Curious Cook: Observations about food in France in May – Part 2

The weather has been very (very) wet this May in France and I spent a lot of time reading with my dog curled up beside me. Fortunately, there is no shortage of interesting news to keep our minds busy. (Go here for Curious Cook: Observations about food in France in May – Part 1)

July 17, 2018 Food

By CHRIS CHAN

Eggs?

An egg a day keeps the strokes at bay … or does it?

A large study in China (conducted between 2004 and 2008 with 416,213 participants aged between 30 and 79 years) concluded that eating an egg a day reduced the risk of death via strokes by 28% and heart attacks by 18% across a wide demographic. Oddly, this food study provided no additional supporting dietary data.

So this extraordinary claim has to be viewed cautiously, because an earlier 2015 Korean study of 23,417 adults found that eating eggs actually increased artery calcification (a leading indicator of heart disease) – though it also noted that this was observed more in people who were overweight/obese and/or ate few vegetables. Statistically it is a common mistake to credit a single item (such as eggs) without considering all other associated factors which can affect predicated outcomes.

Therefore the safest interpretation of the China study is: eating an egg daily is fine for people on good diets and who are not overweight, which as it turns out, is something we already know anyway.

Fasting intermittently and diabetes?

As someone prone to sinusitis, every few months I restrict my calorie intake to around 200 calories a day for three to five consecutive days. This appears to reset the immune system and then I am fine for another few months – if you are curious, more details are somewhere in here.

I therefore follow a very intermittent fasting (IF) strategy, and not the more common IF diets which prescribe stuff like semi-fasting two days out of every week.

So headlines like “Fasting Diets Can Increase the Risk of Diabetes” emanating from a widely-reported talk at the 2018 European Society of Endocrinology Annual Meeting in Barcelona piqued my interest – especially as it asserted: “intermittent fasting diets may actually damage the pancreas and affect insulin function in normal healthy individuals, which could lead to diabetes and serious health issues”. This is a striking claim which would be remiss of me not to investigate.

Searching for study papers revealed the University of São Paulo had not published any. All that was available was a short transcript which noted that the research was conducted on Wistar rats, which have a totally different diurnal (daily) feeding cycle to humans. Starving a rat for just one day is roughly similar to starving a human for two to three weeks, starving mammals often react by developing insulin resistance which helps minimise weight loss – and there was no mention of the fasting period(s) used.

In any case, the research seemed to focus on markers associated with insulin resistance and it was unclear if any rats actually developed diabetes.

To be fair, I will review the paper when it is published but it is extremely likely the “normal healthy individuals” cited in Barcelona referred to rats rather than humans. Phew.

In any case, I had earlier bookmarked a paper from MIT which claimed that fasting boosts intestinal stem cells’ (ISCs) ability to regenerate, even in aged subjects. If you are curious, it was suggested fasting conditions may somehow cause ISCs to boost/re-activate the peroxisome proliferator-activator receptors (PPAR) responsible for fatty acid oxidation. This may be plausible as a lack of food should promote a more efficient digestive environment – however, the research was based on young and old mice, not humans. So until there is confirmation the same effect happens in humans, it is probably best to leave it as an interesting conjecture.

The spleen and baking soda

Baking Soda

A paper from the Medical College of Georgia, USA, in the Journal Of Immunology claimed that ingesting sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3, or baking soda) can reduce inflammation in both test rats and humans. This paper reads like an unfinished detective story.

The plot started originally with test research into slowing kidney failure rates by reducing blood acidity via the introduction of an alkaline compound, NaHCO3 – note that kidney failure causes increases in blood acid levels. Promising results led to a detailed, complex investigation of NaHCO3’s unexpected side effect on general inflammation.

The surprising outcome was a conclusion that NaHCO3 stimulated the mesothelial cells on the surface of the spleen (an organ involved in the immune system), and this had the effect of shifting the balance in the body from M1 (inflammatory) to M2 (anti-inflammatory) macrophages (which are special white blood cells involved in clearing pathogens, defective cells and other cellular debris from the body).

How this M1-to-M2 switch happens may be due to the production by the spleen’s mesothelial cells of acetylcholine, an important neuro-transmitter associated with reducing inflammation as well as learning and memory. This is an intriguing piece of research, with two additional notable items.

One is the apparent anti-inflammatory response is destroyed if the spleen is perturbed or damaged in any way; the second is the humans studied was a small group of 18 healthy young adults, and therefore probably statistically irrelevant.

I have read well over a thousand scientific papers, and the impression is that not all the research done was strictly warranted or worthwhile. However, if asked to choose the most intriguing paper of the month, this would probably be it, although it is a long way before further peer-reviewed research can confirm the findings reported.

Gut behaviour

An opinion piece from researchers in Oxford University in Nature magazine explored the reasons why human behaviours may be modified by the human gastrointestinal microbiota (HGM).

While such behavioural change may not be as extreme as, say, the changes invoked by the rabies virus, there are certainly bacteria in the HGM producing compounds which can make humans feel good or lousy.

Organisms that co-exist symbiotically within a host are known as symbionts – and symbionts are likely to have a major influence on host evolution by influencing host behaviour in a manner which benefits the symbionts and (hopefully) also the host.

Why I bracketed the word “hopefully” is because of an odd situation. Rodents infected with the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii lose their aversion to the scent of cat urine, making them more likely to be caught and killed by cats. The reason is because the parasite can only reproduce in felines and it therefore needs to sacrifice its rodent host to be eaten by a cat.

This is not only a cat and mouse issue. Thirty to 50% of all humans today currently have toxoplasmosis, which means their brains are infected by Toxoplasma gondii.

Perhaps as a result of human immune responses to this infection, several conditions have been associated with toxoplasmosis. They include leukaemia, various neuro-degenerative diseases, neuroticism, aggression, impulsive behaviours, suicidal tendencies, etc – though one should note correlation is not necessarily proof of causation. Generally, toxoplasmosis is asymptomatic and the vast majority are not even aware of infection, though it might help explain why many humans like cats irrationally (as witnessed by the number of cat items on YouTube and Instagram).

The HGM situation is different as it comprises of many species of bacteria clustered together, which limits each individual strain’s ability to influence the host – any self-initiated aggressive attempt to boost an individual species is likely to be met with counter-measures from other bacteria. Therefore, quorum sensing generally keeps a healthy HGM in balance. More about this on: https://www.star2.com/living/viewpoints/2016/03/13/curious-cook-a-quorum-of-flavour-part-1/.

The HGM also resides within the Enteric Nervous System (ENS), a huge conglomeration of neurons stretching from the oesophagus to the anus and linked to the Central Nervous System (CNS) via the vagus nerve.

Hence, the HGM can transmit good and bad signals via the ENS to the CNS, and these signals can influence behaviour. An example is the tension-induced “butterflies in the stomach” feeling, which can provoke odd coping behaviours.

Pleasant signals may result from neurotransmitters (or precursors to neurotransmitters) created by certain species in the HGM in response to ingested food.

Less pleasant signals can arise from other HGM bacteria which spawn uncomfortable immune system responses as a result of stress or poor diet – note that for now, we exclude the different, strident reactions to external pathogenic invasions or chemically-disruptive events (eg. smoking, alcohol, pollution, etc).

Both good and bad signals may alter (and reinforce) host behaviour in ways to benefit different bacteria within the HGM. Feeling good may cause the host to seek and ingest more food linked to pleasure.

Bad feelings may lead to the host also ingesting more to compensate for feeling lousy or malnourished. Either way, such changes in host behaviour can benefit certain adept bacteria in the HGM without being disruptive to other bacteria.

So if you are certain the brain in the head is always in charge of making decisions, you might want to think again.

https://www.star2.com/food/2018/07/17/curious-cook-observations-about-food-in-france-part-2/

This Overlooked Body System Can Give You Cancer if You Neglect It

I think it’s safe to say that few people wake up in the morning thinking about their lymph system. You don’t see it, feel it, or touch it. Most people probably don’t know a thing about it.

It could be one of the most ignored systems in your body. It quietly does its job – or doesn’t – depending. . .

Yet because its primary job is to usher toxins out of your body, a healthy lymph system is vitally important for your health and wellbeing.

Mainstream health care professionals tend to ignore this. Have you ever heard your doctor tell you to take care of this invisible system? Probably not.

Read on… because an unhealthy lymph system is a sure way to magnetically attract diseases, from cancer to acne and so much more.

11 December 2016

Newsletter #664 Lee Euler, Editor

Never take this “Cinderella” for granted

Like hard-working Cinderella, your lymph labors quietly in the background to clean up the messes almost every other system in your body makes.

The lymphatic system is undervalued by Western medicine – regarded as an inferior sister to your circulatory system. That’s in sharp contrast to Ayurvedic medicine, which lavishes a great deal of attention on lymph.

Ayurveda considers your lymphatic system to be one of seven major body systems – and the very first to be compromised from stress.

In the Sanskrit language of ancient India, the more meanings a single word has, the more critical its role.

The Sanskrit word for lymph is rasa – which is also used to express emotion, taste, juice, nutrient fluid, plasma, water, menses, semen, breast milk, melody, satisfaction, and love.

Traditional Chinese medicine has a similar take. Practitioners believe poor lymph health triggers a host of conditions, from cellulite to cancer.

Bigger than your blood circulatory system

Remarkably, you have twice as much lymph fluid in your body as you have blood.

Your lymph bathes all your cells and drains away debris, nonstop.

But unlike blood, which has the heart to keep things moving, the lymph system lacks an “automated” pump to keep lymph fluid circulating.

Amazingly enough, only your breathing and movement can power this vast circulatory system. If your lymph completely stopped moving, you’d die in a matter of hours. Hint: This means our sedentary lifestyles are taking a terrible toll on our health.

So it’s not something to take lightly… even if your doctor never mentions it.

Like your blood circulatory system, your lymph system serves nearly every cell in your body. Lymph nodes look like tiny pearls knotted on a string. But they’re not there to look pretty. They are the cleaning filters for your lymph fluid.

One of the most crucial functions of your lymph is to generate and store white blood cells (WBC) – the ones that fight infections.

Other key lymph organs include your bone marrow (where WBC B-lymphocytes are made), spleen, tonsils, and thymus gland (where T-lymphocytes are made).

Lymphoma is cancer of the lymphocytes. Lymphoma is actually an umbrella terms that includes a number of different lymph cancers. Taken together, they account for about 74,000 new cancer diagnoses per year.

That’s fewer than breast cancer (247,000) and prostate cancer (181,000), but still enough to make lymphoma a bigger concern than, say, melanoma skin cancer, which receives a great deal of publicity but is pretty rare.

“Central Command” for your lymphatic system

Your biggest concentration of lymph surrounds your gut… appropriately called gut-associated lymphatic tissue, or GALT.

Consider GALT your gatekeeper. Or cupbearer, if you will. During Bible times, cupbearers were important and trusted servants whose responsibilities included preventing the king from being poisoned – whether accidentally or as part of an assassination attempt.

Your GALT “tastes” and then separates good nutrients from bad pathogens, and mounts a defense, calling on your immune and endocrine systems as needed.

It is “Command Central” for your lymphatic system.

Your lymph’s Job #1 is to detect infection and cellular debris and get rid of it… including pathogens or antigens that create an immune response, dead cells, live infections, and undigested proteins (e.g. casein and gluten).

Your lymph system moves fluid through a series of ever-widening vessels along some 500 filtration and collection points. At each successive node the fluid is re-filtered and more pathogens are removed.

If your lymph fluid is blocked at one lymph node, it will seek out a detour. Extreme blockage can cause fluid to back up, causing the swelling called lymphedema. Lymphedema can disable or disfigure. Conventional breast cancer treatments are the most common cause of lymphedema.

Though your lymph vessels are networked far and wide through your system, they merge at certain points to form trunks.

Is your lymph system sluggish or backed up?

If your lymph system gets sluggish – because of surgery, illness, toxins or lack of activity – your lymph fluid can back up. Stagnant lymph can go unnoticed for a long time. But eventually you’ll have to pay the piper.

Think about rivers. A healthy river runs clean and clear. But a stagnant, brackish river — overrun with soot, sludge, silt, and other pollutants — is a perfect breeding ground for pathogens and disease.

Since your lymph cleanses nearly every cell in your body, backed-up lymph fluid can manifest in many different ways — including but not limited to allergies and food sensitivities, acne, joint pain, arthritis, frequent colds and flu, headaches and migraines, PMS, fibrocystic breasts, sinusitis, digestive problems, loss of appetite, foggy thinking, mood problems and depression, cellulite, parasites, muscle cramps, and general fatigue.

Stagnant lymph also blocks your ability to cleanse hazards such as dangerous bacteria and cancer cells.

Swollen lymph nodes usually mean an infection is present in the area those nodes drain. Chinese doctors call it “excessive damp.” It undermines your overall health.

When your lymph system is up to par, it catches viruses, bacteria, and cancerous or mutagenic cells, engulfing and destroying them. It even customizes antibodies to attack particular pathogens.

If your doctor ever says this
about your spleen, watch out!

Some doctors are quick to remove a swollen spleen to prevent a hemorrhage or rupturing.

In Eastern medicine — where the spleen and lymph are taken very seriously — that’s equivalent to clipping a bird’s wings. Sure, it’ll live. But it’ll never fly very high again.

Your spleen is there for a reason. Cutting it out almost always has damaging long-term immune effects. Giving it the support it needs to heal from the inside out is far better than removing it.

12 ways to get your lymphatic system in top shape

1. Rebounding (mini-trampoline)

Rebounding on a small trampoline, three or four feet in diameter, is a godsend for moving lymph. Some reports estimate that it boosts lymph flow by 15 to 30 times.

Every time you bounce you boost the gravitational pull on your lymph. You get low-level “G’s” (or G-force), much as you do from sudden changes of speed in a sports car or fair ride.

On a large garden trampoline you’ll likely get up to about 8 G’s. On a small mini-trampoline with a tight center, you’ll get 2 to 3 G’s, depending on your weight. This is more effective for stimulating your lymph.

NASA’s own research found that rebounding was more effective and efficient than jogging.

At the top of your bounce, your body momentarily enjoys total weightlessness, even at a gentle pulse.

Rebounders are also very cost effective – although as usual, you get what you pay for. And a more resistant spring is better than a loose one. Consider a stabilizer bar add-on if you’re afraid of falling.

Some people find it fun to bounce up and down on a rebounder. I find it pretty boring to do for the recommended 15 minutes a day, plus it hurts my back, so I do other types of exercise that are more agreeable for me. But if you can keep it up as a daily routine, it’s probably your best option for a healthy lymph system.

2. Chi machines

Chi machines are another system intended to get your lymph moving. Basically, you lie on the floor on your back with your ankles resting on a vibrating machine (the ankle rests sit atop the vibrator). I’ve encountered chi machines at alternative cancer clinics, and I can testify that they shake you up pretty thoroughly.

I don’t know whether there’s any scientific evidence that they accomplish their goal (unlike rebounders, which are validated by some NASA research). They’re available on the net and cost from one hundred to two hundred dollars.

3. Diet

Reduce your body’s toxic burden by choosing whole, organic, unprocessed foods whenever possible. Eat as few carbs as you can, and eliminate sugar entirely. The less waste your lymph has to deal with, the more readily it flows.

4. Avoid pesticides

Same idea as cleaning up your diet… it keeps your lymph cleaner.

5. Water

Swap soda, juices, and other sugary and additive-filled drinks for real, pure water. Your body needs true hydration to keep fluids moving. Add fresh squeezed lemon to your water for flavor and alkalinity.

6. Walk

Health experts tout the benefits of walking to move your lymph. Mind you, this isn’t leisurely strolling as if you’re window-shopping at the mall. It’s brisk walking – ideally with exaggerated arm movements – and stimulates the many lymph nodes in your upper body, armpits, neck and shoulders.

You also get a certain amount of gravitational pull with every step, especially if you walk at a brisk pace with a slight spring in your step.

7. Dry Brush

Before showering, use a dry brush with natural bristles and brush your skin with long strokes in an upward motion, toward the heart, for about five minutes to improve lymph flow. You can find a great deal of information about how to do it on the Internet.

8. Sleep

A recent study found that when you sleep, special lymph channels in your brain – known as the glymphatic system – open up and drain dangerous neurotoxins into your cerebral spinal fluid.^1,2

These glymphatics are like hidden caves that open during sleep to drain toxins like the well-known beta-amyloid plaque of dementia notoriety.

The study suggested it takes six to eight hours to complete this process, which is compelling evidence that sound, regular sleep is essential to good health (I hope you already knew that).

9. Wear loose clothing

Wearing tight clothing for long periods of time can restrict lymph flow and trigger blockages. Some authorities believe underwire or tight bras, and tight jeans and skirts can impede lymph flow.

10. Beauty Products

Most commercial beauty products from makeup to shampoo and sunscreens are loaded with questionable chemicals that end up in your lymphatic system. As with eating clean food and avoiding pesticides, you won’t create as much “trash” for your lymph system to clean up if you use chemical-free versions.

11. Herbs

Certain herbs can boost lymph flow and expedite toxin removal… among them are red clover, cleavers (also called clivers or goosegrass), and, from Ayurveda, manjistha, an herb known for its ability to de-stagnate lymph.

12. Massage

Everyone loves massage. I get one every two weeks, and have for many years. I think any kind of good massage helps stimulate lymph circulation, but there IS a specific type of lymph massage designed to do so, using special motions. Studies show it can push up to 78 percent of stagnant lymph back into circulation.

In my opinion, it’s essential for a cancer patient to stimulate lymph circulation by doing pretty much ALL of these things (you can choose either the rebounder or the chi machine; you don’t have to do both). Every one of these recommendations benefits you in multiple ways besides just moving lymph fluids.

You need healthy lymph now more than ever, because mainstream medicine has just newly identified five viruses that cause cancer. If you missed the news in our last issue, check it out now just below.

http://www.cancerdefeated.com/overlooked-cause-of-cancer-easy-to-correct/3909/