Health Tips
Prime datum
The body is alkaline by nature and acid by function.
Almost every function creates acid.
1. Free radicals:
Free radicals are necessary for optimum function but when they overwhelm the body’s ability to regulate them, a condition known as oxidative stress ensues.
When this happens the free radicals build up in cells and damage other molecules such as DNA, lipids (fats) and proteins and may result in causing illness which become critical if they get seriously out of control.
A balance between free radicals and antioxidants is therefore necessary for proper physiological function.
a. When acids accumulate, free radicals escalate.
b. High protein foods (red meat, fish, fowl, and processed foods e.g. white sugar and flour) create acid.
c. Calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium (electrolytes) are taken from bones and organs to neutralize acid = mineral deficiency. Taken to extremes this can result in degenerative disease.
e. Lifestyle choices also play an important role.
Smoking, over-eating, inactivity (lack of exercise), high salt and alcohol intake may lead to hypertension (high blood pressure) and inflammation (the first indicators of an unhealthy condition).
2. If lifestyle and diet are not improved, more serious conditions such as diabetes, cancers, Alzheimer, Parkinsons, multiple sclerosis and the like may also develop.
3. pH:
pH means : the potential for hydrogen.
This is measured by a scale from 0 – 14. Below 7 is more acidic and above is more alkaline.
Pure water (pH 7) represents the balance point between acid and alkali and is thus considered as neutral.
4. Electrolytes:
Electrolytes are minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, chloride and bicarbonate) that carry out vital bodily functions such as hydration, muscle contraction, pH balance and nerve signaling.
Electrolytes restore optimum pH and can be replenished by eating alkaline foods or taking a proven organic supplement from a vegetable source.
Note: Rock sourced minerals are not easily assimilated and are often acid forming (e.g. table salt NaCl is bound by chloride making it acidic.)
5. Optimum diet :
To maintain optimum pH, 70-80% of your diet should be alkaline.
A diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fibre creates higher alkalinity.
The percentage of alkaline foods to acidic foods should be as follows:
a. fresh fruit and veg 70%
b. lean protein and grains 30%
c. + 3 litres water / day
Note: As many as 75% of foods not labeled organic contain GMO genetically modified ingredients. Wherever possible consume organically grown product.
6. The Gut:
The bowel should be alkaline. When it becomes acidic, a critical point has been reached. If it remains acidic it may result in ulcers or gall stones.
7. When the bowel is dirty, the blood is dirty.
The bowel has to be cared for first, before any effective healing can take place.
8. Intestinal enzymes (good bacteria) can only function optimally above pH 7.0
9. If you change the inner environment (gut) you will change the organisms that live in that environment (for better or worse).
10. Bacteria:
Bacteria are micro-organisms that cause chemical changes. They are widely distributed in soil, water, air and on the tissues of plants and animals.
Good bacteria are beneficial to health (especially the digestive system), where they assist the process of decay and elimination.
Bad bacteria - parasites, mould, spores and virus are not beneficial and are the cause of many diseases.
11. Allergies / asthma:
Toxemia of the gastro-intestinal tract is the underlying cause of asthma, allergies, and eczema.
12. Parasites:
Parasites live off their host. They are attracted to filth.
As the final receptacle of elimination (excretion) the bowel is the most toxic environment in the body, the perfect breeding ground for parasites.
60% of excretion from the bowel is parasite infested.
13. Where do parasites come from?
The primary sources are:
a. Meat
i. procured from fertilized soil (anything contaminated by pig or other dung is highly prone to infestation)
ii. insufficiently/under-cooked
b. Vegetables
grown in chemically sprayed soil (i.e. non-organic)
c. Raw fish
i farmed fish which may have been fed with contaminated fish feed
ii fish left out at room temperature for more than two hours will cause bacteria to multiply quickly
d. Water
poor sanitation, hygiene or polluted drinking water
14. Worms:
Parasites come in many forms, the primary ones being:
a. flatworms – tapeworms and flukes
b. roundworms – pinworm, hookworm, whipworm
They are common in all environments, not just undeveloped countries.
Over 4 billion people worldwide will be infected at least once by a parasite during their lifetime.
Parasites (not cancer) are the number one killer in the world.
15. Premature death:
As a result of poor diet the primary causes of premature death are:
a. acid forming foods, (especially junk food)
b. overcooked or under cooked foods
c. improperly digested proteins
d. eating too much
16. ‘Fish-hook’ belly:
Over time those parasites that are not eliminated will work their way into the lower parts of the intestinal tract > small intestine and colon.
The worms will hook themselves into internal deposits of fecal matter in the gut (called mucoid plaque) and stick to the intestinal walls which enlarges the intestinal walls.
The belly will expand and the extra weight causes it to fall down (prolapsus) creating the classic fish-hook shape associated with overweight.
This places excess pressure on the bladder (and in men the prostate) and causes digestive problems which may ultimately lead to obesity.
17. Protein synthesis:
When you eat protein it is broken down into amino acids. These acids perform various processes such as muscle building and regulating the immune system.
The body needs a total of 20 amino acids to function properly, 9 of which are classified as essential (foods which contain all 9 are referred to as complete proteins.)
Complete proteins can be obtained from animal products such as meat, seafood, eggs and poultry or plant based products such as soy, quinoa and buckwheat.
Foods need to move freely through the alimentary canal (peristalsis.)
Food first travels to the stomach and pancreas where hydrochloric acid converts protein to peptides (destroying parasites and harmful bacteria in the process.)
If the cells become overburdened with excessive proteins, acids and fats, this causes congestion, inflammation, fermentation and blockage and results in incomplete breakdown of protein.
This is the cause of poor digestion which the body compensates for by drawing protein from muscles (can lead to musculo-skeletal depletion and even malnutrition symptoms).
Poor digestion leads to greater inability of amino acid breakdown. This is an ever-increasing downward spiral which develops greater difficulty in destroying parasites and even worse digestion.
If the digestive system is working at less than optimum, no matter how much or how nutritious the food is, only a small percentage of the available nutrients are absorbed.
The undigested protein is used as a host from which the parasites feed, multiply and travel on further through the intestinal system.
18. Biochemical individuality
Biochemical individuality depends on many factors.
Even though there are Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) we all need different amounts of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and trace elements.
Intake of these must also be accompanied by amino acids for them to be able to be absorbed and assimilated by the body.
This is why one person may need five times as much Vit C than another.