Note: Parts 1 – 3 are unavailable at this time.

Health is our Greatest Treasure -It Must be Guarded more Preciously than Gold: Part 4 of 6

Health is our Greatest Treasure -It Must be Guarded more Preciously than Gold: Part 5 of 6

Health is our Greatest Treasure -It Must be Guarded more Preciously than Gold: Part 6 of 6

The Benefits of Fasting & Eating Raw: Part 1 of 6

The Benefits of Fasting & Eating Raw: Part 2 of 6

The Benefits of Fasting & Eating Raw: Part 3 of 6

The Benefits of Fasting & Eating Raw: Part 4 of 6

The Benefits of Fasting & Eating Raw: Part 5 of 6

The Benefits of Fasting & Eating Raw: Part 6 of 6

Health is not the Absence of Disease: Part 1 of 6

Health is not the Absence of Disease: Part 2 of 6

Health is not the Absence of Disease: Part 3 of 6

Health is not the Absence of Disease: Part 4 of 6

Note: Parts 5 and 6 are not available at this time.

The following is a rebuttal to Quack Watch’s article entitled: “Why You Should Stay Away from Insulin Potentiation Therapy” written by Robert Baratz, M.D., D.D.S., Ph.D.

I have undertaken to write this rebuttal because insulin potentiation therapy (IPT/ IPTLD) has helped multitudes of people with cancer who had already undergone the conventional route of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and whose oncology team explained that there was “nothing else we can do.”  I have personally had hundreds of these types of patients come to our center and, guess what?  There was and is something that can be done to be restored to health.

It is clear that Dr Baratz has not studied the protocols or the science behind insulin potentiation therapy (IPT/IPTLD).  His position regarding IPT/IPTLD as reflected in his article posted on Quack Watch has either evolved out of hearsay or his imagination, not honest research into the subject matter, which indicates that he is attempting to alter people’s opinion regarding this chemotherapy delivery system  by ‘reference to “authority,” rather than by utilizing factual information in an effort to inform or educate.  The following is a definition of this fallacious way of arguing utilized by Dr Baratz, MD, DDS, PhD:

“Argument from authority (also known as appeal to authority) is a fallacy of defective induction, where it is argued that a statement is correct because the statement is made by a person or source that is commonly regarded as authoritative. The most general structure of this argument is:

1. Source A says that p is true.
2. Source A is authoritative.
3. Therefore, p is true.

This is a fallacy because the truth or falsity of a claim is not related to the authority of the claimant, and because the premises can be true, and the conclusion false (an authoritative claim can turn out to be false). It is also known as argumentum ad verecundiam (Latin: argument to respect), argumentum ad potentiam (Latin: argument to power), or ipse dixit (Latin: he himself said it).”

Even a cursory evaluation of the science underlying IPT/IPTLD reveals that all cancer cells studied have, not only many more insulin receptors on their surfaces, but that those receptors have up to a 60% greater affinity (stickiness) than usual insulin receptors on non-cancerous cells.  Also, what becomes clear from an earnest evaluation of the research into this matter is that there is a 43% homology between insulin receptors and IGF-1 receptors.   This aspect of receptor status regarding cancerous cells is an additionally, rather salient aspect of how it is that IPT/IPTLD works to target cancerous cells as well as increase the effectiveness of the chemotherapeutic agent(s) administered.  Under these conditions, lower administered doses carry equal, if not more of a “punch.”   IGF-1 receptors, once activated, initiates cells to begin dividing, which is a stage of the cell cycle wherein cells are more vulnerable, hence more easily and effectively eliminated.  Although cancerous cells have an autocrine function (produce their own insulin and IGF=1), this is occurring at all times which stimulates and fuels their growth during all phases of the cell cycle.  However, when this is purposely activated during treatment with a cytotoxic agent, there is greater destruction of the malignant cells being targeted.

Any physician who has worked in an emergency department knows that when a patient arrives in an unconscious condition, the standard protocol usually calls for a dose of naltexone and a dose of glucose.  The naltrexone to counteract opiate overdose and the glucose counteract insulin overdose.  The protocol requires both of these agents since there is no information regarding how the person became unconscious.  When glucose is administered intravenously (IV) to someone who is suffering from an insulin overdose, they quickly begin to regain consciousness and are often confused, wondering where they are and how they got there.   In the vast majority of cases, the person who was “comatose” (unconscious) from insulin having produced a potentially lethal hypoglycemic state returns to normal with no long term, adverse effects.  Although the duration that the person was “comatose” is never precisely known, clearly, it must have included, at least a few minutes prior to the ambulance’s arrival plus the duration of the ambulance ride to the ER.

With insulin potentiation therapy (IPT/IPTLD), no one is ever allowed to become, even slightly neurologically impaired and, of course never allowed to lose consciousness.  IV glucose is administered immediately if even the slightest neurological impairment becomes evident, e.g., slurred speech and glucagon is available to be used if the glucose does not immediately reverse the condition.  Although glucagon is always available, it has never been necessary to use it.  Glucagon is a hormone like insulin, produced in the pancreas by the Islets of Langerhans cells.  Insulin is produced by the beta cells while glucagon is produced by the alpha cells.  They are the ‘yin and yang’ of blood glucose homeostasis.  Glucagon has the opposite effect of insulin and therefore, is its natural ‘antidote.’  NO ONE HAS EVER DIED FROM INSULIN POTENTIATION THERAPY.  The same cannot be said of conventionally delivered, high dose chemotherapy.  As indicated previously, even a cursory evaluation of the protocols used in IPT/IPTLD make it clear that this concern discussed in Quack Watch regarding the potential neurological impairment resulting from acute hypoglycemia brought about by insulin from this therapeutic modality could never occur if one follows the established protocols.

Why have there been no clinical trials using insulin potentiation therapy?  As is commonly known, most clinical trials are expensive and funded by pharmaceutical companies attempting to receive FDA approval for use of a drug or device.  No pharmaceutical company has to date accepted the offer to fund a clinical trial utilizing IPT/IPTLD nor even attempted to develop a clinical trail in order to prove that one can use 90% less of a chemotherapeutic drug that has already received FDA approval for its use.  The stockholders simply would not allow this.  It would not be considered a fiscally sound use of corporate money.  The only human trail was performed in Uruguay and funded by the government (reference included).  The lead investigator, Dr Lasalvia, is a well respected member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the results of his small trail clearly demonstrated that insulin plus a lower dose of a chemotherapeutic agent was more effective than either the drug alone or insulin alone.  Although there are similar trials being performed in other countries where funding can be obtained from sources other than pharmaceutical companies, none of the studies have been concluded at this time.

In conclusion, IPT/IPTLD has been used successfully since 1933 in many countries for neurological infectious, other infectious diseases, i.e., Lymes, and cancer of almost every type, and all stages (I – IV).  With this long history of successful use of a modality to deliver drugs in a targeted fashion, minimal side effects (toxicities) and with no deaths, it is truly a human tragedy that this modality has not been evaluated here in the United States beginning with animal models and progressing to humans, as do all of the drugs that receive FDA approval.  To merely criticize and attempt to dissuade further evaluation of something with such great potential benefit to humans is not only a tragedy but should be an embarrassment to the scientific community at large.

Insulin potentiation therapy (IPT or IPTLD) is extremely effective in targeting cancer cells in the body but is not sufficient to achieve complete and prolonged resolution of cancer by itself.  This is because even though IPT/IPTLD is low dose and targeted, making it almost free of side effects, it is still just a means of eliminating what cancer currently exists in the body.   It does not prevent it from merely continuing to be produced or reoccurring.  If one does not modify their own internal biochemistry so that cancer is not a required process by the body, which is always in the process of achieving and maintaining homeostasis (healthy balance), then it will continue to be produced.  And if one does not rebalance and stimulate their own immune function, the body will not be able to block and/or halt this and other pathological processes.  Therefore, all three approaches must simultaneously utilized in order to insure lasting resolution of the problem.

1)     Stop Making Cancer

2)     Target and Eliminate Existing Cancer with minimal collateral damage

3)     Rebalance and Enhance the Immune System

This triangulated approach is not only the most rational approach, but is the only one that should be undertaken when dealing with a potentially life threatening condition.  This is well known, intuitively, by anyone who has ever had cancer or anyone who has ever thoroughly and critically analyzed the problem and its’ resolution.  It is really just, “common sense” or should be “common sense”.

Cancer evolves out a biochemistry which is hypoxic (low oxygen) and acidic with low antioxidant potential therefore, one must consciously change these conditions of the body so that there exists open, flowing, well oxygenated blood to all tissues delivering not only oxygen rich blood, but in an alkaline condition with highly bioactive antioxidants ready to quench any and all free radicals (products of oxidation), which tend to produce cellular damage, including cellular mutations.   Finally, the healthy blood coursing through the tissues must contain all the appropriate raw materials necessary to rebuild, old worn out cells at a rate of about 50,000,000 per hour.  And finally, this blood needs to contain balanced and adequate levels of cellular products such as hormones, carrier and other proteins used in almost all life stabilizing processes such as clotting proteins and clot dissolution proteins and many other substances, too numerous to mention.

Obviously, the blood contains only that which is allowed entrance into the body through the mouth, lungs, and skin with its’ concomitant, continual release of cellular waste products from the ECF, the “sea” that provides the immediate environment for all cells through diffusion into the capillary beds leading to the venous system which provides transport back through the right side of the heart in order to again, exchange gases with the ambient atmosphere through the lungs.  If waste products and poisons are not completely eliminated every day, they continue to both accumulate and circulate hence are repeatedly introduced into the extracellular fluid (ECF), This fluid is that which constitutes the cellular environment hence cells are either able to utilize its’ constituents or must protect themselves from these constituents if they are unusable or poisonous.  If the fluid contains unusable substances, they must be eliminated completely and quickly in order to prevent them from producing cellular harm.  If the fluid contains outright poisons, the same is true. Cells, then are always responding to their immediate environment ECF (extra cellular fluid) to either maintain healthy cellular/organ function or defense from the accumulated poisons in the thick, sluggish ECF..  Once defensive processes are required to maintain viability, then organ cellular and organ function are diminished and the consequent organ degeneration occurs with an imbalanced physiology.

The function of veins is to drain tissue beds of deoxygenated blood  (oxygen just having been transferred and utilized), cellular waste products, three of which are carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and cellular debris and cellular products, i.e., hormones, enzymes, proteins, cytokines, interleukens, paracrine and autocrine secretions, growth factors and much more, If the veins fail to drain the extracellular fluid completely, again, the unusable, poisons and waste products re-circulate.  It is only those materials that are necessary for repair of older and/or damaged new cells, replacement of irreparably damaged cells and cellular products required for healthy cellular function that are useful and need to circulate and recirculate, repeatedly.

Maintaining a clean ECF precludes the need for the production of defensive products and actions and allows for optimal functioning of cells and tissues, hence optimally functioning organs and the entire organism achieves a state of health, for which it was suited for by Nature.  Clearly then, elimination of waste and other harmful substances is equally as important to the health of the organism as what is introduced into the organism.

In as much as we all live in a sea of toxins, continual and effective elimination is   essential in achieving and maintaining health.  In the modern scenario where poisonous airborne particulates breach the skin, are inhaled and swallowed, and chemically altered, genetically modified, processed and then heated (lifeless) “food” is purposely ingested, combined with the fact that we ‘swim’ in an intangible “sea” of electromagnetic fields which alter our electromagnetic congruence (with hitherto unknown medium ad long term effects), it is abundantly clear that continual, effective elimination becomes even more critical than it has ever been in the known history of mankind.

Finally, this modern scenario also finds the human condition to be one of increasing inactivity, due to mans’ intimate relationship with his mental progeny, machines; the continual artificial and unnecessary stresses of making ‘dead lines’, breaking a finger nail before a party, concerning oneself with the intimacies of celebrities, and striving to become something other than what one is, as is the implicit message in all advertising and ‘celebrity consciousness’.  The human that emerges from this environment is no longer an earthling but rather a highbred mutant capable of survival only in specific artificial conditions while becoming and remaining a compete stranger in the forest or jungle, our home (niche).

These circumstances produce human beings in which health becomes almost unattainable, especially when one considers that all of the of the aforementioned is combined with inadequate rest and sleep, lack of sun exposure, and a reverence for the new “religion” science. Science, born of atheism and ignorance, is quite the opposite of the eternal Truth of God; for science is in perpetual change making all that is new, quickly old and irrelevant resulting in continual angst  (“stress”) instead of living securely in a world which has always been and requires nothing more than learning and apprenticing to the wise in order to become appropriately useful in a role worthy of their birth and life upon this earth.

The digestive tract (alimentary canal) supplies the body with water, electrolytes, and nutrients.  In order for this to be accomplished, five basic processes must occur in a synchronized fashion with far more complexity than is comprehensible. These simultaneous, exquisitely orchestrated processes include, (1) movement of food through the canal;  (2) secretion of digestive juices and mechanical and chemical simplification of the food; (3) absorption of the digestive products, water and electrolytes; (4) circulation of blood through the all the organs involved to carry away the absorbed substances as well as sustain the organs, themselves, and (5) control of all these functions by the nervous and hormonal systems.

These processes begin in the mouth, (although the olfactory system (nose) and visual systems are extremely important accessory organ systems) and the unusable contents are ultimately defecated through the anus, about 22 to 30 feet       (7 to 10 meters) later.

What occur between these two openings of “the tube” is the subject of volumes upon volumes of material hence we will limit our current discussion through great simplification to include only the very basics of motility and chemical modification of orally ingested substances.

Along the duration of this tube, there are two locations where mechanical digestion is of primary import; the mouth and stomach.   Additionally, chemical processing occurs during these phases of digestion with very specific pH and secretory volume requirements.  In other areas chemical processing is primary although peristaltic movement must occur in proper sequence.

The brain stem has multiple “centers” involved in the secretion of organic substances as well as water and electrolytes throughout “the tube” which have direct connections from both the eyes and nose, such as when one’s favorite food is seen or smelled salivary secretions will increase whereas when a something extremely repulsive is seen or smelled, nausea is experienced while reverse peristalsis (gag reflex) is initiated.

As previously stated, the gastrointestinal system is controlled by the nervous and the endocrine (hormonal) systems.  The enteric nervous system lies completely in the wall of the gut.  It begins in the esophagus and ends at the anus.  The number of neurons involved is approximately 100 million (approximately the same number as the spinal cord!) demonstrating the importance of the enteric system, which controls both gastrointestinal movement and secretions.  Like all neural functions, this system operates by the incredibly complex harmonic modulation of excitatory and inhibitory stimuli functioning in both afferent (incoming) and efferent (outgoing) directions whose ultimate consequence is the processing and absorption of exogenous substances necessary for not only survival, but optimal functioning of the human organism.

There are approximately 12 (or more) neurotransmitter substances that are released within this system to coordinate these vital requirements for life. 1) acetylcholine, 2) norepinephrine, 3) adenosine triphosphate, 4) serotonin, 5) dopamine, 6) cholecystokinin,   7) substance P,  8) vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, 9) somatostatin, 10) leu-enkephalin, 11) met-enkephalin, and 12) bombesin.  Many of these same neurotransmitters are found in the brain which may account for what is termed, a “gut feeling”. Although identified, the specific functions of these are not completely understood, at present.   All of these neurotransmitters in the gut stimulate specific responses depending upon the receptor and are secreted in response to a central coordinating effort requiring continuous input (afferent) all along “the tube”.

The enteric nervous system consists of nerve nets (plexuses) and peripheral nerves lining the tube.

Although motility effects are less important in the hormonal control of “the tube”, three are of paramount importance:        1) cholecystokinin is secreted by the “I” cells in the duodenum and jejunum (small intestines) in response to fat.  It both stimulate gall bladder contraction of bile and decreases stomach emptying, 2) Secretin is produced in the duodenum (small intestines) in response to acid emptying from the stomach and it acts to slow down the entire gastrointestinal tract (GI Tract), 3) Gastric inhibitory peptide also secreted by the duodenum acts to slow stomach emptying and does this in response to fats, amino acids and carbohydrates.

Propulsion and Mixing of Food

Hunger is the intrinsic desire to eat while appetite selects what will be eaten and in what quantities.  Hunger is easily satisfied, while appetite is never satisfied.  Hunger is a state that has rarely been experienced by most people in Western cultures; rather it is appetite that is attended to and fed.

Chewing (Mastication)

The muscles involved in chewing can exert a pressure of 55 pounds on the incisors (front four teeth) and 200 pounds on the molars (rear, grinding teeth).  Chewing involves both voluntary and involuntary functions of the fifth cranial nerve, hypothalamus, brain stem nuclei and cerebral cortex with continual feedback from sensory nerves involved in touch (tactile), smell and taste.

Although chewing is important for the digestion of all food, it is essential  for raw plant material, including fruit because they have cell walls made of cellulose, which prevents most of the nutrients from being exposed to digestive enzymes and other secretions.   Since digestive enzymes can only affect the surfaces of food particles, the rate and thoroughness of digestion is dependent on the total surface area of the food that is exposed to digestive secretions. Therefore the more that plant materials are mechanically broken apart by the teeth, jaw muscles and cheeks, the more can be chemically prepared and ultimately absorbed as a nutrient.

Both starch and cellulose consist of glucose molecules bound together however the glucose molecules in starch are connected by alpha bonds while the glucose molecules in cellulose are connected by beta bonds.  Only certain bacteria and fungi have the enzymes necessary to cleave beta bonds (cellulose) while most mammals, including humans can easily break down starch into maltose and then into glucose which is readily absorbed and serves as the primary fuel source for the body to make energy.

For this reason, cellulose is indigestible and considered “fiber” which performs the incredibly important function of increasing transit time of digestive materials through “the tube” and thereby decreasing the amount of time that waste products remain in contact with the walls of the small and large intestines (colon).  This has the direct benefit of decreasing the risk of colon cancer and systemic toxemia, which leads to all other degenerative conditions (diseases).

Although, these two polysaccharides differ only in the type of linkage between their glucose molecules, they are very different molecules.

Starch is soluble in water, cellulose is insoluble; starch is pasty, cellulose is fibrous; starch is digestible while cellulose is indigestible, starch is a food rich in calories, while cellulose is roughage.  This demonstrates the precise nature of enzymes.  Most hormones and other biologically active chemicals have a variety of actions, while enzymes are specific to only one type of reaction.

    Moving on….

Chewed food passes through the esophagus rapidly to the stomach.  The mechanism by which this movement occurs is termed, peristalsis which is a coordinated wave of contractions followed by relaxation resulting in the bolus of food being propelled forward.

The motor functions of the stomach include: 1) storage             2) mixing of food with gastric secretions to form a semi fluid mixture, called chyme, 3) slowing the emptying of the chyme from the stomach into the small intestine at an appropriate rate.

The stomach empties it’s contents into duodenum (first part of small intesines) at varying rates regulated by factors in both the stomach and the duodenum.  The duodenum has the greatest degree of control over the rate of emptying and maintains a rate that allows for the most efficient digestion and absorption of the chyme by the small intestine.

The duodenum, both inhibits and stimulates the pyloric sphincter (control “valve”) through nerves (enteric, autonomic and spinal) and hormones.  Thus the duodenum continually monitors and regulates the quantity and quality of chyme based upon the following:

1. Degree of distension
2. Irritation of mucosal lining
3. pH  (degree of acidity/alkalinity)
4. Osmolality  (concentration of particles that contribute to the strength of absorbing or excreting water) of chyme.
5.  Presence of breakdown products of protein and fats.

The small intestines also propelles the chyme through the small intestines by peristaltic waves at a velocity which ranges from 0.5 to 2.0 cm/sec., slowing down after about 10 cm so that the net movement is approximately 1 cm/sec.

Peristaltic movements of the small intestines increases after a meal due to chyme entering the duodenum as well as the gastroenteric reflex. This reflex is very similar to the reflex that one observes when their patellar tendon is tapped, just below their patella (knee-cap), at which point their lower leg extends forward without voluntary effort.  This reflex (gastroenteric) is initiated by distention of the stomach by food.

Several hormones, as well, are involved in the coordination of the peristaltic movements occurring in the small intestines.  Gastrin, CCK, insulin and serotonin enhance intestinal motility and are secreted at different phases of food processing.  Secretin and glucagon, on the other hand, inhibit intestinal motility.

The function of the peristaltic waves is not only to propel the products of digestion forward, toward the ileocecal valve but also to disperse the chyme all along the intestinal mucosa for processing and absorption, as appropriate.

The last portion of the small intestines (ileum) connects to the cecum (first part of the colon) by way of the ileocecal valve.  The chyme is often kept in the ileum by a closed ileocecal valve for several hours until more food is taken, producing the gastroileal reflex which increases the pressure necessary to allow the ileal contents to pass into the colon.    The ileocecal sphincter is usually in a state of constriction except after food is eaten resulting in the gastroileal reflex.  The chyme is, therefore, spread out along the ileal mucosa for extended periods of time to allow for maximal absorption.  Usually about 1500 cc of chyme enter the colon daily.  The other, extremely important function of this valve is to prevent backflow of feces into the small intestines.

Pressure and chemical irritation in the ileum both relax the ileocecal sphincter and stimulate perstalsis as does fluidity of the chyme  all of which promote emptying of the ileal contents.  Pressure and chemical irritation in the cecum, on the other hand, inhibit emptying of the chyme from the ileum into the colon.  Clearly, the harder the feces becomes, due to decreased emptying, the less chyme enters the cecum and hence a viscious cycle is perpetuated, called constipation.  By the way, 90% or more of people in the “civilized” world are constipated.

The principal functions of the colon include absorption of water and electrolytes, temporary storage of feces (hours, not days ! ) and provision of an environment for billions of microorganisms that produce, among other things,  biochemicals necessary for immunity, blood clotting, fuel for colonic tissues and maintenance of appropriate pH requirements.

Haustrations (mixing and propelling movements) that occur in the colon last about 60 seconds and are repeated again each few minutes.  This has the effect of causing the fecal material to be slowly dug into and rolled over, gradually exposing different parts of the feces to the surface of the colon so that fluid and dissolved substances can be continually absorbed until only about 80 to 200 milliliters of feces are expelled each day.  A total of approximately 6 hours is required for the remaining 10 to 15% of the water to be reabsorbed. These are the quantities that have been observed in the average person who has a poor diet, of chemicals and lifeless animal and plant material, most of which has been so processed as to no longer resemble its original form, in both appearance and chemical structure.

The rectum is usually empty since it is angulated away from the descending colon in a sigmoid (S) shaped area separated by a sharp turn.  Therefore, as feces enters the rectal vault, the urge to defecate becomes intense.  The external sphincter is under voluntary control so that defecation requires the conscious, relaxation of those muscles as well as the muscles in the pelvic floor in order for defecation to occur smoothly and quickly.  Other aspects of defecation involve closing of the glottis and contraction of the abdominal muscles, which result in increased pressure towards the rectum.   When combined with the relaxation at the distal end of “the tube”, emptying occurs quite easily.  The most anatomically efficient position for complete emptying of the rectum and descending colon is the squatting position, not sitting on a chair with an opening in it, reading a magazine.

In addition to the duodenocolic, gastrocolic, gastroileal, enterogastric and defecation reflexes, there are the perioneointestinal, renointestinal, vesicoinntestinal, and somatointestinal reflexes which will not be discussed at this time.

Chemical Digestion

Digestion can be summarized as a number of specific stages that occur in sequence so that the interaction of fluid, pH, emulsifying agents and enzymes can process ingested material for absorption of appropriate material and elimination of unnecessary/toxic materials.  This requires a delicately precise, coordination of secretions from the salivary glands, liver, gall bladder, pancreas and intestinal mucosa (lining).

1. Lubrication and mixing of ingested material with secreted fluids by glands throughout the intestinal tract beginning with the mouth.
2. Secretion of enzymes to breakdown large molecules to smaller molecules that can be acted upon further or absorbed.
3. Secretion of hydrogen and bicarbonate ions, as well as electrolytes, within different parts of “the tube” to establish the appropriate pH necessary to activate specific enzymes required at that point.
4. Secretion of bile acids required to process (emulsify) fats for further enzymatic processing and absorption.
5. Further enzymatic processing at the level of the jejunum by membrane-bound surface enzymes.
6. Specific transport of digested material into intestinal cells and thence into blood or lymph.

The optimal pH requirements for different parts of the gastrointestinal tract vary depending upon the function and biochemical requirements of that part.

Daily Volume            pH

Saliva                   6.0-7.0         (necessary for function of salivary amylase)                                                                                               1000 ml      

Stomach              1.0-3.5         (necessary for function of pepsin and protein digestion)                                                                                                              1500 ml

Pancreatic           8.0-8.3        (necessary for function of pancreatic enzymes)                                                                                              1000 ml

Bile                        7.8              (necessary for emulsification of fats)                                           1000 ml

Small Intestine  7.5-8.0       (necessary for function enzymes and absorption)                                                                                                                2000 ml                                 

Colon                   7.5-8.0                                                                                                                         200 ml                                                                                                                       (necessary for production of many bioactive chemicals and  the life of colonic bacteria)      

Most digestive enzymes are secreted as inactive precursors (zymogens).   The only exceptions are salivary amylase (breakdown starch) and certain oral lipases (breakdown fat).

Proteases (breakdown proteins) and certain lipases are synthesized by glands as zymogens which become activated as they reach the inside of “the tube”  (lumen) where the pH has been appropriately prepared for activation.  Pepsinogen (inactive), for example, in the stomach is converted to pepsin (active) only when the pH is below 4.0.

All enzymes have specific pH and temperature requirements to become active and, of course, there are optimal pH and temperature requirements for optimal functioning.  Certainly, as can be understood by that requirement, someone who has an underactive thyroid gland and is usually feeling ‘cold’, will not have the enzymes in their body functioning in an optimal fashion and hence, all operations of the body will be diminished.

Since it is beyond the scope of this discussion to elaborate with detail of each gland as it relates to chemical digestion, the stomach will be briefly detailed, as an example.

The mucosal lining of the stomach has a variety of glands.  “Chief cells” secrete pepsinogen which is activated isnto pepsin when the pH decreases below 4.0, a condition maintained by the parietal cells which produce hydrogen ions (acid).  Gastrin (hormone) is secreted by G-cells in the stomach triggered by food entering. Oxyntic glands (acid producing) which constitute 80% of the glands in the proximal (first part) of the stomach have several functions including…PRODUCE ACID (HCl).  Stomach cells also secrete intrinsic factor (IF), which is required for vitamin B12 to be absorbed further down “the tube” in the ileum.  Finally, cells in the stomach secrete an alkaline mucus which protects the lining of the stomach from the effects of the strong acid (low pH).

Carbohydrates

Dietary  carbohydrates enter “the tube” as sugar molecules connected in different lengths; polysaccharides (many sugars), di-saccharides (two sugars) and mono-saccharides (one sugar).   Enzymes secreted by the pancreas and others produced by the lining of the small intestines break down these sugars into the three basic mono-saccharides, glucose, fructose and galactose.  These single sugars are then, absorbed directly into the blood through the small intestinal mucosa.

Lipids (Fats)

Lipids are not soluble in water so they require several steps so that they can eventually be transported in the blood which is made of cells and plasma.  Plasma is 55% of blood volume and consists of 95% water so clearly, it can be understood that blood is a water transport system.

Lipids (Fats)

The change in the physical nature of lipids begins in the stomach where the core body temperature helps to liquefy while the stomach churns and begins the process of emulsification (break down into very small subunits).  What should be clear from the foregoing is that the fat of animals is solid at room temperature while the fat of plants (oil) is liquid hence the much greater ease of digestion and assimilation.

The emulsification process is carried further by the acid-stable lipases (enzymes that process fat) that are present in saliva and gastric (stomach) secretions.

As the lipid emulsion enters the small intestines, bile salts are released by the gall bladder in response to the hormone cholecystokinin and are activated by an alkaline pH produced by pancreatic secretions.  Both pancreatic co-lipase and lipase along with the bile salts are responsible for the majority of lipid processing and the end result is the formation of micelles  (tiny aggregates of fat with water soluble connections to the blood), which are then absorbed into circulation.  This is an extreme simplification of the process and much has been omitted for purposes of this discussion.

Proteins (Poly Peptides)

Proteins enter “the tube” as part of the diet in the form of amino acids or more complex polypeptides through eating (5% of the coloric intake/day) or are produced by the body (35-200 g), mostly digestive enzymes secreted directly into “the tube” or are shed from the cells lining the GI tract as a result of cellular turnover.

In the stomach, the pH is reduced to 1-2 by hydrochloric acid (HCl) production and acts to denature dietary polypeptides (proteins).  As proteins denature, they unfold becoming more susceptible to the actions of proteases released in the stomach.  These proteases are not fully activated until the pH drops below 2.0.  Gastric protein fragments stimulate, much like fat fragments, the release of CCK (cholecystokinin), which triggers the release of many pancreatic enzymes.

Pancreatic enzymes are released as are stomach enzymes, that is, in their zymogen (inactive) form and are then activated appropriately either by pH factors or other enzymes.  Enzymes produced by cells lining the GI tract (“the tube”) all work in synchrony to break down large polypeptides (proteins) to smaller polypeptides, tripeptides and dipeptides.  For example, enteropeptidase, produced by the cells lining the first portion of the small intestine convert trypsinogen into trypsin which, by auto-activation is then capable of activating several other proteases.  Trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase (pancreatic proteases), then produce an abundance of free amino acids and small 2-8 residue peptides (proteins).

These protein fragments are then, further broken down by enzymes produced by the small intestines. Finally, what occurs is the transfer of these amino acids and small peptides into the enterocytes (cells lining “the tube”) where they are broken down to their final, single amino acid products and then transferred into the blood destined for the liver.

Pancreas

As a reminder, food entering the duodenum stimulates the secretion of CCK, which stimulates pancreatic enzyme production and secretion.  The acidity of stomach contents stimulates the release of secretin, as it enters the duodenum, which in turn triggers bicarbonate-rich pancreatic fluid, necessary for activation of pancreatic enzymes. The pancreas secretes enzymes which digest carbohydrates, lipids and proteins as discussed previously.

Not Self ?

Colonized within and upon us are approximately 100 trillion micro-organisms (slightly more than the number of cells comprising our bodies)…they are required for our basic functioning.  Approximately10% of these organisms are yeast (fungi) while the remainder are a multitude of bacterial species that produce everything from B12 (in health) to blood clotting factors to immune enhancers to fuel sources for the cellular constituents of the gastrointestinal tract to essential components of the reproductive process…human life would not be possible without “friendly” bacteria and indeed, IT IS A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE AS TO WHETHER ONE SHOULD CONSIDER THESE AS SEPARATE ORGANISMS OR AS FUNCTIONAL UNITS OF THE HUMAN ORGANISM.  THIS SITUATION IS NOT RESTRICTED TO HUMANS BUT EXISTS IN ALL HIGHER LIFE FORMS FROM INSECTS TO MAMMALS.

At first glance, the causes of cancer seem daunting. It appears that cancer can be caused by an almost unlimited number of carcinogens (cancer causing substances) in the environment as well genetic predispositions (weaknesses).

These carcinogens can range from viruses to chemicals in the water, wall paint, smoke, petroleum products, insecticides, radiation and a whole host of other sources. In fact, it takes volumes to list them all and we keep “discovering” new ones every day.

It’s like living in a “shooting gallery.”
Sooner or later, you get hit !

Furthermore, we are told that our “genes” (our DNA) are flawed and we are probably going to get cancer no matter what.

Quite the contrary! If someone has a newly diagnosed cancer, clearly whatever was keeping them from developing cancer previously, has now failed.

What changed?

Why is it that “aunt Martha” who smoked like a chimney died in her sleep at the age of 97 while “uncle Fred”, who only smoked a pipe in the evening, died of cancer at the age of 63?

Well, rather than examining the multitude of differences, let’s examine why the approximately 200 “different types” of cancer are all called “cancer.” What is “it” that defines cancer? What is “it” that is the same in all cancer cells?

Cancer is usually defined as an abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate (increase in number) in an uncontrolled way until they invade nearby tissues and, in many cases metastasize (spread) to distant organs through the lymph or blood vessels. This aspect of cancer occurs because the cells no longer “turn over.” That is, under healthy conditions, cells are programmed to die (apoptosis) and be replaced with new, viable, young cells.

Cancer cells DON’T DIE.

Microscopically, cancer can be defined by very definite changes in the nucleus and other basic structures in the cell. There are very specific microscopic changes that begin taking place within the cell that define it as “cancer.” In fact, because of the unique characteristics of cancer, surgeons perform biopsies of suspected lumps or remove masses from inside the body and send the samples to the laboratory for a “reading.” If the tissue sample meets certain, specific structural (histological) criteria, then a “definitive diagnosis” of cancer can be made by the pathologist. Most, if not all oncologists will not treat a patient without a “tissue diagnosis.” A “well differentiated” cancer is one that still resembles the original cell type, like breast, lung, prostate, etc.

Those types of cancer are not considered to be as dangerous as the “poorly differentiated” cancers which bear little or no resemblance to the original cell type.

And, in fact, it is sometimes not possible to know from which cell type a cancer originated (“unknown primary”) and these types of cancer are considered completely “undifferentiated” and very dangerous.

At that point, it is “just cancer” not breast cancer, not prostate cancer, not any particular cancer other than the general type as defined by its embryonic origin. i.e., carcinoma or sarcoma.

Clearly, with all these changes in the structure of cancer cells, they are no longer able to function like a normal breast cell or a normal prostate cell or a normal pancreatic cell, and so on.

As a matter of fact, cancer cells are metabolically primitive. They are no longer capable of using oxygen like all other cells in the human body when they “burn” glucose (sugar) for energy and are therefore greatly handicapped.

This is not new information. The discovery that cancer metabolizes anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) earned Otto Warburg the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1931. When a cell is deprived of 35% of its oxygen for 48 hours, it will likely become cancerous.

Cancer cells have many other biochemical defects including deficiencies or complete absence of certain enzymes, such as catalase, leaving them quite primitive.

So, what are the conditions that need to be present in order for cells to be transformed into cancer cells?
To become primitive?

It is actually quite simple and straight forward:
Toxins accumulate.
Cells become overwhelmed and are no longer able to defend themselves.
Toxins accumulate.
Damage occurs to the mitochondria (oxygen driven energy factories within cells).
Toxins accumulate.
Damage eventually changes the DNA of the cell and mutation occurs.
Toxins accumulate.
Adaptation results in loss of many important enzyme systems.
Toxins accumulate.
Metabolic residue from these mutated, anaerobic cells results in an acidic environment
Toxins accumulate.
The immune system is unable to function adequately under these circumstances.
Toxins accumulate.
Mutated cells divide which accelerates the acidic environmental changes.
Toxins accumulate.
Electrical energy pathways become blocked and cells lose the ability to store energy.

We think of three stages of cancer: Initiation, Promotion and Progression.

1. Initiation can be thought of as planting of seeds.
2. Promotion can be thought of as watering and fertilizing the seeds.
3. Progression can be thought of as a continuation or non-stop proliferation (growth) of the same process transforming or destroying everything with which it comes into contact.

At any stage, the process can be halted by doing three things:

1. Clean out the toxins.
2. Provide the appropriate raw materials to build new, healthy cells.
3. Re-establish adequate energy pathways to “drive and coordinate all activities.”

Cancer can be thought of as a “tap on the shoulder” by God (or the Universe) saying, “The path you are on has
become dangerous, consider taking another.”

The three aspects of healing cancer are:

1. Stop making cancer.
2. Selectively target and destroy cancer without harming the person.
3. Enhance the immune system.

Our role:

• Guide and teach how to stop making cancer.
• Administer medical treatments that target and destroy cancer without harming the person as well as enhance immune function.
• Provide a loving and supportive environment for healing.

“You cannot purchase a cure, but you can earn your health”

Alternative Therapies for Cancer

Health is best defined as the optimal functioning of an organism. Disease is the body’s extraordinary effort to rid itself of all encumbrances that impede its natural functions. The miraculous healing imperative of the body will actually redirect its energies to detoxification and healing while preempting other functions. This process results in what we call the signs and symptoms of disease.

The two fundamental requirements for optimal functioning:

• The body must be free of waste and all other impediments
• All of the raw materials required for continual repair and renewal must be available

Enhancing the immune system is fundamental to eliminating cancer. Any thing or condition which would impair or obstruct the natural renewal machinery must be eliminated in order for healing to occur. The most basic metabolic waste product distributed throughout the body is acid (lowered pH).

• It changes the structure and therefore the function of most proteins in the body
• The types of proteins involved are structural, transport, receptors, hormones, enzymes, hemoglobin, etc.
• Acid/pH therefore affects essentially every aspect of cellular function, organ function and organ-system function.
• It thickens the blood which slows or prevents circulation to vital organs.
• It uses up the oxygen.
• Bone loss occurs.
• Heart fibrillation (beats erratically) occurs.

There are many biochemical systems within the body designed to keep the blood and the fluid that bathes the cells from becoming acidic. The elimination of impediments includes ridding the body of cells that have become abnormal in their adaptation to continued toxic assaults (cancer). Nature has provided all of the raw materials necessary for growth, repair and renewal and each organism lives within an environment that provides these materials in abundance as food, water and oxygen (or other gases).

The natural diet for humans is one that supplies an abundance of food substances which upon being metabolized result in an alkaline system. From approximately 1000 to 10,000 times per day an average cell in the human body receives DNA assaults which are potentially cancer-causing breakages. The approximate 20 trillion cells of the human immune system work every second of every day to repair the damage from these assaults as well as eliminate cells that have fallen victim. However, in spite of this onslaught of DNA damage, more than half of all Americans do not develop clinical cancer in their lifetime.

Although our external environment changes continually, our bodies must maintain a dynamically balanced internal environment. In an average life span, the human heart pumps 55 million gallons of blood through approximately 60,000 miles of blood vessels. In an average day, the kidneys process 180 quarts of blood but produce only 1 to 1-1/2 quarts of urine having meticulously recycled every essential mineral, maintained total body pH, monitored and maintained blood pressure in concert with other organ systems, assisted in keeping the bones calcified, and much more. It is both halting and awe inspiring to realize that each of the approximately 60 trillion cells in our bodies are performing functions at rates in the thousands of times per minute every minute of our lives in order to carry out all of the functions of living. This is all done flawlessly as long as balance is maintained.

All of these metabolic processes and the millions of others performed by the liver, lungs, skin, lymph etc are built from, fueled by, and repaired by nutrients from our diet. Although the vast majority of people choose their foods out of habit and for reasons of taste, cost, convenience and emotional satisfaction, the real purpose we or any creature eats is to provide nourishment in the form of raw materials required to replenish and rebuild cells, enzymes, and the myriad of chemicals produced every second.

Our bodies are incredibly designed masterpieces of the Divine, whose imperative it is to continually renew and repair in order to maintain a vibrant, dynamic balance of optimal functioning. Healing does not come in bottles or bags but rather is the innate propensity or vital force of biological organisms. Under healthful conditions and natural diets, this vital force shines brightly and keeps the light in our eyes and the smile in our hearts. Nothing extraordinary is required. It is, after all, the gift of life.

However, when a toxic system has adapted to include a large burden of cancer, the following approach, we have found, can restore the balance of health.

• Stop producing cancer.
• Selectively target and eliminate cancer cells in order to minimize any possible damage to the healthy cells.
• Restore and then enhance the immune system to optimal functioning.

All life can be viewed as the exchange and transfer of energy.

Each biological entity has a specific form (anatomy) that is designed to receive, utilize and transfer energy (biochemistry-physiology).

In our solar system, the source of the energy that enlivens all the creatures of the earth is the sun. Plants are designed to capture that solar energy and then use it, through photosynthesis, to grow and produce fruit, leaves, stems, roots, seeds and nuts.

Certain animals then consume those plants and through oxidative phosphorylation, power their cells to grow, differentiate and divide. Other animals, then consume those animals and ultimately, all biological life is recycled through micro-organisms (fungi and bacteria) in the final extraction of energy.

This final step resolves seamlessly into the first step, completing this circle of life, when the components that made up the organisms’ bodies are broken down into their elemental structures to be used for nourishment by plants (fertilizer).

At the most basic level, all energy transfer in biological systems occurs through what chemists call, redox reactions. That is reduction-oxidation reactions. These reactions involve the transfer of electrons, which seem to be the basic, fundamental form that energy takes.

Oxidation reactions remove electrons while reduction reactions, add or contribute electrons. It is this ebb, flow and exchange of electrons that allows life to be manifest.

In fact, it is the unfathomably complex and intricate movement of electrons that brings life and organization to biological systems.

Once all electrical activity ceases, the organism is dead.

This is clearly seen in emergency rooms; when all else has failed, the ‘electric paddles’ of the cardioversion machine are brought out and placed on the chest of the person with no electrical activity (flat line on EKG) in an attempt to re-establish the flow of life. This same phenomenon amuses children and adults with the use of a potato clock where two electrodes from the clock are stuck into a potato, whose bioelectrical energy is harnessed to power the clock.

This flow of electrons is what has become known as ‘electricity.’

What is an electron, you might ask…no one knows…but in China, it is referred to as Chi, and in Japan, as Ki, while in India, it is known prana. It is that, which animates the flesh and hence can be understood to be the manifestation of the breath of God.

It is the redox biochemistry of living organisms that permits ‘life’ to raise its head amid all the lifeless geological forms on this earth. The geochemical and biochemical cycles of Earth have become inextricably interwoven into one grand cycle through this redox biochemistry. The dominant bioenergetic pathways of photosynthesis (plant) and respiration (animal), which power the biosphere of planet earth flourish on the reducing equivalents stored in water and the oxidizing equivalents stored in oxygen.

Just as the oxidation of fossil fuels (oil) releases energy to power machines, so does the oxidation of inorganic and organic compounds (redox reactions) release energy to power cellular functions.

Remember, the fossil fuels are actually the stored solar energy trapped within ancient plants (oil) and machines are mechanisms for extracting and using that energy in a most inefficient and wasteful manner that has resulted in the tragically polluted condition of our planet.

Interview with Dr. Thomas Lodi, M.D. at the Sedona Raw Spirit Festival 2008.

Dr. Thomas Lodi, M.D. presents information about how a regimen of proper diet provides the energy and raw materials to build new, healthy and vibrant cells which mitigates or eliminates certain cancers

Dr. Thomas Lodi, M.D. presents information which suggests that one can not purchase a cure, but they can earn their health.

Is Salt That Bad For You?

Salt is a chemical compound that occurs naturally in seawater. Although doctors warn us to be careful not to consume too much salt, most doctors also advise that salt is essential for us.

Yet, within the alternative health arena there is a school of thought that says that it’s not natural to consume salt and that there is nothing in it that we need that we can’t get from better sources.

Who is right?

When mainstream medicine says that salt is essential, it is usually talking about processed salt, which contains nothing but sodium chloride and various artificial additives.

So, what is really being pointed out here is that sodium is essential. This is certainly the case – its roles include helping to maintain the concentration of body fluids at correct levels and (working in concert with potassium) the transmission of nerve impulses.

But sodium occurs naturally in most foods in small quantities and some foods are plentiful sources. If we routinely eat foods with added salt (which includes almost all packaged foods and restaurant foods) or routinely add salt to our food, we inevitably get far too much sodium, and this is definitely not a good thing.

There is no raw food expert who will tell you that processed salt is wise, let alone an essential addition to your diet. But unrefined salts, such as Celtic sea salt and Himalayan crystal salt, are another matter.

Why are these different? The distinction is in how close the product we call “salt” is to the naturally occurring chemical compound.

All salt is either extracted from our present-day oceans or mined from rock deposits which are the relics of ancient oceans dried by the sun millions of years ago. That is the case for both processed and unprocessed salts.

The difference is that while common table salt is heated to high temperatures during processing and stripped of all minerals other than sodium chloride, unprocessed salts are, well, unprocessed and still contain all 84 minerals that occur naturally in seawater.

That said, these salts are still predominately sodium chloride. Do they actually contain anything different from processed salts?

Do natural, unprocessed salts, such as Himalayan and Celtic, provide essential nutrients we can’t get any other way, and /or is it true that we need such salts for optimal hydration?

Himalayan (left) & Celtic (right) Sea Salts

According to homeopathic physician Dr. Thomas Lodi, M.D., “These salts provide essential nutrients that can be obtained in other ways but those ways are not natural to our physiological needs. Just as you cannot have a front without a back, you cannot have hydration without salt.”

Whether you live in Arizona or are visiting, I am sure you have no question why this area is referred to as “the Valley of the Sun.” The sun’s role in health has come under question over the past few years and since we are here, it would behoove us to understand that role.

Most people believe that exposure to sunlight increases their risk of cancer.

This is simply NOT true!

In fact, insufficient sun exposure is an important risk factor in the development of many cancers in both Western Europe and North America, according to a study published in March of 2002 in the journal, Cancer.

What is really the truth is that exposure to the sun actually decreases cancer rates. In the March, 2002 study, 506 regions studied were found to have an inverse relationship between cancer deaths and sun exposure. That is, the less sun exposure, the greater the chances of dying from cancer. The mortality rates from a wide range of cancers in New England were found to be around twice as high as those in the southwest, despite similar dietary habits. There were 13 malignancies which demonstrated this inverse relationship; the strongest correlation was found with breast, ovarian and colon cancers.

And although not quite as high, increased death rates related to insufficient sun exposure were also found in people with cancers of the bladder, uterus, esophagus, rectum, and stomach. Dr William Grant, the author of the study, indicated that in the northern United States it becomes so dark in winter that Vitamin D synthesis in people ceases completely.

Today, it is well known that the active form of Vitamin D regulates cell growth and differentiation. When it is deficient, cellular growth can become abnormal and cancerous. In fact, Vitamin D and its analogs are now being used therapeutically for certain cancers by conventional medicine.

Laboratory, animal, and epidemiologic evidence suggest that Vitamin D may be protective against some cancers. Clinical studies now show Vitamin D deficiency to be associated with four of the most common cancers: Breast- Prostate- Colon- Skin

What about skin cancer?

Although increased sun exposure is related to the development of skin cancer, skin cancers are more likely to be related to the unfortunate reversal of the omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratio found in modern diets.

“Epidemiological, experimental, and mechanistic data implicate omega-6 fat as stimulators and long-chain omega-3 fats as inhibitors of development and progression of a range of human cancers, including melanoma.” Cancer Res 2000 Aug 1;60(15):4139-45: That is, omega-6 fats stimulate cancer whereas omega-3 fats inhibit cancer. However, since omega-6 fats are essential to life, what is important is to return to a healthy ratio. The ratio of health is 1:1 or 2:1 (omega-3:omega-6).

There are many healthy sources of omega-3 and omega-6 oils that are non-animal in origin. Some excellent sources are hemp seed oil, flax seed oil, chia in the form of Salba, avocados, soaked nuts, durian (a fruit) and others. This exceedingly important topic is beyond the scope of this article but should be understood thoroughly.

Since many sunscreen products are toxic and should be avoided by most people, the solution is to avoid getting burned by gradually increasing the length of time spent in the sun. It is sunburn in conjunction with an excess of omega-6 fats that will increase your risk of skin cancer. Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) is found in 90 per cent of sunscreen brands and has been found to be cytotoxic (kills cells) by Norwegian researchers. Titanium dioxide is another compound which is found in many sunscreens. The U.S. government’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) labels the chemical “a potential occupational carcinogen.” There are, however, non-toxic brands available and should be used whenever sunscreen is necessary.

According to researcher out of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, sunscreen can prevent both basal and squamous cell carcinomas but does not protect against melanoma. There is evidence that it is the chlorine in showers and pools in combination with excessive sunshine that contributes to the increase rate of melanoma.

Clearly then, it is a grossly simplistic and counter-intuitive idea that the primary source of energy for this solar system and the most brilliant of celestial bodies radiates harmful electromagnetic energy and must be avoided.