So,
there are a few things I will cover that will help you better understand
how to view your physical body. There is, what I coin, a Subatomic
Defense System along with an Immune System in our body. Towards the end you will learn about
Probiotic importance.
About the Subatomic Defense System
Starting
from smaller scale. Atoms thrive for an Octet. That is what makes them
stable, a sort of thrive for perfection, to be like the noble gases, but
in a sense creating communities of matter, working together to shape
things. A Free Radical is when an atom is missing an electron on it’s
outer shell and it becomes violent, in search for an electron to
complete it. It will violently react with any protein, tissue, anything
in it’s vicinity.
Free Radicals can be created in a few ways:
- Heating (like in cooking food)
- UV light
- Cell respiration (Mitochondria)
- Neutrophil defense mechanism
Antioxidants
are natural complexes that donate electrons, so they are able to
neutralize Free Radicals. Antioxidants are ubiquitous in the plant
kingdom. Photosynthesis requires electron transporting, and that is the
plant cell respiratory mechanism, so the plant requires it’s own innate
antioxidant defense system (“Subatomic Defense System”) in order to
balance the Free Radicals created in the respiratory process.
Much
like our Mitochondria in our cells, it creates energy and there is a
mechanism called “Electron Transport Chain” which requires specialized
proteins that transport electrons. These same specialized proteins (e.g.
CoQ10) act as antioxidants too. For some reason, in western cultural
diet CoQ10 declines with age, about from the age of 20, and the culprit
is probably fructose (watch on youtube the series “Skinny on Obesity”,
they refer to a phenomena called “Mitochondria Meltdown” from fructose
consumption).
Anyway,
our physical bodies wake up and make a lot of energy depending on the
mental mind demands. Brushing our teeth, energy, walking to the car,
energy, writing an article, energy. Our system is able to replenish
itself, but sooner or later we are depleted from antioxidants and once
our innate Subatomic Defense System is impaired... then damage to cell
structure occurs, then damage to DNA occurs and consequently cancerous
behaviour follows.
There
are a few innate antioxidant enzymes in our human cells (Glutathione,
Superoxide Dismutase, Catalase), and they require elements like Copper,
Zinc and Selenium in adequate amounts in order to function. Those you
can find in good amounts in Nuts and Seeds. I soak my nuts every night
(haha). All seeds in nature come with defense mechanisms (toxins) that
inhibit digestion by animals, insects and bacteria. Soaking them gives
them conditions for sprouting, and so the defense melts away and
nutrients are enhanced, plus their bioavailability rises.
Moving
on, replenishing these antioxidant systems is crucial. The inflammatory
response, which can be triggered by cellular damage from excess free
radicals, can turn from an acute one to a chronic one. Prolonged
inflammation scars tissue and delays the cells return to communal
service for the greater good of the multicellular organism. Reducing
oxidative stress is key to relieving the cells tension, which is then able
to move to a state of repair. The inflammatory response can also be called, the cells “Demolition and Reconstruction” process.
Vitamin
E is an antioxidant that is present in all cells membranes. Vitamin C
can replenish vitamin E. There is what is called a “Synergistic Effect”,
where taking different antioxidants together and they help each other
boost one another. That is why making a herbal remedy with dozens of
different medicinal herbs can induce a greater effect. Same thing with
juicing vegetables. Imagine abundantly flooding your system a few times a
day with a cup of fresh organic vegetable juice. It replenishes your
Subatomic Defense Systems, thus relieving oxidative stress, thus making
way for cell repair and cell proliferation. Imagine a domino effect when
drinking vegetable juice. It will replenish all your cells and if you
do it enough as a therapy, it can get all the way to your skin.
Now
that the importance of the Subatomic Defense System is understood. Let
me tell you of a new form of revelation in nutritional science. Free
Electrons from the ground! Dr. Sinatra and Dr. Oshman have done much
work in the field of energy medicine. The sun charges up the ionosphere,
which charges up the earth via lightening, and when we walk barefoot,
those Free Electrons replenish our body and neutralize free radicals. We
are meant to walk barefoot for our health.
Next
in line, I will talk about evolution and nutrition. But first! A
question.. what is the number one abused organ in the human body? pineal
gland! nah... heart! close.... digestive tract! BINGO!
Something
happened approx. 10,000 years ago, we call it the advent of
agriculture. It was the beginning of the dark ages for the human
physical body. 2.5 milion years of evolution on a hunter and gatherer
diet, and suddenly agriculture happened. Some say it was necessary in
order to sustain the human population of which was booming at the time.
One thing is certain, it consisted of nutrient sources that the human
digestive tract was not adapted to handle. What more, only in the last
100 years we have been consuming processed food and vegetable oils,
things that are not found in their forms in nature.
Lets start with Cereal grains.
Studies
have shown that all grains contain storage proteins called “Prolamins”.
In wheat we got Gliadin, in rye we have Secalin etc. What studies have
revealed is that these storage proteins stimulate secretion of a protein
in the gut that regulates the tight junctions between the absorption
cells (called Enterocytes). The term is called “Leaky Gut”, when gaps or
“holes” are created in the gut lining, allowing partially digested
proteins and more to seep through the filtration barrier. The regulatory
protein that controls these tight junctions is called “Zonulin” and it
regulates the tight junctions in the Blood-Brain Barrier as well.
Studies have revealed that gliadin in many cases is partially digested
to a 7 amino-acid chain called “Gliadorphin”, which has opioid
properties (like morphine) and it activates about 3 opioid receptors in
the brain. But, lets compare it to casein, the storage protein in milk.
There is two types of casein, type A1 and type A2. Studies suggest that
about 5000 years ago there was a mutation in the casein protein and one
amino acid changed. It appears that casein A1 breaks down in digestion
to a 7 amino acid protein called “β-casomorphin 7” of which (somehow)
finds it’s way up to the brain and stimulates 45 opioid receptors. 15
times more potent than gliadorphin! No study has delved into the
possibility of casein being able to stimulate secretion of zonulin, thus
making gaps in the gut lining, but common sense helps. Milk is a
superfood. Babies need milk, because their digestive tract is not fully
functional... so nature was smart enough to add in a mechanism that will
help their guts bypass digestion and open the gates for nutrients into
the bloodstream. Makes sense? I’d think so.
So, I covered cereal grains and milk. Now to Vegetable oils!
It
all comes down to long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids - Omega 6 and
Omega 3. Both very sensitive to oxidation, but both very important for
the cells innate inflammatory response. It has been found that they both
have anti-inflammatory pathways (also Omega 6), only Omega 6 does have a
pro-inflammatory pathway. They are found to be materials that are used
to create proteins, of which affect inflammatory expression down to the
transcription of DNA. However, it appears that excess Omega 6 in the
diet can create a more prolonged inflammatory environment, that which
has to be balanced back by consuming Omega 3 rich foods. Scientific
evidence has proven that our brains developed from consuming fish. Our
ratio of Omega 3 to 6 in our body, and particularly in our brain, is
identical to that found in fish.
Vegetable oils are packed with omega 6. Creating an imbalance in our bodies.
Consuming
too many omega fats at all can compete with other fats for space in
cell membranes. Those fats are sensitive to oxidation, and thus a cell
membrane with too much omega fats is prone to setting off inflammatory
responses. They should be taken, but our bodies prefer to run on
saturated fat.
Now,
Sugar! Addictive and deadly. Dr. Robert Lustig has done tremendous work
on that issue (worth watching the youtube series “The Skinny on
Obesity”). I will talk about it and it will lead us into the issue of
probiotics. Sugar is toxic in the blood. Insulin protects our system
from sugar toxicity by helping it go into cells, but also converting it
into fats for later use. Refined sugar or digested complex
carbohydrates, both stimulate insulin. Sugar nourishes pathogen
bacteria. Those bacteria find a substrate to thrive on, and sooner or
later they gain momentum and launch an attack on the host. Call it the
flu, call it infection.. it’s termed Dysbiosis. A condition of imbalance
of bacteria in the gut. Certain bacteria thrive on certain food,
digesting it and making it more bioavailable for us to absorb. It is a
symbiotic relationship and once the Human Microbiome Project will be
complete in 2013, we will all have a broader understanding of probiotic
relationship and importance for human health.
Before
citrus fruit was discovered as a remedy for scurvy on long sea voyages,
sailors used sauerkraut. Even Captain James Cook ordered once 25,000
barrels of sauerkraut on one of his voyages. The process of fermentation
produces lactic acid bacteria called Lactobacillus, that improve
digestion. They consume complex carbs and proteins, and secrete lactic
acid, which creates a beneficial environment for immune cells to thrive.
85% of our immune system is in our guts, so something like that is
important. Furthermore, they make many vitamins and minerals more
available for us, and some strains help break down fats, and create
anti-inflammatory fatty acids. They also have been found to neutralize
toxins and remove heavy metals. They are considered a forgotten
organelle... they complete us.
Another
thing to know is that certain vegetables strengthen probiotic bacteria.
These are vegetables containing polysaccharides called “Inulin”. They
are found in Onions, Garlic, Leeks, Cauliflower, Mushrooms and more. A
study found that consuming probiotics with Inulin on a high fat diet
provided protection for the probiotic bacteria from the bile acids, and
helped it grow.
This
is all for now. Of course there is so much more, but if you’re
interested I am here to talk. Leave me a comment and I will reply.
Cheers,
Joel Jacobson
