leads…

What is Diabetes?Decades ago, type 2 diabetes used to be called "sugar diabetes." There was a reason for this. Eating sugar causes diabetes. Too bad we have moved away from that accurate description of this disease. However, sugar causes another form of diabetes—diabetes of the brain. We call it Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetes is the condition where your body’s response to insulin is weakened, and sugar is no longer adequately transported into cells. Insulin resistance is the result of constantly assaulting your body with the dangerous toxin known as sugar. Excessive sugar, especially fructose, and grain consumption are the driving factors behind insulin resistance. Grains, even whole grains, will flood the body with too much sugar and cause insulin resistance. Insulin resistance contributes massively to inflammation, and inflammation will damage and degenerate your brain.Your brain is almost totally dependent on sugar to make the energy it needs to function. Constantly assaulting t…