This is a compendium extrapolated from books you might choose to add to your bookshelf, written by physicians and researchers, that deal with Candida, Allergies, Leaky Gut Syndrome, Gluten Intolerance, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Diet, as relates to alternative/complementary considerations in dealing with these problems.
The following is from the book "Wellness Against All Odds" by Dr. Sherry Rogers, M.D.; Published by Prestige Publishing, P.O. Box 3068, 3500 Brewerton Road, Syracuse, New York, 13220.
The question that is often asked, as relates to the leaky gut syndrome, is answered by Dr. Rogers, that either can cause either -- in her words, "The leaky gut can cause food allergy, and food allergy can cause the leaky gut." Once that occurs, any number of auto-immune diseases can develop, such as rheumatoid arthritis, thyroiditis, lupus, multiple sclerosis ALS, as any part of the body can be the target for food allergy, including our inside skin lining the gut, which can manifest as ulcerative colitis.
Some people are so sensitive to gluten, (found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats, and other grains) that they react to the slightest amount, not even knowing that they are sensitive to it. Dr. Rogers explains that the gluten sensitivity inflames the gut to the degree that he the body will make antibodies to of intestinal bacteria and chemical additives in foods.
Once the antibodies are attached to our cells, there is a chain reaction of chemicals (such as histamine) that are released that then go on to cause any symptom, from swelling to pain and itching. "And if the damage is in the cells of a particular organ, like the kidney, then it appears predominantly as a kidney disease....but if it is in a tissue that goes to every organ, like blood vessels, then you can have hypertension, vasculitis...if the antibody is directed to nervous tissue, then you could have multiple sclerosis, alzheimer's, neuritis, and paresthesias (pain, numbness, tingling), ankylosing spondylitis.... Gluten is one of those hidden antigens...in anything that contains wheat, rice, barley, or oats, and sometimes buckwheat or millet, depending on how sensitive the person is, in anything that says it has modified food starch or MSG or just plain spices. It can be in prescription medications as a binder, filler, or bulking agent. It can be in vitamin tablets,...sausages and textured protein meat extenders and substitutes as well as in canned meat...imitation cheeses and malt extract which is used in many beverages as well as foods...it can be a hidden ingredient in ice creams, catsup, mayonnaise, instant coffee, whiskey's and much more....
..many celiac victims also have a concomitant lack of the enzyme lactase which breaks down milk sugar.... Milk and wheat are among the commonest antigens in the American diet to produce symptoms, so merely avoiding those helps many people feel better."
Dr. Rogers quotes in some of the above from the book "Can A Gluten Free Diet Help?" by Lloyd Rosenvold, M.D.
Another book I would like to mention is "Breaking the Vicious Cycle -- Intestinal Health Through Diet" by Elaine Gottschall, published by The Kirkton Press, Kirkton, Ontario, Canada, wherein she delineates what she calls the specific carbohydrate diet and covers a great deal of explanation on these same subjects, including recipes that are totally free of grains.
Elsewhere in her books, and in some of her articles, Dr. Rogers points out "that you can eat, drink, or inhale something you are exquisitely sensitive to today, and not react with symptoms until anywhere from the next day to two weeks later, and never make the connection, and then not recover from those symptoms until months later, and then, only if you don't repeat your exposure, and wind up with a diagnosis of anything from Fibromyalgia, to you name it....
The reason some people never become strong enough to fight off Candida is they are too mold sensitive. To increase their resistance, they need to stimulate the body to make antibodies against not only Candida, but scores of other molds, some of which cross-react with Candida and which are in the everyday environment."
Dr. Rogers basically recommends a macrobiotic diet for her patients, but has also reversed that when she finds a carnivore diet is compatible with a patient's metabolism.
Regarding enzymes, Dr. Rogers goes on to say, "There are several things to know about the enzymes. First, there are different types. The Kelley Program recommends organic glandular pork pancreatic enzymes. But there are people who can't take these, but could tolerate organic glandular lamb or beef. For others there are plant derived enzymes, but most of these are made from fungal antigens (Aspergillus oryzae). So it is a question of balancing the needs and allergic intolerances of each individual person....
Basically enzymes are taken with meals to help with assimilation of food. Then additional doses are taken between meals when there is no food competing for their use so they can actually penetrate tissues and break down cancers, antigen-antibody complexes, and arteriosclerosis...."
Then elsewhere she goes on the explain that for the person who cannot tolerate the animal-based enzymes and are allergic to the fungal ones, that they can be neutralized so they can be handled.
There was a reference to hydrochloric acid before meals and pancreatic enzymes after meals previously posted here. Dr. William Philpott, M.D., a well-known psychiatrist/Clinical Ecology allergist, in his book "Brain Allergies", written with Dwight Kalitla, Ph.D, Keats Publishing, Connecticut, deals with this as part of his protocol, and a sequel book of his, "Victory Over Diabetes" might also be a valuable addition to your bookshelf. It ties all this together from similar and different angles.
Another precious little book on my shelf is "The Survivor's Nutritional Pharmacy" by Dr. Cass Igram. Dr. Igram draws the connection between Candida and parasites, and states that Sulfur has been used as an anti-parasitic agent since ancient times. He states that sulfur, in the form of organic sulfur drops may prove invaluable as a general, non-toxic agent for destroying a variety of parasites.
Dr. Igram, among several other books, also wrote, with Judy K. Gray, M.S., "Eat Right to Live Long", published by Literary Visions, Inc. (800)243-5242, with a dedication "For Those Who Think". It's a detailed, informative book, with explanations from the author's experience as a practicing physician, that includes lists of food categories, and some recipes. The copy text below his table of percentage of calories from fat in natural foods and spices, notes,"that many natural foods which have been downgraded nutritionally, such as eggs, meats, cheese, ...contain no more fat than many processed foods..... Natural foods are always better, whether they are high in fat, sugar, or starch.... Now you can become familiar with how tasty, how appetizing, how nutritious a high-natural fat diet really is -- bon appetit!"
And now, to put another spin on the subject of enzymes, I quote from an article by Dr. Lynn August in The Townsend Letter for Doctors, April, 1995:
"Over the last 60 years there have been discoveries about hormones that cast an entirely new light on 'what is a healthy diet after all.'
These recent discoveries are the identification of the oldest hormones, *eicosanoids*.... They cannot be measured in the blood."
Then she discusses prostoglandins and the work of Dr. Emanuel Revici about conjugated fatty acid -- and then it gets technical. She goes on to say, "Eicosanoids are essential to every life form. Every cell in the body is regulated by eicosanoids. Different eicosanoids have different, and even opposing effects. Therefore the 'modulation' or 'control' of eicosanoid synthesis is very important."
After much elaboration, Dr. August sums it up, the gist of which is that all of today's so-called 'healthy diets' are wrong. Incidentally, Elaine Gottschall, in her book referred to earlier, "Reversing the Vicious Cycle" says essentially the same thing in different words, as do Dr. Orion Truss, Dr. William Crook, and many others, even allowing for the fine points of difference among them. Dr. August also refers to the work of Dr. Barry Sears, author of "Enter The Zone".
"One sees that the most important factor modulating the relative productions of series-1 and series-2 eicosanoids is the protein/carbohydrate (CHO) ratio in the diet. Excess dietary CHO's and inadequate dietary protein promote excess series-2 eicosanoids. Many so-called healthy diets in America consist of excess dietary CHO's and inadequate protein, and hence promote an excess of series-2 eicosanoids (an excess of which, out of balance, are the bad guys, according to the author). This includes the American Diabetic Association diet, the cardiovascular fitness diet, a vegetarian diet, a whole food diet, and the majority of weight loss diets.
And so Dr. August and Dr. Sears go on to say (and don't forget the school pyramid diet which they consider to be a potential disaster) as does Elaine Gottschall), that a 3 to 4 ratio -- that is, 3 gram of protein for every 4 grams of carbohydrate, to prevent the excess of series-2 eicosanoids, and 30 grams of fat -- the right fats. The essence of this is that this ratio must, according to Drs. Sears and August, be adhered to *every meal and snack because there is a hormonal response every time you eat*. There is a specific protein requirement for each individual based on his or her sex, size, weight, and activity. Protein *must* comprise 30% of the daily calories ingested. This, they say, is a far cry from the 10-20% of protein and fat in those 'other' diets.
Dr. August goes on to say, "However, the more carbohydrates one eats, the more calories they also eat. Every time one eats any carbohydrates, they leave the digestive tract as blood sugar and the rise to blood sugar stimulates the release of insulin. Yes, insulin does allow the blood sugar to go into the cells but an excess of insulin from an excess of ingested carbohydrates eventually causes a drop in the blood sugar which is then experienced as 'low blood sugar'. This in turn creates the need for more carbohydrates/ /sweets, also known as sugar cravings....
This 30/30/40 diet eliminates hyperinsulinism, invariably increases mental acuity and energy, ...has invariably had a marked positive effect in every disease process to which is has been applied...demonstrated statistically significant and/or greater decrease in weight, triglycerides, fasting insulin, and glycolated hemoglobin.... It is now well documented ...that (it) has several beneficial effects for all athletes...improve memory, reduce fatigue, decrease hunger, and increase mental alertness. Many of the beneficial effects are the result of growth hormone. Growth hormone builds and repairs muscles. Series-1 eicosanoids are responsible for the release of growth hormone from the pituitary."
And now a synopsis/overview of the work of Dr. Majid Ali from his books "The Canary and Chronic Fatigue", "The Butterfly and Life Span Nutrition", and "Ghoraa and Limbic Exercise", published by Life Span Press, 95 East Main Street, Denville, New Jersey 07834. telephone (201) 586-9191.
It can all be summed up rather simply (although it is not simple): Chronic fatigue, in the words of Dr. Ali, "is the chronic absence of energy. Energy is an enzyme function. It follows that chronic fatigue is a failure on energy enzymes.... It's a state of accelerated oxidant molecular injury.... Oxidation is a loss of electrons. The normal oxidative pathways are relentlessly overdriven by allergic triggers, chemical sensitivities, designer killer molecules in our antibiotics and pesticides, oxidants in pollutants, metabolic roller coasters of sugar and neurotransmitters and the powerful oxidant molecules of stress. Potassium and magnesium leak out of the cells and calcium leaks into the cells." Dr. Ali explains NADPH, cellular energy, and the potassium-sodium pump, as well as hormones and balancing thyroid..
He states clearly that he has never seen a patient with chronic fatigue who could not be unequivocally proven to be allergic with sensitive and specific micro-elisa tests for IgE antibodies. He is convinced that allergic genetic makeup sets people up for chronic fatigue. "Cumulative oxidant injury caused by allergic triggers, extensive antibiotic therapies, drug abuse for mere symptom suppression, viral and bacterial infections, chemical exposure...". He cites "studies that show common genetic patterns between chronic fatiguers and patients who suffer from a host of autoimmune disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, pemphigus vulgaris, IgA and gold nephropathies (kidney diseases)...". He also refers to hyperactivity, and mood swings.
He describes deformities of the red cell membrane upon examining red blood cells of patients with a high-resolution, phase-contrast microscope. He also observed loss of plasticity of cell walls in up to 80% of cells. "These changes were most marked in patients who suffered from acute and chronic food, mold and pollen allergy reactions."
He definitely does not agree with the "mind over matter" attempt at healing, but rather what he calls "energy-over-mind strategy" that "gives far superior clinical results". Because "oxidant injury disrupts patterns of electromagnetic energy in muscles" he proposes" long-term training in slow, sustained breathing patterns with prolonged unforced expiration". He refers to this as limbic breathing, and incorporates it into exercise that he insists be easy, slow, non-goal oriented, without measurements and equipment-- free and easy, either walking, swimming, bicycling, running in place, protected from weather, at least initially, but always extending the slowing of breathing-- inhaling, holding, exhaling.
This leads to the more meditative state -- the limbic non-thinking state where healing can take place. As one attains this, spirituality becomes a part of the body-mind-spiritual healing process, with freedom from desire to control, freedom from anger, freedom from fear.
"Every time I see a young woman or man who has rheumatoid arthritis, or ulcerative colitis, or vasculitis, or asthma, or hives, he is allergic." He stresses this throughout the book. "Antigen immunotherapy for chronic fatigue sufferers should be an integral part of long-term strategy for restoring damaged energy enzymes."
He says, in essence, that all bets are off when it comes to recommended nutrition by drug oriented physicians and standard nutritionists. He also says that the prevailing concepts of nutritional deficiencies are irrelevant to chronic fatigue. He administers 15 grams of Vitamin C intravenously to some of his patients. And often all the major supplements are administered intravenously until they can be handled orally. Nutritionally he deals with three core aspects: "Optimal choices in the kitchen, oral nutrient and herbal protocols, intravenous nutrient protocols when deemed necessary.
The first thing he deals with is the bowel ecology. He avoids drugs, but occasionally will prescribe Nystatin or Diflucan very short term if absolutely essential. "The metabolic individuality of a person is a central issue...food allergy, food intolerance, deficiencies of digestive enzymes, and nutritional deficiencies." He also stresses that an optimal state of hydration is essential.
He offers detailed explanations about the importance of magnesium, and its many functions. He covers the subject of toxic metals, that are known enzyme poisons --aluminum, mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel, arsenic, and, in his view, finds aluminum overload a far more important threat to human biology than lead or mercury, and finds his chronic fatigue patients far more exposed to aluminum in their environment.
He describes and explains how EDTA Chelation Therapy reduces the body of toxic metals and rehabilitates enzymes and removes excess calcium from within the cells.
In addition to discussing antibodies to candida species and other types of yeasts, he also finds cephalosporium, alternaria, and aspergillus.
He likes neural therapy, widely practiced in Europe, for non-toxic clinical relief of pain.
Dr. Ali prefers the electrodermal method of testing for food allergies and intolerances, rather than blood tests, but among the blood tests available, he does not like the RAST, but prefers the ELISA.
Dr. Ali tells us that lettuce is in the same family as ragweed, which is among the most allergenic weeds in the United States. There is a high degree of cross reactivity between lettuce and ragweed, so he recommends that people with food and hay-fever type allergy cut down on lettuce.... So to summarize: "Food choices in the kitchen, oral nutrient therapy, intravenous nutrient therapy if necessary, environmental control, environmental therapy, diagnosis and management of allergies, self-regulation and slow-sustained exercise." And in his book "The Ghoraa and Limbic Exercise" he has diagrams of specific limbic exercises.
Of course the work of Dr. Robert Atkins is widely known. He is known to the the first to write of insulin resistance, as he does again in "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution", published by M. Evans & Company, Inc., New York, which he claims is "the hidden force behind many major illnesses, from diabetes to heart disease."
Ann Louise Gittleman, M.S. famous for her book "Guess What Came to Dinner: Parasites and Your Health, has written a newer book, with James Templeton and Candelora Cersace, called "Your Body Knows Best", published in March of 1996, by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020, in which she speaks of personalized nutrition, and also states that it is not a new concept.
She states emphatically that there is no universal diet suitable for everyone, and that to find out what is right for an individual, it's necessary to start with ancestry and hereditary as a modifying factor, among others. The idea of biological/biochemical uniqueness has been around for thousands and thousands of years, all the way back to ancient Chinese writings and early Egyptian and Greek physicians, and Hippocrates himself. This is virtually ignored by most modern day nutritionists.
Another modifying factor she discusses is based on the work of Dr. George Watson, and other researchers, such as Dr. Paul Eck, Dr. David Watts, and Dr. Rick Malter, with an explanation of the importance of the metabolic rate -- whether a person has either a fast or slow oxidative rate, and its effect on dietary needs and psychological problems.
She explains that the fast burner suffers on low-fat diets, and do better on heavier protein and fat, low in complex carbohydrates. Nucleoproteins, which should be avoided by the slow burner, are preferable for the fast burner -- purine-rich proteins, such as red meats, anchovies, herring, caviar, sardines, organ meats such as liver, kidneys, sweetbreads. Author Gittleman states, "...Although these may be unpopular foods today, they have been standard throughout our history.... ...It has only been ...when the misguided cholesterol propaganda came into vogue that these foods have been banished from the American home. Ancestrally speaking, organ meats were often considered to be the prize of a successful hunt."
Another modifying factor, according to Ann Louise Gittleman, in personalizing one's diet, is blood type. She explains how blood types A, B, AB, and O appeared at different times throughout the progression of generations throughout the world, and how these blood types connect us to our past.
According to her report on the work of Dr. James D'Adamo, and his son, Peter, also a physician, in their extensive research of blood groups as relates to biochemistry, diet, and disease, (scientific documentation listed in her References) Dr. James D'Adamo, in his book oriented for the lay reader, "The D'Adamo Diet" published by McGraw-Hill, 1989), found that Blood type A people did well on a vegetarian or near-vegetarian diet, and so did those with the very rare type AB, but type B people need more animal protein, whereas type O finds it almost impossible to remain healthy on a vegetarian diet. Type O's, according to the D'Adamo's research, have been found to have a much greater genetic need for animal protein and fat.
The first blood type that researchers in this field have been able to determine is type O. Animal meat was the primary source of food on a daily basis, supplemented with roots, leaves, wild grains, and plant foods, and since dairy products were unheard of, present day type O's, would, more than likely, have difficulty in digesting dairy products.
Applying this reasoning to the idea that it takes millions of years for humankind to evolve, moving through time and place in search of food, that since sugar has only been available to us in its refined state over the last 150 years, it's theorized that that's why so many people have such trouble with it.
Further, Type O's according to this research, "have a greater predisposition to celiac/sprue disease, which is caused by a genetically inherited metabolic inability to digest foods that contain gluten, specifically, wheat, rye, oats, barley..." -- the "new foods" that were introduced long after the appearance of type O.
Dr. Richard Kunin, an orthomolecular physician from San Francisco, is quoted in "Your Body Knows Best", "Grains are really Johnny-come-latelies on the nutritional scene. Meats, fruits, beans, seeds, nuts, and vegetables have had a considerably longer historical alliance with the human gut."
Ann Louise Gittleman carries this theme further by stating, "Grains and grain products are associated with a whole range of problems, including carbohydrate addiction and yeast infections, or candidiasis." She explains that sensitivity to gluten can be the cause of diarrhea, anemia, cramps, muscle spasms, and can lead to serious malabsorption problems that result in chronic deficiencies that can be the cause of depression, fatigue, disorders of the glands, alcoholism, and has also been implicated in rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, and multiple sclerosis.
Discussing the detrimental effects of trans fatty acids and the process of oxidation that makes these highly processed and unnatural fats dangerous, she makes a strong statement in the book, after referring to Dr. Weston Price's statement, in his landmark book "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration", "that butter is essential for proper growth and development of bone structure is "This information about trans fats, which I've discussed in more detail in "Beyond Pritikin" and "Super Nutrition for Women", flies in the face of current nutritional propaganda, which points to meat and animal fat as the dietary culprits responsible for heart disease, obesity, and cancer. Now we know that the artificial and manipulated fats in margarine and hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are far more dangerous to the human body than the natural fats found in animal meat.... ...unnatural trans fats that are biochemically incompatible with the human body...have no business being used as food." Elsewhere she states, "Incidence of heart attacks in America has not gone down even though consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol levels have."
She stresses balance and the difficult path in trying to understand the difference between spiritual beliefs and the biological needs of the human body, based on blood type, ancestry, and primarily, whether you are a fast or a slow oxidizer.
Two other books along these lines: Ann Louis Gittleman makes several references in her book to Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., who, along with Pat Connolly and, in the book "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon, published by ProMotion Publishing, 3368 F Governor Drive, Suite 144,l San Diego, California, 92122, (800) 231-1776, again with mention of the work of Dr. Weston Price, in the preface, where the authors state, "The premise of this book is that modern food choices and preparation techniques constitute a radical change from the way man has nourished himself for thousands of years, and, from the perspective of history, represent a fad that not only has severely compromised his health and vitality, but may well destroy him; and that the culinary traditions of our ancestors, ...should serve as the model for contemporary eating habits...."
The book is filled with history and recipes. The sub-title gives a taste of what the book contains: "The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats". The authors give historical data and instructions, including how to make natural ferments. They teach us how to simulate the foods of our ancestors to the degree that is possible in our modern society with rich and enriching details in support of the authors' thesis that animal foods and saturated fats have, for the most part, always been included in humankind's heritage.
Commentary:
I have no vested interest in any of these books, nor do I make any dietary recommendations. My purpose here is to report on the work of others, noting a unifying theme in these works -- reference to allergy -- and stressing, beyond the generalities and the science and history behind them, the uniqueness of each person's biochemistry.