Herbs and a Protocol that Eliminates Parasites from the Body

Parasites are more common than most people realize. There are many different kinds. Internally, there’s a pretty good chance that you and a third of the people you know have them. If we consider the possibility that there are many common parasites that we are as of yet unaware of, most of us could be suffering from them. If you want to take it a step further and consider candida a parasite (most don’t group them together, but candida does fit the description), then it could be argued that most people in the world suffer from adverse health effects due to parasites.

Because I come in contact with raw meat regularly (I feed my dog raw meat, vegetables, and some supplements), I do a parasite cleanse every other month. I also eat well most of the time. I eat lots of salads with lots of vegetables and garlic, which parasites don’t much care for.

We use the word herb loosely here, it should really read “Foods, herbs, other things you can eat to kill parasites.” But that’s not a very good title.

Herbs that Parasites Hate

Garlic

Garlic is anti-bad-stuff. Viruses, fungi, bacteria, parasites, cancer, and vampires all hate garlic. It’s an absolutely amazing herb and the best in the business at killing bad stuff. It even chelates heavy metals (removes them from the body). Garlic is also a very powerful deterrent for blood sucking parasites like mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas.

Black Walnut-Nuts & Hull

The nuts and green hulls of black walnut (Juglans nigra) are loved by herbalists for their ability to cleanse the blood and the intestines. Black walnut hull is used to cure fungal infections. The juice from the green hulls are used to kill parasites. Only green hulls should be used.

Wormwood

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a perennial herb with tiny yellow-green flowers. Leaves and flowers are used to treat stomach problems and wormwood is a powerful remedy for intestinal worms. Wormwood should be avoided by women who or nursing. Wormwood has strong antimicrobial properties and is used for other infections as well.

Cloves

Clove essential oil is used to dissolve eggs found in the intestines that have been left behind by worms. It’s believed to be the only herb that actually does destroy almost all parasite eggs. When used in conjunction with black walnut and wormwood, the trio break the parasite’s lifecycles. Clove is also antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal. Clove oil has powerful broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties.

Thyme

Thyme is one of the best herbs for stimulating the thymus, a major gland of the immune system. Thyme helps stimulate the body’s natural defenses and works very well with echinacea to boost the ability of our immune system. Oil of thyme can eliminate growth of many parasites, and it kills them in the intestinal tract.

Oil of Oregano

Oil of oregano is infused with extremely high levels of free-radical-crushing antioxidants, and it is antiparasitic, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal. It is a powerful, indiscriminate killer that can reset the microbial environment in the intestines. Many studies show the effectiveness of oil of oregano with everything from parasitical infections to cancer.

Chinese Goldthread

Goldthread (Coptis chinensis) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat all types of infections, including bacterial, parasitic, yeast, and protozoan. It contains a substance called berberine, which is responsible for the broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties.

Diatomaceous Earth

Food grade diatomaceous earth absorbs methyl mercury, E. coli, endotoxins, viruses, organophosphate pesticide residues, and drug residues. Its positive effects include killing intestinal parasites, balancing the intestinal flora, killing viruses, and absorbing toxins. It’s great for intestinal cleanses. The only side effect known is its ability to irritate the lungs if inhaled; it is a very fine powder.

Capsaicin /Cayenne

Cayenne by itself is not going to kill parasites well enough to be on this list, but it has other properties making cayenne worthy of mentioning here. It deters parasites from setting up home (or biting, burrowing), and capsaicin has tons of other beneficial properties, plus, it makes other herbal treatments much more powerful.

Goldenseal

Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis) is a natural remedy for many internal parasites. It’s also a good ingredient to look for in mouthwash and eyewash formulas and recipes. It’s also a topical treatment of eczema and psoriasis. Goldenseal is not only antiparasitic; it’s also antibacterial, and antiviral. It’s also great for detoxifying the blood. It is a good supplement to have in any detox regimen.

Echinacea

Echinacea supports the body’s immune system. Clinical trials determined that there was a 70% reduction in the winter incidences of infections when Echinacea was taken routinely throughout the winter. Echinacea increases white blood cell count. Use Echinacea for anything involving the immune system. Echinacea is also helpful with acute infections including urinary and intestinal tract infections.

Oregon Grape Root

The active chemical found in Oregon grape root is berberine. Herbalists sometimes substitute Oregon grape root for goldenseal or the Chinese herb coptis. The herb is used for constipation, bloating, intestinal issues, psoriasis, and other skin diseases. It kills parasites, bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Berberine

Berberine is a major immune-enhancing alkaloid found in many plants, including goldenseal, Coptis chinensis, Oregon grape, barberry, Indian barberry, and turmeric. Berberine provides broad-spectrum immune support, promotes healthy respiratory mucus membranes, maintains healthy immune response, and it also helps maintain the body’s normal intestinal flora.

Reishi

Reishi mushrooms grow wild on decaying logs and tree stumps in the coastal provinces of China. Reishi mushrooms are anti-tumor and anti-oxidative. They lower blood pressure, glucose levels and LDL-cholesterol. They treat hepatitis B, glomerulosclerosis, cancer, and ulcers, and are antifungal and antiparasitic.

Systemic Enzymes

Systemic enzymes take apart foreign proteins, so it kills viruses, bacteria, yeasts, parasites, and any other pathogen.

Yellow Dock Root

Yellow Dock Root is a powerful blood purifier and a lymphatic cleanser. It improves colon and liver function and it’s used to treat many skin ailments, intestinal parasites, inflammation, and more.

Pumpkin Seed

Pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil are rich in fatty acids, zinc, copper, sterols, anti-inflammatory agents, and amino acids. Pumpkin seeds are used to treat worms, especially tapeworms. It’s not the fastest parasite killer; the recommendation is to eat raw pumpkin seeds every day for several weeks.

Pomegranate Seed

Pomegranate has been touted as a superfood with many health benefits and for years it has also been used to treat infections from the most common parasites found in humans: roundworms, pinworms and tapeworms.

Precautions with Herbal Remedies

Not every herb or herbal remedy should be taken with another one. Use caution when working with herbal remedies. Do your research. Though the good news is that any side effects are less likely to bother you than anything on the warning label of every single pharmaceutical. Do plenty of research and/or ask a knowledgeable herbal practitioner before taking any of the above while pregnant or nursing.

A healthy diet should be followed whenever attempting to restore health, but especially when taking broad-spectrum antimicrobial supplements. You will kill off some of your beneficial flora, and it is vital to feed the body healthy foods in order to rebuild a healthy ecosystem.

As I mentioned, I detoxify from parasites once a year. Here’s how I do it:

Michael’s Parasite Detoxification Regimen

I normally eat lots of salad with many different vegetables, as well as lots of raw garlic, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, spices, and herbs. I take my salads very seriously. For more on that, check out Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included. I also generally drink lots of cranberry stevia lemonade, and with a parasite cleanse it’s a good time to step up your fluid intake. That article has the recipe for cranberry lemonade as well. It’s great for the liver, the kidneys, the lymph’s, etc. Also, see Stop Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This.

Whenever I do a parasite cleanse, or any detox, I always clean up my gut and eliminate excess candida, too. Check out How To Heal Your Gut for more on that.

Antiparasite Supplement Stack – Heal the Gut & Kill Pathogens

This list below is in order from what I think is most important to the least important. The first four supplements should be plenty for most people, and I usually do the first seve for my detox protocal. There is a little bit of overlap, Abzorb and Syntol AMD are both probiotics and Microdefense has Berberine and it has Wormwood which the intestinal detox also has. Taking the recommended dosages shouldn’t be a problem even with the overlap. You could take all of them within the same protocol, or just pick and choose based on your needs.

If you believe you have (or know you have) a parasite infection, diet is critical. No refined foods, no sugar, no artificial crap, no junk food! Junk feeds them. Don’t skimp on the diet! No amount of supplementation will make up for a poor diet.

Related Reading:
Sources:



Common Parasites and How to Kill Them

Parasite. Now there’s a word that conjures up an uncomfortable images. But we Americans tend to frame those images in faraway landscapes- mostly the tropics. We don’t like to think that parasites can get to us right here in the U.S. of A. But they do.

Contents:

Types of Parasites

The three basic types of parasites are:

  • Protozoa–single celled organisms that live inside the body
  • Helminths— multi-celled organisms that live inside the body (worms–flatworms, ringworms, roundworms, tapeworms)
  • Ectoparasites–parasites that live off of or in our skin (mosquitoes, bedbugs, ticks, fleas, mites, lice, botflies, etc.)

Common Protozoa Parasites

Protozoa, the single cell parasites, are responsible for malaria, sleeping sickness and a variety of other illnesses found in other countries. Those most familiar to Americans are giardia (which tends to sweep through daycare centers) and toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis, a disease usually transmitted through cat feces. (Some estimates state 30% of the worldwide population is infected with this parasite).

Giardia intestinali, also called giaradia, is a protozoa that can be spread very easily, especially among young children in a school or daycare setting. Cysts are shed through feces that can live on surfaces for weeks and in cold water for months. Infections are spread through fecal contact, through infected food, water, and soil, and via oral/anal sex. Groundwater, lakes, rivers, and streams can become contaminated through agricultural runoff. Water contamination can include municipal water, pools, water parks, and well water.

Symptoms include diarrhea, gas, stomach cramps, fatigue, and nausea. Infections may resolve without treatment after 4-6 weeks or an infected person may become asymptomatic and continue to be a carrier, infecting others through poor hygiene. Severe infections result in destruction of the villi in the small intestine, the tiny hair-like structures needed for nutrient absorption.

Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite believed to infect up to one third of the global population. It may cause no symptoms in a healthy adult, but in infants and those with weakened immune systems, such as HIV/AiDS patients, it may develop into toxoplasmosis, a serious and sometimes fatal disease.

Infection is spread through contaminated dirt and water, fruits and vegetables, undercooked meat, organ transplant, blood transfusions, and cat feces.

Once ingested, this parasite enters the bloodstream. A healthy immune systems prevents further infection, but dormant cysts remain in skeletal and heart muscle as well as in the brain and eyes. But if a pregnant women becomes infected, the parasite crosses the placenta and can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or health problems for the infant including blindness and encephalitis. Encephalitis can also occur in persons with a weakened immune system. A strong immune system is the best defense against this parasite along with good hygienic practices, especially in regards to dealing with cat feces.

Common Helminth Parasites

Helmiths, the worms, infect our bodies internally. Though many of these organisms are generally found in tropical areas, many infect Americans as well. Generally, we think of these critters living in our intestines, but not all take up residence there. Some do; they merely eat our food. Some attach themselves to the intestine wall and suck blood. Others burrow through the wall of the intestine and travel to the lungs or the liver. One burrows in the stomach lining. Another in the blood and lymph. Or the parasite may go straight through the skin into the bloodstream.

Roundworms

Anisakis is a roundworm found in fish and eels. Although this parasite cannot survive more than a few weeks in the human body, it can cause stomach pain and nausea during that time. To avoid this parasite, gut fish immediately after catching, freeze at -40 F for a few days or cook well.

Ascaris lumbricoides, the giant roundword, is estimated to infect 25% of the world’s population, though more in the tropics than other countries. Infection is passed from one human to another through food, water, or dirty hands that have become contaminated with feces from an infected person. Eggs hatch into larvae that penetrate the intestinal wall to enter the bloodstream. They stop in the lungs (pulmonary arteries) for a few weeks then break through the alveoli (the small spaces in the lungs) and travel up to the throat to be swallowed again. Good sanitation and hand washing help prevent this infection.

Enterobius vermicularis, commonly known as the pinworm, is the most prevalent worm infection in the United States. Infection causes anal itching. These worms live inside the intestines, eating our food, and generally travel outside of the body when the person is sleeping to lay eggs in the skin around the anus.

Pinworms are highly contagious. Generally the whole family should be treated at once, and if small children are in the household the school or daycare should be notified since chances are others are infected. Good sanitation and clean bedding are essential to eliminate the problem.

Ancylostoma duodenale (ancylostomiasis) is the hookworm. The hookworm enters the body through skin (usually the feet) and is common among barefoot fieldworkers. Hookworms travel through tissue until they reach blood or lymph, then they travel to the lungs where they are coughed up and swallowed. They take up residence in the gut and suck blood. Sometimes larvae migrate to muscle tissue and lie dormant. Pregnancy “awakens” the larvae then travel to the mammary glands and infections are passed through mother’s milk to babies. Good sanitation helps prevent this infection.

Flukes

Fasciola hepatica, also known as the liver fluke, is prevalent where cattle and sheep are raised. Infection is caused by drinking contaminated water, eating contaminated water vegetation (such as watercress), or eating raw or undercooked liver from a contaminated animal. This parasite travels through the intestinal wall into the body cavity before finding its way the liver where it eats liver tissue. Eventually the mature worms block the bile duct causing liver inflammation.

Tapeworms

Diphyllobothrium Latum, the fish tapeworm, is ingested through raw fish. Infection is usually asymptomatic, but symptoms may include stomach pain, weight loss, diarrhea, or constipation, bowel obstruction, vomiting, fatigue, inflammation of the bile duct or gall bladder. This parasite is also associated with B12 deficiency, as it absorbs most of the body’s B12 intake and can cause pernicious anemia.

Hymenolepis nana, the dwarf tapeworm, is the most common human tapeworm; it is found worldwide in temperate climates. Eggs are ingested through dirty hands, food or water containing eggs. Food and water can be contaminated with eggs through infected rodent droppings, and infection can also pass to humans if they accidently ingest infected insects, (beetles or fleas.) Eggs develop into adult tapeworms in the intestines. Tapeworms eat a human’s food and cause inflammation of the intestines. Other symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, changes in appetite and weight loss, vomiting, weakness, headache, muscle spasms, seizures and more. Prevention includes washing all fruits and vegetables, washing hands, and avoiding putting fingers in the mouth and nose.

The cattle tapeworm, the pork tapeworm, and the fish tapeworm are not common in the U.S., but be aware that undercooked meat could cause infection.

Common Ectoparasites

We are all, of course, familiar with ectoparasites. Mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, lice, bedbugs, and scabies bite us and suck our blood. Lice and mites (such as scabies) move in and make themselves at home on our bodies. Lice live in our hair. Mites, such as scabies, live in tunnels burrowed in our skin.

Bedbugs

Bedbugs are certainly making a comeback. In the last few years, news of infestations in hotels and homes have become commonplace, but recently there was news of an infestation in a movie theatre. The best treatment for bedbugs is high heat or extreme cold. Starvation doesn’t work. They can live for years without feeding and are difficult to kill. In many cases, carpets, furniture, and fabrics all need to be replaced. Prevention is the key with these bugs; be careful with traveling and used furniture.

Scabies

These are mites that live in and on the skin. The females burrow tunnels just under the skin, laying their eggs along the way. The result is a rash with intense itching. Once a scabies infection is fully underway, the typical parasite supplement and diet protocol is standard, but the immune system must be rebuilt. Unlike internal parasites, you can treat scabies topically with undecenoic acid, clove oil, neem oil, oil of oregano, peppermint oil, lavender, cayenne, garlic, and any antiparasitic oil. This works well, but these tenacious parasites will bounce right back no matter what you do topically in someone who has a weak thyroid, gluten reactions, serious Candida, or anything else that will cause a compromised immune system. These mites can live up to three days without contact with a host and the dryer kills them too.

Mosquitoes

There are many essential oils to choose from to repel mosquitos. A healthy diet with lots of raw garlic tends to do the trick, too.

How to Prevent Parasite Infections Naturally

For any protozoa and helminth parasites such as ringworms, malaria, and giardia, the most important thing you can do is stay healthy and keep your immune system as close to bulletproof as possible. With a diet full of tons of fresh, raw, organic, nutrient dense produce, lots of garlic, and next to no refined, processed crap food, the body makes a poor host for parasites. Simple, processed foods like white sugar feeds them well. Parasites also like to feed off of damaged and decaying cells. Their mere presence, in large enough numbers, will cause cells to malfunction and die. Keep your cells healthy and your body full of food that doesn’t feed the bad microorganisms.

If you eat meat, only eat meat from a farm that treats the animals well. Factory farming promotes pathogens.

Good plumbing and other obvious sanitization make a huge difference in a population’s ability to defend against parasitic infections. Areas that have poor conditions where their drinking and cooking water comes in contact with their wastewater contaminated with fecal matter have the highest incidences of parasitic infection.

On the other hand, anyone in any country, no matter how developed their environment, no matter how clean they strive to be, is likely to have internal parasites at some point in their lives. Keeping the immune system strong so as not to succumb to the parasites is paramount. If they are going to try and make a home inside of us, a healthy body will not give them what they need to multiply and flourish. If your diet is decent, detox once or twice a year. Even better, always be detoxifying by eating right (see the two articles below) and keep your body healthy so you’re not easy prey, and be very cautious with uncooked meat (sushi is a common way to get a parasite).

Related: Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
Related: Stop Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet

How to Kill Parasites Naturally

Parasites hate gentian root, ginger, blackberries, raw cabbage, coconut oil, aloe, pineapple, pumpkin seeds, and papaya. Be sure to have some or all of these in your diet.

The most powerful antiparasitic herbal ingredients I know of are wormwood, berberine, oil of oregano, clove, and black walnut, and they can be taken together. MicroDefense has most of these in one capsule. I recommend getting black walnut and oil of oregano separately, along with extra berberine which has too many health benefits to list here. Also, consider diatomaceous earth.

Natural Remedies for Protozoa and Helminth Parasites

Doc Shillington’s blood detox and MicroDefense by Pure Encapsulations are two of the most potent combinations to kill parasites. For a bad infection, adjusting the diet, cleaning the colon, and fixing the entire immune system may be required (and should be done regardless). In most cases, a parasitical infection, or even just the suspicion of one, signifies it’s time to detox and fix the body.

Natural Remedies for Ectoparasites

Keeping the body healthy is paramount for external parasitic defense as well. Follow the same advice from the section above for protozoa and helminth parasites. The difference is you also have a ton of essential oils at your arsenal with ectoparasites (tea tree is my favorite, see recommended supplements). If you or anyone in your family is suffering from a parasitic infestation, replacing the furniture may be in order. All of the potentially contaminated laundry should be done to kill these bugs, and the dryer should run for extra time. Clean the home with essential oils like peppermint, clove, lavender, etc. and vacuum as many times a day as possible (bags should be tossed immediately, or the vacuum put somewhere so the bugs don’t simply climb back out to re-infest).

The Most Important Thing You Can Do To Eliminate Parasites

Heal the gut! If parasites are making a home in your body your gut is not healthy. If you suffer from any chronic disease you almost certainly have gut issues along with an abundance of Candida. Candida makes it easy for almost anything to pass from the gut into the bloodstream. An unhealthy gut is an open door for other infections. Killing parasites repeatedly won’t do much good in the long run with an unhealthy gut. See How To Heal Your Gut for more on that.

A healthy immune system fights parasitic infections. And a truly healthy diet aids the immune system in two ways: the body receives the nutrients it needs to fight a parasitic infection, to repair cells, and build new tissue and it provides the fiber from a diet consisting of 80% raw, organic, produce to help eliminate parasites in the small intestine and colon. Anytime someone suffers from a parasitic infection, it’s a good time for a full body detox and a long look at adopting a healthier diet.

Parasite Killing Supplement Stack:

Recommended Reading:
Sources:
  • Saadatnia, Geita; Golkar, Majid. A Review on Human Toxoplasmosis. Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases. Nov2012, Vol. 44 Issue 11, p805-814. 10p. DOI: 10.3109/00365548.2012.693197.
  • Parasites in Humans
  • CDC
  • Mayo Clinic


Couch Potato Parenting

Imagine your ten-year-old child walks into the living room shedding his coat. He drops it on the floor or on the couch. You tell him to hang it up. He runs across the room to greet the dog. You tell him again, a little louder. He is distracted by the TV show you are watching and sits down, eyes glued to the tube. “Hang up your coat!” you yell, now furious that the little light of your life never does a damn thing you tell him to do until you roar at full volume.

I know we all wish there was a magic fix for this behavior, but there isn’t. And as much as you probably don’t want to hear this, it’s your behavior that has to change if you want your children to mind you the first time you tell them to do something. You have to get up and physically make your child mind–the first time he ignores you. Don’t repeat yourself. Don’t yell. Stop being a couch potato parent.

To change this behavior, never (ever, ever) give your child a command unless you are ready, willing, and able to immediately follow through to see that it is done.

It’s really quite simple. You tell a child to do something once, then you get up off that couch, gently take that little body to where it needs to go, and assist with the process while saying (in the kindest voice you can muster), “I told you to hang up your coat.” And then, even though you helped every step of the way, and contrary to all reason, once the task is done, you thank the little monster for hanging up his coat.

This simple act tells a child that you mean what you say and you will follow through – every single time. Ignoring you will no longer be tolerated. This works, amazingly well, and changes a child’s behavior very quickly, but only if you are consistent.

The major lesson here? You allowed this behavior to develop. You taught your child that he only has to mind you when you lose your temper. If you want to change his behavior, you have to change yours.

The key, and the hardest part, is to kill them with patience and kindness. When you get up off that couch and take those little hands in yours to reach for that coat, be gentle and loving. When you say, “Good job hanging up your coat!” say it with a small amount of enthusiasm (not sarcasm). This can be hard to do, especially if your child is physically or verbally resisting. Most of the time they will. You’ll hear, “Let me go! I can do it myself!” Ignore this. Just follow through taking those hands, picking up the coat together, holding the coat together, and duck-walking to the closet.

If you use this approach from the beginning, your toddler will learn that Mom and Dad say what they mean, mean what they say, and will always follow through.

As Much As Possible, Stop Punishing

Do you punish your child for the same behavior over and over and over again? Doesn’t that make you wonder if your punishment is working?

Again, lose the couch potato approach, though this issue will require mental pushups rather than a physical response. Whenever you think your child’s behavior is worthy of punishment, try to come up with a consequence instead. Here’s the hardest part: make the consequence fit the crime.

You tell your child to stop playing with his food and he continues, don’t argue or take away privileges. Pick up his plate. Dinner is over. If you tell her to pick up her dolls and she throws a fit, the dolls go into the attic for a week. You get the idea.

Consequences work especially well with older children and trust issues. For instance, your child spent the night at a friend’s house, but she was not where she was supposed to be. You tell her you are disappointed in her, remind her of the rules and drop it. She is going to feel like she got away with it. That is, until the next time she asks to spend the night at a friend’s house. You tell her no, the last time she didn’t follow the rules. She has no sleepover until further notice. She will demand that you tell her how long this punishment lasts. You tell her this is not a punishment, it is a consequence of her behavior. “Until I feel I can trust you to be where you say you are, you will not be sleeping over at anyone’s house.” Now the ball is in her court, to win back your trust.

Time outs and loss of privileges may remain your first choice, but the more you stretch your brain power and outmaneuver your child with logic and direct consequences for actions, the more you will prepare your child for the real world and the more they will respect the rules. Again, the key is consistency, patience, and a loving attitude.

Good parenting is a lot like warfare. Be strategic. Know your opponent, and act more than you react. Outmaneuver and anticipate. Always trust your gut instincts. Never make your decisions based on whether or not your kid will like you, make them based on what is best for your child. Start with getting off the couch.



Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12  (cyanocobalamin ), along with other B vitamins, helps turn carbohydrates into glucose and to metabolize fats and proteins. B12 also helps to make red blood cells, to synthesize and repair DNA and RNA, and to form nerve tissue and neurotransmitters.

B12 is an essential nutrient that is only found in animal protein (more specifically, from the animal’s bacteria). Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, pancreatic disease, weight loss surgery, AIDS, ulcers, long-term antibiotic use and age (50+) are all risk factors forB12  deficiency. And most experts say that vegetarians and vegans must supplement B12 in order to avoid deficiency.

Vitamin B12 deficiency

The requirement for vitamin B12 is very low, but it is absolutely essential. A mild vitamin B12 deficiency results in weakness and fatigue. A more serious deficiency causes shortness of breath, nervousness, numbness and tingling in extremities, and problems with balance. A severe deficiency can lead to nerve damage, pernicious anemia, paranoia, confusion, problems with memory, depression, delusions, and brain damage.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the following drugs may suppress absorption of Vitamin B12 or cause you to lose more in your urine: anti-seizure medications, chemotherapy medications, colchicine, medications used to lower cholesterol, medications used to reduce stomach acid, and a diabetes medication. Vitamin B12 can also interfere with Tetracycline and Doxorubicin. (For more information on drug interactions, see the link below.)

One of the biggest problems with diagnosing B12 deficiency is that the serum B12 test that doctors usually perform only identifies a fraction of the people who are deficient. Fortunately, more sensitive and conclusive testing for B12 deficiency is now available.

As always, when taking a B vitamin supplement, it is best to take B12 along with the other B vitamins in a B complex supplement because any long-term use of a single B vitamin will cause an imbalance in the others, and high doses of folic acid (B9 ) can mask a B12 deficiency.

Treatments and prevention with B12

B12 has long been used to treat fatigue and general malaise. There is a possibility that supplementation will improve sperm count. B9 (folic acid) and B12 may help prevent breast cancer. B complex (especially B12, B6, and B9) help to lower homocysteine levels. Age-related macular degeneration (a condition that causes blindness in the elderly) may be prevented with B12 and B9.

Foods rich in vitamin B12

Natural food sources high in vitamin B12 include the following: sardines, salmon, tuna, cod, lamb, shrimp, scallops, beef, yogurt, and milk.

Can human bacteria produce B12?

Vegans and vegetarians are at high risk for serious B12 deficiency. Many argue that this is not the case, that with a proper, healthy vegan or vegetarian diet, the bacteria in our digestive system will produce B12. While this is true, it is not absorbed. B12 is absorbed in the ileum, the last section of the small intestine, while our bodies produce B12 in the large intestine. Therefore, it cannot be absorbed.

How do vegan animals get vitamin B12? Many species eat their feces and other animal’s feces. They also eat root vegetables with dirt, which sporadically has small amounts of the vitamin. In the 1950s, vegans with B12 deficiencies volunteered to eat B12 extracted from their own feces. The experiment worked–it eliminated their deficiency. Obviously, there is a better way.

Although B12 is water soluble and is not stored in the fat, it is the one B vitamin that is stored in the body, in the liver. Many vegetarians and vegans continue their diet choice without supplementation for a few years without problems. Scientists speculate that this may be due to B12 reserves. One depleted, deficiency will result.

Some people claim to get enough vitamin B12 from their own gardens, growing their own food outside with good soil and eating some of the organic produce without washing it. This practice places them at high risk of parasitic infection, but this practice can yield positive results if their diets are very clean. Tempeh, miso, sea vegetables, and other plant foods are sometimes reported to contain vitamin B12, but these are not reliable sources. The good news is, B12 supplementation is easy. Lots of foods are fortified with B12, but if you don’t do pre-packaged, processed foods, then you’ll need to supplement. There are plenty of supplements available and some nutritional yeasts are good sources of B12, but it is important that the yeast comes from good sources. We recommend non-active saccharomyces cerevisiae nutritional yeast.

Remember, if you choose vitamin supplementation, B vitamins should be taken together in a B-complex form. Shillington’s Total Nutrition recipe (click here to see) should offer enough B vitamins (and it has plenty of B12) for most people, though many people may benefit from the Total Nutrition and a B complex supplement. Make sure any B vitamins you consume come from a reputable source.

Further Reading:
Recommended Supplements:

Sources: 



Why I Stopped Taking Prescription Drugs

My mother was the first in our family to question conventional medicine. When I was a four, I was diagnosed with severe ADHD and learning disabilities. While the doctor insisted that Ritalin was the only viable treatment and was urgently needed, my mom researched alternative treatments and successfully managed my symptoms through diet alone. Unfortunately, she did not learn about alternative treatments for the asthma, bronchitis, sinus infections, and ear infections that plagued her, my brother, and me for many years. Removing dairy from our diet helped, but each of us still took antibiotics four or five times a year for many years.

Our slow change from conventional medical treatment to alternative medicine was made through a combination of excellent care from a chiropractor who practiced Contact Reflex Analysis with supplementation and my mother’s health crisis. After so many years of antibiotic treatments, she developed chronic autoimmune disease and refused the only treatment offered—steroids. Due to our chiropractor, she had learned enough about supplements to know that they could treat the cause, not just the symptoms. And since my aunt suffered from lupus, my mother had seen, firsthand, the damage done by conventional treatment.

After my mother (with the help of our chiropractor) treated both strep throat and pneumonia with supplements, healing faster than she ever had with antibiotics, she was determined the she and her children would never use antibiotics again unless an illness was life threatening and there was no alternative.

The last time I took antibiotics

Our immune systems slowly healed. Within a few years, serious yearly respiratory infections were a thing of the past. When I caught a cold, it was just a cold. It didn’t develop into asthmatic bronchitis or pneumonia anymore. And then, I no longer caught colds. But one day I came down with a nasty case of impetigo—a staph infection with pus filled sores erupting all over my body. Yes, it was gross. Squeeze on of those suckers and pus squirted all over the place.

When my mom found out about it, she panicked. She figured that I had staph in my blood and this infection was her exception to the rule of no antibiotics. Sepsis can kill. She didn’t even consider treating it with supplements. She took me straight to the emergency room for IV antibiotics.

For some reason, the doctor refused to treat me with IV antibiotics, simply prescribing oral medication. I promptly had an allergic reaction to the medication, so it’s a good thing I didn’t get that IV. I immediately stopped taking the antibiotics and visited the chiropractor. The right supplement cleared it up very quickly. It’s been seventeen years since that day, and I have never taken another antibiotic. Neither has my mom.

My immune system is incredibly healthy due to my diet and lifestyle. I don’t get sick. I now know how antibiotics destroy the bacteria in the gut—the very bacteria that comprises 80% of our immune system. At the same time it disrupts the balance of good bacteria to bad bacteria and allows Candida to overgrow.

Antibiotics are chemotherapy. We tend to reserve that word for the worst, most destructive pharmaceuticals, but the reality is, all pharmaceuticals (including all antibiotics) are chemicals used for therapeutic purposes—chemical therapy. They are used to kill the invading pathogen. None of them are used to support and aid the immune system, to help it do its job. This is the primary difference between alternative and conventional medicine.

If your immune system has been compromised by  antibiotics, checkout the first article below.

Further Reading:

Recommended Supplements:



After Taking Antibiotics, This Is What You Need To Do To Restore Healthy Intestinal Flora

Antibiotics kill bacteria. The problem is, our bodies are filled with bacteria, and those microbes are essential to our health. Our gut is home to 300-1000 different species of bacteria that help us digest our food, create and synthesize vitamins, repel invading pathogens, create neurotransmitters, and more. Antibiotics are indiscriminate killers. They do not just target the one pathogen that is causing an infection in our body; they kill off the good bacteria in our gut as well.

If we take an antibiotic, especially a broad spectrum antibiotic, we need to replenish the good bacteria in our gut as quickly as possible. Not only do we need it to do its daily work, we need to maintain the delicate balance between bacteria and fungi. Candida is opportunistic. Given a chance, it will quickly mass-produce, wreaking havoc in the digestive tract and, in time, the entire body.

So what can you do to repopulate the good bacteria that antibiotics have destroyed?

First, you feed and house the good bacteria that remain in your colon and encourage them to multiply. They need prebiotics–raw, preferably organic, vegetables and fruits. Insoluble fiber provides food for good bacteria while giving it a structure upon which to multiply. Eat at least one big salad a day with a large variety of vegetables. Raw vegetables and fruits (more vegetables than fruits) should always comprise 80% of your diet. After antibiotics, following this 80% rule (with mostly vegetables) is essential to regain the proper bacterial balance in your gut.

Avoid all processed sugar. Processed sugar feeds Candida and “bad” bacteria (including the pathogen you are trying to destroy with the antibiotic). Processed foods, heavy starches, and chemicals (sugar substitutes other than stevia, artificial colors, flavorings, and preservatives) should be completely avoided. This includes the healthier variety of sugars such as agave, brown rice syrup, fruit juice, etc. They should be avoided while trying to rebuild healthy flora as well. This is the time to eat a perfect diet. Even varieties of fruit with higher sugar content should be limited at this time.

A Note About Probiotics

Probiotics are the next step to help you repopulate the gut with good bacteria. Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain beneficial bacteria. But note, probiotics are not all equal. Don’t eat flavored, sugar-filled, commercial yogurt. It will do more harm to your gut than good.

There is a problem with probiotics. Getting the good bacteria past the stomach acid and into the gut is not easy. Stomach acid kills off a lot of the probiotics we ingest in any form. So eat a lot of them.

Fermented vegetables like homemade sauerkraut and kimchi, kombucha, coconut kefir, and other fermented foods do deliver live beneficial bacteria into the gut along with nutrition and enzymes. Supplements also help, though you must choose high-quality probiotic supplements that are specifically formulated to get past the stomach acid. While a store-bought probiotic supplement has only a fraction of the beneficial bacteria that a good homemade sauerkraut has, the truly high-quality probiotic supplements have bacteria strands much more able to bypass the stomach acid.

If you do not have your appendix, it’s a good idea to supplement your diet daily with a quality probiotic.

The beneficial bacteria in fermented foods is weakened and killed by stomach acid. There are lots of benefits to fermented foods, but they don’t make for a therapeutically powerful probiotic.

Most probiotics are worthless. Two that work very well are Floramend, available at Green Lifestyle Market, and Bio-K , which can be found at most health food stores including Whole Foods. There are other probiotics that are good, too; these aren’t the only good ones, but I am very familiar with the quality of Bio-k and Floramend. I use them regularly, and 98% of the other products are a waste of money. Bio-K is great for anytime you need a probiotic right now, provided you can find it locally. If you can order online, FloraMend is much cheaper in the long run.

But remember, prebiotics are the most important. Eat right, load up on healthy greens and others veggies and fermented foods. Your body will thank you. It is also good to note that 80% of our immune system is contained within our gut, and those bacteria your antibiotic killed off are the foundation of that immune response. Feed them right and they will help you avoid getting sick in the future.

Here’s My 10-Day Routine to Balance My Gut Flora, Step by Step:

Days 1-5 – or as long as symptoms last:

  1. 80% of the diet should be raw produce, mostly vegetables.
  2. Drink lots of cranberry lemonade (most should do a gallon) and eat a large salad every day (mine are 9-11 cup salads).
  3. Meals should all be made at home, from scratch, with no overly refined, processed ingredients such fruit juice, white rice, or any sweetener (stevia is the exception).
  4. Snack on produce.
  5. Eat stir-frys with lots of veggies, brown rice, quinoa, soaked and sprouted beans (be careful, may need to wait a week on these), add a little Braggs amino acids (it’s essentially a healthy soy sauce), and lots of turmeric and garlic and ginger.
  6. Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse. Start with one a day. Build up as instructed. Take with meals.
  7. Take 15 SF722 a day, 5 per meal.
  8. Take 3 Undecyn, 1 each meal.
  9. Take 2 FloraMend upon waking up and 2 FloraMend when before sleep. Don’t take these at the same time as the other supplements; they can weaken each other’s effect.

Days 6-15, or once symptoms are under control:

  1. Take 3 Abzorb Vitamin & Nutrient Optimizer and 2 FloraMend with each meal.
  2. Take 5 Olive leaf extract upon waking and before sleep at night.
  3. Continue with the same diet.

Check out the lemonade and salad recipe in Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included and see Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases for an in-depth look at gut health.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:


Vitamin B6 and What You Should Know About it

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxa, pyridoxamine) works with other B vitamins to change carbohydrates into glucose, to help form hemoglobin, to create neurotransmitters, maintain normal nerve function, to break down protein, to maintain normal blood sugar levels, and to make antibodies.

B6 is not stored in the body. Therefore, it is important to eat a healthy diet that supplies the daily need for this essential nutrient.

Foods Rich in Vitamin B6

Natural food sources high in vitamin B6 include the following: sweet potatoes, potatoes, spinach, cabbage, turnip greens, garlic, winter squash, bok choy, bell peppers, avocado, green peas, tuna, chicken, turkey, beef, salmon, lentils, lima beans, pinto beans, banana, and sunflower seeds.

Vitamin B6 Deficiency

Deficiency causes depression and cognitive problems, skin inflammation, burning feet, sore tongue, anemia, and chronic inflammation of the body. Severe deficiency can lead to convulsions. B6 is important for liver detoxification and immune system function. Severe deficiencies are rare, however, mild deficiencies are common.

How Vitamin B6 Is Used Therapeutically

B6 has been proven to be a successful treatment for morning sickness, to lower homocysteine levels, and to treat tardive dyskinesia. The best known use of B6 is to treat PMS, however, double blind studies have not confirmed its efficacy. (But try telling this to any woman who has received immediate relief from raging hormones by taking B6, and any man who knows to give them to her ). Studies have proven its aid in treating children with asthma in reduction of medications, but studies on adults with asthma have not shown the same result.

Evidence is incomplete or contradictory in regards to benefits in treating depression, vertigo, dermatitis, schizophrenia, prevention of kidney stones, HIV, photosensitivity, and diabetes during pregnancy.

In reading the literature it appears that many studies have been conducted with small groups and many of the studies have not been set up properly. It is also suspect that none of the studies have been conducted with B-complex vitamins since B vitamins always work together.

Remember, if supplementing B6, it is best to take B6 along with the other B vitamins in a B complex, because any long-term use of a singular B vitamin will cause an imbalance in the others. B-complex formulas are available with higher B6 that maintains a working balance of these precious vitamins.

Managing PMS with B6

With a healthy diet, good whole food multivitamin/mineral supplementation and balanced fats (these are necessary for proper B vitamin assimilation), and a complex B vitamin that’s heavy on the B6, many people have been able to manage their PMS symptoms down to almost nonexistent. Your gut also needs to be balanced in order to properly assimilate b vitamins, and consider Shillington’s Female Balance Formula.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
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