Savory Tart Recipes – Make the Most of Summer Produce

Summer is the most exciting time for cooking with food that has come straight from the earth, and the innate flavor of freshly picked vegetables make simple recipes like the below Zucchini and Tomato Tarts from my first cookbook, SAVOR: Rustic Recipe Inspired by Forest, Field, and Farm, an instant success. Eating food that is in season can be served simply, without lots of added spices or complicated dressings, and tastes delicious nevertheless. These tarts are a great way to use up fresh vegetables when you have an abundance of them in the summer.

Tomato Tart

Makes one 11- to 12-inch tart; serves 4 to 6

This tart makes great use of sun-ripened, fresh-off-the-vine tomatoes, so when your garden is overflowing with them, reach for this recipe. The dough is shaped into a free-form crust, making a beautiful rustic tart.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium tomatoes, cut into thin slices, or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • All-purpose flour, for shaping the crust
  • Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Spread the tomato slices out over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle them evenly with the salt and let drain for 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, coat a medium sauté pan with the olive oil and sauté the onion, stirring occasionally, until soft and sweet, about 8 minutes.
  4. Put the Savory Tart Dough on a baking sheet.
  5. Lightly flour your hands and gently pull and stretch the dough into a 13- to 14-inch circle.
  6. Spread the onions over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border.
  7. Arrange the tomatoes over the onions; there should be no onions visible when all the tomatoes have been layered on top. Drizzle with the olive oil and top with the thyme sprigs.
  8. Fold the border of the dough over the filling. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
  9. This tart can be served hot out of the oven but is just as delicious at room temperature. Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Bring back to room temperature before serving or reheat in the oven.

Zucchini Tart

Makes one 11- to 12-inch tart; serves 4 to 6

This tart is delicious at room temperature, making it a great picnic food. The dough for the tart can be made up to a week in advance and kept in the refrigerator. It also freezes well. With the dough on hand, this tart comes together very fast: simply slice the zucchini, combine the cheese with the herbs, spread the cheese mixture over the flattened dough, top with the zucchini, and shape it into a rustic free-form tart before baking.

Ingredients

  • 1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
  • Flaky sea salt
  • Savory Tart Dough
  • 8 ounces goat cheese
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
  • 1⁄8 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place the zucchini slices in a strainer and sprinkle them evenly with teaspoon salt. Let drain for 30 minutes, then spread them out on paper towels to drain for another 30 minutes.
  2. When the zucchini has almost finished draining, preheat the oven to 350°F.
  3. Transfer the tart dough to a baking sheet.
  4. Using a potato masher, mash together the goat cheese, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, rosemary, Parmesan, a pinch of salt, and pepper to taste in a small bowl.
  5. Flour your hands and gently pull and stretch the dough into a 13- to 14-inch circle on the baking sheet.
  6. Spread the cheese mixture over the crust, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Starting at the outside edge, layer the zucchini, overlapping the slices on top of the cheese mixture. Drizzle with olive oil.
  7. Fold the border of the dough over the filling. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

Zucchini Tart

Savory Tart Dough

Makes dough for one 11- to 12-inch tart

A tart crust is a good vehicle for tasting the nuances of different flours. It’s a great way to see how flours can differ in texture, too. This recipe uses spelt or farro flour, which produces a firm, hearty crust.

  • 1 cup organic spelt flour plus more for shaping the crust
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons white wine
  1. Combine the flour, rosemary, and salt in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and butter and mix together by hand until the dough has the consistency of wet sand. Add the wine and mix together. If the dough is too dry and does not come together, add a little water.
  2. Knead the dough by hand inside the bowl for a few minutes until it comes together as a ball. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

For the tart dough, it is worth buying organic grain with a non-GMO heritage instead of supermarket products made from flour whose origins are unclear, or even better, mill your own grains. You can find more information on learning to mill grains at home in my book, SAVOR: Rustic Recipe Inspired by Forest, Field, and Farm, and online at IlonaOppenheim.com.

Bread, cookies, croutons, cereal, crackers, and all other baked goods that are made from scratch with home-milled grains may lead the way to more sustainable living. If we can all teach our children this way of life, one that integrates nature on every level, we can change the perception of food, reduce our “foodprint,” and make the planet a healthier place.

Article excerpted from Savor by Ilona Oppenheim (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2016. Photographs by Ilona Oppenheim.
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Vitamin D – The #1 Vitamin You Need: From Treating Depression to Preventing Cancer

Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for general health and well-being. It is essential for bone health and a healthy immune system. It helps prevent and fight cancer and is a key factor in preventing depression.

In Europe, papers on diseases linked to vitamin D deficiency were written as early as the 1600s. It took the medical establishment in the U.S. a little longer, but since the 1900s, everyone knew of this vitamin’s importance. Contributions to the original research came from different doctors; many of them were looking for a way to cure rickets, a childhood bone disease. But the word spread far after Adolf Windaus, who won a Noble Price for Chemistry in 1928, spoke of vitamin D in his acceptance speech.

And yet, here we are, almost a full century later, with the media starting to publish about vitamin D’s benefits as if they were just discovered. Moreover, there have a been a lot of lies about vitamin D spread for a few decades, some accidental due to misunderstanding of what vitamin D is, some are very much purposeful to prevent us from using a truly natural way to heal, instead having to rely of pharmaceuticals that in no way can ever produce the same effect.

Sifting through all of the medical chatter, this is what you need to know about vitamin D.

What is Vitamin D, Really?

What confused earlier doctors the most, is that vitamin D is not really a vitamin. Generally speaking, true vitamins, such as vitamins A, and C, are found in food. The human body is not able produce these vitamins. Vitamin D is different; it’s a hormone that’s not common in the foods we eat. Vitamin D naturally occurs in fish and egg yolks and it is produced by the body when our skin comes in contact with the sun, The ultraviolet B energy is converted to vitamin D3, which is transferred to the liver, and later made into vitamin D by the kidneys.

Because vitamin D is mostly acquired from the sunlight, vitamin D deficiency has plagued humanity at different stages. In the case of rickets, the disease was a huge problem for children who lived during the Industrial Revolution, when smog filled the cities preventing sunlight from coming through. Today most people are vitamin D deficient due to our modern lifestyles and because we have been taught to fear of the sun (and sometimes vitamin D in general).

Vitamin D from the Sun is Vital (and Sunscreens Blocks It)

Researchers have noticed that when there is a lack of sunlight, such as during the winter months, there are more illnesses – from a simple cold to cancer. It is extremely important to soak up the sun. But many ask, “Doesn’t the sun lead to skin cancer?”

The sun’s electromagnetic light spectrum is divided into different wavelengths: UVA, UVB, and UVC. Only the first two reach the Earth’s surface. UVC gets blocked by the ozone layer. It is the UVB rays the body uses to create vitamin D. And unfortunately, it is these rays that the sunscreen blocks. The ones that may contribute to cancer are the UVA rays, and they sunscreen does not protect against them (instead most sunscreens contains chemicals such as oxybenzone that actually lead to skin cancer and other cancers). And let’s not forget that even though more people use sunscreen, and with higher SPF value, the rates of skin cancers did not

The ones that may contribute to cancer are the UVA rays, and sunscreen does not protect against them. Instead, most sunscreens contain chemicals such as oxybenzone, that actually lead to skin cancer and other cancers. And let’s not forget that even though more people have been using sunscreen, and with higher SPF value, the rates of skin cancers did not decrease. They actually increased.

It is not the UVB rays that increases your chances of skin cancer, but being sunburned does. There is no such thing as getting too much vitamin D from the sun. As long as you do not get burned, you can get as much sun as you want.

To prevent sunburn, eat a lot of antioxidant-rich foods, especially dark greens, as they help protect the skin from cell damage. If you are planning to stay outside for a long time, wear a hat and clothes that cover your body or  stay in the shade. And if you are sure  you may get too much sun, choose sunscreens that are made with more natural ingredients.

When you soak up the sun, you receive the most vitamin D, and the benefits of it are numerous.

A Long List of Benefits

  • Healthy bones: allows body to assimilate calcium and prevents fractures and osteoporosis
  • Healthy teeth
  • Muscle strength
  • Heart health: prevents heart disease: heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, artery damage, cardiovascular issues, and cardiovascular death and controls blood pressures.
  • Immune system: prevents autoimmune disorders, type 1 diabetes; helps fight the flu, tuberculosis, and the common cold.
  • Nervous system: prevents multiple sclerosis
  • Kidney health
  • Proper calcium absorption
  • Reduces inflammation
  • Prevents obesity
  • Prevents premature death

And perhaps one of the most important benefits of vitamin D in today’s world is cancer prevention.

Vitamin D and Cancer Prevention

What many don’t realize, is that vitamin D is a strong cancer-fighter, and by being exposed to the sun, you are actually lowering your chances of cancer.

Vitamin D helps destroy damaged cells and reduces cancer cell growth. Studies have shown that at least 16 types of cancers can be prevented by a higher vitamin D intake, including breast, lung, and skin cancers.

In the winter months and in places where the natural sunlight is not easily accessible, it is possible to receive some vitamin D from the food, but most often it is important to add a good vitamin D supplement to your daily wellness routine.

Foods With Naturally Occurring Vitamin D

  • Cod liver oil
  • Swordfish
  • Salmon
  • Tuna
  • Sardines
  • Other fish
  • Seafood (clams, crab)
  • Liver (beef, pork, chicken, lamb)
  • Egg yolk

It is also possible to take vitamin D in supplement form. Naturopathic doctors recommend up to 10,000 IU’s per day.

The FDA recommends between 400-600 IU a day, but that number is flawed. When the medical establishment studied vitamin dosage, they used synthetic versions of the vitamin, which can indeed be toxic at higher levels, leading to birth defects, cancers, breathing problems, and mental problems. It is impossible to overdose on Vitamin D acquired from the sun, its few food sources, or naturally derived supplements.

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Turmeric Honey Mask For Healthy and Glowing Skin

Known as the golden spice of life, turmeric, or haldi, contains a plethora of healthy nutrients beneficial for the skin. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties have been known for centuries in the East. The spice is widely incorporated in the Indian cuisine and has been used in the Ayurvedic skin care for centuries. Indian women have traditionally used it in their beauty routines for radiant and healthy skin. It is a common practice for the Indian bride to brighten their faces for the wedding with a turmeric paste made of the spice and olive oil.

The main ingredient in turmeric powder is curcumin, which represses an excess of melanin production. Curcuminoids work great for treating skin irritations, sun damage, and chronic inflammation that can all cause premature skin aging.  Turmeric contains a handful of essential nutrients including:

  • Vitamin C encourages the build up of collagen, preserving the skin elasticity and tautness.
  • Vitamin B is vital for the new skin cell formation and for keeping the skin moisturized.
  • Calcium helps heal dry and withered skin.
  • Magnesium slows down the aging processes and maintains the youthful and glowing look of the skin.
  • Potassium has outstanding hydrating properties.

Want To Grow Your Own Turmeric Plant?

You may want to try growing your own turmeric, especially if you are one of those hard-core gardeners. The hardy ginger relative will do best in humid and warm conditions. Although turmeric is better suited for planting in open fields, it can survive in a domestic environment, too. Gardening experts advise growing your plant from a small piece of rhizome bought from a nursery or gifted to you by another gardener. Pick a partly shaded place with morning sun exposure. The best time for planting is in spring. Dig the roots up in the late fall or the early winter, while the greenery is dormant.

Turmeric +Milk+ Honey Face Mask

Although turmeric has unquestionable benefits, the spice can stain fair skin with its natural yellow colouring and make it look sallow. Luckily, the colour does fade away after a couple of hours. With this in mind, here is an easy idea on how to use turmeric in your everyday skin care routine.

Why Is It Good for You?

Honey is known for its anti-bacterial, antiseptic, and moisturizing properties. It also helps even out the skin tone and removes any discoloration marks, acne scars, and dark spots on the skin. Milk smoothes the rough skin and nourishes it with vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

Directions:

  • Mix the above ingredients in a bowl.
  • Use a gentle cleanser to remove any trace of dirt or makeup.
  • Apply a thin layer of the turmeric face mask on your face and let it sit for five to ten minutes.
  • Rinse off with a mild facial cleanser and water.

Bonus Tip:

With this mask, you don’t need to worry that the yellow powder will stain your skin. If it does stain your face, use a sugar face scrub.  To avoid staining your nails, wear gloves. To get rid of the turmeric nail stains, rub them with lemon juice using a brush.

For more interesting tips and ideas on how to grow an organic garden and make your own natural remedies, visit the London Gardeners blog.

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Vaccine Propaganda Vs Vaccine Truth

Vaccines do not need much in the way of advertising; they have a way of selling themselves. After all, the majority of people believe that they are absolutely necessary. How did these beliefs come to be so entrenched in the minds of the public?

Most Americans don’t realize they have a choice. Day care centers and schools ask for proof of vaccination before registration and pediatricians and general physicians treat vaccines as a fundamental and necessary part of basic health care. The pharmaceutical industry heavily funds medical schools and medical research, influencing the perceptions of the medical profession, convincing them that vaccines are safe and effective. They, in turn, influence public perception. This kind of propaganda is highly effective when neither doctors nor parents take the time to do the research.

Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves.”- Eric Hoffer

Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism

If vaccines do not cause autism then why is autism listed as one of the possible side effects on vaccine warning inserts? If we read the warning inserts, we can begin to see vaccines for what they really are -dangerous pharmaceuticals. For instance, encephalitis is an adverse reaction listed for many different vaccines. When severe swelling of the brain occurs, it can cause autism.

There have been dozens of studies by independent scientists that show vaccines increase the risk of autism. To the layperson, yes, vaccines do cause autism. To a scientist, the word “cause” is a word that is not used in the same manner as lay people would use it. As Judy Mikovitz, an experienced vaccine researcher explains:

Ah, no. Vaccines definitely don’t cause autism. And we’ve talked, and we should talk, about this word “cause.” Because in my forty years or so working with cancer and HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases there are two words that we don’t use. We don’t use cause and we don’t use cure. Because in order for something to be causative by the scientific definition that we use, every single case of the disease must have a vaccine origin.

And of course, you yourself just said 7 of 10 moms feel that the change in their child’s behavior and health occurred following a vaccination, but that’s still not every case. So what we usually say is associated.

So if you change that question and you ask me are vaccines associated, do they play a role in the brain damage and the immune damage that results in autism, I would say absolutely. And there is a ton of data to back that up.

Though there have been many studies demonstrating no link between vaccines and autism, these studies were funded by the pharmaceutical industry or the U.S. government. Both the U.S. government and the pharmaceutical industry have a vested interest in manipulating the outcomes of these studies to show the results that they want. This may sound a little conspiratorial, but they have been caught doing exactly that, manipulating data to make vaccines appear to be safer than they actually are. One such example of this is the study identified by William Thompson, the CDC whistleblower, but his involvement in vaccine cover-ups is just the tip of the iceberg. U.S. regulatory agencies are staffed by industry insiders who are constantly seeking to push vaccines on the public under the guise of the “greater good”.

In order to find reliable guidance, many people look to independent scientists for guidance. However, genuinely independent research is very hard to find. When universities are heavily funded by the pharmaceutical industry, they are not conducting truly independent research either. They do often conduct pro vaccine studies claiming that vaccines do not cause autism, but this is what they are paid to do. We don’t need to be fooled by vaccine propaganda. All we need to do is read a vaccine warning insert or take a look at the FDA’s website. They readily admit that the vaccine can cause all manner of adverse reactions:

Adverse events reported during post-approval use of Tripedia vaccine include idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, SIDS, anaphylactic reaction, cellulitis, autism, convulsion/grand mal convulsion, encephalopathy, hypotonia, neuropathy, somnolence and apnea.” [1]

The FDA directly contradicts the talking heads on CNN and other mainstream media outlets. The reason why is simple: over 70% of mainstream media’s advertising revenue comes from the pharmaceutical industry. Media reports what they are told to report, even when it’s not true. They know most of their viewers will not take the time to do the research.

Vaccines Have Played a Role in the Historical Decline of Infectious Disease

Malnutrition, food poisoning, high parasite exposure, abysmal hygiene, unreliable or non-existent trash removal, unclean drinking water, plumbing infrastructure that ranged from insufficient to nonexistent, these are the factors that contribute to unsanitary living conditions. As these crippling living conditions were slowly addressed, the decline of infectious diseases began.

The connection between living in abject filth and rampant disease is so obvious that it shouldn’t need to be explained, but it has been explained comprehensively. The scientific explanation is known as the filth theory of disease. Most doctors have never even heard of it. They are too busy being taught pharmaceutically influenced curriculum to learn the historical facts.

We used to be plagued with epidemics on a regular basis. When it comes to understanding how people lived, died, and what challenges they faced, the experts are not the physicians. The experts are the historians, the archeologists, and the anthropologists. Asking doctors what eradicated smallpox is like asking them detailed questions about black holes, inflation and deflation, or what events led to the American Revolutionary War. Most doctors are well read, and though they may be familiar with these topics, they are unlikely to be experts on them. These kinds of questions are best left to those who actually study these phenomena – the astronomers, economists, and historians respectively. To learn about history, consult the historians.

You Get More Mercury From Consuming Fish Than You Do From Getting Vaccines

Despite claims to the contrary, no one gets more mercury from consuming fish than from receiving a vaccine that contains thimerosal. There is a profound physiological difference between ingesting mercury and injecting mercury. When we are healthy, our digestive tract does a remarkable job of keeping toxic substances from entering our bloodstream. In either case, the mercury in seafood or vaccines is from an unnatural origin. Even though mercury naturally occurs in the environment, the sheer amount of mercury that we are exposed to is problematic, and the majority of it is a direct consequence of vaccination and industrial pollution. No amount of mercury is good for us, for the environment, or for wildlife. The mercury in seafood is no doubt a serious health concern, but injecting mercury directly into our bloodstream is far worse than eating small amounts of it and is totally avoidable.

Vaccine Manufacturers Do Not Make Much Money on Vaccines

The pharmaceutical industry doesn’t produce anything out of a sense of altruism or for the greater good. For instance, even though we are in need of new antibiotics (many antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria have emerged as a real threat to our safety) all of the major pharmaceutical companies have publicly stated that they have no interest in developing new antibiotics. Their reasoning is simple: antibiotics are not profitable enough for them. It is far more profitable to develop drugs that are used over and over again, like vaccines, psychiatric medications, steroids, and statins. Disease and symptom management is far more profitable than developing drugs that actually cure or prevent illness. The first antibiotics were not developed by the industry but rather by independent scientists. Although antibiotics are no doubt egregiously overused, when used appropriately, they can save lives and cure infection. Big Pharma has the means to develop drugs that save lives and cure disease. In reality, this almost never happens because there is a lot more money to be made through symptom management. It is a comforting thought to believe that vaccines are made for the common good, but sadly they are made for money. The bottom line is the pharmaceutical industry only cares about the bottom line.

Each vaccine is worth billions of dollars, and that is why there are hundreds of them in development. There is no liability on vaccines, and if a vaccine causes permanent injury (such as autism, ADHD, asthma, or immune disorders) most parents hold to the belief that medications are needed indefinitely to manage these syndromes. Obviously, this makes the pharmaceutical companies even more money.

Our children are sicker now than many generations past. As before, there are many reasons for this: diets heavy in processed foods, GMOs, sedentary lifestyles, and chemical pollutants. However, the primary reason that our young are in worse health than previous generations is vaccination. It is the profit motive that drives vaccine mandates. If vaccines were held to the same standards of liability as everything else that is bought and sold in America, vaccine research and production would halt faster than you could say “accountability”.

Adverse Reactions to Vaccines are Rare

If you don’t believe that vaccines are safe and effective, then industry hopes that you will believe that they are usually safe, and usually effective. Despite the fact that vaccines are filled with neurotoxins, Big Pharma has worked very hard to spread the belief that vaccine reactions are rare. This is, after all, what parents are told by their doctors. In truth, rare is the new normal.

At present, we are experiencing an epidemic of autism, ADHD, neurological disorders, asthma, SIDS, and several chronic illnesses. We are told by vaccine manufacturers that these rising rates of chronic illnesses are a mystery – that vaccines have nothing to do with it. If it is all coincidence, it is the biggest coincidence the world has ever seen.

Neurological disorders are on the rise and as more vaccines are added to the CDC’s vaccine schedule the rates of autism rise along with increased vaccinations. Before vaccines were invented, SIDS was so rare as to have gone unnamed. In fact, SIDS happened so rarely that it almost didn’t exist. Unfortunately, this is the case with countless other syndromes. The same goes for autism. Before vaccines, no one, not even the experts, knew that such a neurological disorder even existed. Other chronic conditions such as autoimmune diseases and ADHD have also been on the rise, increasing alongside the ever-growing vaccine schedule.

A vaccine is designed to agitate the immune system into developing a lasting immune response. Sometimes this backfires in the worst and most noticeable way. What often goes unnoticed are problems that don’t tightly correspond with recent vaccines. A lasting immune response could leave us with what we see today, an epidemic of chronic illnesses. A genetic epidemic is a biological impossibility. However, environmental toxins injected into the body can account for this sudden rise in chronic illnesses. It is vaccines that are causing these rising rates of chronic illness, but proving it is very difficult when the truth is overshadowed by propaganda.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s Research was Fraudulent

Dubbed the “father of the anti-vaccine movement”, Wakefield has been both revered and vilified, depending on which side of the argument uses his name. Ironically, he is not anti-vaccine. But he dares to criticize them, and for that he’s been vilified. Wakefield has done expert research that fully supports his argument. The Japanese only administer the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines separately, and yet no one claims all of the Japanese are fathers of anti-vaccine movements or frauds. The Japanese are also, on average, far healthier than most Westerners.

In 1998, Wakefield, Prof. John Walker Smith, Dr. Simon Burch, and 10 other co-authors published a paper in the Lancet, a British Medical Journal, which showed a possible correlation between the MMR vaccine and resultant gastrointestinal dysfunction along with developmental delays and autism. Though the paper itself did not state a conclusive causal effect, it did state the need for further study into the possibility that the MMR shot was responsible. In a radio interview, Wakefield went on to publicly bring attention to the possibility, criticizing the MMR shot and calling for separation of the three vaccines.

The publication, the publicity, and the controversy caused an uproar, which was credited with a sharp decline in vaccine compliance in the UK and to some extent in the U.S. The United Kingdom General Medical Council regulatory board (GMC) investigated and came to the conclusion, despite all evidence to the contrary, that the study and the published paper were fraudulent. The paper was retracted by the Lancet. Ten of the authors signed a letter retracting the claim that the MMR vaccine caused autism (even though the paper did not state that conclusion). Wakefield, Smith, and Burch did not sign the paper. They were brought up before the GMC on misconduct charges. Wakefield and Smith both lost their medical licenses.

In 2012, Prof. Smith won an appeal against the GMC. Although he was already retired, his license to practice medicine was restored. The reason why he was successful in getting vindicated while Wakefield was not is simple. Unlike Wakefield’s insurance, Smith’s insurance covered his expensive appeal. There was a clear ruling that the published paper and study met academic standards and that the GMC was at fault in their earlier ruling. The GMC has not taken the opportunity since then to restate Andrew Wakefield’s license or to clear his name. In order to fuel the vaccine propaganda machine, Wakefield’s work is to be unceasingly attacked, regardless of how scientifically valid it is. The same thing has been done to Judy Mikovitz , and the movie Vaxxed. In the battle for the hearts and minds of the public, open scientific discourse is widely discouraged and crushed whenever possible.

The Toxic Ingredients in Vaccines are Needed in Order to Make them Work

Since the 1800s, homeoprophylaxis, a non-toxic, safe, and effective alternative to vaccination has been in use.  Homeoprophylaxis or HP is the use of diluted and potentized disease products, called “nosodes” to elicit an immune response. Our bodies response to HP serves to educate our immune system in such a way as to make us highly resistant to the real pathogen. Homeoprophylaxis has been clinically shown to reduce the incidence of both infectious as well as chronic disease.

The goal of HP is the same as the stated goal of conventional vaccination – disease protection and improved health, but the differences are so profound as to make them a world apart. The most obvious difference is that the purity of nosodes as compared to the purity of conventional vaccines. HP nosodes contain no additives whatsoever – no antibiotics, no preservatives, no detergents, no foreign DNA, no unknown viruses, and no foreign DNA are present.

HP nosodes are administered on small sugar pellets. They dissolve on the tongue and enter the system by way of the natural route past mucous membrane. Here the natural process of disease recognition can begin in the way that Mother Nature intended. Bypassing this route by injecting a substance directly into the bloodstream is like an ambush attack to the immune system. There is no opportunity to mount a preliminary response in a biologically appropriate way. This proves that toxic ingredients are not needed to make a vaccine work.

High Vaccination Rates are Needed for “Herd Immunity”

Herd immunity does not have the narrow definition generally used today. Herd immunity as generated by vaccines has never been proven to exist, and there is no evidence that supports it. The kind of herd immunity that is evidence based is something else entirely. Real herd immunity is something that survivors of epidemics retain and pass on to their children. The survivors of plagues, both Europeans and those they encounter, all end up with some measure of herd immunity or they perish.

When the Desoto expedition first came through North America, infectious diseases came with them. Indigenous peoples of North America had no natural resistance to these diseases; they had no herd immunity. Long after the Desoto expedition was fought off, pathogenic microbes lingered, devastating the Native Americans. One disease after another spread through native cities, diseases like smallpox, cholera, typhoid fever, and so on. Europeans had centuries to develop resistance to these diseases. The Native Americans were not granted the same luxury of time. Over 90% of the North American continent’s original inhabitants were wiped out by these epidemics. Indigenous peoples of South America suffered these same ravages of disease. Thankfully, the survivors developed an increased resistance to these epidemics. The survivors had herd immunity, and this was passed on to their children. This is why their children showed resistance to European diseases and didn’t die from infectious disease 90% of the time like other natives.

No vaccines were developed that bolstered this immunity. It was and always has been an inherited resistance. Obviously, the children of those who survived diseases were more resistant to disease despite having not been previously exposed. The survival of the fittest, leaves us with herd immunity, not vaccination.

The Tetanus Vaccine Saves Lives, and is Needed Immediately Following an Injury

The cure for tetanus, a painful and potentially fatal disease, has long been pursued by medical researchers. A cure for tetanus has proven elusive, so in the absence of a cure, the medical community has latched on to the idea of prevention. So far, these efforts have proven ineffective. It is blind faith that motivates the tetanus vaccine, faith in a vaccination that has never been proven to work. Harvard trained immunologist Tetyana Obukhanych, PhD explains:

The tetanus toxin, called tetanospasmin, is produced by numerous C. tetani bacterial strains. C. tetani normally live in animal intestines, notably in horses, without causing tetanus to their intestinal carriers. These bacteria require anaerobic (no oxygen) conditions to be active, whereas in the presence of oxygen they turn into resilient but inactive spores, which do not produce the toxin. It has been recognized that inactive tetanus spores are ubiquitous in the soil. Tetanus can result from the exposure to C. tetani via poorly managed tetanus-prone wounds or cuts, but not from oral ingestion of tetanus spores. Quite to the contrary, oral exposure to C. tetani has been found to build resistance to tetanus without carrying the risk of disease[2]

Doctors typically give someone a DTaP vaccine as a treatment for tetanus infections. This is actually contraindicated. This is one of the most persistent falsehoods about vaccines, but one that can be quickly dispelled by simply reading the vaccine’s instructions. It reads:

“Tripedia vaccine is not to be used for treatment of B pertussis, C diphtheriae, or C tetani infections.” [3]

It is used in this manner anyway, despite instructions to the contrary.

You Need The DTaP Vaccine If You Are Pregnant

Whooping cough or pertussis can kill people, especially infants, but so can the DTaP vaccine, and the vaccine often does. What is an expectant mother to do? We recommend taking the time to do the research and read the vaccine warning label. It reads:

Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Tripedia vaccine. It is not known whether Tripedia vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproductive capacity. Tripedia vaccine is NOT indicated for women of child-bearing age. [4]

Doctors recommend it anyway, even though it’s never been tested on pregnant women. The only thing that we know for sure about vaccines is that they tend to generate antibodies, but this does not equate to immunity or even resistance to infectious disease.

Conclusion

Vaccinations are an effort to eradicate infectious diseases, but sadly this effort has backfired. Diseases have become more prevalent in the young than in previous generations, and chronic illnesses are now commonplace. Measles, whooping cough, and other vaccine-preventable illnesses can and often do strike the well vaccinated.

Though governments claim it would be unethical to do a study that compared vaccinated to unvaccinated children, the reality is they would not want the public to see just how much healthier unvaccinated children truly are. Despite the supposed ethical controversy, some independent scientists are studying this. Studies have begun to emerge that show that the unvaccinated are healthier than their vaccinated peers. A study from 1992 examined the health of children in New Zealand and found that, typically, unvaccinated children had fewer chronic illnesses than vaccinated children. A similar longitudinal study out of Germany showed the same results.

Truth will win out over propaganda eventually, but it will take some time. When the news boldly proclaims that vaccines do not cause autism, they are spreading propaganda, the kind of lies that are not supported by independent science. Ironically, when parents take the time to do the research or even read a vaccine warning insert, they are often labeled conspiracy theorists. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a conspiracy is “a secret plan made by two or more people to do something that is harmful or illegal”. Conspiracies can and do happen. They are aided and abetted by propaganda and by the willingness of those trusting enough to deceive themselves.

Recommended Reading:
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Vaccination Mindset – Terrified of Germs, Trusting of Toxins

“A people without knowledge of their past, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”-Marcus Garvey

All over the world, parents are reacting out of fear. They are terrified of germs, yet they trust toxic injections. Why does the Western world adopt a culture of vaccination? Because we fear microbes. We have been trained to believe that communicable diseases are life threatening and that we are powerless to fight them without vaccinations. After all, it is reasoned, people used to die from diseases like the measles, didn’t they?

Although this is true, we don’t look at the evidence in perspective. In the past, we didn’t have access to clean water and nutritious food. Under conditions like these, many mild illnesses posed a serious threat and were more likely to prove fatal.

Research is Time Consuming; Besides, Isn’t That What Regulators Are For?

In America, and much of the Western world, we are busy and overworked. Understandably, we want to be able to trust the expert opinions of public servants in their respective fields. Some would call this the height of naiveté, but it’s understandable. No one has the time to be an expert on everything. But when we outsource responsibility for our health, the outcome is uncertain at best. Many Americans look to the CDC for guidance, but are they really the best source of unbiased information?

Four scathing federal studies, including two by Congress, one by the US Senate, and one by the HHS Inspector General, paint CDC as a cesspool of corruption, mismanagement, and dysfunction with alarming conflicts of interest suborning its research, regulatory, and policymaking functions. CDC rules allow vaccine industry profiteers like Dr. Offit to serve on advisory boards that add new vaccines to the schedule. In a typical example, Offit in 1999 sat on the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee and voted to add the rotavirus vaccine to CDC’s schedule, paving the way for him to make a fortune on his own rotavirus vaccine. Offit and his business partners sold the royalties to his rotavirus vaccine patent to Merck in 2006 for $182 million.-Robert Kennedy 

Big business is driving vaccine mandates, and they are using regulatory agencies as the vehicle.

Those Who Do Not Know The Past Will Believe Anything

It suits pharmaceutical industry interests to give credit where none is due and to revise history, giving credit to vaccines for eradicating disease. In medical school, doctors are taught that vaccines eradicated all manner of diseases when, in fact, improved sanitation is responsible. When doctors tell you vaccines eradicated disease, this shows a profound ignorance of history and the pharmaceutically biased indoctrination that they have mistaken for a medical education.

Any college freshman can tell you that correlation does not equal causation. Just because something correlates, that doesn’t mean that the cause is easy to determine. Vaccines were introduced well after diseases were already on the decline. Vaccine manufacturers and government regulators tell us that vaccines made the difference. While they try so hard to turn this correlation into causation, they paradoxically try to ignore the rapid rise of autism, asthma, allergies, ADHD and other neurological disorders that tightly correlate with today’s dirty vaccines and the overblown vaccine schedule. A few graphs are worth a thousand words. Here are some visuals of our forgotten history (click on the image below for more charts):

England and Wales whooping cough mortality rate from 1838 to 1978.

Pro-industry propaganda has permeated so deeply into Western consciousness, vaccines are seen as a panacea for diseases everywhere, both here and abroad. Foreign aid often comes in the form of a syringe, even when people don’t have access to the most basic of necessities, such as healthy food, or clean water.

We May Not Like To Admit It, but All Cultures Do This

When faced with an unknown, people often resort to rituals and other superstitions. Germs are intimidating because they can bring down the young and the old. They are invisible and are usually untraceable. Communicable diseases are frightening, powerful forces of nature. When people feel powerless, they often resort to magical thinking.

You can see this kind of behavior in sports fanatics. As fans, they have little influence over the outcome of sporting events. To grant team supporters an illusion of control, they often wear their lucky jersey in order to “help their team win.” The belief that their actions can have a direct effect on their teams’ outcome is widespread. According to one ESPN poll which showed no statistically significant differences between race, education, or gender, as many as 1 in 5 fans try to improve the luck of their favorite team in a variety of different ways. Some fans never purchase or own things that are the colors of their rival teams. Other fans believe that they are the bad luck, so they refuse to watch their favorite teams play. Some of the most die-hard fans don’t watch the seasons’ most crucial games due to the belief that watching those games will “jinx” their team. This behavior is very ironic, as it is actually the opposite of supporting one’s team.

Westerners are just as superstitious as everyone else. We just show it in different ways. We make connections where none exist. We see correlations where none exist.

Ritualistic behavior is common to all cultures. When people die (death is another aspect of life with which we have little to no control) a series of rituals, such as a wake, a viewing, burial/cremation, and so on take place as a means of mitigating the loss and showing respect for the deceased. These rituals help to give a sense of control over death. Even though we can not stop death, we can organize our activities around it.

When faced with microbes and the threat of disease, something we believe to be out of our control, many of us subject ourselves or our children to the ritual of vaccination. We are attempting to control the invisible.

The Ritual of Vaccination

Even though they seldom work in a lab, doctors wear lab coats, which lends an air of authority, and an illusory scientific presence. They tell their patients vaccines are safe and effective without discussing the risks. Unfortunately, most doctors are not fully aware of the risks. They cannot tell you what the shots contain or why many of the ingredients are included. They are however, usually aware that they and the pharmaceutical companies are safe from harm should your child die or become disabled due to the vaccinations they recommend.

Vaccination is a form of ritualistic practice that is filled with make-believe. Why are vaccines injected? Infants and children often cry when injected, and this pain engenders a renewed commitment from the parents. The injury of injection, however small, doubles their commitment. After a brief surge of guilt, parents become more entrenched in the idea that vaccines must be necessary, because of the belief that no one, even pharmaceutical industry employees, would put a child through pain if it wasn’t necessary.

Despite the fact that there has never been a study proving all of the vaccines in the schedule are cumulatively safe, and the growing concern among scientists and doctors about their synergistic toxicity, parents all over the world are sacrificing their children to the superstition of vaccination. With reassuring voices, they tell their children the shots are necessary, even when they know nothing about them.

The information age has begun to change this entrenched belief. It is difficult, if not impossible, to silence tens of thousands of parents, holistic health care practitioners, and vaccine injured people connected to the Internet. The truth is being disseminated all over the web. Vaccines can and often do cause the exact diseases they are intended to prevent. Also, death is a known risk of immunization, as is paralysis, brain damage, neurological disorders, and auto-immune disease.

If We Are To Believe the CDC, Formaldehyde is Unsafe in Construction, Yet Perfectly Safe When Injected

Ever since the CDC released a report on the dangers of formaldehyde found in laminate flooring, people have been in an uproar over the health risks. News stories abound warning people to avoid laminate flooring or advising them to limit their exposure. The CDC even recently revised their report, showing that the dangers are in fact worse than they originally stated.

Formaldehyde in laminate flooring can contribute to respiratory problems and irritation in the general population, not just to those in at-risk groups. The lifetime cancer risk was raised from a range of 2 to 9 per 100,000 extra cases of cancer to 6 to 30 extra cases per 100,000 due to exposure from the fumes of formaldehyde additives in flooring. With all this concern over the risks to people’s health from breathing in minute particles of formaldehyde dust from flooring, it stands to reason that more people should be concerned with the fact that formaldehyde is commonly found in vaccines.

Formaldehyde is injected directly into the bloodstream via vaccination. But under the auspices of vaccination, anything goes due to enculturation. People of a culture believe that their way is the correct way to do things, and other cultural practices are backward or flat out wrong.

Health Doesn’t Come From a Bottle, and It Doesn’t Come From a Syringe

With clean hands and dirty injections, doctors spread disease to all those who heed their advice. Using a syringe heightens the sense of urgency because injections are commonly used with trauma victims and those who are unconscious. If more vaccines came in another form, they would be less popular. They would seem less urgently needed, and the connection between failed pharmaceuticals (like the countless medications taken off the market because they weren’t safe) and vaccines would be better formed in the minds of the public. Vaccines are, in fact, pharmaceuticals. They are made by the same corrupt companies that are regularly caught breaking laws and fined for putting profits before public safety. Health doesn’t come from pharmaceuticals. It comes from good sanitation, proper nutrition, and low exposure to toxins.

Conclusion

For a culture to be functioning, people must believe that their way is the right and proper way to do things. Most Westerners, especially Americans, believe that culture is something other far away people have and that we live by the scientific method. When it comes to the health of our children, we live by the untested method.

When Andrew Wakefield first recommended that the MMR vaccine be split up into separate vaccinations, he was vilified, labeled a quack, and stripped of his medical license. He dared to research the dangers of vaccination. He challenged the Western cultural paradigm. He was seen as a traitor to our way of life. Yet, when an entire country, Japan, refused the MMR vaccine and chose to use 3 separate vaccines, they were not vilified because they belong to a different culture.

The Japanese do not begin vaccines until two years of age, and their schedule has less than half of the immunizations than the U.S. schedule. As a result, their SIDS rate has plummeted to nearly nothing, and their autism rates are a tiny fraction of America’s. As vaccinations have been added to the CDC schedule, autism rates have been rising. The vaccine injured are all around us, so many now that they have become the new normal.

We are told that vaccines are keeping diseases from making a comeback and that herd immunity is propping up our health like the Greek Titan Atlas holding up the world. These are myths. Vaccine mythologies run deep, and many people are beholden to these beliefs. Improved sanitation eradicated disease. If we are fortunate enough to open our eyes to this basic historic fact, then we must open the eyes of others as well. Many of us are under the cultural delusion that to vaccinate is to do something, and not to vaccinate is to do nothing. In truth, there is much that we can do to build up our immune systems. Only the truth can set us free and pull back our cultural blinders.

Recommended Reading:
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Deodorant Ingredients That Should Be Avoided

With the rise in concerns over the safety of antiperspirants, many are seeking natural deodorants as alternatives. Aluminium has had bad press lately in relation to cancer and neurological diseases. Add to that, the other toxic ingredients such as parabens, triclosan, and artificial fragrances, and a natural alternative seems an obvious choice.

Aluminium

Antiperspirants work by placing a layer of aluminium under the skin. The aluminium swells when combined with perspiration creating a barrier within the skin that blocks sweat from getting through. There are real concerns over this process. Aluminium within the body has been linked to disease. Some research suggests that after aluminium is absorbed through the skin it has estrogen producing properties (1). Obviously, in close proximity to the breast area, this is a real concern for the development of breast cancer tumours.

There are also neurological diseases linked to aluminium within the body. Several studies have linked aluminium to Alzheimer’s. Professor Exley of Keele University says in the journal Frontiers in Neurology, “… aluminium may cause a particular condition to be more aggressive and perhaps to have an earlier onset – such occurrences have already been shown in Alzheimer’s disease related to environmental and occupational exposure to aluminium.”(2)

Aside from the possible dangers of aluminium, blocking the skin’s sweat ducts stops the release of perspiration and toxins from the body. Perspiring is a natural, healthy process.

Parabens

deodorant ingredientsParabens are synthetic preservatives found in many cosmetics including deodorants and antiperspirants. Parabens have also been found in breast cancer tumours and are reported to be hormone mimics. So is this another ingredient common in antiperspirants that we should be avoiding?

Parabens can mimic hormones in the body and disrupt endocrine system functions. The Silent Spring Institute summarising a paper studying parabens and breast cancer tissue (5) says, “The chemicals are considered estrogenic because they activate the same estrogen receptor as the natural hormone estradiol. Studies have linked exposure to estradiol and related estrogens with an increased risk of breast cancer, as well as reproductive problems. As a result, the use of parabens in consumer products increasingly has become a public health concern.”

Breast Cancer UK is campaigning for all parabens to be phased out from cosmetics due to associated health risks (3). With deodorants and antiperspirants being applied to the underarm area, switching to a paraben free deodorant would be a sensible first step towards eliminating parabens in your personal care products.

Triclosan

Triclosan is used in deodorants and soaps and a number of other products for  its antifungal and antibacterial properties.  Like parabens, triclosan has been linked to hormone disruption and estrogen mimicking properties. Although the FDA approves triclosan as an ingredient, they also state that “…animal studies have shown that triclosan alters hormone regulation”.

Triclosan has also been linked to decreased muscle function. A study on mice found that after one dose of exposure heart function was reduced by 25% and grip strength was reduced by 18% (6). Putting triclosan onto your underarms on a daily basis is surely best to be avoided.

Artificial Fragrance / Parfum

Artificial fragrance has serious health concerns. The Environmental Working Group reports artificial fragrance to be a known human immune system toxin and gives it a danger rating of 8/10 (4).  Artificial fragrance, also known as parfum, is found in most conventional deodorants and antiperspirants and even in some deodorants that claim to be natural.

Always check the ingredients list. It’s worth bearing in mind that some fragrances that sound natural are synthetically derived. Many natural deodorant manufacturers reject synthetic fragrances, choosing instead to use essential oils to scent their products.

The Alternative

Making the switch to a natural deodorant is a positive step for your health and wellbeing. Remember, natural deodorants are not antiperspirants. This means that your body will perspire. However, if your natural deodorant is working well, you will not notice any body odour. Sweating is a natural process with a genuine function, one that we all need to start getting a little more comfortable with.

If you don’t sweat much, you may find that coconut oil applied to the armpits daily works well as a simple, natural alternative to deodorant. You can also try rubbing a lemon under your arms in the mornings. If you perspire a little more heavily then you may need something a bit more hardcore to tackle body odour.

There are many types and forms of natural deodorants. It may and it can take some trial and error to find one that suits you. Be certain to check the ingredients to ensure that any scented products contain truly natural fragrances – whole essential oils. Also, be sure to check that your choice is an aluminium free deodorant, as aluminium can still be found in many natural deodorants.

Further Reading:
Sources:
  1. Underarm Cosmetics and Breast Cancer – NCBI
  2. Why Industry Propaganda and Political Interference Cannot Disguise the Inevitable Role Played by Human Exposure to Aluminium in Neurodegenerative Diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease – Frontiers in Neurology
  3. EDC Free Europe – Breast Cancer UK
  4. Fragrance – EWC Skin Deep Database
  5. Parabens and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Ligands Cross-Talk in Breast Cancer Cells –Environmental Health Perspectives 
  6. Triclosan: The Soap Ingredient You Should Never Use — But 75% of Households do – Mercola.com 



Allergies, Candida, Gut Flora, and Disease – The Connection

Allergies almost always disappear when the gut’s microbiome is balanced.

Allergies are symptoms of an overwhelmed immune system trying frantically to defend itself from any and all possible threats. Allergy medications suppress symptoms, and symptom suppression eventually leads to disease. Food allergies, seasonal allergies, and most of the other kinds of allergies can be completely eliminated. But there’s a catch. You’re going to have to change your diet.

Your body’s gut flora primarily consists of bacteria and fungi. A healthy gut contains a ratio of about 1000 bacteria to 1 Candida yeast cell. The fungi that likes our body best is Candida albicans, a kind of yeast that proliferates in a host who consumes a poor diet or otherwise disrupts their gut flora. The following are examples of how our modern lifestyle tends to disrupt our natural gut bacteria:

  • Antibiotics from our food, soaps, water, and drugs
  • Refined foods that feed the wrong flora
  • Vaccines, drugs, heavy metals, and other toxins that kill beneficial flora
  • Pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins that kill our bacteria
  • Other toxic “foods” that disrupt our gut flora (like foods that contain heavy metals, artificial sweeteners, GMOs, etc.)

Naturally, our gut consists of a massive array of beneficial gut bacteria (and some Candida) that help us break down and assimilate food, assimilate nutrients, and produce hormones, all while crowding out any potential pathogens and keeping Candida at bay. It’s no coincidence that the most beneficial gut bacteria loves to dine on the most beneficial foods we can eat – raw, organic vegetables. The more fresh, raw, organic produce you eat, the healthier your gut flora will be.

Candida are Such Opportunists!

So what happens when you kill the good guys? Funny thing about Candida, the spores can survive just about anything. Candida is not all bad; it has its job to do, just like every other microbe, but when it’s not kept in check, things get messy. When you drink alcohol, take antibiotics, or do anything else that disturbs the gut flora, what you’re doing is killing beneficial bacteria and leaving behind Candida spores. These spores will hatch and flourish when they discover the coast is clear. Ideally, when this imbalance happens, our appendix squirts out some bacteria it had saved up for just such an occasion. Unfortunately, our modern sugary chemically laden diets and lifestyles have given Candida the boost it needs to take over the gut to the point at which the appendix’s bacteria can’t compete.

Candida is the key that unleashes a barrage of other infectious microbes and partially digested food from our gut into the bloodstream.

At this point there’s a very inhospitable environment in the gut. Candida doesn’t seem to mind neighbors, so once the gut is overrun by Candida, imagine a party with lots of other unsavory characters that got out of hand. Some of the gut flora that may have been beneficial to us before will now adapt to its new environment, and in turn, not be so beneficial. Microbes mutate and change in fascinating ways. Take e-coli, for instance. It’s a perfectly fine bacteria to have in our gut under natural circumstances. The problem is, when a cow is left in a pen, is fed an extremely acid and unnatural diet, and is given large quantities of antibiotics, the bacteria mutates to a much hardier and deadly form of the bacteria. Everything we put into our gut creates and manipulates the flora for better or for worse in countless ways. Feed your gut the good stuff, and you’ll have good flora. Eat the wrong foods, or take drugs, and you’ll have flora that adapts to a poor environment.

From Yeast to Pseudohyphal and Hyphal Forms – A Causal Agent of Other Infections

Speaking of adapting, once that Candida is feeling crowded and has outgrown its home in the gut, Candida can grow out of its single-cell yeast form and into a filamentous fungal form that grows root-like tentacles (hyphae) that drill deep into the mucosal lining of the gut, poking “holes” into already an irritated and inflamed, gut lining, resulting in a leaky gut. Now Candida and all kinds of other crap (excuse the pun) can leak into the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. Candida can infect every organ of the body and repeat the hyphal hole-making process in all of its new homes. When it takes the pseudohyphal and hyphal fungal forms, it creates a toxic biofilm that protects itself against things that would normally kill it (like antibiotics and anti-fungal medications).

Candida

Candida is the key that unleashes a barrage of other infectious microbes and partially digested food from our gut into the bloodstream. Now the body is in a constant tug of war with Candida and other invaders that continue to try to rip it apart. There is a back and forth with the gut’s permeability, as the body is constantly repairing the gut as best it can and fighting off infection from within the gut and throughout the body.

Rasterelektronische Aufnahme zur Infektion von humanem Gewebe durch Candida albicans.

Candida, parasites, infectious bacteria, other fungi, and all kinds of microbes that escape the gut will set up their colonies where they can hide and find food. Infectious microbes generally eat simple sugars and decaying cells. Pathogens like to congregate in cavities and around old injuries (this is why old injuries ache and become inflamed). The mere presence of these microbes irritates their surroundings, causing damage to cells, which end up feeding the pathogens (as mentioned, they feed on dead and decaying and damaged cells). It’s not too difficult to see why the body will crave sugar. Every time you feed the pathogens there’s a feeling of relief within the body. It feels good. The pathogens are eating the sugar and leaving us alone for a moment. Unfortunately, the next thing they do is multiply. They turn back on you when they’re out of sugar to eat. And the more damage they do to the body, the more food they have to eat.

There are at least 70 different toxins live Candida releases, and even more toxins are released when Candida dies. Two of the most prominent toxins produced are acetaldehyde and gliotoxin. Acetaldehyde which is a metabolic byproduct of Candida that is similar to carbon dioxide that we exhale, leads to oxidative stress and inflammation. Too much acetaldehyde in the body is the equivalent of alcohol poisoning. Gliotoxin is another major toxin created by yeast that suppresses the immune system and kills key immune cells, liver cells, and impairs the liver’s ability to detoxify the body.

Is Candida the Problem?

Both of the aforementioned toxins can be linked to almost every autoimmune disease or symptom there is, but once Candida permeates the gut, it’s not just Candida causing the problems. The body is susceptible to anything and everything at this point. All kinds of undigested food particles and microbes flood the bloodstream off and on as the gut walls deteriorate and heal, back and forth, all while the immune system is completely overtaxed. To make matters worse, what Candida does to the intestinal wall when it goes fungal, it will do in other areas of the body as well, which wrecks havoc on the immune system. The typical human in a modern society is dealing with so many different kinds of infections and other toxins at one time that the body reacts to anything and everything that doesn’t belong. The more inflamed the body becomes, the more the immune system becomes overburdened and confused. It’s a painful cycle that starts with allergies and eventually leads to autoimmune disease. In other words, aches and pains from old injuries and allergies, any kind of allergies, are some of the first signs of an unbalanced, unhealthy gut that is currently, or has been, seeping toxins and microbes into the body.

Most people have pockets of infection all over their bodies. Candida spores (and some other interesting pathogens) can lie in wait, completely dormant, for many months, just waiting for an opportunity to flourish. Some pathogens have other tricks that allow them to hang out undetected by the immune system for very long periods of time, while their lifecycle produces toxins that damage the body. Once the gut allows infection into the body, Candida may or may not still play a factor in disease, but it’s almost always an underlining cause. And it’s easy to see, when you can picture what happens, why a holistic approach is imperative to getting well.

How Does One Know if One has Candida?

If you’re sick, it doesn’t really matter. There’s testing, but it’s not reliable. One of the many problems with testing is that the same body may test differently a day later, depending on what’s going on in the body. Different pathogens may flourish at different times depending on many factors. Symptoms that indicate an abundance of Candida may actually be caused by another kind of fungus or any other pathogen, and in fact usually is caused by more than one pathogen effecting the body at once. A holistic approach rids the body of fungal infections, parasites, infectious bacteria, and any other pathogen that doesn’t belong while the gut heals and beneficial flora is restored. So while this is a list of “Candida Symptoms,” it’s really a list of symptoms that the gut is not well and the body is dealing with a heavy toxic load.

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Hyperactivity
  • Irritability
  • Seeing “floaters” in vision
  • Itchy ears
  • Itchy feet
  • Headaches and migraines
  • Allergies
  • Difficulty with memory and concentration
  • Flatulence
  • Digestive upset
  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Recurrent urinary tract infections or other symptoms of poor urinary health
  • Decreased libido
  • Acne
  • Dry skin and other skin issues including eczema
  • Joint pain
  • Slow healing
  • Chronic sinus, ear, mouth, and jaw infections (including gum disease)
  • Menstrual disturbances
  • Premenstrual tension
  • Any autoimmune disease
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Schizophrenia
  • Increased sensitivity to foods
  • and much more! See Signs You Have Too Much Candida

The Holistic Approach – Natural Gut Healing Protocol

Most people can heal their body of any and every ailment provided they have all of their body parts. Things get tricky when parts are missing, but most of us can get completely and totally well with just the right diet alone. Supplements can radically speed up the process of getting well, but if you have access to the right food, supplements aren’t usually a necessity. With the wrong diet, supplements aren’t going to be nearly as effective. Here’s a protocol to rid the body of infectious microbes, heal the gut, and balance the flora. Try it for two weeks and it will change your life. But there’s a catch. You can’t go back to old habits that got you here. This is only step one. Step two is eating right and taking care from now on.

Related: How To Heal Your Gut

Drink Lots of Cranberry Lemonade

Drink between a half a gallon and a gallon of cranberry lemonade a day to flush the liver and kidneys of toxins, and help rejuvenate the endocrine system, which will help keep the blood clean and reduce “die-off symptoms” commonly associated with killing Candida.

Cranberry Lemonade Recipe

  • Glass gallon jar
  • Safe, clean, spring water or distilled water
  • 1 cup of unsweetened, organic cranberry juice, not from concentrate
  • 3 organic fresh lemons
  • A citrus juicer
  • Liquid stevia
  • Liquid cayenne

Fill the jar to about 85% capacity with spring water (or distilled water). Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice into the water. Add cranberry juice. Add stevia to taste and then add cayenne to taste. The amount of cayenne used is up to you, but the more the better.

If you don’t have access to a good source for spring water, use other clean drinking water that does not contain fluoride. If you don’t have access to organic lemons, use conventional. Fresh is almost always best. If there are no fresh lemons, use organic bottled lemon juice. If you can’t get cranberry juice that is not from concentrate, get the reconstituted kind (just don’t get any kind of cranberry juice that has any other ingredients like sweeteners or other juices). If you can’t stand cayenne, don’t use it. No glass jar? Use plastic.

Eat Right

Produce detoxifies. Fresh, whole, organic, raw vegetables, herbs, and fruits pull toxins from the body as they repopulate healthy, beneficial gut bacteria and give the body the nutrients it needs including enzymes and other phytonutrients that are almost non-existent in most modern diets.

Try to eat a huge salad every day with lots of greens, plenty of other colors, garlic, cilantro, ginger, and more. Check out this salad recipe.

saladThe Salad Base

  • Spinach
  • Arugula (I prefer baby arugula, mature arugula tastes funky)
  • Collard greens (they’re very bitter; use sparingly)
  • Lettuce (mix it up, try an organic spring mix)
  • Kale
  • Beet greens (the tops of beets)
  • Red cabbage (thinly shred like a slaw or a little thicker, depending on the texture you prefer)
  • Rainbow chard

Shredded, Grated

  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Beetroot
  • Daikon (or other radish)

Chopped or Diced

  • Leeks
  • Red onions
  • Red and yellow bell peppers
  • Cucumbers
  • Cilantro
  • Asparagus (try cooking in a balsamic vinegar first)

Extras

  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Olives
  • Raisins or dried cranberries
  • Sesame seeds
  • Ground papaya seeds and/or ground pepper
  • Avocado
  • Eggs (try soft boiled)
  • Beans (black, pinto, kidney, green, garbanzo, etc.)
  • Garlic
  • Turmeric
  • Chia seeds

It’s not an exact recipe, and it doesn’t have to be. Mix it up. Try new things. My salads generally have about 15 ingredients. Make them big; make them diverse. Just imagine you’re in nature, not modern society, and all you have to eat is nothing but a wide variety of the best, whole, fresh, healthy vegetables and herbs. This is what a big salad a day can do for you: it’s life changing.

I throw in chickpeas or a three-bean salad combination. If you’re not vegan, try a sheep feta cheese with this salad, and throw on some eggs. It’s good with meat, too, like chicken or steak.

Don’t ruin it with a crappy salad dressing! All this salad needs is a little balsamic vinegar (apple cider is better, but I don’t like the taste as much in my salads), or some fresh lemon juice. It doesn’t take much.

Related: Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting  (salad and lemonade recipes included)

What Else to Eat and What Not to Eat

Eat whole foods; avoid refined foods. Brown rice is good; white rice is out. Avoid any wheat; artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners; trans fats; and MSG. Avoid carbonated beverages. Avoid GMOs. Limit fruits, and besides stevia, avoid or limit anything else that’s sweet.

Our modern diet almost always includes too much-refined sugar. We would not have access to agave nectar, brown rice syrup, fruit juices, and other sweeteners in nature. It’s just too much sugar. You may be thinking honey is a good alternative, but this is only true when the gut is healed, the body is relatively free of infection, and the immune system functions properly. Otherwise, even with its antimicrobial properties, honey can feed infection as it goes through the digestion process.

Related: Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

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

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

Formula SF722 is one of the best products (perhaps the best) for killing any kind of fungal infection. It’s been shown in labs that Candida cannot adapt to undecenoic acid (the active ingredient in SF722) like it can with almost every other way we try to kill it.

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.

If bowel movements are a problem I would also consider Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse and Intestnial Detox.

Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse will kill parasites, Candida, and other bad guys while it heals the gut, improves regularity, and removes nasty biofilm (little-known fact: there’s good biofilm, and there’s bad biofilm), all while setting up a hospitable environment for beneficial flora. It will also make bowel movements easier and is often used for constipation.

Shillington’s Intestinal Detox is important for anyone who may have heavy metals in their system, and this formula heals the whole digestive tract. It’s not as necessary for more people, but if you experience digestive upset or heavy metal toxicity the intestinal detox is perfect for these issues. It can slow down the bowel movements a little and is often used with the aforementioned intestinal cleanse.

There are certain vitamins and minerals that have been proven to curb Candida growth, and of course, many of these nutrients are also nutrients that Candida depletes the body of. The right diet should suffice, but most people will do well with a nutrition formula, a mineral formula, fats and vitamin D, and a B vitamin Complex. This is especially true for anyone who doesn’t have access to high quality, nutrient dense food on a regular basis. Biotin, otherwise known as B7, helps prohibit Candida from converting to its Hyphal filamentous growth structure, which is when the tentacles drill through the gut. But there are at least a dozen other minerals and vitamins that we know are just as significant to gut balance, hence the holistic approach.

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

Conclusion

Candida is a hot topic of debate within both the naturopathic community and conventional medicine, with views ranging from Candida being the root of everything that’s wrong with the body to it being a very rare issue that is completely overblown. The reality is that a Candida infection in the gut is a process that happens when one is not well, and when left unchecked (it doesn’t take long) Candida will allow other pathogens to infiltrate the body through the gut. Once someone is sick, it may or may not be Candida causing their problems. Illness is never just one type of pathogen. If you feel ill there’s a safe bet that there’s more than just one type of virus or bacteria affecting your health.

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