Rev Your Health

To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate

Superstition

When it comes to the subject of vaccination, there is no quote more apropos than a line from Stevie Wonder’s song, “Superstition”—“When you believe in things that you don’t understand, then you suffer. Superstition is a waste.” I say this for a couple of reasons: First, probably 90% of Americans do not understand the nature of vaccines, and yet believe in them wholeheartedly. Secondly, vaccinations have their beginnings in a very superstitious time, “when live frogs were swallowed for the cure of worms; when cow dung and human excreta were mixed with milk and butter for diphtheria; when the brains of a man who had died a violent death were given in teaspoonful doses for the cure of smallpox.” In fact, the “Father of Vaccinations”, Edward Jenner, simply started promoting a Gloucestershire dairy maids superstition that said “if you contract cowpox, then you can’t get smallpox”. What’s even more incredible is that Mr. Jenner was not even a medical doctor; he did not sit for a single medical exam, but merely apprenticed with a surgeon for two years, then hung up a shingle that said “Edward Jenner, Surgeon and Apothecary”.

But Do Vaccinations Work?

Over a two hundred year period, the statistics invariably show a distinct pattern: first, vaccinations were made mandatory, and shortly afterwards the death rate shot up; next, the people rebelled, and finally, vaccinations once again became voluntary, and the death rate dropped. This has happened repeatedly throughout the world over the last two centuries. Drops in the death rate had nothing to do with an increase in vaccinations, and everything to do with better hygiene, and no mandatory vaccinations.

Levels of Defense

Your body is built like a castle, with levels of defense. A large open field usually surrounds the castle, so that invaders can be seen coming “from a mile away”. Next, there is usually a water obstacle—a moat with a drawbridge. Then there is the outer wall of the castle, with guards patrolling the perimeter. If the outer wall is breached, the defenders retreat to the inner sanctum, the keep. This makes castles very hard to penetrate and overthrow. However, if the enemy knew of a secret underground passageway into the heart of the castle, the defenders could easily be surprised and overwhelmed before they even knew what hit them.

Similarly, there are normally only two ways for invaders to penetrate into the body: through the nose (respiratory tract), or the mouth (digestive tract). Like the outer castle walls, both the digestive and respiratory tracts have immune system defenders patrolling the area. This is the first line of defense. Even if bacteria or viruses are successful in maintaining a stronghold there, they still will be unable to get deeper into the “fortress”—the bloodstream. The sanctity of the blood is clearly demonstrated by gangrene. When an arm or leg wound has become gangrenous, doctors would rather amputate the limb rather than allow the infection to spread into the bloodstream—and rightfully so—they know that if it does get into the bloodstream, it would kill the patient.

Now we come to the great hypocrisy in modern medicine. They preach and practice cleanliness and hygiene incessantly. “Always wash your hands before eating and after using the restroom or touching anything ‘dirty’, or after coming into contact with a sick person”. They sterilize their surgical instruments and themselves before surgery religiously and impeccably. And then they go and stick a needle filled with filthy, infectious poison directly into the bloodstream. Am I the only one astounded by this logic? Talk about letting the enemy in through the back door!

How Your Immune System Works

There are basically two modes of immune system functioning: cell-mediated immune response, and humoral-mediated immune response (antibodies in the blood). Research shows that a healthy immune system uses both, with predominance towards the cell-mediated response. Vaccines stimulate the humoral-mediated response almost exclusively. This makes sense because the invaders bypassed the outer levels of defense and were escorted directly into the bloodstream. Research also clearly shows that allergies, asthma, and other autoimmune diseases all show high levels of humoral antibodies, such as IgE.

A Dose of Your Own Medicine

More than 100 different additives, chemicals, preservatives, and antibiotics are added to different vaccines, including known toxins such as formaldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, and mercury (thimerosal). The use of all these additives in vaccines for children has been challenged by Jack Doubleday, CEO of the California non-profit, Natural Woman, Natural Man, Inc. In January of 2001, he “offered $20,000 to the first U.S.-licensed medical doctor or pharmaceutical company CEO who would publicly drink a standard mixture of vaccine additive ingredients. On August 1, 2007, the offer was increased to $90,000, and will increase in perpetuity, until a medical doctor or pharmaceutical company executive, or any of the 15 current members of the ACIP agrees to drink a dose of chemicals that would be the dose given to an infant.” All I can say is “Wow!”

Children: Nutrition, Behavior and Health-Part Two

In Part One, we stressed the importance of adequate hydration, and the damaging effects of soda drinking—two simple things that can make a huge difference in a person’s health. In Part Two, our focus will be on the importance of fats for proper brain function, specifically cholesterol.

Cholesterol is one of the most unfairly maligned nutrients that are actually essential to our health, right along with saturated fats. Consider the following: Saturated fats comprise at least 50% of the cell membrane, along with cholesterol, providing the cell membrane with stiffness and integrity. That means every single one of your trillions of cells! Together, they are made out to be the bad guys, reputedly causing heart disease, when in actuality, they are not—but that’s another story and another article. Cholesterol is also a precursor for Vitamin D, the steroid hormones—allowing you to handle stress better—the sex hormones. How can that be a bad thing?! It is known to be vitally important for the proper development of the brain and nervous system in children; in fact, mother’s milk contains a special enzyme to help infants absorb, assimilate and utilize cholesterol better. Cholesterol plays a vital role in the proper functioning of serotonin receptors —the “feel good” neurotransmitter—in the brain. Again, consider all of the children with ADD or ADHD, and all others with serotonin deficient brains—such as obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, etc. Think of all the children (and adults) on SSRI’s (serotonin specific re-uptake inhibitors), who might simply have a deficiency of cholesterol! It is truly amazing—and almost criminal—that these essential nutrients have been made out to be bad for our health.

While we’re on the topic of fats, I’d like to talk about milk. One of the most amazing feats of marketing has been the selling of low- and non-fat milk as health foods. Even in natural food markets, health-conscious people are buying low- and non-fat milk, because it has been brain-washed into us to believe that fats are flat out bad for us. This is so ridiculous, when fats play a part in so many essential roles and functions in our bodies. By the way, the very oils and fats promoted as “heart healthy oils”—the polyunsaturated oils, or “vegetable oils—are actually the ones responsible for producing atherosclerotic plaques. But I digress—let’s get back to low- and non-fat milk. It’s the fat in the milk that contains most of the nutrient value in milk—the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Additionally, these fat-soluble vitamins (especially vitamin D) help the body absorb, assimilate, and utilize the minerals present in milk (in abundance). So here’s the amazing feat of marketing: They take out the fat (cream), sell it (low- and non-fat milk) as “health food”, and then sell the cream. The dairy industry has got some marketing and capitalistic geniuses working for them. But the good news is, if people weren’t buying low- and non-fat milk, cream would probably cost twice as much. There’s a purposeful good to everything.

One more thing about milk: Pasteurized milk kills nearly all of the vitamins, minerals and enzymes—all the good stuff—present in milk. The media wants you to believe that raw milk is dangerous to your health because it can cause salmonella poisoning. But over a twenty year span where there was a fair amount of salmonella poisoning, not a single case came from raw milk. Rather, they all came from pasteurized milk. The reason is that raw milk contains enzymes that protect against salmonella. Raw milk can be found in most natural food stores.

Children: Nutrition, Behavior and Health—Part One

We all know that nutrition plays a big role in a child’s health. But how much of a role does nutrition play in children’s behavior? The answer is: much bigger than most realize. It may amaze parents to know that much of the undesirable behavior—which is also a sign of poor health—could be coming from malnutrition. When one thinks of malnutrition, one normally forms images of starving children in a third world country; but simply not getting enough of a certain essential vitamin or mineral (or other nutrient) could be considered to be malnutrition on a smaller scale, and could be impacting the child’s health (and behavior) in a significant way. This article will focus on some of the major nutrients needed by growing children, which they often don’t get enough of, as well as toxins and chemicals adversely affecting health, and their links to behavior.

I’ll start with the most obvious (to some) and significant nutritional factor impacting the health and behavior of children: soda. A physician friend of mine once said, “Soda is perhaps the worst thing for a child’s (or adult’s) health that is commonly consumed in mass quantities; even worse than smoking cigarettes.” I would probably agree. Soda has several things going against it: caffeine, sugar (lots of it), and phosphoric acid. Caffeine is an addictive substance because of its direct action on the brain, and is also destructive to the tissues of the stomach, eyes, nerves, and kidneys. It causes an immediate energy boost by stimulating the central nervous system to liberate energy from ATP stores and calcium in its stored form in the cells, eventually depleting the body of its stored reserves of energy. Think of caffeine as a teenager gone wild with a credit (or debit) card; except that it drains energy reserves instead of the bank account. Soda also contains nine times the amount of sugar that your body can metabolize. So in addition to causing huge spikes in blood sugar and causing your child to bounce off the walls (behavior), it puts a tremendous stress on the body. Sugar also creates an acidic condition in the body, along with the phosphoric acid, and depletes the body’s stores of alkaline minerals, as the body attempts to neutralize the acidic environment with alkaline minerals, such as calcium, sodium and magnesium.

Water is a highly overlooked, yet vitally important nutrient for health. It is the second most essential nutrient—second only to oxygen—that our bodies need, not only to survive, but to thrive. Amazingly, people commonly drink only enough water to get by—survive, but certainly not thrive—as evidenced by the fact that statistics say that at least 75% of Americans are dehydrated. How does this affect us, especially in regards to behavior? The brain is 85% water by volume, thereby requiring tremendous amounts of water to function optimally. Because the brain relies extensively on energy produced by hydroelectricity—energy is produced when water flows in and out of cells, in the same way that hydroelectric energy is produced by water flowing through a dam—dehydration severely stresses the brain. Dehydration also causes a severe depletion of brain tryptophan—the amino acid from which serotonin, tryptamine, melatonin, and indolamine are derived. You may recall that serotonin is known as the “feel good” chemical; and a deficiency of serotonin leads to a variety of brain disorders, such as ADD, ADHD, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other behavioral problems. It makes me wonder how many cases of ADHD might be due to something so easy to remedy as dehydration. Instead of relying on SSRI’s—serotonin-specific re-uptake inhibitors—the remedy could be as simple as drinking more water. One note of caution: drinking soda is NOT the same as drinking water; in fact, soda is a highly dehydrating agent, taking more water out of the body than it puts in. Thus, heavy soda drinkers are often very dehydrated. An easy way to determine if you or your child is dehydrated is to check the color of the urine—the more yellow (or orange) the color of the urine, the more dehydrated the person. A well-hydrated person’s urine should be clear to very light yellow. So how much water should a person drink per day? Many health experts agree that a person should drink half their body weight (pounds) in ounces. In other words, a 120 pound woman should drink roughly 60 ounces or nearly a half gallon (64 ounces) of water daily.

These days, with our mineral and nutrient depleted soils, nutritional deficiencies (especially mineral deficiencies) are much more common than people realize, and their effects produce significant ill health and disease. By recognizing some of the symptoms of these nutritional deficiencies they can be remedied before full-blown disease sets in.
 
Perhaps the five most common mineral deficiencies are sodium, calcium, magnesium, silicon, and iodine. At this point, I want to clarify that there is a big difference between organic and inorganic minerals. Sodium is a perfect example. Organic sodium, from fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, celery, carrots and figs, is easily assimilated and utilized in the body, because it has already been organized by the plant or animal source; preparing it for easy absorption and use in the human body. Inorganic sodium, from salt (table salt or sea salt) is not readily assimilated by the body, and actually stresses the human body.
 
Organic sodium is an important mineral especially for digestive and joint health. Deficiency can lead to poor digestion and elimination, as among other functions, sodium forms the digestive enzyme amylase. Sodium is also one of the primary alkaline minerals that neutralize an acidic condition, along with calcium and magnesium. Sodium deficiency can also cause joint stiffness, “cracking of joints”, and arthritis.
 
The most commonly known calcium deficiency is osteoporosis. A less commonly known symptom of calcium deficiency is poor wound healing. Calcium is known as the “knitter” in the body, strengthening and healing tissues. Blood-clotting problems also indicate a calcium deficiency.
 
Whole books have been written on magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is vital for the proper functioning of the nervous system. It relaxes nerves and smooth muscle. It’s also most important to the digestive system, relieving constipation and autointoxication. Thus, Phillips Milk of Magnesia. A magnesium deficiency will also cause calcium to be deposited into the soft tissues; and on the mental side, can lead to temper and an over-excited state.
 
Silicon is vital for the health of the skin, hair, teeth, nails and ligaments; in other words, the structural system. It gives a sparkle to the eyes, glossy hair, keen hearing, and agility to the body. A silicon deficiency can lead to coordination problems, impotence and sexual disability, parched lips, and a feeling of approaching death. Oh, and also hair falling out.
 
Iodine is needed mostly in the nervous system. It’s a gland and brain mineral, normalizing metabolism and gland and cell function, as well as getting rid of poisons and counteracting them. Indications of iodine deficiency are mental depression, claustrophobia/fears, and flabby arms.

I think what’s needed most regarding healthy nutrition for kids and adults is knowledge and understanding. For instance, when parents and kids truly understand the effects of drinking soda on the body, they ( kids included) won’t want to go near it (soda)with a ten foot pole. Well, some will still drink it, but at least they won’t be ignorant of the harm it’s doing, and may choose to drink a little less of it.
 
Hang-ups and attitudes surrounding food usually come from a lack of knowledge. Sure, there’s things like “eating for comfort”, but knowledge might give a person a greater range of choices in “comfort foods” that are much healthier than ice cream. There are foods that are very comforting and healthy at the same time. It doesn’t have to be an “either-or” choice.
 
Regarding worrying about weight issues and counting calories, when a person understands that processed foods generally lead to weight gain and ill health, there’s no need to count calories. I think counting calories is the most ridiculous thing in the world. It’s a good way to create guilt! Why do that?! It’s so much simpler to just eat more whole foods and less processed foods. This will lead to not just a healthy weight, but also a healthier body.
 
One of the most pervasive attitudes I see surrounding food is that “food is all about pleasure, and who cares about nourishment”? This attitude is clearly reflected in the abundance of people lining up at fast food joints for their super-sized meals that have absolutely no nutritional value. To make matters worse, fast foods are loaded with all kinds of harmful chemicals, hormones, antibiotics and other toxins that can only produce ill health and disease.
 
In summary, a healthy view of food for both kids and adults is the natural result of gaining knowledge and understanding about how our bodies work, why it gets sick, and what it requires to be healthy. Parents need to first educate themselves about diet and nutrition, and then pass this knowledge on to their kids. Knowledge empowers a person with greater choices, which will inevitably lead to a greater state of health.

Pasta, being a highly processed food, is basically stripped of all its nutrients, leaving behind a bunch of empty calories. There are basically two mechanisms by which pasta causes weight gain.
 
First, when carbohydrates are highly processed, they’re transformed from complex carbohydrates into simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates are processed very differently in the body. Simple carbohydrates such as glucose immediately spike blood sugar. Insulin is then produced to drive glucose into cells. This glucose is the cell’s primary fuel for energy production. However, when there is an excess of it, it is converted into fatty acids,triglycerides and lipids, for long-term energy storage. Complex carbohydrates on the other hand, are taken to the liver to be broken down into glucose for immediate energy production, or to be stored as glycogen for long-term energy strorage. In other words, complex carbohydrates work on an as-needed basis for energy production; while simple carbs flood the bloodstream and cells with fuel (glucose), with the excess fuel being stored as fat.
 
The second mechanism by which simple carbs (processed carbohydrates) produce fat is due to the acidifying nature of processed foods. ALL processed foods have an acidifying effect in the body. It’s well known and accepted that an acidic environment is a breeding ground for disease. Oxygen levels go down in an acidic environment, leading to fermentation, and the proliferation of bacteria, viruses, and even cancer. An acidic environment can also burn through cell membranes, so the body compensates by first neutralizing the acidic environment with its stores of alkaline minerals, such as calcium, sodium, potassium, etc. After a while these alkaline minerals become depleted, and the body resorts to neutralizing the acids by surrounding them with fat molecules. Thus, fat builds up in body tissues as a protective mechanism.
 
Healthier alternatives would be whole food carbohydrates (complex carbs) such as brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat, barley, and millet. Unfortunately, all pasta (even brown rice or quinoa pasta) is highly processed, so is not a very healthy alternative.

Probably one of the most surprising energy zappers commonly consumed is coffee!!!
 
The caffeine, especially when combined with added sugar (most ladies like their coffee sweetened), causes blood sugar to go on a roller coaster ride. Additionally, caffeine is a nervous system stimulant, giving a “pick me up” effect by stimulating the central nervous system to liberate energy from the ATP (energy) stores in the brain and body. It also releases energy from calcium in its stored form in the cells. This energy releasing capacity eventually depletes the brain and body of its stored reserves of energy.
 
To make matters worse, caffeine has a strong diuretic effect on the kidneys, causing increased urine output, which therefore, makes it a dehydrating agent. In other words, the soda and coffee people often drink in place of water actually leaves them more dehydrated. (Studies show that at least 75% of Americans are dehydrated.) This has a further draining effect on energy levels, as “hydroelectric” energy production in the body requires water (the “hydro” part meaning water). Many scientists and health researchers now consider hydroelectric energy to be a major source of energy production in the body.
 
It’s quite ironic that people often drink coffee for its “pick me up” effect, all the while creating the opposite effect in the long run. It’s sort of like a compulsive shopper or spender, constantly making withdrawals from the bank–only in this case, it’s a withdrawal of energy!

Here’s a list of ten foods that are incorrectly thought of as healthy:
 
1. Margarine; 2. Polyunsaturated Oils; 3. Low-fat or Non-fat milk; 4. Bottled Water; 5. Distilled Water; 6. Canola Oil; 7. Pasteurized Milk (from most supermarkets); 8. Extra lean or lean ground beef (fat taken out); 9. Granola; 10. Cooking with Olive Oil (heat causes oxidation quickly).

The major health benefits of walking are:
 
1. De-stress–In today’s high stress lifestyle, walking gives you a chance to slow down, breathe deeply, and smell the roses.
 
2. The leg muscles act as a “second heart”, pumping the blood back to the heart. The rhythmic and frequent contraction of the leg muscles pumps the venous blood against gravity back to the heart, with one-way valves aiding in the process.
 
3. An hour of walking activates fat-burning enzymes, which remain active for 12 hours. This also helps to clear any fatty deposits in the arteries.
 
4. Exercise strengthens bones, and helps to prevent osteoporosis.
 
5. Exercise increases production of the body’s natural opiates–endorphins and enkephalins. 
 
6. Exercise increases the production of all vital hormones–including the sex hormones–enhancing libido and sexual performance. 
 
7. Exercise improves joint health–increasing joint mobility, water content of the cartilage, and dissolved nutrients to the cells inside the cartilage. 
 
8. Breathing deeply while walking fully oxygenates the body. All cells perform better when well oxygenated, and disease can only live in an oxygen deificient environment.

Many people see health as a very complicated thing. Figuring out what’s wrong with them seems like an almost impossible task. Then, when told that their problem could be as simply corrected as drinking more water, they don’t believe it! It’s gotta be something more complicated like replacing all their mercury fillings, or some obscure mineral that must be missing from their diet. Or maybe they have parasites, and need to be de-wormed.

I’m not saying that these things aren’t ever the cause of the problem, but dehydration is a much more common problem than people think, and all the diseases that can stem from it would astound most people. Let me put it this way: We’re 80-90% water by volume when we’re born and often less than 50% in our elder years. That should be a big clue as to the value of water to our health.