By Lawrence Wilson M.D.

The subject of nutrition and biochemistry is vast and complex. Many practitioners base their nutritional therapy on treating symptoms. However, identifying fundamental imbalances allows for much deeper and more permanent correction of body chemistry.

A few nutritional imbalances account for a majority of symptoms and diseases. Knowing the basic imbalances gives the practitioner a systematic approach for use with most patients. Symptoms are often due to a combination of these imbalances. It is best to address all the imbalances for best results. This article discusses:

1. Negative thoughts and emotions

2. Food Intolerance

3. Metal and chemical toxicity

4. Nutrient deficiencies

5. Carbohydrate intolerance

6. Candidiasis and other infections

7. Adrenal burnout syndrome.

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS

Positive thoughts and uplifting emotions send positive energy to the cells of the body. The converse occurs as well. Fear, anger and depressing thoughts send negative messages to the cells. Maintaining a positive emotional environment and learning to harness the power of the mind for healing purposes is one of the most important steps anyone can take in their journey to health. The following attitudes will be found most helpful for the healing process.

A Positive Emotional Environment

A peaceful, quiet, pleasant, clean environment is most important to rebuild and maintain health. Many people will give up their coffee and donuts, but continue to let angry, fearful or depressing thoughts make a home in their minds. They may continue to watch depressing news on television, read fearful or angry material in books or magazines, or continue to be in contact with angry, resentful, depressed or fearful people. The result is continuous reinfection with negative thoughts and destructive emotions.

Selfishness is an attitude often needed for healing. It means saying no to everyone and everything that does not promote your health. It is often easy to do this with foods and toxic chemicals. It is often harder to do it with people, books, television, family and social obligations. Yet it is every bit as important.

This kind of selfishness is learning to love the self. It is not about ignoring others or breaking promises. It is about setting priorities straight.

Desire and Intention

Desire is the motivating force for everything. A strong desire for healing, no matter how it is felt, is most helpful. Intention has to do with maintaining this desire consistently. Consistent desires maintained by intention lead to consistent results.

Discipline. Healing often involves developing discipline. Discipline is not so much a harsh striving to achieve a goal, as it is the honing of one's skill in an area. The word discipline is derived from the same root as the word disciple. Discipline may be simply learning to follow one's intuition, instead of being distracted.

Forces that controlled the body and emotions often have to be brought under conscious control. Regimens that retrain the body and brain may have to be pursued. One may indeed choose illness to learn discipline. Discipline can be as simple as following a diet and doing some exercise. Or it may involve working through emotional traumas, following the threads of intuition to their source deep within the psyche.

Allowing and Surrender. Allowing, as opposed to striving, is the idea that healing has not occurred because one has not permitted help or love or guidance to be received. Allowing is the process of becoming receptive. Surrender is an extension of this idea.

Allowing and surrender are unfamiliar to many people. Yet it is often necessary to allow symptoms to play out as part of healing. It may be necessary to allow emotions to surface, or to allow unusual or uncomfortable experiences or therapies.

Touching the Deeper Self. Surrendering to the healing process requires digging deeply into oneself. Here lie great power, strength and mystery. The ego, with which most people identify most of the time, is but a small part of who we are. Peak experiences or enlightenment are when one transcends the ego part of oneself.

Near-death experiences often touch this vast and mysterious part of us. People returning from these experiences are often transformed. Their lives change dramatically and their illnesses and neuroses often vanish. Excellent books about these experiences include those by Raymond Moody, MD, Damian Brinkley and others.

Writers from biblical times to the present have described vast realms and dimensions inhabited by incredible beings, places we visit at night, and so forth. We seldom give ourselves credit for the beings we are. While symptoms may be addressed along the way, the challenge is to remain aware of the complexity and mystery of human life.

Reclaiming Power. Healing requires re-cognizing and reclaiming power. The ego part of ourselves is a fearful victim that seeks safety and security. The grander part is powerful, adventurous and unafraid.

Taking Responsibility. With power comes responsibility. The attitude of taking responsibility for whatever exists in one's life is very empowering. Responsibility implies that if one has created a mess, one can un-create it. No need to waste time and energy in self-pity or despair. Even if one doesn?t know what to do, just the idea that one can alter events is empowering and healing.

A Sense of Humor. Readers may be familiar with Norman Cousins? experience with crippling spondylitis. When told there was little hope of a cure, he cured himself watching Marx Brothers movies (and taking vitamin C). He noticed that laughing gave him temporary pain relief. After several months, the relief lasted longer and longer until the pain did not return.

Laughter and joy can lead one out of negative beliefs that created the illness in the first place. It is hard to laugh and be depressed or angry at the same time. Humor detaches us from our predicaments, reduces stress and releases beneficial chemicals into the blood.

Emotional Detachment. Detachment allows us to examine our beliefs and behaviors with innocense, rather than defensiveness. Detachment helps us explore new therapies, avoid resentments or guilt, and stay calm in the midst of chaos.

Participating Actively. The best results occur when the patient insists on being in charge of his or her healing. Research reported by Dr. Bernie Siegel indicates those who question and even disobey their doctors fare better than compliant, passive patients. Every patient can participate in their healing, if only through prayer. Double-blind studies prove that prayer, even at a distance, can affect the outcome of surgery and other medical outcomes. This is explored in detail in an excellent book entitled Pray Well by Walter Weston.

Understanding Collective Consciousness. The power of prayer and certain other healing methods presumes that everyone shares a knowing and power at a deep level. The thoughts and actions of any person affects all others. Also, as one person heals, their insights and information become available to all others, assisting others to heal.

Forgiving. Forgiving others releases one from the need to control, justify or even understand events. It also helps release judgments, resentments, grudges, guilt, anxiety, remorse and other harmful emotions. This greatly reduces stress on the body and facilitates healing as does nothing else.


FOOD INTOLERANCE

Food allergies and intolerance are very common cause of symptoms of ill health. A food allergy is an immune system reaction to an ingested food. A food intolerance is due to an enzyme deficiency or some other factor that does not involve the immune system.

Changes in The Food Supply

Agriculture. Changes in our food supply are causing havoc with our bodies. Today?s food is quite different from that of 100 years ago. The protein content of wheat is much lower, the starch content higher, and the vitamin and mineral level much lower. For many people, these new crops are actually toxic. Their consumption damages the intestinal lining, creating leaky gut syndrome and other problems. Cows have been bred for production and their milk is no longer as healthy. Wheat and cow's milk dairy are best avoided for these reasons.

Food Varieties and Processing. The book Eat Right 4 Your Type proposes that different blood types are more compatible with certain foods. While not true in every case, this approach to food selection is helpful for some people.

Food processing and refining can create food intolerance. For example, some people can drink natural, whole milk, but not pasteurized, homogenized milk from cows injected with bovine growth hormone and fed antibiotics.

Many foods contain pesticide residues, as well as a chemical soup of up to twenty or thirty preservatives, artificial flavors, colors and other additives. Reactions to MSG, aspartame, BHT and other additives are quite common.

Eating Habits. Eating on the run, eating too fast or too much, eating when anxious, drinking too much water or other beverages with meals, or eating ice cold or scalding foods can all impair digestion and cause food intolerance.

Body Chemistry. Adrenal gland weakness, liver toxicity, imbalanced intestinal pH, intestinal inflammation, infection or other difficulties can cause food reactions.

Leaky gut syndrome. When the intestine is too permeable, undigested peptides or other food components enter the blood stream resulting in allergic reactions.

Causes of leaky gut syndrome include bacterial or viral infections, parasitic infestations such as candida albicans, Crohn?s disease or celiac disease. Other causes include the use of alcohol, Motrin, Advil, cortisone or other irritant drugs, nutrient deficiencies, antibiotic therapy, excessive sugar in the diet, excessive stress of any kind or impaired digestion for any reason.

Natural Food Constituents. Minerals, vitamins, amino acids and other food compounds are at times responsible for food reactions. For example, soy beans are high in copper while nuts are quite oily. These can cause food reactions in susceptible individuals.

Symptoms of Food Intolerance

Symptoms of food intolerance and food allergies include upset stomach, gastroenteritis, runny nose, dark circles under the eyes, shock, edema or swelling, anxiety, ulcers, joint pain, asthma, addictions, and rashes. In children they can cause seizures, red ear lobes, red cheeks, excessive talking or aggressive behavior, bedwetting and attention deficit.

Other symptoms are bronchitis, celiac disease, diarrhea, chronic fatigue, colic, colitis, diabetes, depression, failure to thrive, hay fever, headaches, hyperactivity, bowel disease, insomnia, iron deficiency anemia due to blood loss, learning disorders, malabsorption, myalgia, nephritis, acne and sore throat

Still more conditions possibly related to food allergies are bulimia, anorexia, alcoholism, candidiasis, constipation, Crohn's disease, conjunctivitis, delusions, dyslexia, epilepsy, fever, hypothyroidism, hoarseness, low stomach acid, irritable bowel syndrome, memory loss, multiple sclerosis, obesity, middle ear infections, premenstrual syndrome, psoriasis, ringing in the ears and dizziness.


METAL AND CHEMICAL TOXICITY

Toxicity an important concern. Toxins can be physical or emotional. Toxicity is not something that is easily seen, and can go on for years producing only vague, hard-to-identify symptoms.

Types of Toxins

I have classified toxicity into five types: physical toxins include metals, organic chemicals and metabolic waste products. The first two come from outside the body, while the third is generated within. The fourth type is vibrational toxins - sounds, sights and other subtle energies. The fifth is emotional toxins.

Metal toxins includes lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, fluoride, chlorine, bromine, barium, copper, iron, manganese, selenium and other elements. Some of these such as copper, iron, manganese and others are needed in small amounts. Others, such as lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic, have no known function in the body.

Toxicity with these elements can be acute, in the case of ingesting or drinking a significant quantity at one time. However, most often toxicity is chronic. We are slowly exposed to these elements in the environment, and are not able to get rid of them as fast as they accumulate. They are in medicines, vitamin supplements, dental materials, copper intra-uterine devices, hair dyes, cosmetics and occasionally in food, air or drinking water supplies. Metal workers, mechanics, welders, printers and other workers may be exposed to high amounts of particular toxic metals. Many children are born high in toxic metals acquired from their mothers in utero.

Blood tests are mainly useful to detect acute poisoning. Chronic toxicity is far more common. Hair mineral testing or urine challenge tests are required for detection of chronic metal toxicity.

Organic chemicals include pesticides, insecticides, solvents, household cleaners, dental materials other than metals, toxic substances on fabric, in building materials, furniture, plastics, residues in drinking water, air, packing materials and so on. These substances often impair liver detoxification ability, but may impact the kidneys, brain, energy production, immune system and many other organs and body systems.

Detection is difficult because there are thousands of them. Tests are quite expensive when the tests even exist. Invasive biopsies may be required because the chemicals are often sequestered in the liver and fatty tissues. Fortunately, detoxification methods to be described will help with organic chemicals, and identifying which chemical is at fault is usually not necessary.

Metabolic Waste Products. If digestion is poor, the liver is flooded with partially digested food, often mixed with toxic fermentation products like alcohol and acetaldehyde. Toxic intestinal putrefaction products include mercaptan, hydrogen sulfide, putrescine, indole, skatole and others.

Improper bowel flora such as E. coli may produce endotoxins and exotoxins that may also build up in the liver. Chronic infections elsewhere in the body may also produce powerful toxins. Common sites are hidden dental infections in root canals and cavitations, and chronic sinus, bladder and lymphatic infections. Impaired oxygenation, hydration and circulation may also cause lactic acid and other metabolic end-products to accumulate in the body.

Energetic and Vibrational Toxins. These include exposure to toxic sounds such as loud motors, loud music, horns, sirens, auto traffic, blaring television sets, noisy restaurants and offices. Visual toxins may include television ads and programs, traffic congestion and depressing scenes of neglect and despair that one encounters in certain areas. Subtle energetic toxins and harmful frequencies may emanate from microwave towers, cell phones, computers, electrical appliances, geopathic anomalies, high-tension wires and other sources.

Ionizing Radiation. An article in The Ecologist, April 2001 issue begins by stating "the (radiation) equivalent of a nuclear war has already happened". This may not be an exaggeration. The article carefully details that 1900 nuclear tests, accidents and nuclear waste dumping have exposed everyone on the planet to the equivalent of 4000 Hiroshima bombs.

The article reveals details of previously classified accidents including one in Greenland in 1968. A B-52 crashed at a secret nuclear base and its cargo of four nuclear bombs detonated, sending up a cloud of plutonium 25,000 feet into the air. According to US documents, 1250 nuclear weapons have been involved in accidents, a number of which "resulted in or created the potential for plutonium dispersal". The Soviet Union was notorious for its cavalier attitude about nuclear accidents. A 1991 film documents the poisoning of hundreds of thousands as a result of accidents at their first plutonium factory at Chelyabinsk in the Ural mountains.

Using the official ?radiation risk? estimates published in 1991 by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, planetwide contamination will cause 175 million cancer deaths and another 350 million non-fatal cancers. It will also cause another 235 million illnesses and 588 million children to be born with birth defects such as brain damage, mental disability, spina bifida and childhood cancers.

A large problem is depleted uranium, a waste product which every nation that has atomic weapons has in abundance. To get rid of it, it is often made into ammunition that was used in the Gulf War, Bosnia and Kosovo. Leukemia rates have increased in these areas since its use.

Another hidden source of radiation are the fluoride compounds added to many municipal water supplies. Hydrofluosilicic acid, the source of most fluoride for water supplies, is a smokestack waste produce that contains radioactive particles and heavy metals along with fluoride.

Radiation is carried on mineral particles. The minerals lodge in the cells where they disrupt DNA synthesis. This causes defective protein synthesis resulting in innumerable subtle metabolic dysfunctions. As the defective proteins replicate, the metabolic errors also multiply.

Far infrared and electric light sauna therapy promote rapid turnover of body cells. The deeply penetrating high heat kills damaged cells which are more heat-sensitive than normal cells. Eliminating the radiation-containing cells helps the body eliminate radioactive particles faster and prevents replication of these cells. Over a period of time, infrared sauna therapy can dramatically reduce the amount of mutated DNA and radioactive material in the body. One needs to use sauna therapy periodically because exposure to radiation continues throughout one?s life.

Emotional toxins. These are extremely important for many people. They include exposure to negative, violent, fearful, angry or confused thoughts and emotions in people with whom one associates. They are a feature of dysfunctional families, co-dependent relationships, many educational and work environments, and among those who tune into the mass media.

How Toxicity Occurs

A toxic condition of the body occurs either due to excessive absorption of toxic substances, or impaired ability to eliminate toxins, or both. Excessive absorption can begin before birth. Toxic metals and other poisons pass through the placenta from the mother to the fetus. This is why prenatal care should include a nutritional balancing program that includes detoxification procedures.

Impaired elimination of toxins may be due to congenital poor elimination, constipation, illnesses affecting the liver, lungs, colon, kidneys or skin, excessive clothing, lack of sweating, shallow breathing, liver congestion, nutritional deficiencies, a slow metabolic rate, poor circulation, poor hydration, lack of exercise, or other conditions that impair normal elimination. Most people have very poor skin elimination due to wearing too much, too tight and synthetic (non-porous) clothing from birth.

Removing Toxins

Removing toxic substances is best accomplished when six methods are used simultaneously. The first is to reduce exposure. This may seem obvious, but at times takes some effort to identify sources. The second is to support the eliminative organs. This involves assisting the activity of the liver, kidneys, lungs, colon and skin with methods to be described later.

For heavy metals, the third method is the use of chelating agents. I use natural agents such as sulfur amino acids, vitamin C, substances such as cilantro and herbs such as yellow dock and bugleweed. Some physicians use DMPS, DMAE, penicillamine, deferoxamine, EDTA and other synthetic chelators. I do not recommend any of these. They are unnecessary and even the ?safe? chelators have adverse effects in some patients. They release toxic metals from storage sites where the metal may not be causing symptoms. However, if the patient cannot eliminate them adequately, they may redeposit in more critical body tissues, causing a worsening of symptoms. I find that using sauna therapy is safer, less costly and more effective.

The fourth method is to use antagonists. These are nutrients that inhibit the absorption of toxic metals, or inhibit their metabolism. For instance, calcium competes with lead for absorption. Zinc competes with cadmium.

A fifth and very important method is to enhance energy production. Energy is required to remove toxic substances from enzyme binding sites. The main way to enhance energy production is by balancing the metabolic or oxidation rate and supporting proper glandular activity and carbohydrate and fat metabolism.

A sixth method is to support the body in precise ways that allow it to more easily remove toxic substances. An analogy is a building that has broken beam or supporting member. Before it can be removed, the surrounding area of the building must be supported in other ways. This takes the load off the broken support, so that it can be slipped out and a new one put in its place.

Toxic metals often function as substitutes for physiological minerals. For example, cadmium is located just under zinc in the periodic table of the elements. When zinc is deficient, the body will absorb more cadmium as a substitute. Cadmium will perform some of the functions of zinc in the body, though not as well as zinc. When enough cadmium replaces zinc - like too many replacement parts in a car - serious dysfunctions occur.

Removing the cadmium cannot be accomplished very well just by giving a chelating agent and supplying a lot of zinc. It is helpful to support the body?s adaptations during the process. In this case, cadmium raises the tissue sodium level. Cadmium removal will proceed much more rapidly and painlessly if one gives extra nutrients that raise the sodium level. In this way, the body does not need cadmium to raise the sodium. For this reason, shotgun chelation and nutrient therapy are much less effective.

The same principle applies to some chemical toxins. For example, caffeine, nicotine and cocaine have a stimulating effect on the adrenal glands. Use of these substances is an adaptation to stress. Supporting the adaptation with nutrients such as vitamin C and adrenal glandular can make stopping the drugs much easier.


NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES

Today most bodies are very deficient in minerals. There are several causes for this.

Agricultural Causes. Our food consists entirely of hybrid crops bred for production or insect resistance, but not for greater nutrition. Ten times as much food is grown per acre today than 100 years ago. However, these plants only contain 10 to 20% of the mineral content of the old non-hybrid plants. Newer genetically-engineered strains continue this trend.

Weston Price, DDS, traveled the world studying the diets of healthy tribes. He found that healthy tribes on average ingested 4 to 10 times the vitamins and minerals of the average American. Natural fertilizers formerly used on crops restored most minerals to the soil. Today's superphosphate fertilizers are often missing vital trace elements. Pesticides used on many crops kill soil microorganisms that help break down the soil and permit plants to absorb nutrients. Thus, plants also absorb less nutrition from the soil.

Poor eating habits. Many people eat "instant" poor-quality food, eat on the run or in their car, eat standing in front of the refrigerator, eat at their desk while answering the phone, skip meals, and do not chew food thoroughly. Parents are too busy working to prepare meals for children. All these food-related habits impair digestion, absorption and utilization of nutrients.

Food refining and processing. White rice has less than half the amount of some 20 nutrients as whole rice. Salt used to be an excellent source of minerals. However, table salt has most of the trace minerals removed, leaving an unbalanced and unhealthy product. Frozen foods are often sprayed with EDTA, which removes surface minerals and keeps the color of the product bright. White sugar, white flour, canned vegetables, processed meats and cheese, powdered milk, dried potatoes and hundreds of other processed foods are far less nutritious than the original whole food.

Instead of drinking water or even real lemonade, children drink the empty calories of Coca Cola and Kool-aid. Processed foods such as powdered potatoes, powdered eggs, Cool Whip, Mocha Mix, and hundreds of other products may be fat-free and come in "instant" packages, but contain little if any nutrition compared to fresh, natural foods. Enriching them with a few vitamins, or taking nutritional supplements, just begins to make up for the losses in nutrients from poor food and deplorable eating habits.

Mineral Nutrients

Of all the classes of nutrients, the most deficient today are the minerals. This is the result of high-yield crops grown on worn-out, mineral-deficient soils. Also, many methods of food processing remove valuable minerals. Man-made foods are often totally devoid of minerals. Minerals are also more difficult to supplement. They must be kept in proper balance, must be bound to be absorbed, and they compete with each other for absorption.

I highly recommend everyone use kelp powder or granules as a condiment to help supplement deficient minerals. This product is also a powerful detoxifier of heavy metals, radiation and chemical toxins.

The Electrolytes

Calcium deficiency is very widespread. There are few good sources. Egg yolks, almonds, sesame seeds, dark greens, molasses, goat milk and cheese, kelp and dulse are good sources.

Calcium is needed for nerve conduction, cell membrane permeability, muscle contraction and relaxation, the cardiovascular system, fluid balance, insulin secretion, as an alkalinizer and to maintain strong bones and teeth.

Magnesium is another important element that is often deficient. Good sources include almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, soybeans, parsnips, buckwheat, chocolate, molasses, kelp and brewers yeast.

Magnesium is required for over 500 critical enzymes involved with the cardiovascular system, nervous system, energy production, protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, hormonal regulation, the bone structure, detoxification, blood clotting and other functions.

Sodium is less often deficient. Sodium is required to maintain fluid balance, membrane permeability, lung homeostasis, production of gastric Hcl, and for protein and carbohydrate metabolism. It is an alkaline element that helps buffer the blood. Sodium is added to many foods and salt is used as a preservative. Deficiency is possible in cases of diarrhea, heavy perspiration, and those with endocrine, renal or adrenal defects.

Potassium is found in most foods, particularly sardines, herring, halibut, goose, most nuts, dates, figs, raisins, prunes, watercress, garlic, lentils, parsley, potatoes, dark greens, buckwheat, molasses, mushrooms, chocolate, kelp and yeast.

Most of the functions of potassium are intracellular including muscle contraction, nerve impulse conduction, CO2 transport, pH balance, bone growth, protein and carbohydrate metabolism, and liver function.

Deficiency may occur in those eating refined food diets or excessive salt which antagonizes potassium, and in cases of diarrhea, adrenal or renal malfunctions. Diuretic medication may also cause potassium deficiency.

Phosphorus-rich foods include eggs, nuts, seeds, dried beans, whole grains, chocolate, kelp and yeast. Deficiency is uncommon, and usually only occurs during growth spurts, or during pregnancy and lactation. Phosphoric acid is unfortunately found in soda pop. It binds and removes calcium, magnesium and zinc from the body.

Most phosphorus is in the bones, although high-energy phosphate bonds are essential for energy production. Phospholipids are essential for cell membranes. DNA and RNA are phosphorus compounds, and phosphorus helps buffer the blood, transport calcium and maintain the osmotic pressure of intracellular fluids.

Trace Elements

Though needed in small amounts, trace minerals are among the most deficient nutrients. They include iron, copper, manganese, zinc, chromium, selenium, lithium, cobalt, silicon, boron and others.

Copper is needed for female fertility and to prevent miscarriages. Copper is also required for healthy arteries, pigments in hair and skin, blood formation, energy production and for neurotransmitter substances such as dopamine.

Copper sources include nuts, seeds, beans, grains and chocolate. Excess copper is more common than deficiency today, due to the use of copper water pipes, birth control pills, vegetarian diets, copper intrauterine devices, adrenal exhaustion and stress.

Manganese is called the maternal element, because animals deprived of this element do not nurture their young. Manganese is involved in cholesterol synthesis and bone growth. It is also needed for healthy tendons and ligaments, and for fat and sugar metabolism. Manganese-rich foods include walnuts and other nuts, bran, corn, parsley, tea and wheat germ.

Zinc is essential for over 50 body functions. These include the sense of taste and smell, vision, growth, sexual development, digestive enzyme production, male potency, prostate gland health, blood sugar regulation and processing of alcohol.

Zinc is very important for the joints, the skin, wound healing, and to prevent birth defects. Zinc helps prevent diabetes, acne, epilepsy and childhood hyperactivity, and helps detoxify heavy metals. Adequate zinc has a calming effect and is needed to regenerate all body tissues.

Refined food is very low in zinc. According to Dr. Carl Pfeiffer, MD, PhD, the entire human population is borderline zinc deficient. Good sources of zinc are herring, oysters, clams, wheat bran, oatmeal, wheat germ, and colostrum.

Chromium. A desert rodent called the sand rat develops diabetes when fed a laboratory diet. When returned to the desert, the diabetes goes away. Extensive research indicates the problem with the laboratory food is a lack of chromium.

Chromium is essential to for insulin transport. It can also help lower cholesterol. Chromium deficiency is very common, especially in middle-aged and older people. Food sources of chromium are brewers yeast, beets, mushrooms and beer.

Selenium is needed for protein synthesis, helps detoxify cadmium and mercury, is anti-viral, and is needed for antioxidant production (glutathione peroxidase). As an anti-oxidant, it may help prevent cancer and birth defects. Good sources of selenium are garlic, yeast, eggs and brazil nuts. Human milk contains six times as much selenium as cow's milk.

Food refining removes a lot of selenium (and other trace elements). For example, brown rice has 15 times as much selenium as white rice.

Lithium has a calming effect on the nervous system. It is found in many natural foods. Cobalt is essential for life as part of the vitamin B12 molecule. Vitamin B12 is required for the nervous system and blood formation. It is found in eggs and milk. Deficiencies usually only occur in strict vegans, those with impaired digestion, and the elderly who have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12.

Iodine is required for the thyroid gland and the regulation of metabolism. Good sources are sea vegetables and sea salt. Boron helps maintain female hormone production and bone integrity. Boron is found in many foods. Silicon is important for the bones and skin. Food sources include lettuce, parsnips, asparagus, dandelion greens, rice bran, horseradish, onion, spinach and cucumbers, and in herbs such as horsetail.

Trace minerals often work in pairs or triplets. The interaction of minerals in the body is a complex and interesting subject. There are many other trace minerals whose functions are less well understood. These include molybdenum, vanadium, bromine, germanium, nickel, tin, cesium, rubidium, strontium, gold, silver, titanium, tritium and others. The only way to assure that one gets enough of these is to eat a variety of natural foods grown on mineralized soil.

Vitamins is a catch-all name for a variety of chemical substances that have been found essential for life. There are some 20 of them, at minimum, with new ones being discovered all the time. Amino acids are the components of protein. The human body requires a correct balance of at least 10 of these, and perhaps more. Essential fatty acids are found in fats and oils, and are essential for cell membrane function, prostaglandin synthesis, hormone synthesis and many other functions. In addition to these, there are as yet undefined food compounds that appear essential for life. This is known because animals fed a purely chemical diet do not do as well as animals fed natural foods.

HYPOGLYCEMIA AND DIABETES

Derangement of blood sugar regulation, also called carbohydrate intolerance, is epidemic today. This results in hypoglycemia, dysinsulinism and diabetes.

Stages of Carbohydrate Intolerance

Hypoglycemia is the first stage of sugar intolerance. It literally means low glucose in the blood. However, the condition is more complex. Symptoms may be due to low sugar in the blood, low sugar in the cells or an inability to convert glucose to ATP, the high-energy molecule that is the body's actual fuel. In any of these cases, the cells become starved for fuel. This can cause a breakdown in a wide variety of body functions. The brain is particularly affected. It not only uses a lot of fuel, but does not store fuel and so must have a continuous supply.

Impaired energy production in turn contributes to toxicity, sluggish tissue regeneration, and impairment of all body systems. The body eventually begins to cannabalize its own tissues for fuel. This contributes to arthritis, bowel disease, cardiomyopathy, muscle wasting and dozens of other health problems.

There are different types of hypoglycemia. One type is called reactive hypoglycemia. This is an exaggerated insulin response upon eating sugar or other sweets. Instead of just returning the blood sugar to normal levels, excessive insulin secretion results in abnormally low blood sugar several hours after eating. This type occurs more commonly in children, and in the alarm stage of stress or fast oxidizer. These individuals burn their food rapidly, contributing to wide fluctuations in blood sugar levels.

Another type of hypoglycemia is a chronic low blood sugar condition. This is often due to adrenal insufficiency. Cortisone and cortisol secreted by the adrenals are required to maintain adequate blood sugar levels. When these are deficient, blood sugar levels tend to remain somewhat low.

Other types of hypoglycemia are due to deficiencies of zinc, calcium, magnesium and chromium. These minerals are needed for the production, release, transport and activity of insulin. Deficiencies of manganese, iron, copper, B-complex vitamin, essential fatty acids and other nutrients may impair the production of ATP in the mitochondria of the cells, also resulting in low cellular energy levels. The presence of toxic metals and other toxins can also cripple the energy cycles, leading to blood sugar abnormalities.

Dysinsulinism and diabetes are later stages of the dysfunctions described above. Low cellular sugar or low ATP production continues. However, the body may attempt to force more sugar into the cells by raising the blood sugar level. In other cases, mineral and other deficiencies may impair the effectiveness of insulin, termed insulin resistance. In still others, insulin production decreases for various reasons.

There is an adrenal diabetes, diabetes due to iron, lead or cadmium toxicity, or to a complex mixture of biochemical imbalances. It often goes undiagnosed, and remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality growing at epidemic proportions.

Symptoms of Carbohydrate Intolerance

Symptoms of hypoglycemia include fatigue, uneven energy, cravings for sweets and often starches, inability to skip meals, irritability before meals, extreme hunger at times, mental confusion, irritability and even violence. Robert Atkins, M.D., a leading medical doctor, estimates that 75% of the American population has some degree of carbohydrate intolerance!

Diabetics can experience all the same symptoms as they are deficient in energy at the cellular level. In addition, uncontrolled diabetics urinate frequently, have excessive thirst, and as the condition progresses may experience serious complications such as arteriosclerosis, blindness, numbness and other symptoms.

Causes of Carbohydrate Intolerance

Diet. The primary cause of carbohydrate intolerance are diets high in carbohydrates, especially refined sugars and starches. These include white bread, pastries, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar, honey, corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, fructose and other sweets. These diets flood the system with sugars and place excessive stress on the sugar regulation system. In addition, refined carbohydrates have been stripped of the essential minerals and vitamins needed for carbohydrate metabolism. It is a deadly combination. These foods are particularly attractive to people in adrenal burnout, as they want quick energy and are in some cases unable to metabolize more complex foods.

Lifestyle. Another factor contributing to carbohydrate intolerance is a lack of exercise, often coupled with a lack of sleep. Little exercise contributes to poor oxygenation of the body. Oxygen is imperative for carbohydrate metabolism. Sleep deficiency impairs rebuilding of the tissues during the night.

Insufficient water may also contribute to impaired oxygenation of the tissues. Instead of drinking water, many people live on cola drinks and coffee. These do not provide sufficient water, and can have a diuretic effect that negates their value as beverages.

Stress. High-stress lifestyles deplete nutrients more rapidly and impair digestion and absorption of nutrients. Diabetics are often stress-seeking, stubborn, hard-driving personalities. This is less often true today, however, as more of the population succumbs to diabetes simply due to nutritionally-deficient, high-carbohydrate diets.


CANDIDA ALBICANS AND OTHER INFECTIONS

Candida Albicans is a common fungus and a normal inhabitant of the human intestine. Its anaerobic metabolism is usually kept in check by a number of mechanisms that favor aerobic metabolism. When body chemistry becomes deranged in the ways described above, candida may overgrow creating a variety of pathology that can be life-threatening.

Causes of Candida Overgrowth

Toxic metals. Elevated levels of minerals including iron, copper, lead, mercury arsenic and cadmium impair immune system activity, may damage normal intestinal flora and may allow candida overgrowth. A year or more may be needed to slowly eliminate these toxic metals.

Copper and yeast infections. Copper is a natural fungicide. Farmers often spray copper sulfate on fruits and vegetables to kill fungi and molds. City water departments at times add copper compounds to drinking water for the same reason. Most if not all individuals with yeast infections have a copper imbalance.

Ceruloplasmin, a binding protein manufactured in the liver, is important to control copper metabolism. Adequate adrenal activity is required for ceruloplasmin synthesis. Underactive adrenal glands or sluggish liver activity cause a decrease in ceruloplasmin production. As a result, copper is not adequately bound and becomes unavailable to the body. This situation is common today.

Birth Control pills raise copper levels, as do antibiotics, some of which act by chelating copper from the liver. Antibiotic therapy and birth control pill use are known to increase the tendency for chronic yeast infection. Cortisone therapy causes a decrease in adrenal gland activity and impairs the immune system. It is also associated with yeast overgrowth. One mechanism for this may be its effect on copper availability.

Slow metabolism. Slow metabolizers often have unavailable copper due to sluggish adrenal, thyroid and liver activity. Their body chemistry is often more alkaline due to lower production of lactic acid and excess unbound calcium that neutralizes lactic acid. They also have low levels of gastric hydrochloric acid and a tendency for constipation. The combination of these factors makes these individuals extremely prone to candida albicans overgrowth. Unless all these factors are addressed, the candida problem tends to persist in spite of dietary modification and anti-candida medication.

Medication and candida. Overuse of antibiotics ranks high as a cause of chronic candida overgrowth. Wide-spectrum antibiotics in particular kill beneficial organisms such as lactobacillus acidophilus that normally keep yeast in check. The drugs are also toxic to the liver and can weaken the immune system. They are stored in body tissues, where their effects can persist for years. Antibiotics should only be used as a last resort, and never for colds, flu, children?s ear infections or viral infections. Birth control pills and steroids such as cortisone or prednisone also predispose one to yeast problems.

Toxic chemicals. Ingestion or contact with any chemical that is toxic to the liver or that weakens the immune system will increase the risk of candida albicans infection. This includes most, if not all prescription and over-the-counter medication. Contact with thousands of other toxic chemicals just adds to the problem. The tremendous promotion of over-the-counter and prescription drugs and toxic chemical products is an important cause of widespread candida albicans infection.

Blood sugar imbalance and yeast infection. Candida albicans overgrowth may cause or be a result of sweet cravings and sugar intolerance. Yeast organisms crave sugar, their natural diet. When ?deprived? of sugar or carbohydrate in the diet, the yeast begin to die, releasing toxic substances that cause a die-off reaction in the infected person.

Eating sweets or starches feels good because it feeds the yeast which stops the die-off and the die-off symptoms. When patients tell me they feel much better eating carbohydrates and sugars, I always consider that the reason is hypoglycemia and chronic intestinal yeast overgrowth.

The yeast organism produces alcohol. If the yeast begin to die due to sugar deprivation, alcohol production decreases. The infected person will go into alcohol withdrawal. This can feel extremely unpleasant. A strong craving for sweets or starches is the need to resume internal alcohol production.

Candida albicans infection may also be a result of high-sugar and high-carbohydrate diets. On these diets, there is more available nourishment for yeast organisms. High-sugar diets also weaken the immune system and the adrenal glands and deplete trace minerals, all of which favor yeast overgrowth.

Use of wheat and other allergic foods irritates the intestine and may facilitate spread of candida organisms. Hopefully the example of yeast overgrowth illustrates how closely inter-related are the primary imbalances.

Acidity and candida. Yeast thrives in a slightly alkaline environment. Gastric hydrochloric acid deficiency is widespread and allows yeast to survive passage through the stomach. The colon and vagina should also be slightly acid, which would discourage yeast growth. However, in many people they are alkaline due to improper bowel flora, enzyme deficiencies and diets high in fruit and other carbohydrates.

Chronic Candida Albicans Symptoms

Symptoms of candida overgrowth may be due directly to candida toxins such as alcohol, acetaldehyde and methane gas, and their damaging effects on body organs and systems. Symptoms range from simple fatigue and depression to headaches, intestinal gas, low resistance, bloating, skin and vaginal fungal infections, tightness in the shoulders, itching, joint pain, mental confusion, brain fog, memory loss and many others. If the candida spreads from the intestines and invades other organs, more specific organ-related symptoms can occur. The condition can be life-threatening in immune-compromised individuals.

Symptoms due to candida may be difficult to distinguish from symptoms of burnout, food allergies, toxicity and nutrient deficiencies since these are usually found together. Some practitioners blame everything on yeast problems, which is not the case. However, chronic yeast overgrowth is far more common than one might suspect and an important basic imbalance.

Books about candida contain excellent information, but often focus more on symptoms than on causes. Many people feel better on the diet and medication for candidiasis, but never fully recover. If they stop the program, the symptoms return. Fortunately, insights from trace mineral research can identify and correct deeper causes.

Other Infections

Chronic infected teeth, cavitations where dental procedures have been done, chronic sinus, bladder, ear, eye, bronchial, bladder, intestinal and other infections are a primary cause of ill health. In my experience, most people have a dozen or more chronic infections they are unaware of. Any infection treated with antibiotics often was not completely cured. When someone undergoes an intense sauna therapy program, these infections are brought out and eliminated by the heat and improved circulation. The amount of chronic infection present is surprising to many people.

ADRENAL BURNOUT SYNDROME

Adrenal burnout syndrome is also called adrenal hypofunction, adrenal exhaustion or adrenal insufficiency. It differs from fatigue, a temporary condition in which one?s energy returns with sufficient rest. Burnout persists in spite of rest. It is a fundamental derangement of the energy-producing mechanisms of the body. Physicians may diagnose it as Addison?s disease. However, this is considered incurable, while recovery from adrenal burnout is definitely possible.

Adrenal burnout may develop slowly or it can occur after one trauma. John F. Kennedy went into adrenal burnout when his patrol boat was rammed by a Japanese destroyer during World War II. He never recovered and took replacement adrenal hormones for the rest of his life. If he had found the right naturally-oriented physician, perhaps he would not have needed replacement therapy. As with the other imbalances, adrenal burnout may be due to many factors.

Causes of Adrenal Burnout

Nutritional causes include deficiencies of nutrients needed to maintain the adrenal glands. The adrenals require B-complex vitamins, vitamins A, C and E, manganese, zinc and other nutrients. Toxic metals may replace vital minerals in key enzyme binding sites, further weakening the glands. Imbalances affecting other glands such as the pituitary, thyroid, thymus or ovaries may also affect the adrenals.

The adrenals are the first line of defense against stress. Excessive physical, emotional, financial, educational, work or family-related stress can deplete the adrenals. Overstimulation, trauma, overwhelming stress or an inability to respond appropriately to stress can exhaust the adrenals. Fast-paced, high-stress, fear-based lifestyles are a sure prescription for adrenal burnout.

Stimulants such as caffeine, sugar, alcohol, recreational drugs and some medications may temporarily increase adrenal activity, but eventually weaken and damage the adrenal glands. Less obvious, but widely used adrenal stimulants include chronic worry, anger, rage, loud music, horror movies, vigorous exercise, thrillers, sexual preoccupations and arguing with friends or spouses.

Sympathetic-dominant individuals quickly experience an adrenal response to stress. They also have weaker digestion, so they are more prone to nutritional depletion of the adrenals. These individuals are particularly prone to exhaust their adrenals from overuse. When their adrenals recover, these people must learn to modify their responses to stressors or they easily burn out their adrenals all over again. "Don't worry. Be happy." is a great prescription for adrenal burnout.

Negative emotions, especially fear and psychological depression can shut down the adrenals. However, this is not the same as burned out adrenals that are no longer capable of responding to stress.

Many children are born with weak adrenals due to nutritional deficiencies in their parents. These children often go into adrenal burnout by age three or four. They are often sick, become depressed and have difficulty in school.

Stages of Adrenal Burnout

The adrenals move through three stages as they become exhausted. These were first described by Hans Selye, MD and called the general adaptation syndrome. The first is the stage of alarm, in which the adrenals respond vigorously to stress. Hair mineral analysis reveals elevated levels of sodium and potassium in relation to calcium and magnesium in this stage of stress.

The second stage is called resistance. The adrenals can no longer mount as vigorous a response. On a hair mineral test, the levels of sodium and potassium begin to decline in relation to calcium and magnesium as the level of aldosterone declines.

The third stage is called exhaustion. A hair mineral analysis will reveal very low levels of sodium and potassium, and often a ratio of sodium to potassium less than about 2:1. In this stage, cortisone levels rise and symptoms of adrenal burnout are more apparent. Each stage can be more or less severe, and a person may go back and forth between stages depending on their stress levels, nutritional balance and other factors. If one knows the stage of burnout, one can recommend foods and nutrients to help move the body into a healthier stage of stress.

Symptoms of Adrenal Burnout

Alarm symptoms include anxiety, nervousness, irritability, muscle cramps, twitches, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, gastric hyperacidity, excessive sweating, diarrhea, severe allergies and asthma.

Symptoms of the exhaustion stage may include fatigue, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, allergies, impaired digestion, weight gain or loss, depression, irritability, mood swings, cravings for salt, sweets or starches, headaches, dry skin and hair, repeated infections including yeast problems, gum disease, hyper- or hypothyroidism, constipation and premenstrual syndrome in women. Symptoms of the resistance stage are often some combination of the symptoms of the other two stages.

Myths of Burnout

Myth #1. Burnout is a psychological problem. Burnout is a breakdown of the energy systems of the body. The original cause may be psychological stress, and it can affect one?s emotions and behavior. However, burnout is also a biochemical condition that requires correction of body chemistry.

Myth #2. People in burnout have no energy and can't work. Many people in burnout hold full-time jobs and appear to be in good health. However, they are tired and often require stimulants to keep going. They may use their work to forget how tired they feel. Often they develop work or relationship problems, since they are not functioning optimally. They may go on for years before a serious condition arises to alert them that something is wrong.

Myth #3. Vigorous exercise is good for burnout. Vigorous exercise programs can be attractive to those in burnout because exercise makes them feel better temporarily. However, while it may provide a boost, in the long run vigorous exercise further exhausts their bodies.

Myth #4. A vacation, a diet, or a nutritional supplement will pull a person out of burnout. In fact, many people never recover from burnout. To recover from burnout requires a commitment to health, a properly designed and monitored health program, and often a variety of natural therapies.

Myth #5. Burnout occurs mainly in men in high-stress jobs. Burnout now occurs in all groups, regardless of age, sex or occupation. Burnout is commonly seen in teenagers and children.

Myth #6. Burnout only affects the physical body. Burnout affects every area of life. Work begins to be affected. Relationships and families suffer because a person in burnout loses interest in everything, including his or her partner. There is simply not enough energy for everyday activities. Employers, friends and family members are often unaware of the cause, which only worsens the situation.

Myth #7. Smoking and a hectic lifestyle cause burnout. This is possible. However, it can also work the other way around. A person in burnout is attracted to stimulants such as smoking, sugar, drugs, or over-work as a way to compensate for feelings of exhaustion.

The Blessing of Burnout

Burnout can force a person to drop out of the rat race and search more deeply for answers to their health problems. It is often the starting point for a deeper exploration of self. One may learn about nutrition, natural therapies, meditation and spirituality. It is often the beginning of living, rather than just existing as a programmed consumer.


CONCLUSION

The seven imbalances discussed above set the stage for most illness. Natural healing programs that focus on these imbalances will prevent and correct most health conditions.


Dr. Lawrence Wilson
P.O. Box 54
Prescott, AZ 86302-0054
              (928) 445-7690       
Visit http://www.drlwilson.com/ for books, and audio tapes from Dr. Wilson.