Understanding Stress, Chronic Stress, and Adrenal Fatigue

Stress is nothing new; it has been with us since time began. In its most basic incarnation, we are stressed when we are threatened and faced with fight or flight. In modern times, we need stress to focus our mind and to sharpen our wits. Stress helped to give us the edge we needed to survive. Large amounts of stress hormones (like cortisol and adrenaline) can enable us to do amazing things, feats beyond what we could do under any other circumstances.

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Under the rush of life or death circumstances, our perception of time slows down. We become hyper-focused upon our goals, blocking out all other distractions. Relevant sounds become more prominent, irrelevant noise less so. Reflexes sharpen, and our reaction time improves. Pain is diminished, and we gain strength beyond measure. In those times, the world snaps into focus, and in the rush of the moment, we can reach beyond human limitations.

When it’s life or death, we can do amazing things.

There is a lot to be learned about how this process takes place in our bodies, and science has not yet teased apart all the steps of this complex phenomena. Ethical restraints prevent scientists from recreating life or death circumstances for study. But throughout the years, many people have been witness to extraordinary acts by those in the heat of the moment.

Rising to the Occasion

It was the primal response to danger that enabled Tom Boyle Jr. to do what would otherwise have been impossible. Sitting in traffic, Tom and his wife witnessed a gruesome spectacle. Sparks sprayed from beneath a car ahead of them as it drug 18-year-old Kyle Holtrust and his bicycle, his flesh being torn open along the road. After 20 to 30 feet, the driver finally came to a stop, and Tom Boyle leapt into action.

The bicyclist was pinned beneath the frame of his bike and a 3,000 lb. Camaro. Kyle screamed in agony, pounding the side of the car with his free hand. In that moment, Boyle reached under the frame of the 3,000 lb. car and lifted it off of Kyle. The driver of the car then pulled Kyle to safety. After an amazing 45 seconds of holding the car, Boyle set it back down. Boyle doesn’t deny that it was the extreme stress of the moment that made the difference “There’s no way I could lift that car right now.”

When it’s life or death, we can do amazing things. Other stories similar to this one are easy to find. A Canadian mother, Maureen Lee, used only her bare hands to throw a cougar off of her 3 yr. old daughter. Understandably, the cougar was terrified of her hysterical strength and ran away.

Angela Cavallo lifted a 1964 Chevrolet Impala off of her son after it fell off of the jacks and onto him. Angela held the car long enough for others to arrive and to put the car back onto the jacks. Lydia Angyiou attacked a polar bear that was threatening her son and another boy. While the boys ran for help, Lydia managed to engage the bear in physical combat long enough for help to arrive. Help came in the form of a neighbor armed with a gun. He shot the bear four times, ending the fight. Surprisingly, Lydia’s wounds were minor. This is the kind of stress that we are biochemically equipped to handle.

Unfortunately chronic stress can lead to all kinds of poor health outcomes

Life is expected to be stressful, and we are designed to rise to the occasion. But we are designed for extreme stress. In today’s modern world, extreme stress rarely happens. The kind of stressors that we encounter today are usually more of the low-level, ongoing variety like relationship troubles, financial difficulties, and abrasive bosses. Our bodies are not well equipped to handle long term, chronic stress. Ongoing stress can bring on a multitude of diseases and send us to an early grave.

It’s true; stress can kill you. The Japanese call this Karoshi, which means death from overwork. But it is the stress from work that kills us, not the work itself. That is, the stress and lack of sleep from overwork, which further adds to our stress.

Stomach ulcers were the first disease linked to chronic stress. It took many more years of research to learn that many diseases are linked to chronic stress.

The old saying, “Whatever doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger,” may not hold true when it comes to chronic stress.

Health Problems With Excessive Stress Hormones

  • Acne
  • Addictions
  • Anxiety
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Bone Loss
  • Cancer (due to reduced immune system)
  • Depression
  • Diabetes
  • Digestive problems
  • Heart disease (stress actually creates plaque in the arteries)
  • Infertility
  • Inflammation
  • Impaired immunity
  • Insulin resistance
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)
  • Metabolic syndrome
  • Memory and concentration impairment
  • Osteoporosis
  • Reduced libido
  • Senile dementia
  • Sexual Dysfunction
  • Stomach Ulcers
  • Strokes
  • Weight gain (stress encourages fat to be retained in the body, especially around the abdomen)

Unfortunately chronic stress can lead to all kinds of poor health outcomes, not just the problems listed above.

More Side-Effects of Chronic Stress

Mice subjected to chronic stress had smaller brains, fewer connections formed in their brains, and fewer brain cells. The areas of the brain associated with learning and memory were particularly affected.

Chronic stress kills human brain cells as well, and it has also been shown to lower I.Q. When we are stressed, our ability to use our higher-level thinking (our frontal lobes) is disrupted, as well as our ability to access memories.

Chronic stress may shorten telomeres. Telomeres are at the ends of our DNA strands. Every time a cell divides, telomeres are slightly shortened by the cell’s division. So by further shortening our telomeres, chronic stress can shorten your lifespan and make you age faster. Centenarians tend to possess two common traits: long telomeres and a low-stress approach to life.

Scientific understanding of the stress response has improved a great deal in recent years, but there is still a lot science does not yet fully understand. Physiological changes brought on by stress are very complex. What we do know is that when we are stressed our body releases adrenaline, endorphins, fibrinogen, norepinephrine, corticotrophin, cortisol, and vasopressin, and we have a working knowledge of the changes in the body that are brought on by these substances.

Stress Hormones Defined

Adrenaline is also known as the fight or flight hormone. Adrenaline gives you an instant surge of energy, and it focuses your attention to immediate threats. Adrenaline directs blood flow to our arms and legs. Heart rate and respiration quicken, and we may start sweating. Adrenaline is released from the adrenal glands after the brain sends a warning of imminent danger.

Corticotrophin’s primary function is to drive the release of other stress hormones. Corticotrophin also suppresses appetite, improves memory (even as other stress hormones dampen memory), increases overall anxiety, and it focuses attention. Corticotrophin also plays an important role in inflammation. Corticotrophin is produced in small quantities by white blood cells and in larger quantities by the hypothalamus.

Endorphins are released in times of stress to act as a natural painkiller. Many people report not feeling any pain from injuries until after the threat to life or limb has passed. By numbing our sense of pain, we are able to push ourselves further than we otherwise could, straining muscles and pushing past injuries to do what is needed.

Fibrinogen is a protein that aids in blood clotting, providing some protection against excessive bleeding. Fibrinogen is also why high levels of stress forms plaque on the arteries.

When your boss tells you that his or her job is more stressful than yours they’re probably lying…

Norepinephrine is a hormone that is very similar to adrenaline. It makes you very alert, more responsive and invigorated. It also diverts blood from the skin, the digestive tract, and other non-essential areas, shifting more blood to your muscles. This can further aid in any fighting or fleeing that you may need to do. The adrenal glands and the brain produce norepinephrine.

Although norepinephrine might seem redundant considering that adrenaline (which is also called epinephrine) mirrors its affects; it actually works as a back up and as a compliment to adrenaline. If your adrenal glands are not working well, you can still get a solid dose of norepinephrine from your brain.

Vasopressin is also known as the antidiuretic hormone or arginine vasopressin. This hormone causes reabsorption of water by the kidneys, which concentrates our urine. This is why we are less likely to think about trips to the bathroom in highly stressful situations. It also induces something called vasoconstriction, which is the constriction of blood vessels. This raises our blood pressure. Vasopressin is produced by the hypothalamus, then stored and later secreted by the pituitary gland.

Cortisol has been nicknamed the “stress hormone.” It is, in fact, not the stress hormone, but one of many. Cortisol does a lot of good things for us. It aids in metabolism and many other bodily functions. Under stressful situations, cortisol takes a little longer than the other stress hormones to kick in. It is meant to provide us with sustained energy over a longer period of time.

Stress hormones are some of the heavy lifters that helped Tom Boyle leverage the Camaro off of Kyle. This ability to respond to extreme circumstances with extreme measures is undoubtedly one of the upsides of having stress hormones. There are other benefits to stress hormones as well.

Positive Aspects of Stress

“He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.” – Edmund Burke

Stress can make you feel alive. It is this rush of stress hormones that give us that thrill when we are watching action movies or horror movies. Our bodies release stress hormones when we are watching sports and when we are playing games like paintball, laser tag, and video games. Some amount of stress is good, healthy, and invigorating. It can make us feel more “in the moment”.

Another upside to stress is its ability to act as an effective motivator. Ever heard that old adage, “I work best under pressure”? The right amount of stress sharpens our focus. The right amount of stress coupled with an optimistic outlook hones athletic performance. Under the right circumstances, stress can be our ally.

The difference between good stress and bad stress is mostly how we perceive the circumstances. The majority of people think of stress as something that happens to them, from external factors, like one too many straws that broke the camel’s back. This idea of one too many is often extended to those in mental institutions and prisons, as we ask, “What was the last thing that made those people snap?”

The idea of too much, too many, is a good model for physical stress. Bridges, houses, and buildings are all built to withstand a certain amount of physical stress. When subjected to too much stress at once or too much stress over an extended period of time, the structures collapse.

It’s All In Our Heads

Emotional stress doesn’t need to affect the body in the same way. All of our stress passes through our minds before it goes on to affect our bodies. Our thinking about stress either magnifies our stress or dampens it. Many of us think of our jobs as stressful, our boss as stressful, or traffic as stressful. Although some occupations are more stressful than others, we can mitigate the intensity of our stress by changing the way we think about it. Being stuck in traffic isn’t fun either, but we can all take a deep breath and listen to enjoyable music instead of obsessing about how much time we’re wasting looking at the sea of brake lights ahead. It is the way we react to these situations, the way we think about them, that makes them so stressful.

Many people thrive under stress, while others do not. Usually the difference is in perception, but it also helps when events are seen as being somewhat under their control. For many, powerlessness amplifies stress exponentially.

It’s Good to be King

Where you are in your corporate hierarchy also matters a great deal. When your boss tells you that his or her job is more stressful than yours they’re probably lying – if not to you, then at least to themselves. Numerous studies have shown that stress is lower at the top of corporate structures, not the other way around. The higher rank someone is, the less stress they endure and the longer they live. Rank does indeed have its privileges.

The Fine Line Between Stimulating and Stressful

Those who do well under stress also do not wallow in negative events. As an example, lawyers and doctors have stressful occupations. The difference between a lawyer or a physician coping well with their stressful careers lies in part with their ability to leave their job at work and not take the stress home with them. To those who thrive in stressful jobs, their jobs are rarely all that stressful-because they don’t perceive them to be that way. To them their job is challenging.

The right kind of stress is stimulation. The good kind is that thrill we get from a rollercoaster ride, the rush we get from a good horror movie, or the exhilaration we get from watching a sports game. Even in these examples, the way we perceive the stress is key.

Take sports for instance. It’s possible to become too emotionally involved in sports, even as a spectator. Sports fans have a way of feeling both the triumphs and failures of their favorite teams. Taken too far, this can be unhealthy.

In one study, researchers tracked the health outcomes of soccer fans. The Dutch fans of the European Cup Soccer game were devastated by their teams’ loss. The Dutch fans risk of heart attack increased by 50% shortly following the game.

So stress can take a lot out of us. Evolved out of dire necessity stress hormones divert energy away from reproduction, tissue repair, digestion, anything non-critical. Our bodies’ design is to worry about these things later, if there is a later. This can allow us to do incredible things, when life or death is at stake.

Ease The Pain

When stress is ongoing, it hurts our health and it takes away from our quality of life. Looking for a way to cope, many people try to self medicate when they are chronically stressed. Drug use and alcohol abuse are commonly used to cope with stress. We recommend turning to vitamins or supplements instead. A good B complex vitamin, tryptophan, and supplements for the adrenal glands are very effective without such harmful side effects. See Natural Remedies for Adrenal Fatigue below.

There are other adaptive ways to foster resilience. Caring and compassion create resistance to stress. Connecting with others and sharing a laugh are powerful ways to mitigate the harmful affects of stress.

Oxytocin is the body’s natural antidote to stress. Known as the cuddle hormone, it has anti-inflammatory properties and promotes healing, especially for cardiovascular damage.

Positive emotions also spur on the enzyme telomerase, an enzyme that can actually repair telomeres.

Apathy

Some amount of stress is actually good for us, and without some stress, boredom sets in. The key to coping with stress is to see hardships as challenges. If you can view some stress as helpful, it mimics the biological changes induced by joy and courage. The trick is to change your perception of stress from a negative thing to a positive motivator.

My favorite analogy about stress being helpful comes from Dr. Mike Evans. He describes optimal stress as keeping stress high but not too high. Perceive current events as relevant, but not overwhelming and manage it like a bicycle tire. Give it enough pressure to keep rolling, but not so much it explodes if you hit a bump in the road.

Release the Pressure and Handle Stress Better

When you feel close to that breaking point, there are a number of techniques you can use to bring the pressure back down to optimal levels. These include some of the old standbys like deep breathing, exercise, humor, meditation, spending time in natural surroundings, and sharing your troubles with your friends.

Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue

Chronic stress, stress managed poorly, poor sleep quality, and addictions lead to adrenal fatigue. When dealing with chronic stress, the adrenals are being severely taxed.

Adrenal fatigue is a collection of symptoms, known as a syndrome, that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level. Most commonly associated with intense or prolonged stress, it can also arise during or after acute or chronic infections, especially respiratory infections such as influenza, bronchitis or pneumonia. As the name suggests, its paramount symptom is fatigue that is not relieved by sleep, but it is not a readily identifiable entity like measles or a growth on the end of your finger. You may look and act relatively normal with adrenal fatigue and may not have any obvious signs of physical illness, yet you live with a general sense of unwellness, tiredness or “gray” feelings. People experiencing adrenal fatigue often have to use coffee, colas and other stimulants to get going in the morning and to prop themselves up during the day.” – What is Adrenal Fatigue?

Life is much harder when someone suffers from adrenal fatigue. When the adrenals aren’t working, the whole body isn’t working. The body does its best to make up for under-functioning adrenal glands, but it does so at a price.

Symptoms include:

  • ADHD
  • Anxiety
  • Balding lower legs
  • Body fat accumulation
  • Brainfog
  • Breast cancer
  • Chemical sensitivities to paint, fingernail polish, plastics
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Coffee, tea, or energy drinks addiction
  • Cold hands and feet
  • Constipation
  • Cravings for salty or sugary foods, alcohol, caffeine, high protein
  • Dark circles under eyes that does not go away with rest
  • Dependence on sunglasses
  • Depression
  • Dry skin
  • Dysmenorrhea advancing to amenorrhea
  • Electrolyte imbalance
  • EMF sensitivity, including cell phone and computer monitors
  • Endometriosis
  • Exercise helps first, but then feels worse
  • Feeling “wired” and unable to relax
  • Feeling of adrenaline rushes in the body
  • Feeling tired in the afternoon between 3:00 and 5:00 pm
  • Fibrocystic breast disease
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Grave’s disease
  • Hair falling, randomly or alopecia
  • Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
  • Heart palpitations
  • High or low blood pressure
  • Hollow cheeks
  • Hormonal moodiness, bad PMS
  • Hyper activity
  • Hypoglycemia symptoms, though lab results normal
  • Inability to handle stress
  • Inability to take in simple carbohydrate
  • Insomnia
  • Irritable bowel syndrome, with more constipation then diarrhea
  • Irritable under stress
  • Joint pain
  • Kidney health issues
  • Legs that feel heavy
  • Lines in fingernails
  • Lines in fingertips
  • Loss of healthy facial skin tone color
  • Low back pain
  • Low energy
  • Low libido
  • Low thyroid function, hypothyroidism
  • Muscle mass loss
  • Muscle pain
  • Numbness and tingling in extremities bilaterally
  • Ovarian cysts
  • Pale lips
  • Panic attacks
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome
  • Poor emotional and coping ability
  • Post partum fatigue and depression
  • Premature aging skin
  • Premature menopause
  • Psoriasis
  • Recurrent miscarriages during first trimester
  • Short of breath
  • Systemic Candida
  • Temperature intolerance
  • Tinnitus (chorionic ringing in the ear)
  • Unable to get pregnant
  • Unexplained back or knee pain
  • Uterine fibroids
  • Vertigo
  • Wake up in the middle of the night
  • Weak immune response

Natural Remedies for Adrenal Fatigue and Chronic Stress

Adrenal fatigue can be treated naturally with herbs and supplements, but diet and good habits have to be in place. Bad habits need to be removed (caffeine, alcohol, smoking anything). The gut and thyroid need to be healed as well. 

The following herbs are used to treat adrenal fatigue:

  • Licorice
  • Rhodiola
  • Shisandra
  • Holy Basil
  • Ashwagandha root
  • Astragalus
  • Ginseng Root

The following vitamins and supplements are helpful in treating adrenal fatigue:

Candida and Adrenal Fatigue

Candida is the number one cause of poor health in our country. An overabundance of Candida will eventually cause adrenal fatigue (along with many other problems). If you’re experiencing adrenal fatigue, cut out stimulants completely. No more coffee. Clean the intestines.

Grounding for Adrenal Fatigue

Get outside and get grounded. Learn how to breathe! And take up yoga or meditation, preferably outside and barefoot.

Fitness for Adrenal Fatigue

Don’t push yourself too hard, but do exercise. Exercise is good for the thyroid and the adrenals. Any exercise from yoga to high intensity interval training (HIIT) will help you normalize your energy levels. But be careful with intensive training. If you have severe thyroid or adrenal problems, intense exercise could be dangerous. Once your body and your adrenals are responding to detoxification and proper nutrition, HIIT can radically accelerate the thyroid and adrenals’ improvement.

For long-term health, mix it up and add variety to your exercise routine.

Conclusion

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another” – Dr. William James

If you feel that your life is stressful, and there’s no avoiding stress, you’re right. Stress is unavoidable. Life has a way of giving us ups and downs, and worse still, life has a way of kicking us when we’re down. We’ve all been there – when things couldn’t possibly get worse and then they do.

We all have choices to make. How are you going to take care of your body? Will you eat the healthiest diet possible? Will you exercise? Will you get enough sleep? How are you going to react to life’s inevitable setbacks?

These choices are actually life and death choices. This may sound melodramatic, but it is true. Poor nutrition, lack of sleep, little to no exercise and giving in to negative emotions will send us to an early grave. We have a choice in the way we live life, and our choices become our reality.

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Fight Cavities and Gingivitis Naturally With Homemade DIY Oral Health

Forget buying toothpaste, reading all of those ingredients, wondering if you can recycle the toothpaste tube or not. Make your own toothpaste, mouthwash, and more. There’s nothing you can get in the store that will do as well as these recipes.

But remember, there’s nothing you can do for your gums and teeth that will heal them and keep them healthy without eating a healthy diet. Your mouth emulates the health of your gut. Disease starts in the gut, and that’s true for everyone except for the few people who smoke but eat very well. Smoking (tobacco, marijuana, anything) is extremely bad for the teeth and the gums. That’s not to say that if you choose to smoke you should not use these homemade recipes, it’s just that your teeth and gums will deteriorate if you do not take care of the rest of the body. These formulas can reduce the deterioration rate, or, if the body is taken care of, they will accelerate the healing, reverse cavities, remove inflammation, eliminate infection, and whiten.

One other exception, and an unfortunately common one, is someone who takes very good care of their body, but is stuck with mercury fillings. These fillings will also deteriorate teeth and gum health, but there are steps you can take that will significantly reduce health consequences.

Homemade Remineralizing and Whitening Toothpaste Recipe

Make your own remineralizing toothpaste with calcium, magnesium, stevia, coconut oil and essential oils to help your teeth stay strong and your gums stay healthy.

Ingredients

  • 5 parts calcium/magnesium powder (the best calcium for this can be obtained with this homemade calcium recipe)
  • 2 parts baking soda
  • 1 part unrefined sea salt, finely ground
  • 3-5 parts coconut oil to get desired texture
  • Optional ingredients: Essential oils for flavor and/or kill germs (mint, cinnamon, tea tree, peppermint, orange), and stevia (takes very little)

Instructions

  • Mix calcium, salt, and baking soda in a bowl
  • Add coconut oil, one part at a time until you reach the desired consistency
  • Add any optional ingredients
  • Store in small glass container.

Hydrogen peroxide is added to many home toothpastes, especially those formulated for whitening. But hydrogen peroxide is one of those ingredients you are not supposed to swallow and it can irritate the gums. It is not a good idea for kids or for anyone with sensitive, damaged, or diseased gums.

Simple Toothpaste Recipe

If you don’t have access to some of the ingredients listed above, or you just want a simpler formula, you can make homemade toothpaste, that’s not really a paste, with the following:

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt, finely ground

Instructions

Just mix the ingredients.

Homemade Earthpaste Recipe

If you like the earthy shampoos and soaps, then this toothpaste formula is right up your alley:

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp bentonite clay
  • Distilled water
  • 5 drops tea tree oil
  • 5 drops liquid stevia
  • 10 drops peppermint essential oil
  • 2 Tsp unrefined sea salt

Instructions

  • Combine 2 tablespoons of water with the bentonite clay in a glass bowl and mix well using a non-metal spoon (clay shouldn’t come in contact with metal)
  • Add tea tree oil, stevia, and peppermint essential oils
  • Add salt, mix well
  • Add water to taste and texture.
  • Store toothpaste in a glass with a lid (the toothpaste will dry out over time if left uncovered)

Oil Pulling

Oil Pulling is a traditional Ayurvedic method of oral care that involves swishing oil around in your mouth for 15-20 minutes. Some say that this practice can detoxify the whole body and heal all kinds of diseases, but these statements aren’t possible if the diet is not addressed. It does promote good oral health by reducing the amount of harmful bacteria and dental plaque while cleaning the areas of the mouth that brushing and flossing cannot get to. Oral health does increase the strength of the immune system, so oil pulling can lead to improved overall health.

Traditionally, sesame oil was used, but these days coconut oil is more often recommended, and it’s my preference as well. To increase the potency of this protocol, use essential oils, such as peppermint, cinnamon, or clove. Tea tree oil and oil of oregano are two good options, but they can get really intense. Start off with just a small amount.

Here are some suggestions with the essential oils for oil pulling. Add these to a tablespoon of coconut oil.

  • For bad breath: 2 drops of cinnamon, spearmint, or peppermint essential oil
  • Toothache: 2 drops of clove or tea tree essential oil, or one of each
  • Canker sores: 2 drops of holy basil essential oil.
  • Gum disease: 2 drops of cinnamon, clove, or tea tree essential oil.
  • Receding gums: Add 2 drops of Myrrh essential oil.
  • Cavities: 2 drops of clove or tea tree essential oil, or one of each
  • Any infection in the mouth: 2 drops of clove or tea tree essential oil, or one of each

How to Oil Pull

Swish the oil around in your mouth (like you would with mouthwash) and pull through the teeth, for 15 to 20 minutes. Don’t swish hard, or your cheeks will get sore very quickly.

The longer you do it, the more benefit you’ll get. 15 to 20 minutes is ideal, and I like to do it while I write articles, but even just doing it for a few minutes is very beneficial. You may need to take your time and build up your mouth strength. (I did.)

Spit it out! Do not swallow it. That oil gets nasty, and it’s better to dispose of it than swallow it. Follow with tooth brushing, or at least thoroughly rinsing the mouth. And don’t spit it out in the sink. The oil could stop it up.

Homemade Mouthwash

There are lots of interesting mouthwash recipes, but between the homemade toothpaste and the oil pulling, I hardly ever want to use it. When I do, I just put some water in my mouth and drop in some essential oils like peppermint, mint, or clove, and follow with swishing and gargling. But here is one recipe I have made that I like very much.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup distilled water
  • 1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon calcium magnesium powder (homemade calcium recipe)
  • 4 drops spearmint essential oil*
  • 2 drops cinnamon essential oil*
  • 2 drops peppermint essential oil*
  • 2 drops clove essential oil*

Directions

Mix ingredients in a glass bottle and shake.

* optional

Instant Breath Freshening

If I need to freshen my breath in hurry, I gargle with apple cider vinegar, or I chew on raw garlic, parsley, and/or cilantro (whichever I can find first). As long as you rinse well with water afterwards, you’ll have fresh breath.

Shillington’s Tooth and Gum Formula (click here to buy)

There is a third step in dental care for anyone who is struggling with gingivitis or wants to use a preventative treatment. Dr. Shillington’s Tooth and Gum Formula can be used as a mouthwash (one dropperful to a cup of water), on your toothbrush (8-12 drops on your toothbrush after brushing your teeth), or with a water pick (2-4 dropperfuls, but rinse out your water pick after use so the tee tree oil does not shorten the life of its rubber seals). After each of these methods, do not rinse; allow the ingredients to continue working.

Dr. Shillington writes, “The Echinacea in the formula deadens pain, kills germs, kicks the immune system into action, and starts working against bacteria that is deep down in the gum pockets. Bayberry and Oak Bark will tighten up the gum tissue right before your eyes. Peppermint is a very strong disinfectant, reduces inflammation, and also increases blood circulation to carry off toxins, bring in nutrition, and generally cleanse the mouth. Clove oil is a great pain reducer for toothache.”

You can make your own Tooth and Gum Formula with Dr. Shillington’s recipe or purchase the Tooth and Gum Formula through Green Lifestyle Market.

Dr. Shillington’s Tooth and Gum Formula Recipe

(Use Organic ingredients where ever possible).

  • 10 oz Echinacea tincture
  • 1/4 cup of tea tree oil
  • 4 oz. bayberry tincture
  • 2 oz. oak gall (or 3X oak bark) tincture
  • 2 TBS. Cayenne tincture
  • 2 1/2 dropperfuls of peppermint oil
  • 2 1/2 dropperfuls of clove oil

A “part” is a measurement by volume, not weight. Blend all ingredients together and make into a tincture using a 50/50 blend of alcohol and distilled water. For more, see How to Make a Tincture.

A dropperful is considered to be about 1/2 way up the dropper from a two ounce bottle.

Be sure to shake well before each use.

Conclusion

Gum disease is not only avoidable, it is, contrary to conventional opinion, completely reversible. For more on oral health, be sure to check out Mercury Fillings, Root Canals, Cavitations – What You Need to Know. As far as that healthy diet we were mentioning, check out 80% Raw, which also has an amazing salad recipe.

Recommended Products:

Further Reading:
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Kill Candida and Balance The Gut Quickly

People who suffer from an overabundance of yeast like Candida, or any other type of fungal infection, need to cut out sugars. This protocol has worked for many people, and it works faster and better than any medication as long as the diet is right, refined sugars are not ingested, and the body is not filled with toxic pharmaceuticals. This includes vaccines. Vaccinations have toxins in them that kill gut flora and weaken the immune system.

A Few Things to Know

If you don’t have your appendix, if you get regularly vaccinated, or if you have mercury fillings, you should take a good quality probiotic every day for the rest of your life.

If you have allergies, asthma, headaches, cancer, or diabetes; if you see floaters; or if you have almost any other ailment or disease; you have too much Candida.

Related: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

It’s not just white sugar and high fructose corn syrup that feed Candida. Agave nectar, coconut sugar, dates, fresh pressed fruit, carrot or beet juices, raw honey, and brown rice syrup all feed Candida in the body.

If you have taken antibiotics, you need to heal your gut and rebuild the healthy bacteria in your system.

Candida makes you crave sugar. When you feed the body sugar, you feed the Candida. It multiplies. The fungus eats you when it gets hungry. So you feed it again. This is a very simplistic way of putting it, and there is so much more going on, but this explanation is close enough for these purposes.

Candida can cause joint pain, stiffness, slow healing, and an inability to heal.

Candida can lie dormant for up to six months. When everything is back in control, keep in mind that Candida is always ready and able to spring back into life if it’s fed. You have to keep the gut balanced even after you heal it with a proper diet.

This protocol only works with the right diet. That’s also true for anything that will kill excess Candida and balance the body. Diet is key.

Related: How to Heal Your Gut

The Diet

A healthy diet consists of 80% or more raw, fresh, organic produce. Eat more vegetables than fruit. This is imperative for anyone who is ridding the body of Candida. Big salads (see 80% Raw Food Diet for a recipe) are the foundation of a healthy diet that balances the digestive system.

No refined foods. Whole foods only. Make smoothies with coconut water, whole pineapple (it’s juicy), unsweetened nut milk, or water instead of fruit juice. Make nut milks at home with sprouted nuts. Take extra supplements when consuming pineapple or grapes, as they are very high in sugars, and remember to limit fruit until your gut is balanced.

Gluten and Candida do not mix. If the gut is unwell, gluten is causing serious problems. Nobody with Candida overgrowth should be attempting to digest gluten. A gut with an excess of Candida has holes in it. When gluten breaks through the gut undigested, it is toxic to the body.

Do not drink anything that is sweetened unless it’s sweetened with stevia. Anyone with hypoglycemia or diabetes should use stevia with caution, as it can be problematic, but it doesn’t feed Candida. The second source below has a cranberry lemonade recipe to help detox.

Supplements

Supplements that are known to combat fungus include:

All of these are great to have around, and a few of them are exceptional at killing parasites, viruses, and bacterial infections (Coptis Chinensis, wormwood, black walnut hull, Spanish black radish) but while they are certainly antifungal, they’re not the strongest solution to kill excess Candida.

Fungal Supplement Stack – Knock Out Yeast, Candida, Mold, Fungus

The first three should be plenty for most people, but for really prominent fungal issues or for impatient people with a bigger budget I’d recommend all of these:

I recommend taking the SF722, Berberine, MycoCeutics, and Microdefense with meals, and the Abzorb and Syntol separately, on an empty stomach (like in the morning and before bed). The Abzorb and the Syntol are a bit redundant, but I find good results using both if the budget can afford it. If money is really tight, just get the SF722 and put your money into your diet.

Recommended Reading:



The Health benefits of Moringa: A Modern Miracle Tree

In northern India, in the foothills of the Himalayas, the moringa has long graced the region with its miraculous fruit. Ribbed pods, each a foot in length, hang in clusters from this tree’s wiry branches. These pods, called drumsticks, have attracted the attention of mankind for millennia and for good reason.

While the aptly nicknamed drumstick tree has a rather slender appearance, it is anything but frail. A tropical native, this prolific powerhouse has spread its roots across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. And now, it seems to have anchored itself in American soil.

Part of a new wave of exotic vegetables, Moringa oleifera is a botanical platypus. A member of the order Brassicales, it’s a distant relative of both the cabbage and the papaya. Its roots taste so much like its cousin horseradish, that it’s also earned the nickname the “horseradish tree”. Its fruit, a popular Indian vegetable, looks like a cross between an okra and a pole bean with the flavor of asparagus. Its cooked flowers mimic mushrooms in taste, while its leaves hint at spinach and lettuce. Its immature seeds are used like peas and if fried when mature, resemble peanuts.

In fact, it’s hard to find a part of moringa that isn’t edible. Even the bark is sometimes taken internally for diarrhea. But that doesn’t come as a surprise to the locals, who consider it a living pharmacy. Moringa has proven to be a multipurpose arsenal that dispenses some of the best secrets nature has to offer. For centuries, it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat a host of ailments including anemia, bronchitis, hyperglycemia, scurvy, and skin infections.

Today, several research studies seem to validate this knowledge. In a study conducted by Jaiswal et al. (2009), on diabetic rats, moringa leaf extract was shown to significantly reduce high blood glucose levels. Within 14 days, it also eliminated the presence of sugar and protein in the urine, two important warning signs of uncontrolled diabetes. In another study, moringa leaf extract was shown to notably reduce body weight, total cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in rats with high levels of fat in their blood. Moreover, it not only lowered bad cholesterol (LDL) but also elevated the good kind (HDL) (Rajanandh et al., 2012).

Furthermore, the leaf extract triples as a potent mosquitocide. At different stages of the life cycle, moringa killed Anopheles stephensi, a major carrier of malaria in India. These effects may be due to the rare and unique combination of phytochemicals found in moringa, including beta-carotene, zeatin, quercetin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid, and kaempferol.

Overall, the tree possesses numerous anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal effects, among others.

Drought hardy and disease resistant, moringa is a godsend during the dry season, when little food is available. The fresh leaves and branches serve as an excellent source of forage. Indeed, a Nicaraguan study confirms moringa’s ability to boost milk production in cows without affecting its taste, smell, or color.

The leaves also offer a spectrum of nutrition, rich in vitamins A, B, and C, as well as protein, calcium, and iron. They are so nutritious in fact, that they contain more vitamin A than carrots, more vitamin C than oranges, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more potassium than bananas, and more protein than either milk or eggs! A traditional item in pickles and curries, the raw leaves are also perfect for salads.

As a result, moringa could play a key role as a wholesome food source in impoverished nations, where malnutrition is often rampant. The World Health Organization has stressed the importance of amino acids and protein for growing children. Luckily, moringa leaves are rich in these nutrients, with the added benefit of omega-3 fatty acids and a host of protective phytochemicals.

When mixed in with different cereals, children regained normal weight and health status in 30 to 40 days, while the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s recipe for malnourished children took 80 days.

“[It] is a very healthy satisfying food that meets all nutritive needs. It is cheap to produce, can be cooked or eaten raw, sold in the market, or dried as a powder to be sold over long distances,” added Nikolaus Foidl, a world leading agricultural researcher on moringa.

Foidl has been studying the tree for over a decade in conjunction with the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. He has traveled to many countries, including Senegal, Honduras, Guinea Bissau, and Argentina, promoting the miracle tree’s cultivation by working with the locals.

In Nicaragua, he helped farmers utilize the leaf extract as a growth spray for other crops.

“Moringa leaves contain the growth factors gibberellin, kinetin, and some lower levels of auxin. We got up to a 25% increase in sugarcane and turnips, onions, and radish.”

Such a bountiful increase should not be ignored, especially in areas where food shortage is an issue. Foidl, who has the financial support of the Austrian government, first came across the tree by accident.

He recounted, “By chance, I had a Jatropha plantation with rows of moringa as windbreaks and the damn cows were always breaking down my fences to get to them. So I wondered, what is so special about this tree that the cows are willing to risk injury?”

That question has now led to a new understanding of moringa’s multifaceted potential. As a vigorous hardy grower, it surprisingly does not require much water or many soil nutrients once established. This makes it one of the most valuable tropical trees in terms of overall utility.

Like the leaves, the flowers, too, are edible when cooked, and are packed with calcium and potassium. As a bonus, they are not only incredibly fragrant, they also support native bee populations.

Moringa roots and bark, on the other hand, are used with caution. The bark contains the toxic chemicals moringinine and spirochin, which can alter heart rate and blood pressure. However, they do show promise in the medical field. The inner flesh of the root is less toxic, and roots of young plants are picked for a hot sauce base while the resin is added as a thickener. Interestingly, blue dye can be obtained from the wood, which is also used in paper production.

The famed moringa drumsticks contain all nine essential amino acids that humans must obtain exclusively from their diet. Oftentimes, the drumsticks are chopped into logs, boiled, and split into thirds lengthwise. The fibrous rind is inedible− rather it’s the soft jellied pulp and seeds that are sought after. These can be scooped out or scraped away by the teeth.

Hidden within the drumsticks are even more remarkable seeds. Loaded with protein, they also contain special non-toxic polypeptides that act as natural Brita filters. When ground into powder and mixed with water, they cause sediments to clump together and settle out. Then when strained through a cloth, they provide cheap access to clean water. Amazingly, just two seeds are enough to purify a dirty liter.

“It has been widely used at the village level in Africa to transform river water into drinking water,” shared Foidl. “I had a project working with the seeds in a wastewater treatment plant in Nicaragua (wastewater from 4,000 people). It was very effective− about 99.5% separation of turbidity in 30 minutes.”

In turn, the seeds themselves yield a valuable yellow oil called ben oil. Sweet, clear, and odorless, it doesn’t spoil easily− perfect for perfumes, cosmetics, and lubrication. It has also found use in cooking due to its high levels of healthy unsaturated fats.

For such a versatile tree, it’s almost hard to believe that moringa is easily grown via seeds or cuttings. Foidl remarked, “It grows virtually better than willow.”

Fresh seeds have the best chance at germination with a success rate of around 60-90%, provided that they have not been in extended storage, and require no special pretreatment. Seeds should be planted ½ inch deep in well drained, neutral to slightly acidic sandy loam and kept moist. Seedlings readily sprout within one to four weeks and do not transplant well due to their long taproot. As an alternative, branch cuttings can be used— these will be genetically identical to the parent tree. For best success, select hardwood cuttings that are 12 inches long and 1-4 inches thick, planting 1/3 of the length below soil.

Given its tropical nature, it is no surprise that moringa has quickly established roots in the southern states, particularly in Florida, California, and Texas where there are large Asian communities. In northern climates, however, the tree can be treated as either a summer annual or as a potted perennial. Moringa can be overwintered indoors where it will often go dormant and shed its leaves, only to re-sprout in spring.

As agriculture becomes more expensive, managing the long-term productivity of the land is essential. Moringa solves this issue through a practice called high density planting. The trees are grown closely together to increase the yield per given area, while at the same time reducing the need for herbicides. Because moringa grows rapidly, it crowds out and suppresses neighboring weeds.

“The optimal density is 1 million plants per hectare (10 x 10 cm spacing), where the losses of plants per cut are around 1% and the losses are compensated through vigorous sprouting,” explained Foidl. “Moringa is cut at a height of 15 to 25 cm for vigorous regrowth.”

This practice allows for cutting every 35 days, totaling 10 harvests per year. In fact, 120 tons of dry matter can be harvested per hectare a year, 10 times more than corn and several times more than soy. As a result, there is a constant supply of fresh food, with little need for storage.

Moringa is in a unique position to address the issues of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and lack of clean water all at once, something no other plant can boast. It is even more valuable considering it is found widely throughout the tropics, in the regions where it is needed most, making this ancient tree a true modern day miracle.

Sources:
  • Jaiswal D, Rai PK, Kumar A, Mehta S, Watal G. (2009). Effect of Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves aqueous extract therapy on hyperglycemic rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 123(3), 392-396.
  • Rajanandh MG, Satishkumar MN, Elango K, Suresh B. (2012). Moringa oleifera Lam. A herbal medicine for hyperlipidemia: A pre-clinical report. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease, 2(2), S790-S795.
  • Prabhu K, Murugan K, Nareshkumar A, Ramasubramanian N, Bragadeeswaran S. (2011). Larvacidal and repellant potential of Moringa oleifera against malarial vector, Anopheles stephensi Liston (Insecta: Diptera: Culicidae). Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 1(2), 124-129.


Autoimmune Disease – The Body’s Betrayal

When you think of disease, life-threatening disease, what first comes to mind? Cancer? Heart disease?

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), 9 million Americans suffer from Cancer on an annual basis; 22 million suffer from heart disease. Autoimmune disease beats them both with an annual number of 23.5 million and rising.

According to American Autoimmune, 50 million would be a more accurate number because the NIH only counts and tracks 24 autoimmune diseases (all with good epidemiology studies) though researchers consider 80-100 diseases to be chronic, autoimmune conditions.

What Is an Autoimmune Disease?

The simple definition of an autoimmune disease is a misguided immune system that attacks healthy body tissue. Some autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis or arthritis target specific body parts, while others, such as lupus, affect many parts of the body.

These diseases cause more than inflammation, pain or discomfort; many are crippling and are among the leading causes of death in America. The following is a short list of the most common autoimmune diseases.

Common autoimmune diseases

  • Addison’s disease
  • Arthritis
  • Celiac disease
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Diabetes (type 1)
  • Graves’ disease
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome
  • Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
  • Lupus
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Pernicious anemia
  • Polyarteritis
  • Polymyalgia rheumatica
  • Psoriasis
  • Raynaud’s phenomenon
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Sjögren’s syndrome
  • Ulcerative colitis

Conventional medicine offers no cures and has not reached a definitive answer as to the cause of autoimmune diseases. The primary treatment is medication. Steroids are commonly prescribed, despite how damaging their long-term use can be to the body.

Conventional medicine recognizes a genetic component and questions whether a viral infection could trigger an autoimmune disease. They have also acknowledged the fact that many people suffering from autoimmune diseases have celiac disease as well as another autoimmune disease.

How to Cure Autoimmune Disease

Natural health care practitioners believe that health, or lack of health, begins in the gut. Not only is the gut responsible for 80% of our immune system, an unhealthy gut cannot absorb the nutrients the body needs for every function, including healing.

A sick gut is often a leaky gut, one that allows proteins and food particles to pass into the bloodstream, causing the immune system to attack these foreign particles as pathogens.

An unhealthy gut is the result of an unhealthy diet, antibiotic use, and Candida overgrowth. If you want to rid yourself of any chronic condition, you have to heal the body, one cell at a time. If you are ready to do this, it all starts with diet.

A Truly Healthy Diet Is the Key to Health

The healthiest diet is a whole food, plant-based, 80% raw diet. A full 80% of your diet should be fresh, raw, organic produce – more vegetables than fruit. This will provide your body with the nutrients, fiber, and enzymes it needs and the perfect food to help the colonies of beneficial bacteria in your gut to thrive and reproduce.

There is no room in a healthy diet for processed foods with the exception of a few organic products such as healthy oils. The following should all be permanently eliminated:

  • Artificial colors
  • Artificial flavor
  • Preservatives
  • MSG, BHA, BHT
  • GMOs
  • Trans fats
  • Artificial sweeteners
  • Processed sugars

During the healing process eliminate the following foods as well:

  • Dairy products
  • Caffeine
  • Gluten (very important!) All grains containing gluten and all sources of gluten contamination.

You may be able to add some or all of these foods back into your diet on a limited basis after you have healed your gut and eliminated the autoimmune disease, but it is highly possible that you will find you feel better without them.

If you choose to eat meat, be absolutely sure that it is organic. This is vitally important. When you eat meat, you are eating off the top of the food chain. Animals that are not raised organic are fed hormones, antibiotics, and GMO feed, all of which is passed onto you.

To Eliminate Disease, Help Your Body Detox

Once you are eating right, you need to detox and avoid as many environmental toxins as possible. Give your immune system a rest. Use only organic soap, shampoo, skin care products, perfumes, colognes, cleaning products, etc. Your immune system responds to viruses, bacteria, fungi (Candida is the main one), parasites, and toxins. If you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system needs all the help you can give it. Get rid of the chemicals. Remember that your skin is a sponge, soaking up whatever you put on it.

You must kill the overgrowth of Candida in your body. Chances are the “indiscriminate attacks” that your immune system makes on your tissues are either an attempt to kill Candida that is present throughout your body or it’s a response to the proteins and other food particles that are routinely released into the bloodstream from a leaky gut. To heal the body, kill the Candida and heal the gut.

You need to move. Your lymphatic system is an integral part of your immune system. In order to work properly, it must circulate. Rebounding is considered the best exercise to move the lymph, but other exercise works as well. Walk, run, swim, yoga, dance – just move.

A healthy immune system also requires vitamin D. The best source is the sun, but many of us don’t live in an optimal climate and many with autoimmune diseases are photosensitive. If you supplement, be sure to choose a quality vitamin.

Conclusion:

To heal the immune system, you must heal the whole body. The good news is that every cell in the body requires the same thing: elimination of toxins and high-quality nutrients.

To learn more about a healthy diet, read 80% Raw Food Diet. To learn how to detox safely, read about a Total Detox Plan, How To Detoxify from Vaccines and Heavy Metals, and Inexpensive Easy Detox. (But know you will need to do a full detox.)

Autoimmune disease usually starts in the gut, and typically ends with healing the thyroid. Check out , How To Kill Candida and Balance Your Inner Ecosystem and see Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
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How to Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe

Turmeric is a bright yellow root with a tan skin that is typically used in Middle Eastern, Northern African, and Southeast Asian cuisine. Turmeric is one of the main ingredients in curry spice blends and it makes a great addition to soups, meats, salads, stir-frys, and more. It’s a very versatile herb that enhances the flavor of a great many dishes.

Curcuminoids are the beneficial compounds within turmeric. Specifically, curcumin, one of these specific compounds, is considered to be the most potent, medicinally powerful, cancer-killing component of turmeric. Curcumin helps to detoxify and rejuvenate the liver, reduces negative effects of iron overload (and this is important because iron with sweet wormwood is a powerful cancer killer, too), increases antioxidant capacity in the body, regenerates brain cells and improves cognitive function, reduces likelihood of and treats Alzheimer’s, is anti-inflammatory, reduces heart disease risk, reduces depression, and fights premature aging.

How does curcumin kill cancer? It literally kills cancer.

The Murderous Aspect Of Curcumin

The human body contains approximately 10-13 trillion cells. We replace these cells at the rate of approximately 100 to 130 billion each day. A tightly regulated, cell- suicide process known as programmed cell death or apoptosis destroys cells.

Cancer cells don’t suicide. They turn off the suicide genes.

Curcumin activates the death receptors through many different means, ways we are still learning. One of the more interesting ways is by activating enzymes that literally chop up the proteins within the cells. It is believed that one of the reasons cancer cells do not develop some sort of resistance to curcumin like they do with chemo drugs, is due to the fact that curcumin activates the cells death in so many different ways. We also don’t know exactly why curcumin doesn’t kill normal healthy cells, but it doesn’t. It seems to simply target the cells that were supposed to have already died.

Our bodies want to dispose of most of the curcumin we eat. Without help, our ability to absorb curcumin would be very low.

How to Increase the Bioavailability of Curcumin

The only problem with curcumin is that our liver, in an effort to prevent excessive drugs and supplements and such, inhibits most of the absorption of curcumin (a process called glucuronidation), which makes the compound much less effective than it could be. But there are ways to increase the body’s ability to absorb curcumin.

Mix Turmeric With Black Pepper

Piperine is the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of black pepper. This compound inhibits certain enzyme metabolism functions, which normally cause the disposal of what the body considers to be excess curcumin (this effect is not limited to curcumin, black pepper can increase the absorption of other supplements, too). Curcumin absorption increases up to 2,000% or more with just a small amount of piperine.

Consume Turmeric with Beneficial Fats

Curcumin is fat-soluble. Without fat, the compound doesn’t dissolve properly, and then curcumin has a tough time getting into the gut and being absorbed into the bloodstream and then into the cells that needs the compound.

Try consuming turmeric with healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, and coconut oil.

Eat Turmeric With Quercetin

Quercetin is a plant flavonoid that inhibits the enzyme that deactivates curcumin.

Foods High In Quercetin

Foods high in quercetin include red wine, red grapes, green tea, onions, apples, cranberries, blueberries, black plums, red leaf lettuce, raw kale, chicory greens, raw spinach, sweet peppers, snap beans and raw broccoli. The best whole food source of quercetin is capers.

Enhanced Golden Milk Tea Recipe

This is a new twist on an ancient way of experiencing the benefits of turmeric. Ideally, use all fresh, unadulterated herbs whenever available.

  • 1 cup of warm Coconut Milk
  • 1 ounce of turmeric juice, or 1 tablespoon of freshly grated turmeric (both should be with skin)
  • 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
  • 1 ounce of ginger juice or 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger (both should be with skin)
  • 1 pinch of black pepper
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix it all up and drink. For the drink to be warm, warm up the coconut milk only, but be careful not to cook the other ingredients. Add them in when the coconut milk is not too hot to drink so as to preserve enzymes and other fragile micronutrients.

I love this drink and do not feel the need to sweeten it (I prefer not to feed Candida). I have not tried adding quercetin into the mix, but I’m going to next time I make the drink. I’m thinking of either adding capers, which I think is going to taste really strange. I’ll drop a comment below when I try this addition and let you know what it tastes like.

Conclusion

For maximum potency and absorption, we recommend fresh, raw turmeric root with its skin, taken as mentioned above, as well as cooked turmeric with skin. Try juicing and using as a spice with meats, salads, and soups. Incorporate both into your healthy diet and you’ll get the most benefit. Also check out these recipes on Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included and see Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases for more on how to eat optimally for health and healing.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:

Sources:



B Vitamin Food Sources – Because A Deficiency Can Drive You Insane

A teenage boy is admitted to a mental hospital. He screams in fear, begging to be saved from the thousands of spiders climbing up the wall – spiders no one else can see.

A middle-aged woman is anemic.

An elderly man is depressed.

A young woman dreads her monthly cycle, knowing she will become moody or angry – mood swings so severe they may jeopardize her relationship or her job.

What do all of these people have in common? They are all suffering from a B vitamin deficiency.

The B vitamins are a group of water-soluble vitamins crucial to many of the metabolic processes in the body. All eight B vitamins, or several of them, are often found together in a particular food- a helpful occurrence since many of the B vitamins work together.

The B vitamins are: B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folate or folic acid), and B12 (cyanocobalamin).

B vitamins help carbohydrates break down to glucose and they aid in the breakdown of fats and proteins. Without them, we would not have fuel for any tissues in the body. They are absolutely essential for neurotransmitters and nerve tissue. They help our bodies form red blood cells. B9 and B12 are required for normal fetal development during pregnancy.

B vitamin deficiencies run the gamut from decreased energy all the way through to acute psychosis or death. Every bodily function requires B vitamins or the glucose it provides.

The best source of any vitamins is food. B vitamins are found in the following foods.

Foods High in B1

Asparagus, Brussels sprouts, green peas, beet greens, spinach, sweet potatoes, navy beans, black beans, pinto beans, lima beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts, unpolished rice, barley, oats, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, watermelon, oranges, and liver.

Foods High in B2

Beet greens, spinach, asparagus, crimini mushrooms, collard greens, sweet potatoes, green peas, eggs, turkey, tempeh, sardines, and tuna.

Foods High in B3

Asparagus, crimini mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green peas, tuna, chicken, turkey, salmon, lamb, beef, sardines, shrimp, peanuts, sunflower seeds, brown rice, and barley.

Foods High in B5

Avocado, crimini and shitake mushrooms, sweet potatoes, green peas.

Foods High in B6

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, bananas, and sunflower seeds.

Foods High in B7

Sweet potatoes, onions tomatoes, carrots, oats, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, eggs, salmon, and bananas.

Foods High in B9

Asparagus, spinach, turnip greens, broccoli, Romaine lettuce, bok choy, cauliflower, green peas, avocados, leeks, fennel, summer squash, Brussels sprouts, lentils, pinto; garbanzo; black; navy; and kidney beans, papaya, and quinoa.

Foods High in B12

Sardines, salmon, tuna, cod, lamb, shrimp, scallops, beef, yogurt, and milk.

It can be difficult to meet the daily requirement of B12 if you are a vegetarian or vegan, or if you are elderly. It is also more difficult for anyone suffering from digestive diseases that inhibit absorption such as celiac disease.

Conclusion

If you do choose to supplement with B vitamins, it is important to take a full B complex. Taking one or more B vitamin over an extended period of time can cause deficiencies in other B vitamins.

Remember a healthy diet is one that consists of 80% raw, fresh, organic produce – more vegetables than fruits along with healthy omega 3 fats. To properly absorb and assimilate B vitamins, you must have balanced healthy fats in the body and a healthy gut that’s not overrun with Candida. Check out Balance Your Ecosystem.

Recommended Supplements:
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