Nutrition is very important in the treatment of arthritis. It ensures the reconstruction of damaged joint tissue. In his book, Nutrition Against Disease, Dr R. J. Williams (University of Texas) notes that many arthritis sufferers are deficient in vitamins A, B3, B5, B6, folic acid, vitamins C and D and minerals zinc, manganese and sulfur proteins. (The best sources of sulfur proteins are red meats, fish, poultry and eggs. Milk, cheese and yoghurt have reasonable amounts and garlic and onions are the best vegetable sources, though yielding far less than animal sources.)

The metabolic imbalances that result from these deficiencies lead to a structural weakness in the soft tissues of the joints (cartilage, capsule, ligaments and blood vessels).

Structural weakness of tissue leads to the regular leaking of blood into the joint, so that even moderate use causes bleeding. Regular bleeding into the joint causes the levels of iron to build up in the joint, while at the same time the levels in the blood drop, predisposing you to anaemia.

Deficiencies in the mineral zinc cause the blood levels of copper to rise, the excess of which also spills into the arthritic joints. Copper and iron excesses cause as much joint irritation as allergens, acetaldehyde from Candida infections and the nightshades.

The minerals zinc and manganese displace excess copper and iron in the joints while at the same time normalising their levels in the blood. Taking a high dosage multi-vitamin and mineral tablet has other advantages:

• The full spectrum of vitamins and minerals increases the effect of zinc and manganese.

• Structural damage in the joint is repaired.

• Structural weakness in the joints is overcome.

• 100 mg of vitamin B3 and 1000 mg of vitamin C taken three times per clay with meals will increase joint mobility, decrease stiffness and relieve joint deformity and pain, according to Dr William Kaufman, who pioneered this treatment in 1941.

• Fish oils (cod liver, halibut, etc.) are not only rich in the vitamins A and D needed to repair damaged joints, they have a natural anti-inflammatory component that helps relieve joint pain.

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The great truth that owners of skin complaints have to accept is that fully 95 per cent of people who look at them don’t even notice their skin. They probably sec it but it doesn’t register in their brain because they are too busy thinking about themselves. Those who are aware of the skin complaint’s existence would be so for less than a few seconds because they’re not interested enough in others and their afflictions to let it be an issue with them.

The fact is that most people hold themselves and their own well-being at the centre of their attention. They are the centre of their own little universe and most expect to be the centre of other people’s attention and universe as well, which is one reason conflicts arise in human relationships. This attitude is held by all those who worry about the opinions others hold about their skin. They are so self-centred they automatically assume that everyone else is noticing and thinking about them when, in fact, they’re not.

These people tend to be outer rather than inner centred, meaning their focus in life is on their studies, hobbies, sports, friends, work, pets, family, art, music, nature, science or whatever outside interest they have, rather than on themselves and how others perceive them. Their waking hours and a good measure of their sleeping hours are taken up with thinking about all those interesting things they are involved in and/or the pursuit of their own particular goal which, in their case, is not attention seeking.

This attitude to life shows on their face and skin. They are of healthy colour with relaxed facial muscles, an easy relaxed smile and clear skin. The attention seekers, conversely, tend to be more uptight, highly strung and, if they are the dramatic type as well, possessed of acne, eczema, rosacea or psoriasis.

Anyone can learn to be more self-contained, self-reliant and independent of the opinions of others by regularly talking themselves out of it and by forcibly stopping their attention-seeking habits (boasting, pouting, comparing ourselves with others, ranting, raving are all attention-seeking habits). To help this process along it pays to get some interests (studies, hobbies or sports) to focus on.

If you are suffering from eczema or psoriasis it pays to use the cortisone cream while the program and change of attitude are taking effect. It is easier to get yourself off centre stage if you’re not having to look at a complaining skin each day. While the inflammation is down, your anxiety levels are down and while they are down the neurokinin levels are down.

If you have acne talk to your doctor about taking the drug Roaccutane while your program and change of attitude are taking effect. Roaccutane helps to shrink over-excited sebaceous glands and is very effective at reducing acne.

Some women find the pill helps. The oestrogen negates the acne-producing testosterone that the stress of looking at acne has put in their blood each day. The pill only works if it’s low in progesterone and Candida infections have to be contained by ninety days on the Anti-Candida/Anti-Allergy Program.

By using the drugs and program together you are enjoying the best of what medicine and naturopathy have to offer and that is the way it should be. As the program and change of thinking begin to take effect you can begin to wean yourself off the drugs (under your doctor’s supervision). For eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and acne sufferers this tends to be an automatic thing as you will find your skin is flaring up less and less and without realising it, the time span between cream applications is getting greater and greater.

The deep breathing exercises are excellent for quietening down the skin, especially for the dramatic types who tend to over-react to all of life’s little antagonisms in a fiery and vociferous way. The dramatic types tend to awfulise life situations more vigorously than others and must learn to moderate their reactions. They blow things out of all proportion, making mountains out of mole hills and creating storms in teacups. Nothing flares up the skin quicker than dramatic over-reaction to life’s events or the things others say and do. And although dramatic types tend to flare up and forget quickly, the neurokinin lingers in the skin for some time after.

The smouldering resenters are at the other end of the spectrum. They are just as intense as the dramatic type but keep everything inside and just fume and boil quietly. A skin complaint is usually the only evidence of their inner turmoil. Learning to be more philosophical about life and the things people say and do is the big challenge for smouldering resenters. Learning to forgive will quieten their skin down more quickly than anything.

Shy people can experience a flare-up of their skin complaint because shy people embarrass easily and blush when they do so. Embarrassment is the inability to retaliate or find an appropriate answer to a challenge be it real or imagined. Assertiveness classes are the answer for the easily embarrassed as well as making a concerted effort to expand their vocabulary and learn to use it. Joining a debating society has done wonders for many of my formerly shy patients. It was the practice of debating that took the famous playwright George Bernard Shaw from an inarticulate introvert to the very articulate and entertaining extrovert he came to be. Doing the things we fear is the best way of overcoming our fear and embarrassment.

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Stress makes us uptight as it causes the muscles of our body to contract. Some people focus their stress in the muscles of the shoulder and neck. Stiff necks and headaches are the result. Some focus their stress in the muscles of the lower back and get lumbago or sciatica. Asthma sufferers tend to focus their stress in the muscles of the windpipe.

Self-sabotaging attitudes are a major cause of uptight feelings experienced by asthma sufferers. A change of attitude is imperative if a complete cure is to be achieved.

Most of the adult onset cases of asthma I have treated have been the result of stress. Over-work, over-exercising, over-commitment, over-socialising (with too much alcohol and cigarettes) or vitamin and mineral deficiency, or a combination of these factors, plus the self-sabotaging attitudes that give rise to these behaviour patterns, are major causes. Many hard-charging over-achievers have experienced their first asthma attacks while jogging in the rain or head-on info a cold south-westerly wind while wearing only a runner’s singlet; or from a cold or ‘flu that resulted from a stint of over-work or over-socialising combined with skipped meals and inadequate rest and sleep.

As was mentioned previously, stress inhibits the absorption of nutrients and nutrient deficiency is a major stress.

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If your skin tests have drawn a positive to moulds, grasses, pollens and chemicals there are a number of things you must do lo ensure the effectiveness of the desensitising vaccine.

First you must remove all the food correlates from your diet; for example, rye bread and Ryvila if you show up allergies to rye grass. Second you must remove as many chemicals from your environment as possible. To achieve this you must first remove as many synthetic products from the house as possible. Air pollution studies have shown that the concentration of chemical contaminants is 400 times greater in the home than in the outside air. Synthetic fabrics, curtains and plastic furniture are made from hydrocarbon (coal and oil) bases. Aerosol sprays, of any sort, are also hydrocarbon based. In fact, if it has an odour, remove it. This includes perfumes, after-shave, body deodorants and perfumed vaginal douches. Hydrocarbons frequently trigger off inhalant allergies (with nose, throat, lung, eye, skin and fluid symptoms).

For those people who show up with allergies lo moulds it’s important to keep the immediate environment mould free. Check all internal pipes. Pipes leaking into brickwork in the walls or into concrete floors can create mould traps.

It is important to air the house regularly. 1 louses arc more humid these days, as they are more usually built on concrete slabs, rather than the wooden floorboards and vented walls of yesteryear. Humidity allows the rapid breeding and build-up of dust mites and moulds, especially in wardrobes. People these days spend longer daytime hours away from the house, and they leave windows and doors closed. This shuts in steam from the morning hot showers and kettle boiling making a cosy environment for dust mites and moulds. In these conditions their levels rise so high that they trigger allergic reactions despite the best efforts of anti-allergy programs and desensitising vaccines. Only hot water will kill dust mites yet these clays people launder (heir clothes and bed linen in cold water. All clothing and bed linen is to be washed in hot water.

Many asthma and nasal congestion sufferers are over-medicating themselves on cortisone drugs to counter the effects of inordinately high dust mite and mould levels in the home.

To lower humidity, open doors and windows for a while on returning home and for an extended period on weekends. This may present a problem on returning home from work on winter nights as cold draughts can cause chills. If it’s very cold, use the dry heat of a bar heater to dry the home. Use a fan-forced heater to dry wardrobes and linen cupboards. Always open the bathroom window and turn on the extractor (if you have one) when showering and cooking.

The best environment for the inhalant prone person is a wood-panelled house with tiled floors, only a few woollen rugs and cotton curtains. Nylon and plastic products tend to give off a hydrocarbon vapour (formaldehyde) when in a warm environment. Hot days in summer or an over-heated house in winter can cause this vapour to be in the air twenty-four hours a day.

Indoor plants help to reduce the overall chemical load by absorbing and neutralising formaldehyde. So, have plenty of the non-flowering varieties at home and in the office. Keep their leaves well wiped to prevent dust and mould accumulating on them.

Remember that riding in a formaldehyde-filled car can so aggravate allergy symptoms as to undermine the effects of sticking to the diet.

Constant exposure to such a chemical-laden environment greatly taxes both (he immune system and the enzyme chains of the liver, as they strive unceasingly to break these chemicals down into less toxic products. If you live and work in such a toxic environment, yet eat well, exercise regularly in the fresh air, do not over-work, do not have a Candida yeast infection, gel plenty of sleep, have a harmonious love life, a good self-image, do not smoke, drink moderately and stay off coffee, tea (in excess) and drugs, you could well get by without developing any inhalant allergies, and the disfiguring symptoms that they produce. If you do not, it is only a matter of time before you will develop inhalant sensitivities if you have a genetic predisposition to them. A dose of hepatitis, the ‘flu, a marital break-up, or the loss of a loved one could be all that is needed to trigger off the process.

Chlorine is the second most common chemical and is found in drinking water, washing water, swimming pools, bleaches, anaesthetics and many drugs. It is used in the refining of both cooking oils and sugar. In its free state chlorine is a deadly poisonous gas. It readily binds with other chemicals to form compounds. Time and again I find people with the symptoms of food allergy and/or Candida yeast infection arc reacting to the chlorine in drinking water.

For this reason, all drinking water from the tap should be boiled for ten minutes lo evaporate chlorine. Better still don’t drink tap water at all. Drink only bottled mineral or spring water (make sure the mineral water is from a recognised spa and not commercially made—commercially made mineral water is derived from tap water, as is soda water). There are excellent delivery services of fresh, clean spring water to office and home.

Tank water can be a problem for country people. Properties whose agriculture requires significant spraying can lead, in time, to a build-up of chemical fall-out on the roof of the house. While the weather is fine that’s not a problem but the first rain sees a washing of these chemicals into the water tank with a consequent flaring up of allergy symptoms. I’ve found this to be a major cause of unexplainable, sudden flaring of allergy symptoms in country patients who are sticking to their programs and progressing well. Even those who don’t use sprays on their property can experience the chemical fall-out of aerial top-dressing of herbicides and fertiliser from up to 20 kilometres away.

It must be remembered that many of the chemicals found in the home, work environment and agricultural sprays are also found as chemical colourings, flavourings and preservatives in food.

Take formaldehyde, for instance. It is the most common chemical in the average household. It has little odour but is the component of ear fumes, smog and natural gas combustion (home heaters and stoves) that causes burning of the eyes. Formaldehyde is found in concrete, plaster, home insulation materials, home antiseptics, toothpaste, disinfectants, waxes, polishes, adhesives, lire proofing compounds applied lo fabrics, foods, insect and rodent repellents, nail polish, wall-boards and resins. II is a by-product of the processes that make natural and synthetic fabrics crease-resistant, dye-fast, shrink-proof and more plastic and is evaporated from plastic pencils and pens when they are put in the mouth. It constitutes a major portion of the pollutants in the air that now cover the earth.

To get completely away from the formaldehyde would be almost impossible. To reduce your contact with it by as much as 50 per cent is both possible and wise if you are to prevent the onset of allergy and more life-threatening diseases later in life.

The softer the plastic the more formaldehyde there is in it. Car upholstery contains significant concentrations of formaldehyde. That sticky clear substance that appears on the inside of the windscreen is formaldehyde that has vaporised from the upholstery under heat.

If you’ve ever wondered why the kids are ratty some times after you’ve picked them up from school it could well be the high levels of formaldehyde in the car. If you’ve parked the car outside with the windows up on a hot day the outgassing of formaldehyde from the upholstery will be so great it will have reached toxic levels by mid-afternoon. Open all the doors to air and cool the ear before you pick the kids up and keep the windows down while your driving.

*72\18\9*

The object of breaking the Anti-Allergy Program is to gel back onto the Metabolism-Balancing Program, or as close to it as your allergies allow, and to stay on it for the rest of your life.

After ninety clays on the Anti-Candida/Anti-Allergy Program it’s time to reintroduce the allergenic foods to see if you’ve lost your sensitivity to them. There’s a 95 per cent chance that you will have. Start by getting your doctor or naturopath to supervise the reintroduction of foods. Have only one of your allergenic foods and wait for two or three days to see what happens. If you don’t get a reaction in that time move onto another food from your no list. If you do get an adverse reaction wait for the symptoms to abate before, trying another food and stay off the food you reacted to for another month before trying it again.

If you’re allergic to such foods as eggs, milk, malt, corn, beef or coconut try them first. These foods are used widely in manufactured-processed foods and your reaction to them in their whole form will determine whether or not you can eat the manufactured foods (manufactured foods should comprise no more than 5 per cent of food intake). At this point you should consult the food tables at the back of the book pertaining to eggs, milk, corn and malt, to see what other foods contain them.

Coconut oil is used widely in the frying of foods served in retail outlets (chips, etc.) and in confectionery. Read all labels carefully. Any product that contains palm oil or palmoline contains coconut. Beef emulsifiers are used in a wide range of commercially made biscuits, cakes, pies, savouries, etc., so read all these labels very carefully. Beef gelatin is used for making capsules. If you are taking anything in capsule form (even vitamins) assume the capsule to be made of beef until categorically proven otherwise. It pays to phone the capsule manufacturer if you’re unsure.

By testing the whole food first you get an accurate idea of how you’re going to react to anything that contains it. If you don’t test them first you’ll never really know what you’re reacting to when you eat the other foods. It is most important that you never test yourself on a refined version of the whole food. The refined foods are quickly absorbed and rapid absorption can retrigger allergies. To explain: if you are allergic: to wheal (very common) you should begin by eating only wholemeal bread, not cakes, biscuits or crackers. Remember, the more slowly if is absorbed, the less likely you are to develop a reaction to it. Also, the refined version of while flour is bound to have chemical additives and it could well have been the chemicals (flavourings, colourings and preservatives) that, precipitated the sensitivity in the first place.

To further slow the absorption rate put butter or oil on the bread. If it is an unrefined food such as beef, fish, chicken or a vegetable that you were allergic: to, stir fry it in a wok (Chinese style) to begin with. The fat will further slow the absorption of the food. On no account use tinned, cured or any form of processed meats. They are refined and full of chemicals. (The only exceptions are tinned tuna, salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel if you do not have an allergy to them).

It is essential not to start eating your former food allergens in a tired, depressed state, or after an illness of any sort. Especially after hepatitis or glandular fever. Should you come clown with ‘flu or a related illness and suddenly develop a craving for the once allergic food, resist it. Avoid it like the plague, drink water instead and keep drinking it until the craving abates.

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