Why Protein Pump Inhibitors are Killing Us
Taking Nexium and other protein pump inhibitors (PPIs), drugs that lower stomach acid, are so detrimental to health because they block the break down of protein into amino acids. Amino acids are involved in every aspect of normal cellular – gland, organ, tissue – function. We cannot heal wounds, produce hormones or heal Leaky Gut without them.
The body simply cannot repair itself and function normally without amino acids.
Undigested proteins also cause “Leaky Gut” which is holes (intestinal permeations). These huge undigested proteins leak out through these holes into the blood, causing autoimmune conditions. (Please read my Leaky Gut blog for more information on this)
Constipation
Constipation is another very common digestive ailment often caused by lack of water, fiber from enough vegetables and lack of exercise. The bowel (large intestine) is stimulated by exercise to contract (peristalsis) to expel its contents. Lack of fiber from fresh vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds needed to provide the bulk to move things along and a lack of beneficial bacterial flora (probiotics) aggravate the problem. Diseases associated with constipation are diverticulitis, diverticulosis and colon cancer.
Drugs for constipation can be very harsh and may cause side effects including losing the bowel lining through the rectum. Also for constipation, specific yoga poses, meditation and relaxation exercises can help increase peristalsis. A buildup of fecal matter occurs when we eat mucus-forming foods such as dairy in yogurt, milk, and cheese, eggs, processed and fast foods including deep fried foods.
Stimulate Peristalsis with half a lemon juiced in warm water 20 minutes before breakfast or on waking and before bed helps stimulate the liver in detoxification which triggers peristalsis and creates bowel evacuation.
When about to have a movement, while sitting on the toilet, raise feet onto a step stool or garbage can to help enhance the amount released. Our ancestors squatted to eliminate waste. A good size of feces is the size and texture of a large peeled banana or longer ideally after every meal. Let’s work to achieve this by increasing water, vegetable and grain fiber, probiotics and exercise.
Bulk it up:
Ground flax seeds, ground psyllium husks, apple pectin, guar gum, glucomannan, rice bran, prunes, figs and dates are all great fiber sources beyond vegetables like celery, carrots and green leafy vegetables. Senna is a powerful herb that causes bowel evacuation but can cause cramping.
Address Leaky Gut:
L-Glutamine, collagen and probiotics. Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) kills Candida, parasites, bacteria and viruses, as do: olive leaf, burdock root, golden seal, black walnut and wormwood.
Demulcents:
Soothe the intestinal tract decreasing inflammation and constriction and enhancing mucus formation to help foods slide through. Aloe Vera, Slippery elm, Marshmallow root, DGL (deglycerinated licorice) and Curcumin (turmeric) for inflammation and enhancing detoxification.
Probiotics such as Acidophilus, Saccharomyces Boulardii, Bifidobacterium are all specific for different health issues and often a mixed human strain works best. Ensure you buy your probiotics from a reputable company and that you keep them refrigerated otherwise they will die or may already be dead when you buy them. You can make your own by fermenting your own vegetables or making your own organic yoghurt and eating miso soup ideally with a gluten-free miso paste.
Colonics are a very good idea, before, during and after detoxification and as often as necessary, along with a proper detoxification program. Colonics are performed by trained professionals and deliver water through the rectum into the colon in order to loosen the impacted fecal matter that adhere to the bowel walls. This fecal matter builds up over time leading to sometimes a thick, toxic, tire-like layer. Taking oral laxatives do not effectively remove it. Enemas are a good thing to do yourself at times when there is a no bowel movement day (constipation).
Detoxifying the Body for Health
If we lived in a pristine forest eating non-sprayed organic foods and un-medicated meats and healthy fish like our ancestors, we would be so much healthier. Today, we are exposed and therefore ingesting toxins from our food, water, air, body and cleaning products. These toxins are increasing cancer rates, causing birth defects, linked to autism spectrum disorder, causing infertility in humans, fish and amphibians. Toxins are linked to a running list of health issues such as: Chronic fatigue, Memory loss, Premature aging, Skin disorders, Arthritis, Hormone imbalances, Anxiety, Emotional disorders, Auto-immune disorders and Heart disease just to name a few.
How do we deal with toxicity?
Avoiding exposure to toxins is the first step. Using an effective water filter for our drinking and cooking water, air filters in our homes and offices and eating clean, un-sprayed, local, healthy food. Protect yourself at work if you are exposed to toxins there. Use healthy cleaning and body products and consider making your own which is inexpensive and simple to do.
Infra-red saunas allow us to sweat phthalates, a toxin in plastics that cannot be eliminated otherwise. If you are exercising regularly and producing a sweat, you may not need to use a sauna. Infra-red saunas produce a sweat much faster than traditional saunas by sending specific infra-red rays into the skin and it is much easier to breathe in this type of sauna.
Juice fasting for one to seven days as often as needed allows the body to eliminate toxins by giving the digestive tract a break from the huge amount of energy needed to digest food. This energy can then be used to process and excrete toxins instead. Fresh vegetable juices such as celery, cucumber, carrots, beets, are excellent. Add in garlic or ginger and turmeric for even more detoxifying support. Between juicing days eat as close to a raw vegan diet with plenty of broccoli, cabbage, kale and brussels sprouts, asparagus, lemon juice, beets and carrots.
Epsom salt baths, as often as possible not only deliver much needed magnesium to the tissues, but also draw toxins out through the skin. A twenty-minute bath with one cup of Epsom salts in hot water is the recipe. You can add clay to the bath to enhance detoxification even more.
Dry skin brushing with a natural fiber brush or luffa before a shower or before bed will stimulate the lymphatic system which carries the toxins for elimination. This also brushes off dead skin cells making the skin feel softer. Start by brushing the soles of the feet and you’re your way upward brushing the legs in an upward motion, three strokes on each location. Brush in circles in the groin, upward on the abdomen, up the sides of the body, figure eights around the breasts, strokes from the hands to the arm pits and circles there. Strokes downward along the neck towards the heart on the left side of the chest.
Re-bounding on a quality, mini trampoline help the body to eliminate toxins via the lymphatic system. Muscular contraction through physical movement and exercise also stimulates the lymphatic system.
Detoxification products:
Certain supplements such as N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), alpha lipoic acid (ALA) and glutathione are key detoxification support which work to stimulate the chemical detoxification pathways within the cells – glands, organs, tissues. Herbs such as turmeric, milk thistle, artichoke, dandelion root and chlorella algae are also supportive. Activated charcoal and chelating minerals like calcium and magnesium bind heavy metals and pull them out through our digestive elimination systems.
Colonics are a very good idea, before, during and after detoxification and as often as necessary, along with a proper detoxification program. Colonics are performed by trained professionals and deliver water through the rectum into the colon in order to loosen the impacted fecal matter that adhere to the bowel walls. This fecal matter builds up over time leading to sometimes a thick, toxic, tire-like layer. Taking oral laxatives do not effectively remove it. Enemas are a good thing to do yourself at times when there is a no bowel movement day (constipation).
Fresh wheat grass juice is best and freeze dried organic wheat grass juice powder is next best as a general detoxifier and blood cleanser to help keep the large and small intestines functioning well, alkalinizing the body and donating electrons for cellular regeneration.
Water, ideally reverse osmosis, triple filtered and plenty of it is essential for an effective detoxification program. We need to be drinking one ounce of water for every kilogram of body weight per day and sipping it throughout the day at room temperature. Water is needed to flush the toxins from the body.
Heavy metal detoxification can be done orally and through intravenous chelation. Lead, mercury, aluminum, and other metals accumulate in the organs, glands, bone tissues and brain and can be very difficult to eliminate. Heavy metal toxicity is a serious problem affecting many organ systems and another major component of disease.
Mercury is considered “the most toxic substance known to man”. Mercury (silver) amalgams continuously leak and mercury accumulates in the kidneys, liver and brain. If there is another metal present in the mouth, (braces, retainer, gold or other metal fillings), this creates electrical currents between the metals causing mercury vapor to increase. Chewing, teeth grinding and hot foods and drinks also increase the release of mercury vapor as well as brushing, drilling and teeth polishing. Mercury vapor when swallowed in saliva may react with hydrochloric acid in the stomach creating mercuric chloride which kills beneficial gut flora (probiotics) causing an overgrowth of yeast, parasites and harmful bacteria. It also causes HCL to decrease leading to indigestion of protein, causing heart burn, bloating and other digestive problems. When HCL is deficient, protein is not broken down into amino acids which are required for the body to produce, hormones, neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, and allow muscle to build and tissues to be repaired. The body will break down and age at a much-increased rate without adequate HCL.
Research studies are showing degeneration in the basal ganglia found in Parkinson’s disease is reactive to Mercuric Chloride, therefore it is present in those with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and in fact all neurodegenerative diseases. Bacteria and yeast in the mouth turn methylate mercury into methylmercury which in addition to the leaking mercury vapor from the fillings, can be a major contributor to many chronic physical, mental and emotional diseases especially nerve-related (neuro) and immune-related (immunological).
For the past 160 years, mercury has been used in dentistry causing these diseases to increase. Phenylmercury is used in root canals to kill bacterial leaks out of root canals. Titanium dioxide is also a common allergen and is used as white coloring agent in dental products, toothpaste and pain medications. A properly trained and equipped dentist can safely remove mercury amalgam fillings and prevent the adverse effects of mercury spillover by up to 90%. Replacement of dental amalgams with mercury-free fillings has been shown in numerous studies of thousands of patients to improve a wide range of chronic disease up to 6-12 months after mercury removal.
In terms of toxicity, it’s not a matter of whether we have toxins in our bodies, but rather, to what degree? How toxic are we? There are a couple of lab tests that can be done to get an idea of toxicity. One is a hair analysis where non-dyed or bleached hair is analyzed for mineral deficiencies as well as toxic elements. The other test is a 24 hour urine test where urine is collected over 24 hours after taking a provocative agent to stimulate toxin release. The urine is tested to see levels of each heavy metal present indicating tissue levels in the body. These tests are used as a guideline for how long and how intense the detoxification program needs to be. It is important to heal the gut before starting a detox as this will help to reduce or eliminate negative symptoms associated with detoxifying. These symptoms can be fatigue, headaches, malaise, skin eruptions and aching joints.
After a detox you should feel younger and healthier with more energy, clear skin, bright eyes and no aches and pains.
Sleep: Make sure you get enough sleep to allow your body to repair itself and replenish growth hormone and thymus hormones (immune system) fixing the wear and tear your body has endured during the day so that you are rested, repaired and recharged for another busy day.