Study Shows 1 in 3 Children Have Dangerous Levels of Lead in Their Bloodstream
A new study done by UNICEF and Pure Earth shows that 1 in 3 children have dangerous levels of lead in their bloodstream. In the study, 800 million children had lead levels of 5 micrograms per deciliter, or more, in their bloodstream.
Lead pollution can cause mental and physical damage and can impair development of the nervous system, the brain, and many vital organs. The longer lead is undetected in the bloodstream, the more dangerous it becomes.
The unequivocal conclusion of this research is that children around the world are being poisoned by lead on a massive and previously unrecognized scale.
The CDC, as well as the WHO, have cited inadequate battery recycling as well as open-air smelters as large contributors to lead pollution. The study, in addition to the disposal of lead batteries, pointed to peeling paint with lead in it, electronic waste dumps laced with lead, and food contamination from lead glazed pottery.
Lead batteries are likely one of the biggest contributors, nearly 85% of all lead used going into battery production. Europe and the U.S recycle more than 95% of their batteries. Unfortunately, developing countries don’t always have the funds or facilities to properly recycle batteries.
If you’re looking for a way to detox from toxins such as lead, check out this article on how to detox cheap and easy without fasting.
Activated Charcoal is Very Popular Right Now – Here’s Why
Activated charcoal is expanding into a whole new market. It’s used in water filtration, as poison control, and in herbal medicine regularly, but it’s increasingly showing up in health and beauty care products. So what is activated charcoal, and why are people suddenly rubbing it all over their teeth?
How is Activated Charcoal Different than Actual Charcoal?
Let’s get the biggest issue out of the way. Activated charcoal (also known as activated carbon) is almost but not quite the same thing as actual charcoal (the stuff used for summer grilling). The bulk material used to produce activated charcoal is some combination of bone char, coconut shells, peat, petroleum coke, coal, olive pits, and/or sawdust, while actual charcoal can include all of that plus agricultural waste and other dry biomass.
To create activated charcoal, carbon is heated to temperatures of 1,700 to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit with steam or air in an oxygen-free environment, although wood-based activated charcoals frequently endure a chemical process that includes heat and phosphoric acid as well. The high heat “activates” the charcoal, removing the carbon’s volatile compounds and enlarging its internal pores. These enlarged internal pores allow the now activated charcoal to chemically attract and bind contaminants like chlorine, PCBs, industrial solvents, and pesticides, among others.
When it’s activated, charcoal acquires a positive charge. This is how the activated charcoal captures nasty stuff in our bodies and the water supply. Chlorine, for example, is being replaced in the water disinfection process by chloramine, a chemical that can form trihalomethanes, which in turn can cause cancer. Since that chemical is negatively charged, positively charged activated charcoal is a cost-effective and safe way to improve the quality of the water we use every day. But people also ingest it.
Here’s What to Take Activated Charcoal For
Activated charcoal is recommended for accidental poisonings and certain drug overdoses. It’s also effective in pulling out harmful mercury and aluminum preservatives found in dental amalgams or vaccines and arsenic from rice and other foods. It’s been associated with lower cholesterol, anti-aging properties, better kidney and liver function, and helps relieve gas and bloating by attracting disruptive digestive byproducts.
In personal care products, activated charcoal attracts many of the dirt and oils that can irritate and increase the likelihood of acne, eczema, dry skin, and other topical infections. Bad breath or body odor often occurs when toxins are exiting the body, and activated charcoal can help quickly remove those toxins.
Adding activated charcoal to your diet is not a pleasant undertaking. You’re eating ashes and it tastes about as appetizing as you’d imagine. Due to this, most activated charcoal supplements come in pill form. But activated charcoal is also invading other areas. Activated charcoal can now be found in:
Shampoo
Facial sponges and towelettes
Lattes
Toothpaste, tooth powders, and toothbrushes
Soap
Ice cream
Skin cleansers
Hoax or Harmless?
Activated charcoal is considered harmless, but there are a few things to consider if you’re interested in trying it. Don’t take activated charcoal with prescription medications and constipation, as the charcoal will exacerbate the issue. It can also cause black stools. The type of raw material used to make your activated charcoal also matters, with charcoal derived from coconut shells generally labeled the highest quality.
The Bottom Line
If we continue to treat the planet as we have been, the amounts of heavy metals, pesticides, and chemicals in our bodies will continue to rise through environmental exposure. Activated charcoal makes the case that we have a solution to at least one aspect of that. If exposure cannot be prevented, then regularly cleansing the body of heavy metals can prevent the kind of buildup that leads to scarier and more serious health concerns.
We’ve all heard of the lymphatic system, but few understand how it works or why and how a properly working lymphatic system is vital to the body. The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs that transport lymph throughout the body. Its responsibilities include cleaning the cellular environment, returning proteins and excess tissue fluids to the blood, providing a pathway for the absorption of fats into the bloodstream, and the production and transportation of antibodies (white blood cells called lymphocytes) throughout the body to fight infection.
Our blood contains red blood cells that deliver oxygen around the body, white blood cells that fight infections, platelets that help you stop bleeding if you get a cut, and plasma.
Plasma is the liquid portion of blood. It’s a yellowish liquid in blood that suspends the red blood cells and carries nutrients and oxygen throughout the body. Plasma contains water, salt, enzymes, immunoglobulins (antibodies), hormones, clotting factors, and plasma proteins.
Interstitial fluid, also known as tissue fluid, was plasma before it entered tissue. Interstitial fluid is a solution that bathes and surrounds the tissue cells.
Tissue fluid and blood are not the same, and not all of the contents of blood pass into tissue. Red blood cells, platelets, and some of the plasma proteins do not pass through capillaries. The resulting mixture that does get through is, in essence, blood plasma minus its clotting agents and some of its proteins.
Lymph was interstitial fluid before it became lymph.
Lymphatic Anatomy
The lymphatic system is made up of lymph capillaries, vessels, and nodes, the spleen, thymus, tonsils, Peyer’s Patches, and lymphocytes (white blood cells). Red bone marrow is also a part of the lymphatic system. We have hundreds of lymph nodes. Lymph nodes can be found all around the lungs and heart, in the gut, in the armpits and groin, and pretty much all over the body.
Blood pressure causes plasma liquid to leak into tissues, and this pressure causes excess fluid in those tissues to move into the lymph capillaries. As this fluid leaves the cells, it takes cellular waste products and used proteins with it. The lymphatic capillaries pick up approximately 20% of the fluid that was delivered to the interstitial space. The venous system picks up about 80% of the fluid in the interstitial space. The unique structure of the lymphatic capillaries permits interstitial fluid to flow into them but not out.
Blood pressure, temperature, activity of muscle and joints, diaphragmatic breathing, and pulsation of adjacent arteries all cause lymph to move up to the subclavian veins at the base of the neck. Valves and pressure keep lymph moving in the right direction. Along the way, the fluid is interrupted by lymph nodes that filter dust, cancer cells, pathogens, and other unwanted matter. Lymph nodes also produce lymphocytes (white blood cells). The spleen, tonsils, and red bone marrow help produce lymphocytes as well.
The spleen, which is about the size of our fist, is the largest lymphatic organ. It is similar in structure to a lymph node, but it filters blood, not lymph. The spleen contains two main types of tissue, white pulp and red pulp. White pulp is lymphatic tissue containing white blood cells – B and T cells. T cells attack pathogens (such as bacteria and viruses) while B cells make antibodies that fight infections. Red pulp tissue removes old and damaged red blood cells and stores platelets. It also produces red blood cells in unborn babies and when certain diseases are present.
The thymus is both a lymphatic organ and an endocrine gland. The thymus plays a major role in immune system development, starting before birth. Unlike other organs, the thymus reaches its functional peak, and largest size, during childhood. After puberty the thymus reduces in size, replaced by fat.
Tonsils are a familiar lymphatic cluster. Their position, hanging from the mouth and pharynx, allows them to be the first line of defense against inhaled and swallowed foreign bodies and toxins.
The final goal of the lymphatic system is to recirculate lymph back into the plasma of the bloodstream. There are two specialized lymphatic structures at the end of the lymphatic system, called the lymph trunks and ducts. Lymph ducts empty lymph into one of the subclavian veins. There are two lymph ducts, the right lymphatic duct and the thoracic duct. The right drains lymph from the right upper limb, the right side of thorax, and the right halves of head and neck. The thoracic duct drains lymph into the circulatory system between the left subclavian and the left internal jugular veins.
Lymphatic trunks are large lymph vessels that made up of the convergence of many efferent lymph vessels. There are five sets of lymph trunks.
Jugular lymph trunks located in the neck
Subclavian lymph trunks located beneath the clavicle
Bronchomediastinal lymph trunks located in the chest
Lumbar lymph trunks drain lymph fluid from the legs, pelvic region, and kidneys
Intestinal lymph trunk receives chyle (lymph mixed with fats) from the intestines, and receives lymph from the stomach, pancreas, spleen, and the liver.
Lymphatic trunks drain lymph fluid into the lymph ducts, the final part of the lymphatic system.
For more on lymphatic system anatomy and function:
The Gastrointestinal Lymphatic System
After filtration by the lymph nodes, efferent lymphatic vessels take lymph to the end of the lymphatic system to recirculate lymph back into the plasma of the bloodstream. The intestinal lymphatic system serves vital functions in the regulation of tissue fluid homeostasis (keeping tissue properly hydrated), immune surveillance, and transportation of fats and other nutrients into plasma.
When the gut’s not healthy, the body is not healthy. A sluggish and toxic gut will slow the lymph’s ability to provide clean, infection-free blood, and fats will not as easily be absorbed and assimilated, causing weight gain and poor cellular health that can lead to an array of problems from diabetes to cancer.
Diseases and Disorders of the Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system removes infections and other toxins from the blood. A sick body is a toxic and infected (or soon to be infected) body. Arguably, most every chronic disease and every infection is indicative of an overwhelmed lymphatic system. When the system is overwhelmed, the body is overwhelmed. With any chronic illness, getting well includes improving lymphatic function.
Edema, or Oedema – Swelling that results when tissues cannot drain fluid into the lymphatic system quickly enough – see image above.
Lymphedema – Caused by a blockage in the lymphatic system, part of the immune and circulatory systems. Lymphedema is most commonly caused by lymph node removal or damage due to cancer treatment.
Elephantiasis – Medically known as lymphatic filariasis, a condition characterized by enlargement of an area of the body, typically the limbs. It looks like a severe case of edema, and it is.
Glandular fever – A type of viral infection that mostly affects young adults. Symptoms include tender lymph nodes.
Hodgkin’s disease – A type of cancer of the lymphatic system.
Tonsillitis – Infection of the tonsils in the throat.
Lymphadenopathy – Occurs when the lymph nodes swell due to infections. Viral infections like measles, rubella, glandular fever, and HIV may also cause lymphadenopathy of the lymph nodes.
Lymphadenitis – Inflammation of the lymph nodes usually caused due to infections.
Filariasis – An infection of the lymphatic channels by a worm or parasite.
Splenomegaly – Swelling of the spleen due to a viral infection like infectious mononucleosis.
All lymphatic disorders equate to a slow moving, less efficient lymphatic system. This immediately leads to toxic blood and tissue with cancerous and otherwise sickly cells that should have been filtered out.
Symptoms of a Sluggish Lymphatic System
Humans have twice as much lymph fluid in the body as blood. Unlike the circulatory system, the lymphatic system does not have a pump. In order to move, lymph relies on blood pressure and the relaxation and the contraction of the muscles and joints. Your lymphatic system can easily become stagnant, especially when it becomes overwhelmed with toxic debris. The combination of a toxic lifestyle and lethargy is a recipe for chronic disease.
All things in nature have a natural progression. When this progression is inhibited, health deteriorates. Think of a river. A healthy river runs clean and clear compared to stagnant water. Imagine them clogged and the resulting backup. Picture an engine and car oil, and you can equate our lymphatic system to an oil filter. Imagine how sluggish and constrictive the engine would be if the oil wasn’t constantly filtered. Sluggish lymph fluid is a breeding ground for infection.
Stagnant lymph interferes with every system of the body. Because lymph cleanses nearly every cell in the body, symptoms of chronic lymph blockage are diverse. While most people prefer to identify one specific cause of a disease, there are rarely fewer than three and can often be hundreds. The point is, if the body is unhealthy, the lymph is unhealthy, too. If the body is sick, the lymph is sick, too.
Symptoms of lymphatic congestion include:
Rings get tight on fingers
Skin is puffy, showing edema
Soreness, stiffness, achiness in the mornings
Arthritis
Lethargic, drained, sluggishness
Bloating, water retention
Itchy skin
Bad skin (dryness, acne, premature aging, etc.)
Breast swelling or soreness with hormonal cycles
Brain fog
Cold hands and feet
Chronic headaches and/or migraines
Cellulite
Cancer
Diabetes
Chronic inflammation
Every one of these health concerns can be linked to other diseases as well, but any disease leads to a taxed lymphatic system, and a healthy lymphatic system is necessary to eliminate any disease.
How to Restore the Lymphatic System to Optimum Health
Doctors in Europe and in the Far East recognize the importance of lymphatic function and how it supports detoxification and every other system in the body, including the immune, digestive, and nervous systems. Natural practitioners know that poor lymph health underlies most health conditions from poor skin to cancer. By contrast, conventional practitioners in America don’t even consider the lymphatic system until a lymph deficiency shows up such as a swollen lymph node, cancer developing in a lymph gland, or obvious signs of lymph blockage. And of course, when something does go seriously wrong with the lymphatic system, western conventional doctors typically say the ailment is incurable. This is not true.
Be Careful What You Put On Your Skin
When the lymphatic system becomes sluggish it will “off-gas” through the skin. When unnatural fibers (like nylon or polyester) are worn and when chemical creams and soaps are applied to the skin, toxin release through the skin is inhibited. Much of the toxic load that should have been eliminated is re-absorbed along with some of the new toxins from the chemically laden clothes and skin products. This creates a backlog of needed detoxification.
A tight fitting bra and underwire bras will impede normal lymphatic flow. Make sure bras fit properly, and avoid underwires. Go braless whenever possible.
Wear natural fibers, and don’t put toxic chemicals on your skin. Almost every skin care product in the skincare isles is toxic. Most “all natural” moisturizer creams, and soaps are also toxic. With few exceptions (like essential oils), when it comes to skin care products, if you can’t eat it, don’t put on your skin. This also includes sunblock, deodorant, and laundry detergents.
Speaking of deodorants, they need to be all natural. Conventional deodorants, especially antiperspirants, inhibit lymph detoxification. On a side note, it’s no wonder, understanding how the body works, that antiperspirants do in fact lead to breast cancer. We need to sweat, and that sweat leads to an ecosystem of flora on the skin that can promote good health or bad health. Check out How To Make Your Own Natural Deodorant at Home.
Your body is a collection of organs that ideally work in harmony with one other. The lymphatic system keeps organs healthy, but an unhealthy organ, or many unhealthy organs, will overload the lymphatic system. Most people with a slow lymphatic system have a leaky gut. In fact, most people with any health problems have a gut that is overly permeable, allowing undigested particles, and toxins to enter the blood and lymph. See Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections for more on gut health.
The first step for almost anyone experiencing health problems should be to balance gut flora. If your body is toxic, your gut is toxic, and the microbes in there are not going to be your friends. As previously mentioned, the intestinal trunk receives the lymph from the stomach,intestine, pancreas, spleen, and liver. None of these organs will be well if the digestive system is in turmoil.
The diet for a healthy lymphatic system and a healthy human body includes far more fresh, raw vegetables than anything else. This how a healthy diet should look with the most often consumed foods listed first:
Raw, fresh vegetables and herbs
Raw fresh fruit
Cooked vegetables
Nuts, seeds, and legumes (all properly soaked, sprouted, etc.)
Brown rice, amaranth, quinoa, millet, oats
Meat
Obviously, meat is optional. Most of us do not get enough water. Clean water is imperative for lymphatic health, too.
Fungal Supplement Stack – Knock Out Yeast, Candida, Mold, Fungus
If you have a sluggish lymphatic system you’ve got Candida. In fact, that’s probably one of the main causes. The first three should be plenty for most people, but for really prominent fungal issues or for impatient people with a bigger budget I’d recommend all of these:
While there are supplements that help, a healthy body will not be achieved without the right diet. The right diet is the foundation of an effective detox. Check out Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Includedfor a recipe for salads and for a cranberry lemonade that will radically improve the body’s elimination of toxins. Salads, when made right, provide a plethora of synergistic nutrition that rebuilds the body while pulling out toxins (for instance, many vegetables and herbs chelate heavy metals). The cranberry lemonade, made with unsweetened cranberry juice and stevia, will help flush and detoxify the liver and kidneys, allowing the lymph to move much more freely.
Avoid all refined, processed foods. Cook and prepare all food at home. Do not eat out until all symptoms are gone and health is restored. At home, eat salads, cranberry lemonade, and fresh fruit. Make stir-frys for dinner.
Avoid vaccines, at least until the lymphatic system is running smoothly. Regardless of your vaccine stance, vaccines are toxic and they slow lymph.
The same is true for GMOs. GMOs harm healthy gut flora, and they need to be avoided. For more on vaccines and GMOs, check out People Against…
Foods That Support the Lymphatic System
Water, while not a food, is vital to life. A lack of water inhibits lymph from flowing smoothly.
Cranberries emulsify fat, which helps break down excess fat so the lymphatic vessels can carry it away. Cranberry also helps the kidneys, which helps with overall hydration. Avoid cranberry juice that has any added ingredients, and try to get some fresh, whole cranberries to juice whenever possible.
Leafy greens are cleansing. Chlorophyll, the green nutrient that captures sunlight, has powerful cleansing properties and beneficial effects on the blood and thus on lymph fluid as well. Look for dark greens like kale, spinach, wheat grass, barley grass, turnip greens, dandelion leaves, broccoli, and mustard greens.
Garlic boosts immune function, chelates heavy metals and some other toxins, and kills harmful microbes. Anything that boosts immune function will take a load off of the lymphatic system.
Ginger reduces inflammation, and like garlic, ginger is also antimicrobial.
Turmeric is related to ginger. It also helps reduce inflammation, thins the blood, improves circulation, and is a well known and very effective cancer fighter.
Fresh produce has many different benefits for the lymphatic system and the whole body, but enzymes are critical to good health. More enzymes in the diet means more enzymes are available to the body to break down food and fibrin, which allows for easier flow of blood and lymph.
Lymphatic Supplemental Support
Systemic enzymes help to restore lymphatic transport capacity and break down undesired excess proteins that contribute to swelling and inflammation. Systemic enzymes also remove debris throughout the body that slow down circulation.
Oregano oil supports digestion and the immune system. Oregano oil is absorbed directly into the lymphatic system from the digestive tract. The powerful antioxidants and antimicrobial properties can help clear up the intestinal lymph capillaries. Oregano oil also contains terpenes that dissolve fatty sludge in the lymph system and in the gall bladder.
Burdock is a powerful multi-system detoxifier that supports the liver, kidneys, digestion, and the lymphatic and endocrine systems. According to the University of Michigan Health System, burdock a blood and lymph purifier.
Wild indigo stimulates the glandular and lymphatic systems. This herb is an antimicrobial immune system modulator and lymphagogue that helps regulate immune and inflammatory responses.
Licorice root is one of the most broad-spectrum natural detoxifying agents known to herbalists. It has been said to gently rid the body of over 1,000 known toxins.
Goldenseal and astragalus are excellent lymphatic system and blood cleansers that also boost the immune system.
Echinacea alleviates congestion and swelling in the body, and it boosts the immune system. Echinacea will ward off bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. Echinacea helps strengthen certain kinds of cells in the lymph nodes called macrophages, which are responsible for getting the toxins out of the lymph.
Aloe vera is a natural cleansing food that encourages, supports, and increases lymphatic circulation.
Prickly ash bark is a traditional Native American remedy that boosts lymphatic function, stimulates digestion, and promotes joint health.
Red clover, cleavers, manjistha, bupleurum, rehmannia, and stillingia root are popular herbs for lymph stimulation and detoxification.
Other Ways to Stimulate the Lymphatic System
Get upside down. Bounce and jostle. Just move!
Inversion Table
An inversion table is a padded table that allows one to invert upside down while strapped in by the feet. This decompresses joints and stimulates the lymphatic and circulatory system.
Lymphatic Massage
We all love a good massage, and a massage will help with the lymphatic system. But, a lymphatic massage specifically targets the flow of lymph in the body. With rhythmic circular movements at just the right pressure to stimulate the lymph, this kind of massage can encourage lymph movement. Lymphatic massage, when done correctly, has been proven to push up to 78% of stagnant lymph back into circulation, which mobilizes toxins for clearance, lessening the burden on the body.
Dry Brushing
Dry skin brushing is a technique commonly utilized in Ayurveda for assisting in lymphatic flow. The procedure uses a dry brush with coarse bristles to brush the skin gently towards the heart. This stimulates the sweat glands, opens up skin pores, and helps remove dead skin cells as it stimulates the movement of lymph and blood in underlying organs and tissues.
Exercise
Rebounding is the practice of jumping on a trampoline for ten to thirty minutes. This stimulates the circulation of blood and lymph throughout the body. Numerous studies have proven its efficacy, and some believe there are many other benefits as well.
Other bouncing exercises like jumping rope, jumping jacks, and dance stimulate like rebounding. A hard surface makes for a better bounce to the system, but a trampoline is better for those who need to start with exercises that are more gentle.
Squats massage and stimulate internal organs and bodily systems. Humans were meant to squat and run regularly. Our body works better when we do.
Yoga increases the flow of the lymph. Inverted positions, stretching and contracting the core, and other positions involving stretching are all very beneficial to the lymphatic system.
Running and jogging get the lymph moving. Sweating and breathing heavily also improve lymph condition. Be sure to breathe properly!
How To Eliminate Chronic Illness and Heal Lymph
Here are three articles I put together on diet. This is indicative of how my family eats every single day.
We start off with cranberry lemonade and a huge salad every morning. For lunch, we sometimes do a smoothie or we snack on some nuts and/or fruit or we just finish our massive 11-cup salads. For dinner, we always cook from scratch, which takes preperation and time, but it gets easier. Rice and beans, quinoa, lentils, millet, oatmeal, and amaranth are common staples for our cooked meals. We add lots of raw vegetables and herbs to our dinners as well, for instance, the rice and beans go great with chopped tomatoes and avocado, diced onions and garlic, and shredded turmeric and ginger. Eat raw herbs and cooked herbs together for maximum health benefits.
This is truly a lifestyle, not a diet, and it’s one we live every day. You may not need to go to this extreme to rid your body of disease, but I find that most who are dealing with chronic illness need to take it this far, at least for a few months.
The salads are the most important part of this protocol. More than supplements, more than anything save getting enough water, the salads are imperative. Eat lots of it. Make sure they are diverse with at least 15 different vegetables and herbs. If you could see what packing your gut with salad does to your ecosystem under a microscope, you’d understand why I’m so passionate about them. There is nothing more beneficially life-changing than developing a salad habit when the salads are big and diverse and homemade. They do more than any supplement or any other food to clean the intestinal walls of filth and develop a beneficial gut ecosystem.
The cranberry lemonade helps keep the kidneys and liver working optimally. These organs typically get sluggish quickly when lots of Candida are killed. If salads are #1, this cranberry lemonade is #2, and supplements are a distant #3.
For those with very serious gut issues, legumes and grains will be a no-no for the first few weeks at least, but when enough salad has been consumed, the gut should be able to reap many benefits from cooked foods like the dinner meals aforementioned.
Sweet fruit should be severely limited, and for the very ill, avoided until the gut is working better. Grapefruit, cranberry, avocado, lime, and lemon do not fall under this category.
Juicing with fruits is not much better than refined sugar, so don’t make the common mistake of thinking a fresh-juice fast is going to get you well.
Now that diet is covered, here’s the supplement part:
SF722 – 5 capsules three times a day, once on an empty stomach, the other two times with or without food. SF722 kills yeast, and if you have a slow lymphatic system you have Candida!
Abzorb – take two capsules with harder to digest meals, and also take two on an empty stomach twice a day, like early morning and late night. When taken on an empty stomach the Abzorb acts as a systemic enzyme and a probitoic. When taken with food it helps digest food. Both are great.
For anyone on a tight budget I recommend putting the money to food, and if affordable, add Abzorb and SF722. That’s enough with the right diet to eliminate fungal overgrowth in almost everyone. There are some who work or live in environments that constitute more environmental stressors on the body, and therefore need a lot more help. There are also many living in areas of the country where the healthy food selection at the local grocery store is sparse. I recommend more supplements and growing your own food in such a case. And I recommend growing your own food for a hundred other reasons as well.
If you’re someone who needs more supplementation or, like me, you just tend to prefer overkill, here’s a step-by-step protocol that includes all of the previously recommended supplements, and a bit more to address Candida die off and healthy defecation.
Each day has two supplement routines that are repeated. Each supplement routine has an objective.
Clean and Gut Populate with Good Guys:
If your lymphatic system is toxic so is your gut. In fact, that’s where the toxins are most likely coming from.
Also, take absorb with any food that is difficult to digest.
Protocol
6am – Clean and Populate With Good Guys
Start with Abzorb and a big glass of cranberry lemonade and the
9am – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys
Salad time! The MycoPhyto Complex company recommends to take on an empty stomach, but I like it with salads and smoothies too.
12pm – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys
Homemade Smoothie Time! If you’re extremely ill you may need to wait on the smoothies and just double up on the salads for the first week, but I’ve found that many people who were suffering from a plethora of ailments and having trouble recovering responded very well to pineapple smoothies. Pineapple smoothies (made with fresh pineapple), like the ones I have recipes for in the above link, pack a massive amount of enzymes and can help break down a lot of junk in the gut, while delivering large amounts of nutrition. But, smoothies have plenty of sugar, so it’s a good time to repeat the supplements from 9am.
Use pineapple, coconut water, water, cranberry juice, or if you can withstand some sugar try granny smith apple juice, but don’t use sweet fruit juices for smoothies.
3pm -Week 1 – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys
3pm -Week 2 – Populate With Good Guys
6pm – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys
Dinner time! Everything from scratch, nothing pre-made in any way, all whole food ingredients.
9pm – Populate With Good Guys
Finish of the night with probiotic support and leave them alone for the night to do their thing.
Three More Supplements to Consider – Die-0ff, Heavy metal Detox, & Bowel Movements
If Candida die-off is a concern be sure to drink plenty of cranberry lemonade and I also recommend adding Total Nutrition Formula and the Intestinal Detox. Here’s a recipe to make your own Total Nutrition. This way you’ll get bentonite clay, charcoal, chlorella, spirulina, and more, which are all great for mitigating the die-off effects of a Candida detox, and they also chelate heavy metals.
You can take the Total Nutrition Formula with the smoothie or sprinkle it on the salad (or choke it down with water), and take the Intestinal Detox anytime throughout the day as directed.
If you’re not defecating easily and at least twice daily, I also highly recommend the Intestinal Cleanse. It kills parasites and moves the bowels better than anything else on the market that I know of, by far. I recommend taking it with the antimicrobials.
Conclusion
To help clear out a sluggish lymphatic system, get more exercise, get a good massage, eat more produce and drink lots of cranberry lemonade. For chronic illness, a holistic approach that involves fitness, diet, and supplementation is in order.
Sometimes people seem to be doing everything else right, but their bodies won’t get healthy until they start moving. For a clogged lymphatic system, exercise may be critical to get things moving freely. For most other health issues, exercise is more of an option, one with benefits but not totally necessary. If you find your lymph system to be sluggish, you need exercise. Squats, yoga, and running help detoxify the body and get lymph flowing better. Running is particularly good for the lymphatic system. We were built to run, and don’t let any doctor tell you differently. Check out Running Without Knee Pain. Both sprinting and jogging have a host of positive benefits to lymph.
The following recommended products, if used as instructed with a proper diet, will clear the lymphatic system, strengthen the immune system, and help alleviate almost all other health issues, given enough time. The supplements are listed in order of most likely to be most important. While the time varies from person to person, most feel a huge sense of rejuvenation within 3 to 10 days on this protocol.
Chemotherapy is currently the most common treatment for cancer. While there are many well-researched and less-risky natural treatments available to cancer patients (The Gerson therapy, the Budwig protocol, and many others), the majority ends up choosing chemotherapy. Common reasons for this choice are fear, lack of funds, or lack of information about viable alternative treatments. (If you are newly diagnosed and still have time, I urge you to complete your research in order to make an informed decision).
Those who survive chemotherapy are sent home with little information. They are told the percentage of people who live for five years after remission. They are given a list of other chronic or even life-threatening illnesses they can expect to battle down the road. They are not given information on how to detoxify from the chemicals they were given or how to repair the damage caused by mainstream cancer treatment. They are not even given directions for lifestyle changes to address the original cause of their cancer.
Fortunately, there is a wealth of information out there from natural cancer research clinics and doctors of naturopathic and functional medicine. These practitioners look at the body as a whole. They can help you detox and bring your body to an optimal state of health to prevent a recurrence of cancer or the onset of other diseases.
Detox All of the Organs from the Effects of Chemo
Chemotherapy may easily be the most toxic treatment in modern conventional medicine. During the treatment, patients experience chemo brain (a special type of brain fog), extreme fatigue, nausea and vomiting, weakness, complete loss of appetite, hair loss, and mood swings. The side effects do not end with the end of treatment. The American Cancer Institute warns that long-term effects from the variety of drugs used include: memory issues, poor vision, poor thyroid function, weak bones, inflamed lung tissue, infertility, gum disease, heart disease at a younger age, emotional issues, and the development ofother cancers. In children, the lifelong problems may also include behavioral problems and lower IQs. Most of these (and in some cases all of these) side effects can be prevented by eliminating the toxins left behind by chemotherapy.
The main organs to detox, restore and repair are the gut, liver, adrenal glands, and thyroid, plus any organ directly affected by cancer.
Detoxifying and Repairing the Gut
Many doctors say that health starts and ends with the health of the digestive tract or gut. If the gut is not functioning correctly, the body does not get enough nutrients and it is unable to perform normal detoxification on a daily basis. In addition, the immune system is severely compromised. Most of the people who have any type of dysfunction in the body or any chronic condition suffer from poor gut health. Gut health is adversely affected by many medications; it is greatly affected by chemotherapy.
First of all, clean up the diet. Remove all the junk: sugars; gluten; refined flours; GMOs; non-organic meats and dairy; foods that contain preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial colors, MSG or trans fats; commercial oils (such as canola oil); alcohol; tobacco; and coffee.
Replace these foods with fresh, raw organic produce, more vegetables than fruits, and foods that help heal the whole digestive tract: fermented vegetables, organic kefirs, raw dairy, turmeric and ginger, coconut oil, and aloe vera.
A good colon cleanse is a must. Every case and every body is different, and if you have the time and resources, consulting a certified doctor of natural medicine is the best way to find the best option for you. However, you can make your own cleanse at home as well, with no known risks (if you are not allergic to the ingredients).
Josh Axe, a doctor of natural medicine, recommends the following simple cleanse (everything should be organic):
1/2 cup apple juice
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ginger juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup warm water
Mix all the ingredients together in warm water, and drink it in the morning on an empty stomach.
If the gut is not functioning properly, our bodies cannot absorb enough nutrition, even from the best quality foods, green juices, and supplements. Healing the gut must come first. Once it is functioning well, other problems can be fixed.
The liver is arguably the hardest hit by chemotherapy. Chemo drugs are so toxic, they may even cause sudden liver failure. To avoid further damage to the liver, the following should be avoided:
Alcohol
High-sodium junk foods
Sugar
Red meat (and limit all meat products)
Instead, pack your diet with garlic, green tea, dark green leafy vegetables, cabbage, cauliflower, turmeric (with black pepper), and avocados. All of these contain lever-cleansing and liver-building compounds.
As far as detoxing goes, milk thistle is the number one herb for cleansing the liver (as well as the kidneys and gallbladder). It is also recommended for people who have gone through radiation. This herb not only supports the liver with its active ingredient silymarin, it helps prevent cancer and other diseases by increasing glutathione levels. Milk thistle is a master antioxidant. It will help improve skin health, kidney health, brain function, and cholesterol levels. Dr. Axe recommends taking 150 mg 1 to 3 times daily when using it to treat liver dysfunction, 50 to 150 mg daily when using it as a preventative.
It is common for cancer survivors to experience lifelong adrenal fatigue, which comes in cycles of complete burnout, followed by “feeling better” and increased energy only to have a stronger burnout later on. That is symptomatic of adrenal glands that are exhausted and are working in complete overdrive.
The symptoms of adrenal fatigue are:
Always feeling tired and overwhelmed
Hormonal imbalance
Irritability
Racing and troubling thoughts
Body aches
Depression
Trouble focusing
Hair loss
Trouble getting up in the morning
The adrenal glands are responsible for our stress response. Besides the toxic chemo drugs, most cancer patients can burn out the adrenal glands from the overwhelming stress brought on by their diagnosis.
Do everything you can to decrease your stress levels. Get plenty of sleep, eat well, and exercise. Avoid getting stuck on negative thinking and find a way to deal with emotions in a healthy way (meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga are just a few options).
When it comes to a healthy diet for optimal adrenal health, follow the guidelines above and enjoy plenty of cruciferous vegetables, avocados, nuts and seeds, kelp, olives, coconut, and sea salt. Add adrenal-boosting herbs and vitamins to the diet, especially vitamins C, D, and B-complex; magnesium; zinc; fish oil; holy basil; and ashwagandha.
Most importantly, be patient. It can take up to 2 years for adrenals to fully recover.
Thyroid and adrenal glands are most often linked when it comes to health. If one is not functioning properly, the other is likely struggling as well. The thyroid is also easily damaged by stress and toxins, and adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) often go hand in hand.
When the thyroid is not functioning properly, you can develop hypothyroidism, when the thyroid is not producing enough hormones (often leading to fatigue and weight gain), or hyperthyroidism, when the thyroid is producing too much of the thyroid hormones (often leading to insomnia, weight loss, and muscle weakness).
Whether it is hypo or hyperthyroidism, thyroid-nourishing supplements can be used to help heal the thyroid and help regulate its function. B vitamins are the main vitamin for thyroid health. Selenium improves general thyroid function, and ashwagandha helps with stress.
Many foods from the above categories that need to be avoided and need to be added are the same for every organ. Fortunately, the lists are also similar for general cancer prevention, so you can adapt one diet that helps your whole body rebuilt itself while preventing cancer at the same time. The basic rule is to stop eating all processed foods. Your diet should consist of 80% raw, fresh, whole, organic produce. Foods that are beneficial for almost everyone (apart from people who have specific allergies or rare conditions) are:
Leafy dark green vegetables: kale, spinach, etc.
Cruciferous vegetables: cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc.
Other Lifestyle Changes: Physical and Emotional Health
When it comes to physical health, it is not the strength of the muscles that is the concern but preventing stagnation in the body tissues. Going to the gym and lifting weights every day does not do much for overall health. A healthy body needs good circulation, flexibility, and a type of physical exercises that addresses every part of it. Yoga has repeatedly been proven to be one of the best options. Yoga poses address the whole body and are gentle enough for anyone, regardless of age or health. There is even chair yoga for people with movement restrictions. Tai Chi and Qigong are other gentle exercises that address whole body health and proper breathing.
In addition to exercising, add the following to your regular routine:
Dry skin brushing (aids the lymphatic system)
Hot/cold hydrotherapy (aids the circulatory system)
Epsom salts baths (cleanses and detoxifies and the body absorbs magnesium)
While taking care of physical health, it is important to remember to address emotional health as well. If the mind focuses on fear of cancer or feeling traumatized by the cancer experience, stress will prevent healing and the body’s return to its optimal state. If you decide to seek professional help, be selective in your choice of a therapist. Look for someone who will help you let go of the trauma you have endured, not dwell on it. You are not your cancer. You are not a victim. Find a therapist who can help you feel empowered and help you let go to make cancer a thing of the past. Emotional Freedom Technique is one example of a therapeutic modality that may help.
Speaking of making it your past, Dr. Richard Schulze adds a curious protocol to his healing – get rid of 1/3 of what you own. While the number is not important, here is what is: people “collect” bad memories and tokens of the past as if they were valuable. For example, many people keep mementos such as old wigs used during hair loss, photos of the hospital, clothes worn on the day of the surgery, etc. Get rid of any item that reminds you of what you just went through. Both the body and the mind react each time you look at something that reminds you of a traumatic time.
Afterword
While chemotherapy is extremely toxic, there is no need to focus on fears of the lifelong health effects it may have. Instead, focus on healing. It is possible to bring the body back to health – or at the very least, significantly reduce the aftereffects. Find a doctor of natural medicine who is knowledgeable and has a positive outlook to help guide you, and listen to your body’s needs. Our bodies have an enormous capacity to heal. Let the mainstream doctors call it “spontaneous recovery” or “a miracle.” A body is a miraculous creation, but staying healthy is not. Follow the healthy diet, detox from toxins, and keep your mind positive. You will be surprised what positive effects this will have on your heath and your life.
Aluminum – The Silent, Pervasive, and Insidious Toxin Eroding Our Health
Aluminum is the Earth’s third most common element and our most common metal. It is lightweight, durable, and easily combines with other metals. Due to these characteristics, aluminum is used in a huge variety of products. It is essential to the aerospace industry and it’s used in other transportation applications, in construction, for electrical wiring, and a host of other manufactured products including pigments and paints, fuel, light bulbs, and most every conceivable type of metal product.
Unfortunately, its uses do not stop there.
Aluminum in Food and Over-the-Counter Medications
Aluminum is added to many processed foods as fillers, emulsifiers, and anti-caking agents. It is found in baking powder and preservatives. It is even added to soy-based baby formulas. Aluminum is also used in sugar refining, in the brewing process, and as an aid to water purification in water treatment plants. It is also found in antacids and other pharmaceuticals.
Antacids, buffered aspirins, anti-ulcerative, and anti-diarrheal medications contain enormous amounts of aluminum compared to foods. Antacids have been linked to bone density problems because aluminum interferes with calcium absorption.
Aluminum in Cookware and Food Containers
We also ingest aluminum that leaches into food and drink from aluminum cans and aluminum cookware. Just boil water in an aluminum pan and pour the water into a glass jar to see how gray it has become, or lay aluminum foil against spaghetti sauce and watch it dissolve into the food.
Aluminum in Body Care Products
Our skin, the largest organ of the body, absorbs whatever we put on it. Aluminum is an ingredient in many personal body products including antiperspirants.
Aluminum in Vaccines
Not only do we absorb aluminum and ingest it, we also inject it. Aluminum is commonly used as an adjuvant in vaccines as a means to increase the immune system’s reaction to the pathogen.
Aluminum Is Toxic
There are too many sources of aluminum toxicity to list, from cosmetics to plane exhaust particulates that fall from the sky. However it enters the body, aluminum is highly toxic. While most of it is expelled, the aluminum retained is absorbed and accumulates in the bones, the brain, and other organs and tissues. Individuals with renal disease and premature infants have more difficulty expelling it.
The following quote is from Aluminum-Induced Entropy in Biological Systems: Implications for Neurological Disease. (Al is the abbreviation for aluminum.)
Al disrupts biological self-ordering, energy transduction, and signaling systems, thus increasing biosemiotic entropy. Beginning with the biophysics of water, disruption progresses through the macromolecules that are crucial to living processes (DNAs, RNAs, proteoglycans, and proteins). It injures cells, circuits, and subsystems and can cause catastrophic failures ending in death. Al forms toxic complexes with other elements, such as fluorine, and interacts negatively with mercury, lead, and glyphosate. Al negatively impacts the central nervous system in all species that have been studied, including humans.”
For more than 30 years we have known that aluminum is found in the brain tissues of deceased Alzheimer’s patients. Like every other scientific discovery that impacts big business in this country, this finding was refuted by additional studies and supported by others that defended the original conclusion that aluminum is a causal factor for Alzheimer’s. But Alzheimer’s is just one of the possible outcomes. Aluminum causes a cascade effect where the immune system and the central nervous system interact and spiral out of control. Results can include a number of autoimmune diseases (such as multiple sclerosis) or neurological diseases (such as Parkinson’s disease or encephalopathy associated with autism).
The step-by-step process of destruction from the article, Aluminum’s Role in CNS-immune System Interactions leading to Neurological Disorder, outlines the inflammation cascade due to aluminum exposure.
Aluminum disrupts water-based cellular homeostasis and causes a crisis for the exposed cell.
The cell sends out “death alarm” messages, which draw in macrophages and other immune cells, initiating an inflammatory cascade.
The highly stressed cell dies via necrosis rather than a “programmed cell death,” and releases its DNA into the interstitial tissues.
This extracellular DNA is picked up as an antigenic signal by immune cells and leads directly to autoimmune disease.
In parallel, sulfate synthesis and sulfate transport are disrupted due in part to Al contamination of the pineal gland and other sensitive nuclei in the midbrain.
The entire biological system switches from a sulfate-based to a phosphate-based management strategy for maintaining water interfaces, leading to hyperparathyroidism.
We are poisoning ourselves and our children. At the very least, common sense dictates removing aluminum from vaccines, food, and our water supply. What can we do? Obviously, limit ingesting and breathing aluminum, but that’s not enough. We’ve gone way too far down our modern industrial path to entirely avoid such toxins. The good news is, the body can handle a remarkable toxic load when the diet is right. Raw, fresh, organic produce helps pull toxins, including heavy metals, from the body. Amino acids in protein and pectin found in the rinds of many fruits and vegetables are both found to chelate, but some foods are known for chelating heavy metals:
Epsom salt is not actually salt; it is a mineral compound, magnesium sulfate. It looks like large salt crystals, dissolves easily in water, and has many uses for health, beauty, and the garden.
There are different grades of Epsom salt, one for agricultural and one for personal use. For personal use, look for USP or the “drug facts” list on the label.
Why Take an Epsom Salt Bath?
Epsom salt baths are relaxing and therapeutic. They are a long known treatment for skin issues like eczema and acne, muscle soreness (well known within the bodybuilding community!), inflammation, bruising, swelling, and strained or torn muscles and ligaments. Epsom salt baths are also a wonderful aid for detoxing and an easy means to up your intake of both magnesium and sulfate.
Why We Need Magnesium
Magnesium is crucial to our health. It is a key mineral for metabolic processes that play a role in more than 300 chemical reactions in the body. It helps the body regulate enzymes and aids in electrical impulses, toxin elimination, muscle control, and more. The University of Maryland Medical Center site states, “Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys, needs magnesium. This mineral also contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones. Magnesium activates enzymes, contributes to energy production, and helps regulate levels of calcium, copper, zinc, potassium, vitamin D, and other important nutrients in the body.”
It is believed that most of us do not get as much magnesium as we need from our diet due to depleted soil and municipal water, which is stripped of minerals during the purification process.
How to Properly Take an Epsom Salt Bath or Soak
You will commonly see directions suggesting 2 cups to a normal size bath, more for an oversized bath, with a 12-15 minute soak. David Jockers DC, MS, CSCS, suggests a much more individualized measurement and a much longer soak. He recommends the amount be determined by the individual’s weight. The following is for a standard size bathtub:
Children under 60 lbs: ½ cup
Individuals between 60-100 lbs: 1 cup
Individuals between 100-150 lbs: 1½ cups
Individuals between 150-200 lbs: 2 cups
For every 50lbs more – add an additional ½ cup of salts.
As for soaking time, he says the first 20 minutes pulls out toxins while the second 20 minutes allows the body to soak up the magnesium and sulfate.
He also cites the following contraindications: pregnancy, open wounds or burns, or cardiovascular disease (without your healthcare practitioners knowledge).
For muscle soreness an Epsom salt bath is one of the best things you can do, but if your goal is detoxification, first do a dry brush rub to remove dead skin and open up your pores. This takes about five minutes. Take your time. When you finish soaking, consider hot and cold hydrotherapy.
Combine Epsom Salt With Other Ingredients
You can add additional ingredients to your Epsom salt bath such as essential oils, baking soda, olive oil, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and more.
Essential oils are a natural compliment. The usual suggestion is 3-10 drops. Remember essential oils are medicinal. For recipes google “essential oils plus Epsom salts.” You will generate more than 400,000 hits.
Dr. Jockers suggests adding from 1 teaspoon to ½ cup of ginger or cayenne to “increase heat levels, which help you to sweat out toxins.” These herbs not only enhance the detoxification process, they are full of antioxidants as well.
Use Epsom Salt to Make a Compress or a Foot Bath
You can make a compress to relieve muscle pain. Start by dissolving Epsom salt in cold water with a ratio of 2 tablespoons for each cup of water. Use a cotton washcloth to soak up the solution and apply to affected area.
To create a footbath, use one cup of Epsom salt to a basin of warm water. Soak your feet to alleviate tired aching feet, sprains, and fungal infections of the feet or toenails. Footbaths also allow the body to soak up magnesium and release toxins (though perhaps not as much as a full body soak).
Use Epsom Salt as a Laxative
Epsom salt can be used as a laxative, though care must be taken. It is possible to overdose on magnesium that is ingested and there are several contraindications for this use. Check out this article on Drugs.com for more information and pertinent warnings.
Use Epsom Salt in the Garden
Epsom salt is used as a fertilizer and an insect deterrent in the garden and for houseplants. Roses, peppers, and tomatoes, in particular, tend to benefit from its use. A trail of Epsom salt sprinkled around an area deters slugs and raccoons.
Additional Uses of Epsom Salt
There are many ways to use Epsom salt. Here are a few:
Remove a stubborn splinter. (Soak area for a few minutes prior to removal to decrease inflammation and swelling and to soften the splinter.)
Clean out washing machine. (Pour 1 cup into machine and run through normal cycle.)
Clean bathroom grout. (Use equal amounts of Epsom salt and dishwashing detergent.)
It sounds like the latest Star Wars movie or a villain from Marvel Comics, but this “phantom menace” is not fiction. It’s a deadly superbug with a twist. Classified as a Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, this class of bacteria is not only antibiotic resistant to last-resort antibiotics, it has the ability to pass on its antibiotic resistance to other bacteria in the body. Like other superbugs, the phantom menace is associated with healthcare centers (like hospitals, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities) and results in a high mortality rate of 50% or more.
From 2010 through 2015, the CDC has confirmed 43 phantom menace cases in the U.S. from 19 states. The CDC reports that the majority of patients were exposed and infected outside of the United States. While 43 is a very small number, the CDC is concerned because they believe this is just the tip of the iceberg. These types of superbugs are believed to be on the rise and under diagnosed.
The phantom menace bacteria pass on antibiotic resistance through a plasmid, a small DNA molecule with the ability to replicate independently. It includes an enzyme that breaks down antibiotics. It is this plasmid that can transfer antibiotic resistance to other bacteria in our bodies. Basically, the non-superbug bacteria become infected with a resistant gene from the superbug bacteria and then continue spreading the resistant gene creating new strains of superbugs.
The worst-case scenario is not far fetched. The Washing Post quotes Lance Price, director of the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center at George Washington University’s Milken Institute of Public Health, as saying, “History shows that these mobile resistance genes can spread around the world quickly, silently riding in people, animals and food.”
The superbug gene, MCR-1, is becoming more common in China and has recently shown up in Demark, fueling the concern that it will spread worldwide. Researchers in China tested marketplace meats and slaughterhouse pigs looking for the gene. It was found in 20% of the pigs and 15% of the meat.
Once again this very real threat is man-made. Researchers have concluded that drugs given the pigs in China provided the breeding grounds for the bacteria. If we continue the inhumane and dangerous practice of factory farming, feeding animals both prophylactic and indicated antibiotics, we will continue to breed new threats to worldwide health.
If we as individuals continue to use antibiotics when they are not needed along with antibiotic soaps, hand wipes, and cleaning solutions, we are part of the problem. We are aiding bacteria in their natural progression toward antibiotic resistance.
