Water Infusions

There was a time when coffee, tea, soda, juice, sugary lemonade, and milk seemed to be the only beverages anyone drank if they weren’t drinking beer, wine, or some other kind of alcohol. No one drank water. Not if they could help it, anyway.

Then bottled water came on the scene and water became more popular. Of course, food companies wanted to cash in so they made flavored bottled water and vitamin water. If you think they couldn’t mess up water, think again. If you need proof, read the labels.

Lately, infused water is all the craze. If you’ve never heard of it, infused water is simply water that contains fruit, vegetables, herbs, or spices. Whatever you put in it will infuse the water with its flavor.

The most interesting aspect to water infusions, is the many choices and combinations to be made. You can use anything from sweet fruits to hot peppers.

There are three ways to make water infusions:

  1. Simply add ingredients to a pitcher of clean, pure, water (preferably filtered) with ice. Slice fruits and veggies so they are very thin to increase surface area and increase flavor. When using herbs, squeeze or crush them to release the oils (and flavor).
  2. You can make an infusion in a jar and refrigerate it for use days later.
  3. Make ice cubes out of the ingredients you want to add to the water. Use the ice with water.

Here are some popular combinations. (Note: Basil is often used and it tastes great!)

  • Cucumber
    • With basil
    • With kiwi
    • With citrus fruits and mint
  • Honeydew melon
    • With basil! Seriously!
  • Watermelon
    • With berries
    • With mint or rosemary
  • Pineapple
    • With strawberries
    • With mango
    • With mint
  • Berries
    • With any other fruit
    • With mint
  • Citrus – oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines, etc.
    • Combine or use alone with mint
    • With melon
    • Note: You might want to peel citrus fruits to avoid their bitter flavor.
  • Jalapeño
    • With cucumbers and mint
    • With strawberries
  • Tomato
    • With celery and bell pepper

Try new and outlandish combinations. You never know what amazing flavors you will create! The best thing about homemade infusions is that you know what is in them. Why not drink flavored water full of nutrients and antioxidants? They are an excellent addition to a healthy diet. To learn more about a truly healthy diet check out the 80% Raw Diet. And if you’ve never tried cranberry lemonade, check out The One Gallon Challenge.

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Eat More Fiber, Drink More Water For Naturally Glowing Skin – Here’s Why

Fiber is such an important nutrient for your body in so many ways, but did you know that it is also crucial for beautiful, healthy skin?

A diet rich in high-fiber foods such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains can have many benefits to your body. It can give you more energy, improve brain health, and reduce the risk of a whole range of diseases including heart disease and diabetes. But did you know that fiber is also really crucial for super healthy skin and hair?

So how exactly does the fiber from your diet improve the health of your skin?

Consuming foods high in fiber along with drinking an adequate amount of clean, pure water helps your body flush out toxins. Without fiber, these toxins can lead to clogged pores, acne, and dry listless looking skin.

Fiber generally comes from plant-based foods. It is a part of the plant that your body can’t digest. Therefore, as it passes through the intestinal tract, it acts like a broom, sweeping out toxins, excess fats, and waste. Fiber is also great for improving your circulation, which is vital for making sure your skin cells get enough oxygen and nutrients. This means softer, more youthful looking skin.

If you eat processed foods, such as white bread, pizza, and other junk food, you are eating food that has been stripped of its fiber. These foods can actually have the opposite effect on your skin; they can cause acne breakouts and other skin problems.

Make sure you are eating organic foods whenever possible and try adding some of these to your diet to bump up your intake of fiber and help your skin to be healthy and look amazing.

  • Whole grains such as barley, millet, brown rice, buckwheat, and steel cut oats
  • Lentils, chickpeas, and beans
  • Brussel sprouts, broccoli, and leafy greens
  • Chia seeds and almonds
  • Berries such as raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries

Along with having enough fiber in your diet, it is really important to be drinking enough water to keep your skin healthy. The benefits of drinking enough water are often underrated; however, it is very important for your body and your skin! Water helps your body regulate its metabolism, aids in your body’s digestion, and provides the skin with buoyancy and elasticity, which helps to keep you looking great.

Skin cells are predominantly made up of water and as a result, when your skin isn’t hydrated, your skin will appear dry, tight, flaky, and more prone to wrinkling. Drinking water is also a great detoxing agent, which removes toxins out of your body and will have a dramatic effect on the appearance of your skin.

So exactly how much water should you be drinking each day?

Well, it depends on a number of factors such as your body weight, where you are located (hot/cold, dry/humid climate) and your activity level. Generally, you want to drink around half your body weight in ounces of water. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, then you want to be drinking 80 ounces of water per day. Try and spread out drinking the water throughout the day as the body can only absorb so much water at a time.

Have you noticed the effect of fiber in combination with water on your skin? Let us know how you will incorporate more fiber into your diet. Information is nothing without action, so try adding just one high fiber food into your diet today and build from there to transform your skin!

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Eat Vegetables First

I always think of Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham when I am sharing the benefits of vegetables with clients and friends. There is often so much resistance. Can’t you just see it? “Could you, would you?” and the famous reply…“But I do not like them, …”

On my personal journey, the most difficult emotional shift I needed to make around food was to move meat from the center of my plate and replace it with amazing, nutrient dense vegetables. It was difficult only because of the mindset I’d had my entire life. When it came to considering what to make for dinner, I always started with the meat. My thoughts went something like, “What am I going to make for dinner? Well, chicken and potatoes and green beans.” I needed to shift this habit to be, “What am I going to make for dinner? Roots and shoots with a side of quinoa topped with a small slice of chicken breast.” You see, the meat became the optional side. It felt difficult only because of the thought pattern. Once I made the shift in my mind, the rest was easy.

We are just beginning to understand the role vegetables can play in our well-being. Nutrition is a young, complex, and ever evolving science. What we do know is that plant foods offer a diverse and deep well of nutrition that supports our body in creating energy, fighting off cancer, preventing early aging, and aiding our digestive tract. Vegetables also help us to have clear skin and sleep better, and they seem to prevent a myriad of diseases. Every vegetable offers something slightly different, but the nutrients in each plant work together synergistically in a way we cannot yet recreate in a lab. What does this mean? There is really no substitute for the real thing.

As an example, a single cup of spinach holds 888.5 mcg (micrograms) of vitamin K, 14742.0 IU of vitamin A, 1.7 mg of manganese, and 262.4 mcg of folate. It also contains amazing amounts of magnesium, iron, vitamin C, riboflavin, calcium, (where do you think elephants get their calcium from anyway?), potassium, B6, tryptophan, fiber, copper, B1, protein, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin E, omega 3 fatty acids, niacin, selenium, beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.  (Mateljan, 2007)

Adding vegetables to your diet can make a huge impact on how you feel and on your ability to reach your health and wellness goals. If you would like to focus on nutrient density, the ANDI food scoring guide will help you to choose foods with an amazing nutrient power pack. The trick here is diversity. Try mixing up your vegetables and changing up how you prepare them. In the beginning, you might feel resistant, the flavors and textures might be different than what you are used to, but by sticking with it, you and your taste buds will adapt. Whole, natural, foods have flavors that vary as widely as their colors – sometimes it’s in the preparation and sometimes it’s in the season and growing location.

Try this exercise:

Adding vegetables to your plate at every meal can be incredibly impactful. This will be a trial to identify what it feels like to have them more often and in greater amounts. As you work through the vegetables, if after a few tries you absolutely do not like a certain one, don’t force yourself to eat it. We don’t have to like all foods and by pushing ourselves to eat foods we dislike, we are trying to create an unsustainable habit. (I know I can’t stick with eating things I don’t like for very long so it’s okay if you can’t either.)

Begin by visiting the ANDI food scoring guide and choose a vegetable or two that you’d like to add to your plate over the next two weeks.

Take Action & Schedule It!

  1. What food(s) did you choose?
  2. Where will you get it?
  3. When will you get it?
  4. How will you prepare it?
  5. How many times will you have it?

Write your plans for your meals and track your food in a personal journal.

At the end of 14 days, come back and answer these questions:

  1. What did you try?
  2. How did you prepare it?
  3. What was your favorite way of having it?
  4. How often did you eat it?
  5. How do you feel?

Bringing awareness to your experience allows you to practice listening to your body and what’s working and what’s not. Watch for subtle shifts, greater energy, reduction of mind fog, and less bloating.

This article is an excerpt from Lessons for MomPositive Living, Attainable Wellness for Modern Moms written by Tammi Hoerner, INHC. This book is available for purchase here.

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Natural Remedies for Migraines

An astounding 10% of the American population – 18% of American women and 6% of American men, and 10% of American children suffer from migraines. A migraine is not just a headache, it is a neurological disease with varied and complicated symptoms.

A classic migraine lasts from hours to days. A 72-hour migraine is not uncommon. During this time, the sufferer experiences extreme sensitivity to noise, light, smells, and touch. Nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, and numbness and tingling in the extremities accompany excruciating pain on one or both sides of the head. The headache may present with or without a warning aura.

Although migraines have been studied for years, scientists and doctors still do not definitively know what causes them. They believe there is a genetic link, as they do run in families. Estrogen levels appear to play a major role. Neurotransmitters, inflammation, blood vessel dilation, and food and food additive reactions all appear to contribute as well. So does dehydration. The consensus is that there are likely to be multiple triggers working in conjunction to trigger an attack.

Over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs that are taken regularly for migraines take a toll on the body. Like any other illness, migraines are a body’s cry for help, an indication that the body needs two things: excellent, daily nutrition and ongoing detoxification.

Feverfew has been proven to be beneficial in preventing migraines when taken regularly. Ginger shots or ginger added to other juice can stop a migraine in its tracks if taken at the first sign of an impending attack.

Several essential oils are reported to help migraines; lavender and peppermint are the most popular.

Some migraine sufferers have found relief after chiropractic adjustment. It seems that for some, misalignment in the neck is the only or the primary cause of migraines. (Misalignment of the neck is likely a thyroid issue).

Massage, self-massage, acupressure, acupuncture, and reflexology have all been known to stop and prevent attacks.

The Best and Fastest Cure for Migraines Snort cayenne pepper. If you think this sounds too painful, you probably don’t know the pain of migraines. But this will work very, very quickly for most people.

Prevent Migraines

The best treatment is prevention. Avoid toxic chemicals and toxic food. The best possible diet is a whole food diet consisting of 80% raw, fresh, organic produce- more vegetables than fruits. Eliminate artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, and refined sugars. No trans fats. No high fructose corn syrup. Limit caffeine. Be sure to drink plenty of clean, pure water. Be sure to include healthy fats with omega 3s. Do an elimination diet and remove any triggers you find. Consider eliminating gluten.

Heal your gut if needed. And chances are, if you have any chronic health condition, including migraines, you need to heal your gut. The source of migraines is often an imbalance of gut flora, with an abundance of Candida. To learn more, read Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases and check out Understand Hypothyroidism – Prevention and Natural Remedies if you experience migraines concentrated at, or beginning in, the back of the head where the skull meets the neck.

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Fresh, healthy, Local and Sustainable Fruit Year-Round

We all know that fruit is good for us. The steady stream of research and articles on the subject reminds us constantly of the amazing antioxidant benefits of blueberries and how an apple a day keeps the doctor away. When we go to the supermarket, we know we are supposed to do the healthy thing and load up on fresh fruits, right? But are those fruits really fresh and really good for us? How far did those strawberries have to travel and what did they spray on them to keep them looking “fresh” in the middle of winter? Were they grown in a way that positively or negatively impacted the waterways and wildlife in that area, not to mention the farmers who grew them?

You can always make the choice to “vote with your wallet” as I like to say, and buy certified organic from the store, but this can be expensive for many of us, and the reality is still that if it’s not in season where we live, it had to travel a long ways to get to our produce section.

The good news is, there are many ways you can add more fruit to your diet, and still keep it healthy, local and good for the environment. There are plenty of small farms out there growing tree fruits and berries, and this is the perfect opportunity to get to know them. Buying, picking and growing fruit in quantity when it is in season is very economical, and although fresh fruit may not be available all throughout the year, there are some simple ways to store and preserve it at home so that you always know exactly where it came from.

Visit Your Local Farmer’s Market

If your town or urban neighborhood has a farmer’s market, this is the place to find your local fruit. Farmer’s Markets give you an opportunity to have a conversation with farmers directly about how they grow their crops, whether they are organic, and which varieties they recommend. Farmers tend to highlight freshness with the produce they bring to market, so you will know it was picked the day before or even early that morning. Some farmer’s markets also continue through the holiday season, allowing you to continue buying local fruit that farmers have stored in their own cold storage.

The other added benefit of a trip to your local farmer’s market is the community building aspect of getting to know your farmer and your fellow like-minded locavores. Throw in some live music and healthy food carts, and you can’t go wrong for a fun weekend activity. When a fruit is in season, expect to find whole flats available at discount prices that you can preserve for the year ahead. Some farmers also offer “seconds” or not-so-perfect boxes of fruit at a deep discount, that is perfectly good for canning or freezing.

U-Pick

I can’t recommend this option highly enough, especially if you have kids. While the low prices and feeling of self-sufficiency are reason enough to get your fruit in this manner, what it comes down to is that it is really just plain fun.

What’s not to love about making an outing to visit a farm, spending some time outside picking fruit, snacking as you go and maybe having a picnic lunch while you’re out there? You will get to know firsthand exactly where your fruit came from as you create good memories and start traditions to pass down in your family.

Farmers charge less per pound for fruit they don’t have to spend time picking, plus they will usually offer a discounted price based on your quantity, so stocking up for the year at a U-Pick farm really does pay off.

Grow Your Own!

You don’t need a lot of land to grow a lot of food. Depending on the size of your yard, you can plant fruit trees, berry bushes, and strawberry beds to create a productive, edible landscape. Raspberry patches can produce an incredible amount of fruit, strawberry beds planted with ever-bearing varieties can be harvested multiple times throughout the growing season, and a single dwarf fruit tree that is properly pruned can produce a massive amount of fruit. From the five blueberry bushes growing in our yard, we were able to freeze 30 quarts and have fresh berries to eat all summer.

Even if you live in a small space, raspberries and blueberries can grow in pots, dwarf fruit trees have been developed for patio growing, and strawberries can be planted in vertical containers with holes on the sides or in old gutters along your fence or balcony. You may not have room to grow enough quantity for preserving, but you can grow your fresh day-to-day eating fruit for the summer and stock up at the farmer’s market for long-term storage. Aside from the cost of plants, soil amendments and your water bill, this is a very low-cost option for securing your yearly fruit supply.

Go Gleaning

If you take a walk around your neighborhood in the fall, you may notice fruit trees on abandoned lots and in public spaces dropping fruit all over the ground. Urban foraging, or gleaning, is a great way to get your local, organic fruit and keep it from going to waste. Fallen fruit in parks and public areas creates a lot of mess and clean-up labor when it falls on sidewalks and lawns, so you are doing landscape workers a big favor.

You may also have a neighbor who is too busy or physically unable to harvest the fruit in their yard. It never hurts to ask if you can harvest from their trees, and offer them a portion of the fruit in exchange. It’s a good way to get to know the people in your neighborhood and build community. Some places even have gleaning groups that go around and help each other harvest fruit to share amongst themselves and donate some to local food banks. It is truly the “waste not, want not” principle in action, and it’s absolutely free.

Go Wild!

Few things can rival the flavor of wild berries, freshly picked from the vine. Blackberries, huckleberries, black cap raspberries, and a whole abundance of delicious fruits grow all around us in forests, fields, and the wild spaces. In some places, blackberries are so invasive that you don’t have to go far to find a patch to pick from. This, like U-picking, is a great activity for those with kids. Many families still carry on traditions of going on outings up into the high mountains to pick huckleberries in the late summer, to freeze and use in family recipes from jams to pies.

One of the best resources for where to find the best picking spots are your own grandparents or the elderly people you know. They have likely spent many a day out picking wild berries in their youth, and would enjoy sharing their experience and pointing you in the right direction. The other great thing about this method of gathering fruit is that it doesn’t cost a thing.

Preserve the Bounty

Here is the important key to keeping your fruit supply local. Many of us live in places where fruit doesn’t grow all year. Rather than going to the grocery store for a pint of strawberries from Mexico in January, why not thaw a pint of local strawberries from your freezer? Instead of buying a bag of dried fruit with added sweetener and preservatives, you can snack on a handful of delicious dried plums from your backyard.

If you spend the time stocking up over the summer, all the fruit you need is right there until it comes back into season the following year. Freezing, canning, dehydrating, and cold storing are all fairly simple methods of keeping your fruit supply local through the winter months. Things like apples, pears, and kiwis will often keep for several months in root cellars, garages, or any place that stays cool without freezing. Berries can be frozen in baggies or containers. Peaches, plums, and pears can be canned in a simple honey syrup, and jams can be made out of just about any kind of fruit you like.

For folks that are just plain busy, your freezer is your friend. Once you have gone about gathering and storing your fruit for the year, you will gain the satisfaction of doing things for yourself, some peace of mind, and closer connections with your food and your farmer. The Ball Blue Book of Preserving, and The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol Costenbader are a couple of excellent resources with instructions and recipes for canning and other preservation methods. Also, most state universities offer Master Food Preserver programs through their extension offices, similar to the Master Gardener program.

A Mountain Hearth Recipe for Strawberry Jam and Life

Ingredients

A local Farm
Friends and People You Love
4 cups fresh picked strawberries
3/4 to 2 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup water
3 tsp Pomona’s Pectin
4+ tsp Pomona’s calcium water (comes with pectin)

Take a trip out to your favorite local farm with your friends and the people that you love. Make a day of it, pack a picnic lunch, and enjoy the experience. Pick as large a quantity of strawberries as you can manage processing, and “vote with your wallet” to support your local farmer. Then it’s time to get your supplies, get home, and get to work, because fresh strawberries don’t keep long.

Mash the strawberries and stir in lemon juice and sugar. I always go with the middle ground and use about a cup. The cool thing about Pomona’s Pectin is that you can use whatever type or amount of sweetener you want. I like having options. Then boil your water and pulse in a food processor while adding pectin powder. Blend for about 2 minutes. Stir this into your fruit mash. Then add the calcium water until the jam starts to jell. Ladle into clean jars leaving about an inch head space and freeze. I keep mine up to two years in the freezer and it’s a wonderful year-round treat!

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Lyme Disease – Holistic Protocol to Completely Rebuild the Immune System

Lyme disease is no longer an obscure malady that can only be caught in Connecticut. In 2013, the year with the latest available data, the CDC predicted an estimated 300,000 actual new cases, though only 30,000 per year were reported and confirmed. Cases have been diagnosed in all 50 states, but as of 2013, 95% of the confirmed cases came from the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Contents

What Is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is an infection from the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium. It is not known to be a contagious disease spread from person to person. Its only known transmission is through the bite of an infected tick. (Though there is now argument that other insects, including mosquitoes and fleas, may also be carriers, and that it may be sexually transmitted). Although symptoms can and do vary, the majority of cases adhere to the following pattern:

Phase One – 3 to 30 Days

Also called early localized infection

  • 70-75% develop a rash. A characteristic bull’s eye rash develops, starting at the site of the tick bite. It is not itchy or painful but may be warm to the touch.
  • Flu-like symptoms develop: fever, chills, swollen lymph glands, headaches, muscle pain, joint pain.

Phase Two – Days to Weeks After Bite

Also called early disseminated infection

  • Rash spreads
  • Large joints may become swollen and painful
  • Stiff neck in some cases
  • Meningitis may develop
  • Dizziness
  • Heart palpitations

Phase Three – Later Months to Years

Also called late disseminated infection

Many infectious disease specialists believe that “chronic Lyme disease” does not exist, and that Lyme disease from a tick bite can be cured with a short course of antibiotics. It is possible that those who have undergone antibiotic treatments are suffering from the side effects of antibiotics, but more and more experts are coming around to the idea that Lyme disease can survive and cause long-term autoimmune symptoms when antibiotics don’t work. We all know (or at least, we all should know) that antibiotics do not always work and can cause more problems.

  • Arthritis symptoms – swollen, painful joints (fluid filled joints)
  • Neurological symptoms – numbness, tingling, shooting pains
  • Cognitive symptoms – brain fog, short-term memory deficits, confusion
  • Mood disturbance – depression
  • Fatigue
  • Abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure

Facial paralysis may also occur in this stage or stage two.

History of Lyme Disease

In the 1960s and 1970s, something was very wrong in Connecticut. In a population of 12,000 living in three contiguous towns: Old Lyme, Lyme, and East Haddam, 39 children were diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and 12 adults were diagnosed with arthritis of unknown cause.

In 1975, frustrated by the lack of answers from their medical community, two mothers became patient advocates, gathering information from residents that they passed on to the Connecticut State Department of Health and the Yale School of Medicine.

Researchers were able to identify the disease and recognize its symptoms, but it wasn’t until the early 80s that the actual cause was discovered. Willy Burgdorfer, a scientist who was studying Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, discovered the tick connection along with the bacterium, a spirochete, that caused Lyme. The bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, was named after him.

The Lyme Controversy

A quick review of current articles about Lyme reveals a great deal of frustration on the part of both patients and doctors battling the disease. First of all, there are serious problems with diagnostics. Since 25-30% of patients who have been infected with Lyme do not exhibit a rash – the first and most specific symptom is missing. Of those who present with a rash, many do not exhibit the characteristic bull’s eye rash. Blood tests to identify the bacteria produce both false negatives and false positives. Therefore an initial, correct diagnosis may be hard to come by. Lyme disease also imitates other diseases and is therefore regularly misdiagnosed as MS, fibromyalgia, arthritis, ALS, and other illnesses.

There are multiple tests for Lyme. The CDC recommends screening with the ELISA test and confirming with the Western blot test, but during the first 4-6 weeks of infection these tests are unreliable because they measure the patient’s antibody response to the infection, not the bacteria itself.

Lyme disease is notoriously difficult to diagnose using conventional tests. And there’s great variation in the presentation of the disease as well, depending on where you contracted it, and whether or not you have any other coexisting infections. There is a group of seven or eight microbes that are the most common. The worst ones are Babesia microti and the different forms of Bartonella.

It is said that an initial course of antibiotics given in stage one cures the disease most of the time, but why not all the time? Is the course of antibiotics too short? Should more be given? Should they be given long term, especially for those who have stage 3 symptoms? What if blood tests no longer show spirochetes? If the antibiotics don’t work, the patient now has to combat Lyme with a very depleted immune system.” – Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD

Why Antibiotics May Not Work for Lyme Disease

  • Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, has a corkscrew shape that allows it to bore deep into tissues and cartilage (including the brain and nervous system), safely out of reach of most antibiotics.
  • Borrelia burgdorferi can give up its corkscrew shape and convert to a form that is able to live inside cells (“intracellular”) where again, antibiotics have less reach.
  • Borrelia burgdorferi, along with other similar microbes, can form dormant cysts that are completely resistant to antibiotics; the harder you hit it, the more resistant it becomes.
  • Borrelia burgdorferi is usually accompanied and aided by co-infections of other stealth microbes that also live inside cells.

Antibiotic resistance occurs at a high rate with these types of microbes. An antibiotic is one single chemical substance. Bacteria, such as Borrelia (and also its co-infections), respond slowly to antibiotics and have more time to develop resistance to the antibiotic. In other words, the longer they can hang on, the more likely they are to become completely antibiotic resistant. Using multiple antibiotics at once seems to accelerate this process and alternating antibiotics doesn’t seem to help. Resistant bacteria become even more entrenched.

Antibiotics destroy the normal flora (friendly bacteria) in the gut and skin, causing bacterial imbalance and a host of other symptoms in the body. Most importantly, use of antibiotics suppresses immune function, which may present the greatest hurdle to recovery—you cannot get well without optimal immune function.

Borrelia burgdorferi can exist in biofilms, which are protected colonies of microbes that form on a surface (such as plaque on your teeth), but what role this plays in Lyme disease is controversial. The symptom profile of Lyme disease suggests that it is not a biofilm disease and that biofilms are not a big factor in overcoming Lyme.

Doctors Treating Lyme Disease

…he is treating the patient, not the disease.

Some doctors complain that patients who have never been definitively diagnosed with the disease demand treatment for chronic Lyme disease. Other doctors contend that it is rare for a patient with Lyme disease to only suffer from one singular infection as ticks often carry and can infect us with several pathogens at once. In addition, there is not one “Lyme Disease.” There are five sub species of Borrelia burgdorferi. Of these subspecies, there are more than 100 strains in the U.S. and 300 worldwide. And many of them are now antibiotic resistant. Even the worst infections may not test positive for Borrelia burdorferi. They may not test positive until initial treatment has occurred, a situation called the Lyme Paradox.

Dr. Richard Horowitz, of Hyde Park, New York, is one of the most sought after Lyme specialists. He states that at least half of his patients are infected with babesiosis. Rather than a bacteria, babesiosis is a microscopic parasite that infects red blood cells. Since most of his patients present with multiple infections and an overwhelmed immune system, he focuses on strengthening the immune system, knowing that he is treating the patient, not the disease.

Patients who are not lucky enough to see a doctor as knowledgeable as Dr. Horowitz often get caught in the crossfire that occurs when doctors are faced with limited understanding of a pathogen, a complicated infectious process, and a treatment modality that does not work the same for every patient. Stories abound of doctors accusing Lyme sufferers of being hypochondriacs or malingerers when they are experiencing very real, debilitating, painful symptoms.

On top of all of this, spiders, mosquitoes, fleas, and mites may also be spreading the same or similar bacterial infections.

How to Cure Lyme Disease Naturally

The bacteria that cause Lyme can be found in the skin, heart, joints, and nervous system. On top of that, Lyme disease specialists are finding that what we call Lyme disease may be caused by several different infectious organisms and may even be caused by a combination of different infectious pathogens. Some speculate that Lyme disease is an infection from the bacteria along with an overabundance of fungi (like Candida) or a parasite.

Everyone plays host to countless viruses, infectious bacteria, fungi, toxins, and cancer cells in their body. Many may be carrying Lyme, along with or many other scary diseases, and not know it.

Those with stronger immune systems often pass on infections they didn’t even know they have to others with weakened immunity. Currently, specialists are saying Lyme cannot be passed from person to person. Some are challenging this belief, especially in regards to sexual transmission. Regardless, those infected can carry the disease for years without knowing it.

The good news is that a holistic approach to fixing the body’s immune system and ridding it of infectious agents can cure almost any disease. The approach to Lyme should be similar to the approach to curing HIV, fibromyalgia, chronic strep, lupus, Chlamydia, and many other diseases. The first step is to heal the gut, balance the gut flora, and rebuild the immune system.

Your Gut and Your immune System

Chronic infection is an underlying factor in most chronic illnesses. Our sugar-laden diet, GMO foods that kill beneficial bacteria, antibiotics, other antibacterial products, and many of the chemicals in our food supply deplete our beneficial bacteria, which wreaks havoc on our immune systems. This sets the stage for systemic, chronic fungal infections and parasites to multiply, permeate the gut, enter the body’s bloodstream, and spread infection throughout the body.

The immune system is only as healthy as the gut.

Conventional doctors are very bad at finding and diagnosing parasitical and fungal infections that cannot easily be seen on the surface of the body. The average person is dealing with Candida overgrowth at the very least (the most common fungal infection in our bodies) due to the aforementioned modern diet and lifestyle.

Obviously, to treat a difficult bacterial infection such as Lyme (or whatever combination of bacteria, viruses, and parasites causing Lyme symptoms) the immune system needs to be as strong as possible. The immune system is only as healthy as the gut. The body’s intestinal tract mirrors the body’s health and dictates the power of the immune system. Step one is to balance the gut flora and eliminate most of the harmful pathogens in the body.

Diet

A healthy diet relies on a foundation of on raw, fresh, organic (when possible), whole foods and herbs. Salads are one of the best ways to do this. Not your typical iceberg lettuce salads with a few carrots shreds and some ranch dressing, but a salad with a wide variety of at least 10 different vegetables along with fresh garlic, turmeric, ginger, unrefined sea salt, and healthy fats. It is the best way to get a wide array of the best nutrients that will repair the gut and rebuild the body’s immune system. Don’t underestimate this; a large salad every day, done right, will do more for the body than any supplement regimen, and when followed long enough, the right diet with these kinds of daily salads can completely heal the body from disease, in most cases. But the right supplement protocol can radically speed things up and is often necessary for the very ill.

A perfect diet would not be complete without lots of clean drinking water. For detoxification, cranberry stevia lemonade is very good for rejuvenating the kidneys, cleaning the liver, purifying blood, and flushing out the whole system. For most people, a gallon a day will yield remarkable results, but for smaller people, or those who have rare conditions that make this dangerous, use common sense and don’t ever drink too much water (or any fluid). And for everyone else, a gallon of cranberry lemonade every day will have amazing benefits, second only to salads and cutting out other junk food, but again, use common sense. Drinking that much water in a very short period of time can kill people, believe it or not.

Supplements

When healing the gut, you want to kill fungi and parasites, balance the bacteria, and begin healing the intestinal walls. Undecylenic acid is the best supplement on the market for killing Candida and other fungal pathogens. Wormwood, barberry root, black walnut hull, cape aloe leaf, and garlic are all very powerful, broad-spectrum antimicrobials that kill the bad guys and help reset the balance of gut flora. Many of these also have other healing benefits on the digestive system. Garlic, bentonite clay, and activated charcoal are all powerful toxin removers with a host of other benefits.

A high quality probiotic designed to make it past stomach acid will help restore the balance of the body’s naturally occurring beneficial bacteria by crowding out, and competing with and even feeding off of the harmful flora. The bacteria from these supplements don’t last very long (regardless of what the manufactures tell you), but the idea is that your body’s natural bacteria can proliferate once the probiotics do their job. This is why a prebiotic diet is so important, and raw, fresh, organically grown produce provides the best prebiotics.

Don’t underestimate the power of beneficial bacteria for a properly working, strong immune system. Your beneficial bacteria play a major role in our immune system.

The appendix is a safe house for good bacteria. The body releases these bacteria when the body needs it. If you don’t have an appendix, it behooves you to take probiotics every day for the rest of your life. But take them at the right time. If you take probiotics at the same time you take antimicrobial supplements, the antimicrobials will kill the probiotic bacteria.

When doing a supplement protocol that employs antimicrobials, take the probiotics at night, just before bed, a few hours after taking other supplements that can harm the bacteria. Take the other antimicrobial supplements throughout the day. Or how ever you can work it out to give the probiotics ample time to do their thing before you kill them with antimicrobials.

How to Kill Lyme

Since the bacteria that cause Lyme can be so difficult to kill, a multifaceted approach should be taken with supplements. As mentioned, anyone suffering from Lyme disease is bound to have other issues depleting their immune system as well. The severity of Lyme symptoms will correlate with the overall toxicity in the body. Toxin elimination (which includes toxins released from the Lyme bacteria itself, and all other toxins) is imperative, along with building a healthy gut.

Common Co-Infections Must Be Addressed

Dr. Klinghardt (if you suffer from any disease, check out his research as well) states that common co-infections include, “roundworms, tapeworms, threadworms, toxoplasmosis, giardia and amoebas, clostridia, the herpes virus family, parvovirus B 19, active measles (in the small intestine), leptospirosis, chronic strep infections and their mutations, Babesia, Brucella, Ehrlichiosis, Bartonella, mycoplasma, Rickettsia, Bartonella, and a few others.”

As mentioned previously, fungi including molds, Candida, and other yeast are always part of the picture, and other toxicity issues such as heavy metal contamination are typically a heavy burden on a Lyme infected host as well.

A holistic Lyme protocol has a healthy diet as the foundation, focusing on vegetables, herbs, and whole foods, with the elimination of processed and refined foods, especially those with toxic chemicals added to them. When the diet is dialed in, the supplements have much more effectiveness, and the body is able to purge toxins more easily, and the immune system is radically stronger. Diet is key, and with almost all diseases, the right diet will prevent the disease in the first place, and can usually cure the disease given enough time. But, with today’s toxic loads, supplements are often needed, and even when diet could do the job on its own, again, supplements will radically speed up the process.

Specific Lyme Disease Protocol

This protocol will flush toxins and alleviate the body’s toxic load, replenish nutrition and ensure your body can absorb and assimilate nutrients, strengthen the immune system, and kill pathogens that cause us harm. It will work to rid the body of any infection, including viruses, but the protocol does emphasis effectiveness against difficult bacterial infection, molds and fungal infections, and parasites.

This means that this protocol will be extremely effective against bacterial infections such as syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and any ailments caused by fungal infections as well.

If a known viral co-infection exists, this protocol is strong enough to eliminate viruses, but you could do so faster by adding St. John’s Wort, Pau d’Arco, colloidal silver, zinc, olive leaf extract, and systemic enzymes. Personally, if it were me, I would just up the systemic enzyme dosage with the following protocol to combat viruses.

Step One – Lyme Disease Diet

It’s time to tighten the diet. Dial it in. Get strict. This doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy food; it means it’s time to learn to enjoy salads! Make a salad every day, using at least ten different vegetables and at least five different herbs and spices. Variety is key, and be sure to mix it up, but always include garlic, turmeric, pepper, healthy fats like avocado, flax, and coconut oil, and get organic, fresh (recently picked from the ground, not frozen or canned) vegetables whenever possible.

Fruit is great to consume with this diet, but every time fruit is eaten, SF722 or another powerful fungal fighter needs to be taken with it.

Juicing is a common problem for us health nuts. Sweet juice is a refined sugar, even fresh squeezed organic orange juice. Beets, carrots, and all fruits (save lemon, lime, granny smith apple, and cranberry), feed fungal infections, bacteria, and promote viruses. Juicing is fine, when done right. Juice regularly, but instead of those sweet juices, try ginger and turmeric shots (see the golden milk recipe below). On the other hand, you’re not likely to have much room for juicing because you will be drinking a lot of cranberry, stevia lemonade.

Every day, make a gallon of cranberry lemonade sweetened with stevia, and a very large salad (at least 6 cups). Obviously your size should be taken into consideration, don’t kill yourself trying to drink a gallon a day if you only weigh 80 pounds, but for most people a gallon of water a day will do them a world of good.

Absolutely no alcohol is allowed on this diet save what little bit is in some of the recommended tinctures.

Recipe links for recipes that don’t feed infection

Other Foods

Beans and rice (when made right, soak and sprout beans, soak rice), quinoa, amaranth, eggs, homemade nut milks (only if nuts are sprouted first, and cashews and pasteurized almonds will not sprout), and organic free-range meats are all okay on this diet.

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  • Eat a big, diverse salad every day (fresh, organic whenever possible, never GMO foods).
  • Consume fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the day.
  • Gallon of cranberry, stevia lemonade with cayenne to taste.
  • Turmeric and ginger juicing regularly, daily is best.
  • No processed, refined, foods. No pasta, no breads, no cereals, no white rice.
  • Prepare your own foods – this is not the time to be going out to eat.
  • No chemically laden foods, fake foods, GMO foods, or even “healthy” junk foods (such as organic chips, organic cereals).

Step Two – Reset the Gut to Heal the Body

Read the article,Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections. I know, you’re just getting to the meat of this 5,000+ word article, and I’m asking you to read another beast of an article, but you’ve got Lyme! A supposedly incurable disease means you have plenty of research to do. If you have Lyme, your real problem is a a leaky gut full of fungus that’s overwhelming the immune system.

The aforementioned diet will go a long way to heal the gut, and given time, will typically heal the gut on its own, especially in cases where the body is not dealing with a heavy load or a systemic infection. Since we’re dealing with a systemic infection, the supplements below are highly recommended.

Do not underestimate the importance of this step. This is, in fact, more important than the proceeding steps that specifically address viruses. In fact, most people that find themselves with disease only make it through this step and then feel so much better that they tend to stop the protocol. This is probably fine if you spend the rest of your life eating extremely well, which you should do regardless, but even when the body feels better than it has since you can remember, that doesn’t mean the infection is gone. It means the infection(s) is at bay, but ready to bounce back at the first chance.

The following are supplements that will clean out the gut, help detoxify the body, remove parasites, fungi, and begin the removal of heavy metals and other contaminates.

SF722 is the best supplement I know of for taking care of any kind of fungi (yeast, mold, Candida). You can take a lot of it at once. I’ve taken up to 30 at once with no side effects. For someone with obvious signs of Candida overgrowth I recommend people take 30 a day for the first few days, and then cut back to 10 a day for a few weeks. For cases where someone is unsure of a Candida infection, take 10 a day for a few days and cut back to 5 a day thereafter. Take this supplement whenever consuming foods that may feed Candida (like sweeter fruits such as pineapple), and always have this supplement on hand.

SF722 is very powerful against fungal infections, but it does kill some other bad guys as well, which means it can kill some good guys too, so I recommend taking it with other antimicrobial supplements throughout the day, and replenish beneficial bacteria every night with a probiotic like FloraMend.

Whatever probiotic you choose, be sure it is designed to make it past the stomach acid. Stomach acid kills most of the beneficial bacteria in fermented vegetables and cheaply made probiotic supplements. Bio-K (we don’t have this one at our sister site, Green Lifestyle Market, but most health food stores carry it) is an example of a bacteria specifically designed to make it through stomach acid.

FloraMend is a probiotic with a capsule designed to pass through stomach acid and release in the more alkaline environment of the gut. The benefit of FloraMend it that it stores easily and is tolerant to fairly extreme weather temperatures (up to 110 F). The benefit of Bio-K is that you can add it to your smoothies, feed it to young children and infants, and use it to strengthen the probiotic nature of other yogurts for a treat every now and then (but occasional treats should come after the body burden is substantially lessened, and the host is feeling much better).

Shillington’s products should be taken exactly as directed. His Intestinal Detox has activated charcoal, but I recommend getting more of it on this protocol than the intestinal detox would give by itself, so I added an additional supplement of just the charcoal. I recommend 5-10 a day depending on the body’s burden.

The following supplement regimen should be done for 1-2 weeks, depending on the severity of the flora-imbalance. If most symptoms do not significantly decrease, tighten up the diet and consider adding some more SF722 to the daily protocol.

  • Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse – Kills parasites, heals the intestinal walls, sets up a hospitable home for healthy flora.
  • Formula SF722 – Undecenoic acid, kills Candida and other fungal functions.
  • Floramend-Prime – A strong probiotic designed to pass through the stomach acid and into the intestinal tract.
  • MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations
  • Shillington’s Intestinal Detox – This is necessary only for those with seriously damaged intestines, anyone who has recently been vaccinated, or those looking to do a thorough detox. Pulls out heavy metals, positively charged protozoa, and other toxins.
  • Activated Charcoal – Activated Charcoal is highly porous, negatively charged, and attracts and adsorbs unwanted substances, carrying them out of the digestive tract.
  • Blood Detox Formula (tincture) & Blood Detox Tea – This is an absolutely amazing formula for cleaning out the blood, keeping things detoxifying and moving well, and assisting the elimination organs such as the kidneys and liver. I consider this formula to be essential for any detox. Clean blood makes for a clean body. You can use one or the other, but the combination of the tea and tincture is even more powerful. Do not take this formula for more than two weeks, practice two weeks on and one week off. Tip: the instructions on the bottle say to take externally, but it is designed to be taken orally.

Step Three – Kill Lyme, and any other infection

Foundational supplements should be taken for months and could be taken indefinitely. They provide the body with a foundation of the minerals and vitamins and other nutrients needed so that, along with the right diet, the body remains at peak performance, able to fend off new invaders and rid itself of any current infection and toxins.

For those on a tight budget, looking for a stopping point, I recommend completing the first phase of the protocol (above) and then always having on hand the activated charcoal and the SF722. If affordable, add the Total Nutrition Formula and the Fish oil as well, and take every day for a year. A lack of nutrition or an abundance of toxins at any time before the Lyme bacteria is completely eliminated will likely result in resurgence of infection along with renewed symptoms. For most people, a very strict diet and just a few supplements (after balancing the gut flora as previously advised) will eventually rid the body of any and all Lyme.

Foundational Supplements

  • Total Nutrition Formula – This is actual food, perfectly balanced to provide a nice foundation of the most important vitamins and many other essential nutrients. You can also make your own, see below.
  • Liquid Light – The most common minerals Lyme patients tend to be low on include copper, magnesium, manganese and iron. Liquid Light has these and many other minerals the body needs. It’s one of the best mineral supplements on the market.
  • Activated Charcoal – For the same reason mentioned above, this will just continue to pull out toxins as your body heals and fights infection.
  • SF722 – Always keep it on hand. With today’s modern diets and lifestyle, Candida and other fungal infections are an extremely common problem.
  • Systemic Enzymes – These enzymes are designed to pass through the stomach acid and release in the intestinal tract (like the aforementioned FloraMend). While this is one of the least important supplements for specifically killing bacteria, it is a powerful antiviral supplement with an incredible array of other benefits and detoxification capabilities. For more information on this, check out our Vaccine Detox article.
  • Floramend-Prime – For those without an appendix. If you don’t have your appendix then you should be taking a probiotic for the rest of your life.
  • Fish oil with D – Vitamin D is a common vitamin to be low on, even for those eating the healthiest of diets, and the fats are extremely important for building healthy cell structure so that the body’s cells are less susceptible to infection and toxin damage from infectious organisms. For vegans, there are separate vitamin D and fat supplements.

Anti-microbial and Immune Boosting Supplements

The previous list of “foundational supplements” can be taken indefinitely for better health and vitality. They are in fact the supplements that my family, my dog, and I take regularly. This next group of supplements should be taken for two weeks at a time, and then halted for one week. When the body is functioning well, these supplements will eliminate unwanted pathogens, but they also kill our good micro flora, too. Some of the supplements lose their effectiveness after a couple of weeks, and it’s a good idea, after two weeks of these supplements, to build up beneficial bacteria in the body.

One of the reasons this phase of the protocol is so good at eliminating bacteria, even the hard to kill kind, is that we’re attacking it with a wide array of natural chemicals. Many protocols call for three or four different supplements that are known to kill bacterial infections, but do so in the same way with the same chemicals. For instance, Oregon grape, coptis chinensis, and goldenseal are sometimes recommended in the same protocol to kill bacteria, but they use the same naturally occurring chemical called berberine to do so. This regimen utilizes supplements with very different chemical compounds to attack the infection in different ways.

  • Mushroom Complex – This mushroom formula called MycoPhyto Complex uses a mix of six different medicinal mushrooms to improve and maintain the immune system. The phytochemicals in these mushrooms limit the spread of tumors and infections on a microbial level, strengthening the body’s defense system.
  • Oil of Oregano – The beneficial effect of oil of oregano resonates in several of the body’s systems. It’s a powerful antioxidant and a powerful anti-microbial.
  • Berberine – This is the alkaloid known to kill bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites that is present in a number of plants including barberry, tree turmeric, Oregon grape, goldenseal, and goldthread.
  • Liposomal Vitamin C – This vitamin C is highly bio-available, and will strengthen the immune system and provide a host of other benefits.
  • Colloidal Silver – Most are familiar with its antimicrobial properties. I’ve never found it to be as effective as other compounds, but combined with other supplements, colloidal silver makes it nearly impossible for infection to flourish.
  • Olive Leaf Extract – This is one that can be taken indefinitely. Olive leaf extract is one of those rare supplements that supports the immune system and kills the infections without harming beneficial microflora.
  • Shillington’s Echinacea Plus – Minimize the severity and duration of a current illness and enhance your immune system – a great addition for anyone detoxifying and looking to keep their immune system strong while the onslaught of toxins works through the elimination organs.

Conclusion

The whole protocol above is overkill. It’s expensive, and it’s more than enough for most. On the other hand, if you have the money and want to knock out chronic disease fast, there’s no better protocol, and all of the recommended supplements have immense benefits to the body for a multitude of reasons. If not, try getting through the first two phases, and then maybe choose just one or two of the supplements for the third phase.

EMF’s should also be limited, and grounding, or Earthing should be done as much as possible. Himalayan salt lamps can be very beneficial for those suffering from Lyme.

Be sure to get enough sleep, and make sure the water you’re drinking is clean, beneficial water.

There are new approaches for diagnosing Lyme in development. They look promising, but you do not have to wait for a proper diagnosis to heal your body and feel vibrant and healthy again. It really doesn’t matter if it’s Lyme or anything else. Healing the body is about restoring the immune system, reducing toxins, and feeding the body right.

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New Supplement Allows Those With Celiac Disease to Digest Gluten

Scientists at the University of Alberta have designed a new supplement to allow those who suffer from celiac disease to digest gluten. The supplement, derived from the yolks of chicken eggs, works by binding with gluten in the stomach in order to absorb the hard to digest gliadin (the difficult proteins that make up gluten), limiting the damage it can cause to the small intestine. The idea is that one of these pills, which they hope to have available over the counter, will allow the gluten sensitive person to eat any food with gluten for up to two hours without experiencing their usual symptoms. The scientists in charge of the project predict that the only negative in this situation is the inability of those with egg allergies to partake in the supplement.

♫ ♬ Oh, Oh, Oh, It’s Magic… ♪ ♫

This pill will be marketed as the answer to celiac disease.

If you suffer from celiac disease, you can now enjoy a “normal” social life! Take this pill and you can go out to restaurants and eat whatever your friends are eating! Shopping will be easy! No more diet restrictions! No more inconvenience!

What is this pill really going to deliver?

The supplement isn’t designed to heal or prevent celiac disease. Its sole purpose is for people to be able to consume the very foods that led to a chronic disease in the first place.

A condition like celiac disease forces you to examine what you’re eating and to accept a greater responsibility for what you’re feeding your body. Chances are, your entire diet is healthier now that you don’t eat gluten than when you did.

Eating a truly healthy diet requires discipline, so it’s not hard to see the downside to this magic pill – replacing dietary discipline with immediate gratification. In the long run, this is a pill that will enable the gluten-intolerant, allowing them to return to eating food that harms rather than heals.

Gluten is Big Business

While the gluten-free market has not yet reached the sales level of sugar-free foods and drinks, it has already surpassed the revenue generated by no carb items and items aimed at lactose intolerant individuals. Sales of gluten-free items in categories like cereal, snacks, and crackers reached over a billion dollars last year.

Those numbers are extremely exciting if you’re the company who is offering a large share of those shoppers a magic pill that affords them the ability to go back to eating regular processed foods.

The companies that are sponsoring this research, like IGY Immune Technologies and Life Sciences Advanced Technologies, are no strangers to the pharmaceutical industry. They’re responsible for biochemical products, medicines, and antibiotics for both human and agricultural uses. On at least some level, they’re aware of the uber profitable hamster wheel of unhealthy eating.

More people eating unhealthy, processed food products will result in more revenue for big agricultural companies. This inferior quality of food will create an uptick in medical bills and prescriptions, resulting in more revenue for pharmaceutical companies, medical establishments, and insurance companies. While this new pharmaceutical does indeed perform a service for people with celiac disease, a look at the long-term potential asks another question. Who is doing who the favor?

Get Off the Hamster Wheel

Gluten and today’s modern wheat and wheat-based products are one of the principal causes of Candida overgrowth and intestinal damage. The list of symptoms for celiac disease is long and sympathy cringe-inducing, from constipation or diarrhea to weeping rashes, joint and muscle pain, and arthritis. There isn’t a cure, and the scientists developing this pill have already made it clear that that isn’t their goal. The only way to truly heal from the damage caused by gluten is through diet and complete elimination of gluten. It requires hard work, discipline, the ability to recognize the damage that processed foods do to the body, and the will to choose better for yourself. Start by looking at a healthy diet (80% raw) and see what you could achieve if you decide to make yourself and your health a priority instead of looking for quick fixes. Check out Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases and see Foods To Avoid With Gluten Intolerance or Celiac Disease.

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