Does anyone know if cottage cheese enhances the good effects of flax seed oil? I've read this and have started taking the two together, but don't really know if it's true.
In Reply to: cottage cheese with flax seed oil? posted by Nancy on August 02, 1998 at 15:47:37:
I too have a question about Flax seed oil, just thought I'd get it in while it was on your mind. I bought some of this in liquid form (actually it is called Omega Twin - contains both omega 3's and 6's). I tried a tablespoon of this and I could not hold it down. Does anyone know the secret?? What should I take this with? Please help.
In Reply to: cottage cheese with flax seed oil? posted by Nancy on August 02, 1998 at 15:47:37:
Dear Nancy,
I have no idea. Do you know anything of the rationale` behind such a possibility?
Walt
In Reply to: Re: cottage cheese with flax seed oil? posted by Renee on August 03, 1998 at 00:24:27:
Hi Renee,
Don't know if this will help...
I recently started taking a product called The Essential Woman. It's a mix of organic flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, flaxseed particulate, isoflavones, saponins and protease inhibitors isolated from soy. When I took my first teaspoon, I gagged. Couldn't keep it down. Now I just drizzle it over salad or steamed veggies and it's great.
Good luck.
Pam
In Reply to: Re: cottage cheese with flax seed oil? posted by Walt Stoll on August 03, 1998 at 15:52:01:
Walt
I got this paper in the mail, called The Healthy Cell News from Nature's Distributers. There was a big article in it about Dr. Johanna Budwig, "famous for flaxseed oil findings". She has written "Cancer--A Fat Problem", "The Death of a Tumor", and "True Health Against Arteriosclerosis, Heart Infarction & Cancer". She believes that the flaxseed oil needs the sulphurated proteins from the cottage cheese because the fats (lipids) greedily absorb proteins and oxygen and pump them through the system. " Lipids are only water-soluble and free-flowing when bound to protein: theus the importance of protein-rich cottage cheese."
I'm just paraphrasing what I read, and quoting the last sentence because I don't really understand it. Does that make any sense to you? Have you ever heard of Johanna and her books?
I was also told by my Reiki master that cottage cheese would detoxify my liver. True or false?
Thanks
Nancy
In Reply to: Re: cottage cheese with flax seed oil? posted by Pam on August 03, 1998 at 19:34:02:
In Reply to: Re: cottage cheese with flax seed oil? posted by Renee on August 03, 1998 at 00:24:27:
Dear Renee`
I don't like the liquid either. It sounds like Pam's suggestion is worth a try for both of us. I get my stuff in capsules since it is less likely to become rancid that way. Of course, all oils should be kept in the refrigerator once opened.
Let us know what happens.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: cottage cheese with flax seed oil? posted by Nancy on August 03, 1998 at 22:34:48:
Thanks, Nancy.
It is possible that cottage cheese, as it existed 200 years ago, might have had something to do with liver health. I am not sure that, even then, it would have been as helpful as many things we know of now. For example, alpha-lipoic acid would do many times as much good with no risk.
I am not aware of Johanna's work but what you mentioned here sounds like she is on the right track.
Walt
I was just wondering if anyone knew whether regular yogurt was that good for us as opposed to, say, soy yogurt. Almost every alternative practitioner I visit tells me to stay away from dairy, and yet I read so much touting the health benefits of yogurt. Also, when I was young, I supposedly was allergic to milk, although I consumed milk products freely anyway, and also suffered from a lot of headaches. I was told recently from an allergist that I am not allergic to milk, (according to a skin test, which he swares is more accurate than blood testing) but I still avoid milk products totally, and while my headaches have subsided, now I have a problem with constipation. I noticed that the couple of times I did have a large portion of a dairy product, I had excellent bowel movements within a few hours. Can dairy really help you move your bowels, or is this maybe just an allergy to milk making me go. I was never lactose intollerant, and I never had any problems with my bowel movements when I did eat a lot of dairy.
Also,if you're allergic to milk, does that count yogurt too? And does soy yogurt give you all the benefits that regular yogurt does?
Thanks for the help. Any info would be appreciated.
Tony
In Reply to: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt... posted by Tony on August 04, 1998 at 11:21:51:
Tony, I too am allergic to dairy products. However, I eat lots of yogurt with no problem. I think it is because of the friendly bacteria have already partially digested the milk, but I'm not really sure. There is a difference between lactose intolerance and milk allergy, so taking something like lactaid will not help with a milk allergy. I'm also curious about this topic. Walt?
In Reply to: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt... posted by Tony on August 04, 1998 at 11:21:51:
Dear Tony,
You have a particularly ignorant allergist. I would suggest you learn enough to recognize ignorance when you hear it.
It has been known, for more than 40 years, that double blind studies show only a 5% benefit from the twice a week allergy shots based on skin testing [after 2 years of treatment]. That is because only 5% of environmental hypersensitivities are serum sensitivities--the only things skin testing works for. The other 95% are due to tissue sensitivities which skin testing cannot find. His statement just means he has not learned anything new in the past 40 years.
If you are going to pursue the hypersensitivity angle of this, you need a good Clinical Ecologist.
It is the protein in milk (caseine) that causes all the allergic reactions SO, any dairy product that still has its protein triggers the "allergy" to dairy.
In the end, getting rid of your leaky gut syndrome, without which you could not have milk allergy, is the only permanent solution to your problem.
So far as I know, the only reason yogurt is considered healthy is because at least the "live" yogurt has live acidophilus organisms in it & they are depleted in the colon of most people in this culture.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt... posted by Aimee on August 04, 1998 at 14:22:35:
Dear Aimee,
Who told you you were "allergic" to dairy? Is this just a "diagnosis" from years ago???
If yu are allergis to dairy, you would be allergic to yogurt. HOWEVER, the lactose in yogurt has been eaten by the bacteria & so nearly all (or all) of the lactose has been removed from yogurt (that is why it is kind of sour).
Years ago, most physicians did not know about the lactose intolerance and called any symptoms due to ingestion of dairy "allergy" when it was not allergy at all but lactose intolerance.
Tell us more about your experience with this diagnosis and perhaps we can sort it out.
Thanks, Walt
In Reply to: Re: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt... posted by Walt Stoll on August 05, 1998 at 13:04:08:
Dr. Stoll,
So are you saying that yogurt is actually beneficial, or are you better off just taking probiotic supplements, even in the absence of a milk allergy? I was told I was allergic to milk when I was 6 years old, but I ate a lot of dairy all of my life without any noticable problems, other than headaches, which I'm not even sure can be attributed to the dairy. Should I stick to soy yogurt to be safe, or just not eat it at all.
Also, are you also saying that blood testing for allergies is reliable, and something that you would recommend, or is it just a waste of time? I realize I have to heal my LGS first and foremost, but wouldn't it help to identify and eliminate food allergies along the way?
Thanks again,
Tony
In Reply to: Re: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt... posted by Walt Stoll on August 05, 1998 at 13:04:08:
Walt,
I have never been tested for milk allergy, but recently I stopped most dairy products when I began the ER4YT diet. I noticed a significant reduction in mucous and sinus congestion, which I thought was great. Well, there are some dairy foods allowed on the blood type diet...yogurt, feta, mozzarella, ricotta. What I found though was that once dairy wasn't part of my daily life, if I ingested one of these approved sources, my throat swelled up and itched. I'm assuming that's as good as a diagnosis. Am I wrong? Could this reaction be something else?
Thanks,
Pam
In Reply to: Re: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt...Dr. Stoll posted by Tony on August 05, 1998 at 16:19:01:
Dear Tony,
Ask this question of Robert McFerran on this BB.
The elimination/provocation testing is BY FAR the most accurate AND the least expensive. The blood tests are just now being developed & are not very accurate yet. However, the skin tests have been around long enough that we KNOW they are only 5% effective in making diagnoses & developing effective ways to deal with them.
The blood tests are several times that accurate already mainly because nearly all sensitivities are tissue sensitivities.
To significaltly alter intestinal bacterial populations, one needs at least 6 Billion organisms a dose about 4 times a day. Even live yogurt has only about 10,000 organisms per serving. You would have to eat a lot of yogurt to have any discernable effect AND do it 4 times a day.
I would bet you that you were never allergic to dairy. Your doc just misdiagnosed a lactose insufficiency if anything.
Your headaches are likely due to the same mechanisms as most commonly cause LGS and, as you already suspect, have nothing to do with your dairy intake.
My guess.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt... posted by Pam on August 05, 1998 at 22:00:25:
Dear Pam,
It IS as good as a diagnosis.
What most people do not understand is that an immunological problem like allergy is triggered by the smallest trace of the offending substance.
The less you eat of something you are reacting to, the more each trace will effect you (your present expereince).
Not only will you notice more symptoms with each exposure, that exposure acts like a tetanus booster: it GREATLY increases your continuing sensitivity to the substance.
When eliminating allergens like this, most of the benefit comes when the last trace has been eliminated for about a week.
THEN, test yourself and you will get your answer is spades!
Walt
In Reply to: Re: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt...Dr. Stoll posted by Walt Stoll on August 06, 1998 at 10:51:21:
Dr. Stoll,
Thanks again. By the way, did you ever learn anything about 'crook digestion'? I found the guy who mentioned it - he was a Naturopath on the ER4YT board - but now that board is gone! I'm really curious about it, because I do have a problem with food combining. And I know it all stems from stress and leaky gut, but it would be nice to get some relief along the way!
Tony
In Reply to: Re: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt... posted by Walt Stoll on August 05, 1998 at 13:04:08:
Walt, I had food allergy tests done by a naturopathic doctor. (Blood tests, IgE and IgG4)They were sent to National BioTechnology Laboratories,Inc. in Seattle,WA.
(Is this a good one?) Yes, they did indicate an allergy to yogurt, also, but eating yogurt does not cause the reactions that other dairy causes for me. (mainly eczema) The reason I have continued to eat it is because of my candida condition and for calcium. I asked my naturopathic doctor if taking lactase enzyme would help, but she said no because I was not lactose intolerant, I was allergic to dairy. What do you think? Aimee
In Reply to: Re: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt...Dr. Stoll posted by Tony A on August 06, 1998 at 11:50:40:
Hi, Tony.
Yes I did and think it might well help some people.
I did not learn a lot about it, just enough to convince myself that it had validity.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: To Yogurt or not to Yogurt... posted by Aimee on August 06, 1998 at 12:23:20:
Dear Aimee,
I am confused. You say that you are allergic to dairy but yet you have ingested it all your life without it "bothering" you. If you are allergic to it, you would have to have some symptoms. What chronic conditions DO you have that so far have been unexplained?
The only reason I have said that you likely NOT allergic to dairy is that you, yourself, have said that it doesn't bother you.
Perhaps you would be willing to share with the BB the information described in my Health Coaching Service. Done publically, it would be free and others could learn from our exchange. SOMETHING is missing here.
Walt
I have read about how good for you alfafa sprouts and peanuts are, especially in the type A diet from ER4YT. But lately, I have seen many articles about a carcinogen in peanuts, aflatoxin, and about alfalfa sprouts containing a component that is toxic to the human body, and can cause immune system problems. Does anyone know anything about this? Maybe there are other ways to prepare these products, peanut butter or steaming the sprouts, that makes them safe; or should these two foods be avoided all together?
Thanks.
In Reply to: Peanuts and Alfalfa? posted by Bill H on August 04, 1998 at 11:27:40:
People have discussed this before. If you eat fresh peanuts
from the united states you should not have a problem. Afaltoxin I think grows in old, moldly conditions.
I eat plenty of them.
(I think if you scan the ER4YT archives this topic was
discussed more than once)
I have not heard about sprouts but suggest it may be the
same type of concern (not). i.e. if you eat fresh quality
food you should not have to worry.
(And of course if you follow Dr. Stoll your immune system
will be too powerful for any little organic toxin to handle :-)
Regards. Pete Reinhard
In Reply to: quality peanuts should be ok posted by Pete R on August 04, 1998 at 13:08:29:
Hi, Pete!
I agree with what you are saying here.
What do you know about the (man made) genetic alterations in current ly grown peanuts? Research I have seen says that much of the rapidly increasing allergic incidence in children can now be traced directly to the altered proteins in this genetically altered product.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: quality peanuts should be ok posted by Walt Stoll on August 05, 1998 at 12:39:13:
Thanks for the heads up on "genetic alterations in currently grown peanuts". I didn't know they did that so sorry, I can't answer your question. I get most of my food from a whole foods chain here in Boston which has organic everything. They would not allow altered peanuts to be labeled organic. I'll keep a look-out now.
That brings another point. Everyone should try to get their
kids (and themselves) to eat the organic peanut butter
because Skippy, et al of that variety have hydrogenated oils which we all know are very stressful on the immune system (those pesky free radicals). And kids consume most of the worlds peanut butter:-)
Regards. Pete Reinhard
Dr. Stoll,
Even after practicing relaxation techniques and changing over to a balanced, whole foods diet, I have still been having a problem with mild constipation. I eat whole grains and vegetables at every meal, so I thought I was getting enough fiber. For the last three days, though, I added some powdered fiber (Psyllium Husks)to my morning and evening meals, and that has seemed to work wonders.
My question is, how much fiber is a good amount, and how should it be taken? I just read today that fiber should be taken with a lot of water, and should not be taken with other supplements because it could interfere with absorption. Since I take supplements at all three of my main meals, when is a good time to take the fiber? Before I eat, or after, or some time in between?
Thanks for the help.
Bill
In Reply to: Fiber? - Dr. Stoll posted by Bill H on August 07, 1998 at 13:08:40:
Dear Bill,
Congratulations on figuring this one out. There is really no way you can hurt yourself with fiber. Just adjust the dose to how much reliably produces the number of stools you want a day (that are soft & easy to move). Eventually, your current lifestyle will get to the place where you probably will need none of it.
I would not worry about losing nutrients with proximity to psyllium seed fiber. I take it twice a day right along with my supplements.
Walt
My friend Myles has pointed out that the store bought spouted breads (Ezekiel, Essene, Manna) are cooked at temperatures over 200 degrees Farenheit. This kills all of the beneficial enzymes. Therefore , are there any benefits to be derived from eating this type of bread, or is this stuff just as harmful as regular whole wheat bread (to which I am quite sensitive)?
-Thomas Seay
In Reply to: Essene, Ezekiel, Manna Breads Benefits (Or Lack Thereof) posted by Thomas Seay on August 08, 1998 at 15:42:11:
Hi, Thomas,
Commercial bread is "baked" at about 325-350 degrees. According to Jesus writings (Essene gospel), up to the hottest a rock can get in the noonday sun (I assume in Palestine) is OK. My guess is that the 200 degrees is not far from that.
Someday, modern labs will test exactly how much heat beneficial enzymes & micronutrients can stand. First, they need to be aware of the helpful enzymes existence (sigh)! Till then, this kind of bread is the best I know of.
By the way, wheat allergies would be the same for ALL.
Is this addressing your question? It is the best I know so far.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Essene, Ezekiel, Manna Breads Benefits (Or Lack Thereof) posted by Walt Stoll on August 09, 1998 at 09:03:33:
What do you mean by "Wheat allergies would be the same for all" ? I do not know if I have a bona fide wheat allergy, but I do sense that I am sensitive to wheat. Are you trying to say that sprouted wheat is just as bad for a person with wheat allergy as any other wheat bread?
Thanks,
Thomas
In Reply to: Re: Essene, Ezekiel, Manna Breads Benefits (Or Lack Thereof) posted by Thomas Seay on August 09, 1998 at 12:35:34:
Dear Thomas,
Yes, I am saying exactly that.
The carbohydrate content of the wheat is altered profoundly as it is metabolized for the energy to grow the new little plant---until the blade of wheat can create enough photosynthesis to create energy on its own. However, the protein of the wheat is the machinery of life. Those sensitive to a wheat grain would also be sensitive to eating the blade of wheat as it grows.
If you will remember that it is the protein of ANYTHING that is the basis for any sensitivity (antibodies) to that substance, it will be easier for you to keep track of this entire concept.
With most grains, there are close relatives that have close enough proteins that they have "cross-sensitivities". Any good clinical ecology book would have a section about which of these you would have to know about.
Hope this helps.
Walt
I take it for granted. Turn on the faucet, and there it is, ready
to cook with, clean with, and properly filtered/processed,
to drink. Didn't do the beach thing cause here in NY needles and
other crap washed ashore. When I saw it on the tube I thought
I was gonna hurl. I'd like to find the hospital(s) and/or clinics who think our precious oceans are their private toilet.
Anyway, came across this site on water. You can probably zip
right through the quiz, but you probably won't want to.
Greg
Link: Water, Water
In Reply to: Water, Water, Everywhere...or is there? posted by Greg on August 09, 1998 at 18:02:31:
What can I say? I'm on a roll.
The information is pretty interesting, and while many of you
know about this topic and the resulting discussion, for many
of you this will be your first exposure to something that you
take for granted, and don't think twice about.
Of course, I have no interest in the company.
In Reply to: Re: Wanted: Water, Alive (ain't no use to use dead) posted by Greg on August 09, 1998 at 18:20:00:
Thanks, again, Greg!
There is no question but that there is a lot more to water than being wet!
Walt
In Reply to: Water, Water, Everywhere...or is there? posted by Greg on August 09, 1998 at 18:02:31:
WOW! Greg!
150 Gallons of water to make the sunday paper?????
If one could get everyone to even think about these statistics, we might survive as a species.
When the Y2K problem rolls around, THIS is one more fact that is going to come right up & bite us on the b--t.
Namaste` Walt
I know this is a little disgusting and unusual. I had purchased a candy bar that, after having a piece of it in my mouth, I noticed that there was a maggot crawling out of a part close to where I had just eaten. (That'll teach me to eat fruit instead next time :) Anyway, while I don't believe that the piece I ate actually had a maggot on/in it (and I spit out what I was eating as soon as I realized what happened), would it actually be dangerous if I HAD eaten one? I'm not sure if my digestive system would simply kill it and that would be the end of it or if this is a health risk and I should see a doctor for it and/or be on the lookout for certain symptoms. I appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks.
In Reply to: Maggots posted by Susan on August 10, 1998 at 15:04:43:
I figured I'd comment on this one since it will take Dr. Stoll a day or two to get to it and I'd think you would want an answer ASAP.
I doubt that the larvae was actually a "maggot" (fly larvae) for the simple reason that I have never heard of flys using that type of substance as a breeding ground. It was probably some type of beetle larvae.
On to the important part. Can it hurt you? I wouldn't think so. Most larvae are actually very nutritious. Funny that the bug, if you did eat it, would be better for you than the candy bar.
I would imagine that there are larvae that are NOT good for you but unless you start to "feel something" you probably don't need to worry. Being throughly grossed out does not constitute "feeling something". ;-) If you are really worried then I would suggest that you keep the other bug for reference in case you decide to go to the doctor.
Incidentally, I once crunched into a "stink bug" (a hard shelled bug about the size of whole fingernail) while eating some spinach. I was about 10 years old so I started jumping around like I had been snapped with a wet towel. No point to the story, just was reminded of it.
Anyhow, you now have a good story to swap when it comes time for that sort of thing.
BTW, eating fruit can lead to some intersting worm stories he he he. Your right though, fruit is MUCH better.
In Reply to: Maggots posted by Susan on August 10, 1998 at 15:04:43:
Dear Susan,
I am sorry I did not get to you before Doc Dave did. I would have enjoyed telling you the same thing only not, perhaps, so well.
Candy is not nearly nutritious enough for a "maggot" to live in. That is one reason candy will keep so long without "spoiling": there is no self-respecting germ, fungus or pest that will eat it. Iam certain that Doc Dave is EXACTLY right.
The nuts in this kind of bar are the only things that can sustain even a grub. I will bet that it did have nuts in it.
Walt
The following is posted with Dr. Stoll's permission.
In a major publisher will release the book Eating for Perfection (working title), by David Michael Knight CHT and Steven Bratman MD. In this book David and Steven will illustrate Orthorexia Nervosa, an eating disorder which until now has not been described.
The purpose of this letter is to ask for your assistance. We
have accumulated many stories from our own practices but we would
like to include more. Attached you will find a copy of Steven's
article which prompted the original interest in writing a book. If
you feel you have a story to offer us please email it to us. You
must
include your name, address, and phone number. Please rest
assured that it will be kept in the strictest confidence and not
used in our book unless a release is signed by you.
Thank you,
David Knight CHT Email dmknight@uswest.net
Steven Bratman MD
Orthorexia Nervosa -- The Health Food Eating Disorder
Because I am a physician who practices alternative medicine, patients who come to me often begin the conversation by asking whether they can be cured through diet. "Regular medical doctors don't know anything about nutrition," they say, believing this will build rapport with me. I feel obligated to nod wisely. I agree that conventional medicine has traditionally paid too little attention to the effects of diet. However, I am no longer the true believer in nutritional medicine I used to be. My attitude has grown cautious where once it was enthusiastic and even evangelical.
I have lost two beliefs that once encouraged me, and that are still widely accepted by others who promote dietary methods of healing. One of these is an assumption that there exists a comprehensive and consistent theory of healing diseases through nutrition. The other is a faith that dietary therapy is a uniformly wholesome, side effect free intervention.
My attitude has not always been so lukewarm. Twenty years ago I was a wholehearted, impassioned advocate of healing through food. My optimism was unbounded as I set forth to cure myself and everyone else. This was long before I became an alternative physician. In those days, I was a cook and organic farmer at a large commune in upstate New York. My experiences there formed the foundation of my early interest in alternative medicine, and continue to give me insight into the ideals, dreams and contradictions that underlie the natural health movement.
All communes attract idealists. Ours attracted food idealists. As a staff cook I was required to prepare several separate meals at once to satisfy the insistent and conflicting demands of the members. The main entree was always vegetarian. However, a small but vocal group insisted on an optional serving of meat. Since many vegetarians would not eat from pots and pans contaminated by fleshly vibrations, this meat had to be cooked in a separate kitchen. The cooks also had to satisfy the Lacto-ovo-vegetarians, or Vegans, who eschewed all milk and egg products. The rights of the non-garlic non-onion Hindu-influenced crowd could not be neglected either. They believed onion-family foods provoked sexual desire.
For the raw foodists (and young children) we always laid out trays of sliced raw vegetables. However, a visitor once tried to convince me that chopping a vegetable would destroy its etheric field. I chased him out of the kitchen with a huge Chinese cleaver.
The macrobiotic adherents clamored for cooked vegetables, free, of course, from "deadly nightshade" plants such as tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers and eggplants. Some also insisted on eating fruits and vegetables only when they were in season, while other communalists intemperately demanded oranges in January.
Besides these opinions on which food to serve, there were as many opinions on the manner in which it should be prepared. Most everyone agreed that nothing could be boiled in aluminum, except the gourmet cooks, who insisted that only aluminum would spread the heat satisfactorily.
By consensus, we always steamed vegetables in the minimum amount of water to avoid throwing away precious vitamins. Certain enthusiasts would even hover around the kitchen and volunteer to drink the darkish liquids left behind. About washing vegetables, however, controversy swirled. Some commune members firmly believed that vital substances clinging just under the skins must be preserved at all costs. Others felt that a host of evil pollutants adhered to the same surfaces that needed to be vigorously scrubbed away. One visitor explained that the best policy was to dip all vegetables in bleach, and gave such a convincing argument for her belief that we would have adopted the principle at once were it not for a fortuitous bleach shortage.
I used to fantasize writing a universal cookbook for eating theorists. Each food would come complete with a citation from one system or authority claiming it the most divine edible ever created, and another, from an opposing view, damning it as the worst pestilence one human being ever fed to another.
This would not be difficult. For example, a famous naturopathic concept proclaims that raw fruits and vegetables are the ideal foods. Some proponents of this school exclaim periodically "the greatest enemy of man is the cooking stove!" However, another popular theory bans raw foods as unhealthy, and attributes to their consumption such illnesses such as MS, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. I am referring to macrobiotics. This influential system of alternative dietary principles insists that all vegetables should be cooked; fruits should not be eaten at all.
Similar discrepancies abound in alternative dietary medicine. The following rules may be found in one or another food theory: Spicy food is bad. Cayenne peppers are health promoting. Fasting on oranges is healthy. Citrus fruits are too acidic. Fruits are the ideal food. Fruit causes candida. Milk is good only for young cows. Pasteurized milk is even worse. Boiled milk "is the food of the gods." Fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, are essentially rotten. Fermented foods aid digestion. Sweets are bad. Honey is nature's most perfect food. Vinegar is a poison. Apple cider vinegar cures most illnesses. Proteins should not be combined with starches. Aduki beans and brown rice should always be cooked together.
The discovery that nutritional medicine was so chaotic troubled me. Yet I could always hope that a universal theory of nutrition might eventually be found. What disturbed me more observing the extremism that so frequently develops among those who propound dietary cures.
I remember a macrobiotic seminar at the commune, led by Mr. L. of the Kushi institute. An audience of at least thirty-five listened with rapt attention as Mr. L. lectured on the evils of milk. It slows the digestion, he explained, clogs the metabolism, plugs the arteries, dampens the digestive fire, and causes mucous, respiratory diseases and cancer.
At that time, a member of the commune by the name of John lived in a small room upstairs from the seminar hall. He was a "recovering" alcoholic who rather frequently failed to abstain. Although only in his fifties, John's face showed the marks of a lifetime of alcohol abuse. But he had been on the wagon for nearly six months when he tiptoed through the class.
John was a shy and private man who would never voluntarily have so exposed himself. But upon returning from the kitchen with a beverage he discovered that there was no way he could reach his room without crossing through the crowded seminar. The leader noticed him immediately.
Pointing to the glass of milk in John's hand, Mr. L. boomed, "don't you realize what that stuff is doing to your body, sir! Class, look at him! He is a testament to the health destroying properties of milk. Study the puffy skin of his face. Note the bags under his eyes. Look at the stiffness of his walk. Milk, class, milk has done this to him!"
Bewildered, John looked at his glass, then up at the condemning faces, then back to the milk again. His lower lip quivered. "But," he whimpered, "but, this is only milk, isn't it?"
In the alcoholics anonymous meetings with which John was familiar, milk was practically mother's milk, synonymous with rectitude and purity. "I mean," he continued, to the unforgiving students, "I mean, it isn't whiskey, is it?"
By focusing on diet singlemindedly and ignoring all other aspects of life, alternative practitioners like Dr. L. come to practice a form of medicine that lacks a holistic perspective on life. This is ironic, of course, since holism is one of the strongest ideals of alternative medicine, and its most ubiquitous catchphrase (next to "natural").
It would be more holistic to take time to understand the whole person before making dietary recommendations, and occasionally temper those recommendation with an acknowledgment of other elements in that person's life. But too often patient and alternative practitioner work together to create an exaggerated focus on food.
Many of the most unbalanced people I have ever met are those have devoted themselves to healthy eating. In fact, I believe many of them have contracted a novel eating disorder, for which I have coined the name "orthorexia nervosa." The term uses "ortho," in its meaning as straight, correct and true, to modify "anorexia nervosa." Orthorexia nervosa refers to a fixation on eating proper food.
Orthorexia begins innocently enough, as a desire to overcome chronic illness or to improve general health. But because it requires considerable willpower to adopt a diet which differs radically from the food habits of childhood and the surrounding culture, few accomplish the change gracefully. Most must resort to an iron self-discipline bolstered by a hefty sense of superiority over those who eat junk food. Over time, what they eat, how much, and the consequences of dietary indiscretion come to occupy a greater and greater proportion of the orthorexic's day.
The act of eating pure food begins to carry pseudo-spiritual connotations. As orthorexia progresses, a day filled with sprouts, umeboshi plums and amaranth biscuits comes to feel as holy as one spent serving the poor and homeless. When an orthorexic slips up, (which, depending on the pertinent theory, may involve anything from devouring a single raisin in violation of the law to consuming a gallon of Haagen Daz ice cream and a supreme pizza), he experiences a fall from grace, and must take on numerous acts of penitence. These usually involve ever stricter diets and fasts.
Over time, this "kitchen spirituality" begins to override other sources of meaning. An orthorexic will be plunged into gloom by eating a hot dog, even if his team has just won the world series. Conversely, he can redeem any disappointment by extra efforts at dietary purity. Orthorexia eventually reaches a point where the sufferer spends most of his time planning, purchasing and eating meals. The orthorexic's inner life becomes dominated by efforts to resist temptation, self-condemnation for lapses, self-praise for success at complying with the self-chosen regime, and feelings of superiority over others less pure in their dietary habits.
It is this transference of all life's value into the act of eating which makes orthorexia a true disorder. In this essential characteristic, orthorexia bears many similarities to the two named eating disorders: anorexia and bulemia. Whereas the bulimic and anorexic focus on the quantity of food, the orthorexic fixates on its quality. All three give to food a vastly excessive place in the scheme of life.
It often surprises me how blissfully unaware proponents of nutritional medicine remain of the propensity for their technique to create an obsession. Indeed, popular books on natural medicine seem to actively promote orthorexia in their enthusiasm for sweeping dietary changes. No doubt, this is a compensation for the diet-averse stance of modern medicine. However, when healthy eating becomes a disease in its own right, it is arguably worse than the health problems which began the cycle of fixation.
As often happens, my sensitivity to the problem of orthorexia comes through personal experience. I myself passed through a phase of extreme dietary purity when I lived at the commune. In those days, when I wasn't cooking I managed the organic farm. This gave me constant access to fresh, high-quality produce. Eventually, I became such a snob that I disdained to eat any vegetable that had been plucked from the ground more than fifteen minutes. I was a total vegetarian, chewed each mouthful of food fifty times, always ate in a quiet place (which meant alone), and left my stomach partially empty at the end of each meal.
After a year or so of this self imposed regime, I felt light, clear headed, energetic, strong and self-righteous. I regarded the wretched, debauched souls about me downing their chocolate chip cookies and fries as mere animals reduced to satisfying gustatory lusts. But I wasn't complacent in my virtue. Feeling an obligation to enlighten my weaker brethren, I continuously lectured friends and family on the evils of refined, processed food and the dangers of pesticides and artificial fertilizers.
For two years I pursued wellness through healthy eating, as outlined by naturopathic tradition and emphasized with little change in the health food literature of today. Gradually, however, I began to sense that something was wrong.
The need to obtain food free of meat, fat and artificial chemicals put nearly all social forms of eating out of reach. Furthermore, intrusive thoughts of sprouts came between me and good conversation. Perhaps most dismaying of all, I began to sense that the poetry of my life had diminished. All I could think about was food.
But even when I became aware that my scrabbling in the dirt after raw vegetables and wild plants had become an obsession, I found it terribly difficult to free myself. I had been seduced by righteous eating. The problem of my life's meaning had been transferred inexorably to food, and I could not reclaim it.
I was eventually saved from the doom of eternal health food addiction through three fortuitous events. The first occurred when my guru in eating, a lacto-ovo-vegetarian headed on his way toward Fruitarianism, suddenly abandoned his quest. He explained that he had received a sudden revelation. "It came to me last night in a dream," he said. "Rather than eat my sprouts alone, it would be better for me to share a pizza with some friends." I looked at him dubiously, but did not completely disregard his message.
The second event occurred when an elderly gentleman (whom I had been visiting as a volunteer home-health aide) offered me a piece of Kraft Swiss cheese. Normally, I wouldn't have considered accepting. I did not eat cheese, much less pasteurized, processed and artificially flavored cheese. Worse still, I happened to be sick with a head cold that day. According to my belief system at that time, if I fasted on juice I would be over the cold in a day. However, if I allowed great lumps of indigestible dairy products to adhere to my innards I would no doubt remain sick for a week -- if I did not go on to develop pneumonia.
But, Mr. Davis was earnest and persistent in his expression of gratitude, and would have taken as a personal rebuke my refusal of the cheese. Shaking with trepidation, I chewed the dread processed product.
To my great surprise, it seemed to have a healing effect. My cold symptoms disappeared within an hour. It was as if my acceptance of his gratitude healed me.
Nonetheless, even after this miracle I could not let go. I actually quit visiting Davis to avoid further defiling myself. This was a shameful moment, a sign that I was drowning.
The life-ring which finally drew me out was tossed by a Benedictine monk named Brother David Stendal-Rast. I had met him at a seminar he gave on the subject of gratitude. Afterwards, I volunteered to drive him home, for the covert purpose of getting to know him better. (This may be called "opportunistic volunteerism.") On the way to his monastery, although secretly sick of it, I bragged a bit about my oral self-discipline, hoping to impress the monk. I thought that he would respect me for never filling my stomach more than by half, and so on. David's actions over the subsequent days were a marvelous example of teaching through action.
The drive was long. In the late afternoon, we stopped for lunch at one of those out of place Chinese restaurants -- the kind that flourish in small towns where it seems no one of remotely oriental ancestry has ever lived. As expected, all the waiters were Caucasian, but the food was unexpectedly good. The sauces were fragrant and tasty, the vegetables fresh, and the eggrolls crisp. We were both pleasantly surprised.
After I had eaten the small portion which sufficed to fill my stomach halfway, Brother David casually mentioned his belief that it was an offense against God to leave food uneaten on the table. This was particularly the case when such a great restaurant had so clearly been placed in our path as a special grace. David was a slim man and a monk, so I found it hardly credible that he followed this precept generally. But he continued to eat so much that I felt good manners, if not actual spiritual guidance, required me to imitate his example. I filled my belly for the first time in a year.
Then, he upped the ante. "I always think that ice cream goes well with Chinese food, don't you?" he asked, blandly. Ignoring my incoherent reply, Brother David directed us to a Friendly's Ice Cream Parlor, and purchased me a triple scoop cone.
David led me on a two mile walk through the unexceptional town as we ate our ice cream, edifying me with spiritual stories and, in every way, keeping my mind from dwelling on the offense against Health Food I had just committed. Later that evening, Brother David ate an immense dinner in the monastery dining room, all the while urging me to have more of one dish or another. I understood the point. But what mattered more was the fact that this man, for whom I had the greatest respect, was giving me permission to break my Health Food vows. It proved a liberating stroke.
Yet, it was more than a month later that I finally decided to make a decisive break. I was filled with feverish anticipation. Hordes of long suppressed gluttonous desires, their legitimacy restored, clamored to receive their due. On the twenty minute drive into town, I planned and re-planned my junk food menu. Within ten minutes of arriving, I had eaten three tacos, a medium pizza, and a large milkshake. I brought the ice cream sandwich and banana split home, for I was too stuffed to violate my former vows further. My stomach was stretched to my knees.
The next morning I felt guilty and defiled. Only the memory of Brother David kept me from embarking on a five day fast. (I only fasted two days.) It took me at least two more years to attain the ability to follow a middle way in eating easily, without rigid calculation or wild swings.
Anyone who has ever suffered from anorexia or bulimia will recognize classic patterns in this story: the cyclic extremes, the obsession, the separation from others. These are all symptoms of an eating disorder. Having experienced them so vividly in myself twenty years ago, I cannot overlook their presence in others.
For this reason, as a practicing alternative physician I often feel conflicted. I almost always recommend dietary improvements to my patients. How could I not? A low fat, semi-vegetarian diet is potent preventive medicine for nearly all major illnesses, and more focused dietary interventions can often dramatically improve specific health problems. But I do not feel entirely innocent when I make dietary suggestions. Like drug therapy, I have come to regard dietary modification as a treatment with serious potential side effects.
Consider Andrea, a patient of mine who once suffered from chronic asthma. When she first came to see me, she depended on several medications to stay alive, but with my help she managed to free herself from all drugs.
The method we used involved identifying foods to which Andrea was sensitive and removing them from the diet. Milk was the first to go, then wheat, soy and corn. After eliminating those four foods the asthma symptoms decreased so much Andrea was able to cut out one medication. But she wasn't satisfied.
Diligent effort identified other allergens: eggs, avocado, tomatoes, barley, rye, chicken, beef, turkey, salmon and tuna. These too Andrea eliminated, and was soon able to drop another drug entirely. Next went broccoli, lettuce, apples, buckwheat and trout, and the rest of her medications.
Unfortunately, after about three months of feeling well Andrea began to discover that there were now other foods to which she was sensitive. Oranges, peaches, celery and rice didn't suit her, nor potatoes, turkey or amaranth biscuits. The only foods she could definitely tolerate were lamb and (strangely) white sugar. Since she couldn't actually live on those foods alone, Andrea was forced to adopt a complex rotation diet, alternating grains on a meal by meal basis, with an occasional complete abstention to allow her to "clear." She did the same for vegetables, with somewhat more ease since there was a greater variety to choose from.
Last week, Andrea came in for a follow-up visit, and described the present state of her life to me. Wherever she goes, Andrea carries a supply of her own particular foods. She doesn't go many places. Most of the time she stays at home and thinks carefully about what to eat next, because if she slips up the consequences continue for weeks. The asthma doesn't come back, but she develops headaches, nausea and strange moods. She must continuously exert her will against cravings for foods as licentious as tomatoes and and bread.
Andrea is happy with the treatment I've given her, and has referred many of her friends to see me. Yet, I feel ill when I see her name on my schedule. The first rule of medicine is "above all, do no harm." Have I helped Andrea by freeing her from drugs, only to draw her into the bondage of diet? My conscience isn't clear.
If it was cancer she had been cured of, or multiple sclerosis, I suppose the development of an obsession wouldn't be too high a price for physical health. However, all Andrea had was asthma. I have asthma too. When she took her four medications, she had a life. Now, all she has is a menu. Andrea might have been better off had she never heard of dietary medicine.
I am generally lifted out of such melancholy reflections by some substantial success. After Andrea, I saw Bob in follow-up, a man whose rheumatoid arthritis was thrown into full remission by one simple intervention: adding foods high in trace minerals to his diet. Before he met me, he took prednisone, gold shots and high dose anti-inflammatories. Now he has gone a full year without a problem. Seeing him encourages me not to give up entirely on making dietary recommendations.
But my enthusiasm will remain tempered. Like all other medical interventions -- like all other solutions to difficult problems -- dietary medicine dwells in a grey zone of unclarity and imperfection. It's neither a simple, ideal treatment, as some of its proponents believe, nor the complete waste of time conventional medicine has too long presumed it to be. Diet is an ambiguous and powerful tool, too unclear and emotionally charged for comfort, too powerful to be ignored.
In Reply to: Orthorexia Nervosa - The Healthy Eating, Eating Disorder posted by David Knight CHT on August 11, 1998 at 12:49:21:
Thanks for thinking of me, David!
MY perspective tells me that there is no wonder your article sounds like
someone awash in the ocean of conflicting experiences. I would be happy
to have you put it on my website BB for others to see. I hope you will
also put this response.
I have had your same experience. At first I thought it due to the
concepts of "biochemical individuality" promulgated by Roger Williams,
PhD, more than 50 years ago. However, now I know that even though his
concepts are now being proven by the "human genome project" that it is
even more complex than that.
Since statistics now indicate leaky gut syndrome in more than 75% of the
USA population, what we eat is no longer the most important factor. It
isn't enough that we are all incredibly different, now most of us are not
even normal for our own genetic potential. LGS inevitably causes
dysbiosis (including actual parasitosis) which further degrades and
changes the relation between what we actually eat & what ends up inside
the cell. I saw no mention of these factors in your article.
As you know, WHAT one eats is but one small part of the many steps
between deciding what to eat and actually having the atoms & molecules
inside the cell being utilized appropriately. There is "many a slip
beteen the grocery store & the utilization of nutrition".
Even if one is fortunate enough to find a helpful diet for their own
metabolism, as they get healthier, the best diet may change as they
change. This is especially true of those who discover their LGS & deal
with it. Once people begin to realize that their own bodyminds are still
the best testing laboratories for the unique thing they are, they can use
the "see if it works" method to alter their diet as they go along.
You are doing good work. I hope you will consider incorporating these
additional factors into your understanding. I am afraid that with only
looking at this from one perspective that you will continue to be adrift
in the ocean with the rest of us.
Namaste` Walt
In Reply to: Orthorexia Nervosa - The Healthy Eating, Eating Disorder posted by David Knight CHT on August 11, 1998 at 12:49:21:
I read this article when it was published in Yoga Journal some time ago, and I'm so glad it will get a larger audience via the book. Orthorexia has become a de facto religion among many people I know, and the former pleasure of sharing a relaxed meal with friends has turned into a major hassle!
In Reply to: Orthorexia Nervosa - The Healthy Eating, Eating Disorder posted by David Knight CHT on August 11, 1998 at 12:49:21:
So it seems to me that what you are really faced with here are two things:
1. Failure to take into account bioindividuality, and
2. In the zeal of "health consciousness" you've allowed the
pendulum to swing too far in the other direction, and have not
exercised common sense and judgement to see that too much of a good
thing is a "bad" thing. This is perfectly understandable,
because good things in medicine are few and far between, and
it is natural especially as a doctor to try and maximize your
successes with whatever tools are available.
I CAN relate, as I went through something similar. However, calmer,
saner heads prevailed, in the form of parental wisdom. It went
something like this: You don't indulge in the things you know
are bad for you but once in a while. It'll be enough to say
that you had some, and got the craving set to rights. Then you
eat what's good for you. What's good for you isn't necessarialy
what good for your friends or even family. Given the quality
of many foods, you supplement. Don't go overboard. Exercise.
Don't get stressed out.
So, OK. Good advice from the Mommy Cat. The idea I got from your
article was that you are still obsessed with food as the
deciding factor in health. It isn't. It is a combination
of 3 factors, of which food is one, and subtopically certain
foods for certain people. If taken from this view, attaching
importance to just one factor is more likely not to occur.
All three are equally important, and obsession about one to
the detriment of the others will quickly lead to the conclusion
that you have lost balance and focus to be ignoring the other two
factors.
Remember, when all you have is a hammer...
YITL,
Greg
In Reply to: Orthorexia Nervosa - The Healthy Eating, Eating Disorder posted by David Knight CHT on August 11, 1998 at 12:49:21:
Dear David Knight,
I truly enjoyed reading your article. Thanks for submitting ithere for us to read. It is delightfully insightful.
Thanks for helping me understand the need for moderation and to be careful that I don't become a 'holier than thou' convert to good eating habits. I have met individuals who equate what they eat with how spiritually superior they are to others. Anything that separates people is probably not such a good thing.
The paragraph inwhich you describe all the various eating habits of the people you prepared meals for at the commune was hilarious. This must have been a true test of patience.
Thanks again for sharing your experiences and your story of enlightenment with Brother David. I shared this story with my husband and we agreed that we should be careful of orthorexia nervosa. Although I don't think his love of chocolate will every allow him to go that far.
love and peace,
pamela
In Reply to: Re: Orthorexia - Dr. Stoll's reply to my request posted by David Knight CHT on August 11, 1998 at 13:05:13:
Dear Walt,
Thanks for reminding the 75% (or so) of us who have Leaky Gut, once again, that focusing on eliminating Leaky Gut will free us from the tyranny of extreme attitudes and total reliance on diet. As you have stated many times before, diet will not cure Leaky Gut.
But there’s another issue here. The same comical personality flaws that we exhibit in our efforts at diet (so clearly chronicled by David Knight CHT and Steven Bratman MD), also plague us in our attempts to establish exercise and skilled relaxation in our lives.
Haven’t we seen (or been) basically well intentioned folks chasing the gold medals of fitness while looking down their (our) noses from the Olympian heights of humorlessness at all who do not follow a similar regimen with equal physical vigor. Or how about the inflated, immature, skilled relaxation "sages in training" whose self indulgent astral bungie jumping leaves us grinning and shaking our heads. And, of course, we are subject to the unsolicited and condescending advice of the foregoing. We go "tsk, tsk," but do we maybe find at least a little of that in our own makeup too?
But, hey, making fools of ourselves is how we forge our personalities. I guess we gotta do what we gotta do. No sense in bashing the quest just because we see ourselves or others doing it imperfectly.
I propose a dash of humility, a dollop of humor, a pinch of gratitude and forgivness, and tincture of moderation and patience, in a QUIET attitude of service and self sacrifice as a spiritual recipe for success in our alternative healing practices. But, then, I’ve always been big on platitudes.
Jim
In Reply to: Orthorexia Nervosa - The Healthy Eating, Eating Disorder posted by David Knight CHT on August 11, 1998 at 12:49:21:
The point in this piece is very important to bear in mind. Most people's approach (including the alternative community)to health is not holistic at all. They view diet in isolation from cultural and spsychological factors.
I'll never forget the responses I got when I suggested on the ER4YT board last November that duringthe holiday season, people go home to their families, forget about their diet for a few days and just eat whatever Mom had cooked. The scorn poured upon me in emails was shocking. Nothing more isolating than people who carry their little packets of weird shit home and refuse to eat what somebody has worked hard to prepare.
-Thomas
In Reply to: Thanks again, Walt posted by Jim on August 12, 1998 at 07:31:10:
Hi, Jim!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD stuff!
Namaste` Walt
In Reply to: Orthorexia Nervosa - The Healthy Eating, Eating Disorder posted by David Knight CHT on August 11, 1998 at 12:49:21:
Interesting article. Been there, done that. Having been diagnosed with O.C.D. I have often wondered what % of people frequenting health food stores and restaurants have the same diagnosis. I also had an eating disorder in my childhood through about 25 yrs. of age. Now in recovery from O.C.D. via behavioral therapy, I have noted that my obsessions re. food have decreased tremendously. (Even after a bout with non-invasive cervical cancer.) I am now getting my MA in Counseling Psychology and have come to believe that illness has something to do with diet but more to do with what goes on in our heads.
In Reply to: Re: Orthorexia Nervosa - The Healthy Eating, Eating Disorder posted by Lori Walker on August 23, 1998 at 03:03:40:
Thanks, Lori.
You have given me the opening I need to remind people on the BB that BOTH mental & physiological causes contribute to what you have mainly resolved just by having the discipline & guts to "tough it out".
Now that it is known that the majority of anorexia patients (for example) are caused by an intracellular zinc deficiency
-----and even they can be helped with psychological counseling (even while the zinc deficiency remains unrecognized)--what other physical reasons for what YOU have expereinced will be discovered?
Once the zinc problem is discovered & resolved, depending on how long the problem has gone on, the residual psychological effects still need to be addressed psychologically. However, without the burden of the missing zinc, the patient finds it MUCH easier to change than while still carrying the zinc "monkey" around on their backs at the same time.
I hope this is making sense to you. Remember, the anorexia is just an example of the many other such conditions now being shown to have physical causes and psychological consequences.
Walt
Dr. Stoll
What kind of water do you prefer? I drink 2 to 3 qts. a day
and would like it to be the best. Concerned about
"bacteria" in the puifiers that use filters.
Thanks for your input
Glenn
In Reply to: H2O posted by Glenn on August 13, 1998 at 14:20:13:
Dear Glen,
Virgin water is obviously the best. Virgin water has never fallen as rain. Cooling magma releases water & carbon dioxide. Obviously, that happens under great pressure. That is why Perrier Water is "naturally effervescent". There are others besides Perrier but you have to know how to read the lables to see that you are not just getting tap water that has been MADE effervescent by combining CO2 with it under pressure.
Second best is using a good filtration system on your tap water which, going into the filter, has enough chlorine to keep the filter free of pathogens.
I use a reverse osmosis filter with a charcoal chaser. I attach it to my kitchen sink when I need my 5 gallon bottle filled for the dispenser.
I am sure I am not doing the perfect thing as perfect as it can be done. However, when one is reasonably healthy they do not have to do everything perfectly. Our bodyminds are pretty powerful & can handle a reasonable amount of stressors from the environment.
The problem is that those of us who do nothing are exposed to a totally UNREASONABLE amount of environmental stressors.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: H2O posted by Walt Stoll on August 15, 1998 at 10:45:08:
Do you mean Perrier - the carbonated water in the green bottle?
Peggy
In Reply to: Perrier? posted by Peggy on August 15, 1998 at 11:21:50:
Dear Pam,
That's the stuff!
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Perrier? posted by Walt Stoll on August 15, 1998 at 11:49:42:
Walt,
Wasn't that the same Perrier that had to recall a batch of water because it had an EXCESS amount of Benzene in it? (Some benzene is apparently ok.) Many companies use organic solvents such as Benzene to clean out their pipes. This happened in the late eighties or early nineties so they MAY have changed their procedures, but maybe not. Just a suggestion that the kind of water processor you mentioned (RO with carbon filtering) is probably the best so far.
I hope your computer gets fixed pronto, hope the AMA falls off a tall cliff, and I hope your book flies off the shelves at Barnes and Noble and into the hands of receptive readers. Can I have my independent bookseller carry your book too?
Laura
In Reply to: Re: Perrier etc. posted by Laura on August 17, 1998 at 20:23:36:
Doesn't RO leave the water sterile? I think it takes out all the minerals. Won't this have a leaching effect like distilled water?
Johnnie
In Reply to: Re: Perrier etc. posted by Laura on August 17, 1998 at 20:23:36:
Dear Laura,
YEP! That's the one! I am sure that they have changed their procedures. However, I am not a salesman for Perrier or ANY other kind of commercial water.
The question was (as I recall): What is the best kind of water? I tried to use the question to explain stuff that most people do not know so they could figure out, for themselves, what is the best for them.
I would be proud to have your independent bookdealer carry my book. Just have them call (800) 464-7034. Book dealers get the same deal that individuals do. If they get 4 or more books at a time, they get them for $5 each & no charge for S&H. If they buy one at a time, it costs them $9.95 plus $3.05 S&H. My purpose is to make it as easy as possible for any reader to get books. The dealer is just another outlet for that convenience. If the dealer carries the book that saves the individual the S&H (if the dealer gets 4 or more copies at a time). If they do single order copies, they charge the person for the full price, the S&H AND an ordering & handling charge.
Computer is fixed! Thanks! Walt
In Reply to: Re: Perrier etc. posted by Johnnie on August 18, 1998 at 01:20:00:
Dear Johnnie,
Pretty much all the filtration systems do that. I resolve that for myself by using mineral salt to salt my food. It has ALL of the trace minerals in it in the exact proportions needed for ideal health. The reason for the filtration is to get rid of the pollutants.
The reasons you have been reading in the media, finally, about "salt" restriction not being all it is cracked up to be, goes right along with what we holistic types have been preaching for at least 50 years. It is the imbalance between sodium & the other trace minerals in REAL salt (mineral salt) that causes the problems with hypertension, etc., when we only eat refined "salt". By law, to call it salt, it must be pure sodium chloride with all the trace minerals removed. What brilliant bureaucrat made THAT decision?
This is just one more example of what Pogo said: "We have met the enemy & he is us!"
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Perrier etc. posted by Johnnie on August 18, 1998 at 01:20:00:
Walt, or anyone,
I read all that about the Dead/Alive water and have to
say that this idea is completely new to me despite
having been a very active environmentalist for the past
two years. Any more specific ideas or recommendations
for where I could go to read about this? Also, in
keeping with the Perrier theme, is Perrier likely to
be so-called Alive water, since it supposedly has
never been exposed to all sorts of pollutants?
Thanks,
Lindsay
In Reply to: Re: Perrier etc.(Alive?) posted by Lindsay on August 18, 1998 at 16:18:41:
Dear Lindsay,
The "alive" lable seems appropriate to me ESPECIALLY because it is now apparent that water is a LOT more than just something wet. The creation of water from cooling magma seems to me to be the most likely scenario for the creation of water that has ALL of the qualities (for earth dwellers') that we have not yet discovered.
There was a day (not so long ago) when we thought that the only function of vitamin C was the prevention of scurvy.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Perrier etc. posted by Johnnie on August 18, 1998 at 01:20:00:
Dr Stoll,
Hi! Have you heard of the water from the adobe springs? I was looking up info on magnesium and stumbled on to this site.
http://www.mgwater.com
I would love to have your feedback on the info at this site.
I also was wondering about the best water to drink and was thinking of ordering some of this. What do you think?
Sincerely,
Dale
In Reply to: Re: Perrier etc. posted by Dale on August 19, 1998 at 19:27:57:
Dr. Stoll,
Be sure to scroll down to "rate your bottled water" where you will learn about the adobe springs. This is an add on to my last post. Perrier water is rated also. Iam anxiously awaiting your comments!
Thanks,
Dale
In Reply to: Re: Perrier etc. posted by Dale on August 19, 1998 at 19:27:57:
Dear Dale,
I have been to this site & discussed it about a week ago.
Please save me typing by reading that. THEN, if you still have questions, write again.
Walt
To Anyone That Knows,
I can only make it once a week to the organic butcher's, so I have a question or two. How many days can I leave organic meat uncoooked in the refrigerator without it becoming dangerous? How many days cooked?
If I freeze the meat, then unthaw it in the fridge, it takes
a long time for it to unthaw...Is even this dangerous?
Are there any other ways besides smell that I can use to test if the meat is safe?
Thanks,
Thomas
In Reply to: Organic Meats And Food handling posted by Thomas Seay on August 16, 1998 at 16:27:01:
Dear Thomas,
Thorough cooking kills the germs no matter how rotten the meat. So far as I know, there is no difference between "organic" & "commercial" meat so far as how long it takes to spoil. "Tenderizing" meat by "aging" it uses bacterial growth to do so. It is just by doing it at a certain temperature, the tenderizing is done by bacteria that are not harmful. Ask your agricultural extension office about this.
Cooked meat starts the germ growing process all over again after the cooking stops.
Remember, the dangerous kinds of germs release a toxin into the food that is NOT destroyed by cooking. Botulilinus is the classic one of these. Home canned beans are the classic example of where this is found most often. Your local extension agent would have many handouts about all of this & how to protect yourself.
Walt
Walt,
Hi,
First I wanted to let you know that my rash is gone (hopefully for good).
This may be more a testimonial than a question, that actually depends on if you agree with what I am saying.
I don't remember when I have actually felt 'good', about 2 months ago I went on a no sugar, complex (only) carbs diet and I felt a little better - nothing to drastic - except for the 15 lb's I dropped. Well I had a relapse - the sugar craving became so loud I could not ignore it, so I have been consuming sugar again for about a 1 1/2 weeks, I am trying to give it up, but it is really hard. Anyway after about 3 days with sugar again I caught a horrible cold that I am having a hard time getting rid of.
Am I right to associate my getting sick shortly after resuming sugar intake with the sugar?
I have read your article on sugar and have read all the archive for lgs, due to lack of employment I have not had the opportunity to read your book, and I am attempting to get a couple of the other books from my library.
Namaste'
Renee'
In Reply to: Sugar posted by Renee' on August 18, 1998 at 11:19:11:
Dear Renee`
The book you need is the one I have recommended to anyone trying to do this. I would NEVER try refined carbohydrate elimination without having this book & having read it: "The Healing Power of Whole Foods" by Beth Loiselle, RD, (800) 870-5378.
THE SLIGHTEST TRACE OF ANY CARBOHYDRATE WITHOUT ALL OF ITS MICRONUTRIENTS IS JUST THE SAME AS SUGAR SO FAR AS THE CREATION OF THE INTOLERABLE WITHDRAWAL YOU ARE REPORTING! A peeled potato is the same as a piece of fruit; is the same as any trace of white flour, is the same as pure sugar---------as far as your Krebs Cycle is concerned. Go to the FAQ page & read about refined carbohydrates.
Do not try this again till you know what you are doing!
Let us know what you learn.
Walt
I carry an injection kit for anaphalactic shock when I go out to eat. Could I take alkasezergold instead of the shot if I go into shock? Would taking the alkaselzer gold before eating out prevent an allergic reaction?
In Reply to: alkaselzer gold posted by susie on August 20, 1998 at 08:35:12:
Dear Susie,
Anaphylaxis is a totally different kind of reaction. Don't give up your kit!
However, it IS possible that the "gold" might reduce the risk of anaphylaxis. It is harmless and just might reduce the risk. I would be interested in any one's experience with this.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: alkaselzer gold posted by Walt Stoll on August 21, 1998 at 11:34:04:
Walt,
Guess you are still working on a borrowed computer. We are going on vacation later in Sept. I am taking the alkaseltzer gold with me and will be glad to share my experience when we return. However, I am very concerned that I've had these reactions, and since the eggs effected my throat and I might not be able to avoid some preservatives etc on salad, I was thinking of asking my family doctor for a script for the epi-pen to take along "just in case". What do you think? I ended up in the ER once with angioedema, and it was very scary! The cause of that was never determined and I suspect it was preservatives in the salad entree or its dressing.
Namaste` Linda
In Reply to: Re: alkaselzer gold - Walt posted by Linda hynds on August 21, 1998 at 14:38:27:
Thank you Dr. Stoll, I'll keep my kit. Linda, it is a scary experience. Since I've done the relaxation, I've become more intune with my body. I notice my blood "itches" before I have an attack. This does give me some warning. I would get an epi-pen. Make sure the people around you know where you keep it & how to use it.
In Reply to: Re: alkaselzer gold - Walt posted by Linda hynds on August 21, 1998 at 14:38:27:
Hi, Linda.
I would definitely take the epi-pen. Anaphylactic reactions, AND most life threatening reactions, run a different pathway than the rest that respond so well to the alka seltzer alkalinization process. They are NOT interchangable. See my note about this yesterday.
Joanne's 61st birthday is the end of September. The entire family (children, grandchildren, spouses) are going to Disney World for a week in celebration.
Hope you have a wonderful vacation too!
By the way: I am really enjoying the wisdom you share on the BB!
Namaste` Walt
In Reply to: Re: alkaselzer gold posted by susie on August 21, 1998 at 15:44:32:
Susie,
Thank you. Yes, it is a VERY scary experience. I don't want to be fanatical but I wish restraunts would not add preservatives, etc.. Take care, and let's both hope we don't have to use those pens.
Namaste` Linda
In Reply to: Re: alkaselzer gold - Walt posted by Walt Stoll on August 22, 1998 at 12:27:38:
Thanks Walt,
I was pretty sure that the anaphylaxis was a different type of reaction. I will get my Dr. to write me a script for the epi-pen, especially since I'll be eating more of the type of foods that might cointain those hidden chemicals!
What a lovely thought-that I bring sonme wisdom to this BB! thank you. It's hard to believe we're all getting older, but look at what we have learned and what we can share! Please tell Joanne "happy birthday" for me. She probably doesn't remember me. I hope the whole family has a wonderful time at Disney World. It's been a long time since we were there. We are heading west this vacation.
Namaste` Linda
Does anyone have the name/phone of a good reverse osmosis water purifying system? I was wondering which one Dr. Stoll uses.
Myles
In Reply to: RO purifiers posted by Myles on August 21, 1998 at 01:41:13:
Hi, Myles.
My company is Premier Manufacturing Systems, 17431 North 25th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85023 (602)931-1977.
Let us know what you think.
Walt
The source of mineral salt that Walt uses is from Walnut
Acres. Comes in 2# at health food stores but you have to
get (5) 2 pounders if you order directly. It is good to
use instead of table salt (I guess) for those getting chelation therapy. Is that correct, Walt? Martha
In Reply to: mineral salt posted by martha on August 21, 1998 at 21:29:53:
Yup, Martha. Thanks again. Walt