Hello everyone: Our stomach normally makes a very strong acid called Hydrochloric Acid, and the acidity is measured in what is called pH. A pH of 1 to 7 is considered acidic, and above 7 is considered alkaline. Our stomach normally has a pH of under 3.o. It turns out that too much or too little acid can have similar symptoms: bloating, burping, nausea, gas, indigestion, reflux, discomfort, foul smelling stools, loose stools or constipation and more. Over the next several newsletters, we will run down the causes and solutions, but first some definitions: Hypochlorhydria: means low stomach acid, with a pH above 3. Achlorhydria: means a nearly total absence of acid, with a pH above 5. Too little acid means an alkaline stomach, and that can burn as much as too little acid. Our stomach is meant to be very, very acidic, and when it becomes too alkaline it can burn as bad as too ... Read more
Archives for June 2019
Body On Fire = Brain Fog
Hello again everyone: As you know, I talk about inflammation quite a lot. The reason is that inflammation can cause, aggravate or perpetuate ANY illness, disease or condition. However, it used to be thought that inflammation in the body did not bother the brain because of the blood-brain barrier. Until pretty recently, neuroscientists thought that the brain was ‘privileged’ and not susceptible to negative influences from bodily problems. Well…it turns out that inflammation from chronic illness drives brain degeneration strongly. People with chronic conditions, metabolic disorders (such as being overweight, having blood sugar instability, normal aging, sleep deprivation, stress, not exercising etc.), infections (Lyme, Mono, Herpes, Shingles, etc., and this includes chronic background viral and any other pathogen burden), allergies, gut disturbances, autoimmune conditions, chemical ... Read more
Food For Thought: Save Your Brain With Food
Hello again: Here are two links to papers that reveal that food is essential for brain health, maintenance and the prevention of brain-based disorders. Indeed, the authors state: “Brain diseases, especially during aging, can be due to dietary deficiencies.” This is way too simple and often goes right over our heads. One reason is that it is the long-term consumption of these poor dietary habits that leads to brain malfunction. This means, that the negative effects are unseen until the damage is done many years later. To avoid this catastrophe, it is important to understand that brain health is dependent upon high quality, non-processed, organic foods with as great a variety as possible. Part one: Micronutrients Read more
Save The Ticks!!
Hello everyone: This is basically a public service announcement, as this super nice weather brings us outdoors and into contact with all kinds of bugs, and the ones we most need to be alert to are ticks. If you are ever bitten by a tick, it is important that you save the tick (alive or dead) in a small plastic bag or other sealed container that they cannot escape if still alive. There are several reasons that it is super important to save them: 1. For identification of the type of tick and if there is any risk of infection. Some sites will test for up to 25 possible tick-born infections, but it depends on the type of tick for which infections they will test for. 2. To send them in for analysis, i.e., to see if they are carrying infection(s) of any kind so that you know if you need to take quick medical measures with appropriate prescription anti-biotics and other ... Read more
