In my research recently on autism, ADHD/ADD, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease there were two health issues that I kept running into as causative factors of these particular health problems and other degenerative or chronic illnesses. They were heavy metal poisoning, particularly mercury, lead and aluminum, and poor intestinal health such as leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome and colitis. When these two things are addressed there is almost always a significant improvement in health or a complete cure.

I personally had both heavy metal poisoning (mercury and lead), leaky gut syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome. My particular health problems were chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and adrenal gland insufficiency leading to severe anxiety and almost adrenal failure. Our bodies respond to heavy metals and poor digestion in different ways according to where our bodies are weakest or how high an exposure to heavy metals.

By researching online I have found a lot of people healing themselves through chelation therapies for removing heavy metals from their body and by following protocols to improve their intestinal health. It’s amazing stuff.

The causes of poor intestinal health can be multiple food allergies, candida overgrowth due to poor diet and overuse of antibiotics, parasites, etc. The causes of heavy metal poisoning are dental amalgams (mercury), air pollution, inks used in printed materials, cosmetics, underarm deodorant, cooking pots and pans, aluminum foil, perfumes, vaccinations and many more ways.

Anyway, I just found it very interesting that these two health issues kept coming up as possible causes for many degenerative and chronic illnesses. It’s definitely something to look into if you are suffering with this type of health problem.

Right around Christmas last year I came down with hives. I have never had hives before and am pretty sure I don’t want to have them again. They were all over my legs, arms, stomach and back in clusters. Yikes!

It was hard to find the cause but I finally did. It was our Christmas tree. We bought it in one of the Christmas tree lots here in town. After doing some research I discovered that commercially grown trees can be loaded with pesticides and other chemicals to keep insects off and to keep them looking so perfect. There are a lot of people who get hives from these trees. We had to put the tree out on the front porch for our neighbors to enjoy.

Although I quit getting any new hives it was hard to get rid of the ones I had. I started putting hydrogen peroxide directly on the hives with a piece of gauze about three times a day. It really helped calm the itchiness and within a couple days the hives were gone. I love my hydrogen peroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide is great to have around. It helps in healing cuts and insect bites, it sanitizes, it kills mold, it cures boils, etc. Do some research and find out all the ways you can use hydrogen peroxide.

This diet may seem unusual to you but it will help you significantly. The diet is basically a high fat and protein diet with only small amounts of carbs, and then, only complex carbs.

First, eat plenty of meats (beef, chicken, pork, fish — pretty much all animal meats) as well as organ meats and eggs as your best source of protein. Protein drinks and soy products are poor substitutes. Soy is especially not beneficial and should be avoided.

Eat plenty of healthy fats — extra virgin coconut oil, organic butter, extra virgin olive oil, lard, cod liver oil, fish oil.

As for carbs your main source should be vegetables. Eat all your vegetables steamed or raw whenever possible. Don’t juice using beets or carrots as they are high in sugar. Eat very little fruit and avoid high sugar fruits such as bananas and grapes. The best fruits are apples, berries and grapefruits.

Avoid grains as much as possible. Good grain choices would be sprouted grain products such as Ezekiel Bread, quinoa, brown rice (rice cakes) and oatmeal (no sugar). Also you can eat seeds and nuts but you should soak them first to make them more easily digestible. Soak nuts and seeds overnight then pat them dry in the morning with a paper towel to be eaten throughout the day.

What to drink — Drink plenty of filtered/purified water or herbal teas. Green drinks can be good as your body can easily absorb the nutrients. I would suggest barley grass to start with. I was very sick with candida when I first tried barley grass. It helped a lot in making me feel better almost immediately. If you don’t like green drinks you can take a chlorophyl supplement that is also excellent. (By the way I like to throw in a raw egg with my green drink. Raw eggs are very healthy and the chance of getting salmonella is very low.)

You can also drink broths, mineral water, lemonade or ice teas with stevia to sweeten them and decaffeinated coffee that uses the Swiss water process and not chemical processes.

Finally, a mineral drink that I think you will find very beneficial. Take a glass of filtered water, squeeze in half a lemon and then 1/4 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt. The lemons have essential minerals and sea salt has 84 minerals making this an excellent electrolyte drink. Drink throughout the day up to six times. Make sure you drink three of them with your meals. If you need to, sweeten the drink with stevia.

Stay away from all refined, processed and canned foods. Eat only natural foods. I call it shopping around the outside of the store — meat, fresh vegetables and fruits, eggs, etc. Also, avoid all artificial sugars such as aspartame and sucralose

The number one rule in this diet is absolutely no sugar. You can’t even drink fruit juices because of their high sugar content. One exception to drinking juice is in case of a panic attack or sudden drop in blood sugar then it is advisable to take some fruit juice diluted with water to get your blood sugar back to normal. Also avoid all starchy foods such as white bread, pastas and potato chips.

This diet may seem strange, but it works. Candida loves sugar, starches and refined foods. This diet should make you start to feel better in a short time. If you need to, you can change to this diet in stages to make it easier for you. But the sooner you are on this diet the sooner you can get better. You will have withdrawal symptoms and you will have cravings. Do your best to stick with the diet and you will be rewarded in the long run.

Just this last year I began to have lots of headaches. I would have them almost every day for up to two weeks before I would find any relief. And as you know, it’s hard to get anything done when your head hurts.

Doing research about headaches online I ran across a website that has really helped me a lot. It explains how certain deficiencies can cause you to have a headache, especially if it is a one-sided or migraine type headache. Anyway it really works and I wanted to let you know about this website page: http://www.acu-cell.com/dis-hea.html

This isn’t a site trying to sell you anything. It’s just full of helpful information about headaches and quite a few other topics.

You can also find more information about headaches here.

If you are lactose intolerant, like I am, there are four ways to include milk into your diet.

1. The first thing you can do is to get the enzyme called lactase and take it with meals that have milk products. I would suggest taking it when you aren’t sure what is in the food, like when eating out.

2. There are also foods made from milk that no longer have lactose because of the way they are processed. Most cheeses if fermented for at least 6 months no longer have any lactose. I have been experimenting with many different kinds of cheeses that I have never tried before. There are some wonderful flavors in cheeses, especially cheeses that have been fermented for very long periods of time (1 to 2 years). These can be used in cooking very interesting and flavorful dishes.

3. Next is yogurt. Not the kind you buy in the store. These have not been fermented long enough and still have lactose. But you can make your own homemade yogurt that you ferment for at least 24 hours. It takes 24 hours or more to completely get rid of the lactose. Yogurts you buy in the store are never fermented longer than 10 hours. Here’s a website where you can find out how to make your own yogurt. You can experiment with different flavors and get really creative.

4. Finally, you can now buy milk that is lactose free. I personally haven’t tried it yet, but they swear there is no lactose and that it still tastes just like milk should.

Some people who are lactose intolerant, like myself, may also have problems with digesting other starches or sugars (lactose is a sugar). If this is the case, you may want to look into the SCD diet. It helps you find out how to avoid eating complex sugars that your body is unable to digest and yet still have very interesting and tasty foods to eat. SCD Diet

I know that this is something that you don’t want to hear, but it’s the truth. The number one way to begin losing weight immediately — barring other health problems that may be causing you to gain weight, such as hypothyroidism — is to eliminate all sugar in all its forms from your diet. That includes fruit juices which are high in fructose.

The health industry today would have you believe that fat is the culprit in causing you to gain weight. I suppose it could be if eaten at high levels. Good fats are very healthy and they are not why you are having weight problems. It’s sugar. Our bodies are not designed to handle the high quantities of sugar that the average American consumes.

Years ago I was found to be hypoglycemic. I was just boarder line hypoglycemic but non-the-less decided to stop eating sugar at the advice of my chiropractor. I lost 15 pounds in one month. The only change I had made in my diet was to exclude sugar in all its forms. I also felt better than I had felt in years — more energy, more clarity of thought — just great health.

The forms of sugar are: glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose and other oses. Be sure to read the ingredients and see if there are any oses. If there is, it is probably a form of sugar. Another form of sugar is starch which is found in white breads and pastries. I guess starch isn’t exactly sugar but the body treats it in the same way. So it’s also good to avoid.

If you have read my web page about boils, you would have noticed I recommend castor oil. I have used castor oil myself for this particular annoying problem. And I have to admit it worked wonderfully and quickly. I also used castor oil packs at one time to improve my liver health. This was a remedy given to me by my naturopath.

But just recently I decided to look into what else it is good for and I stumbled upon an interesting web page: http://www.industryinet.com/~ruby/castoroil.html

It turns out that castor oil can help with a lot of different health problems, such as:

AIDS
ringworm
fungal and bacterial infections
stretch marks
bursitis
warts
sprains
arthritis
gallbladder disease
constipation
swollen lymph nodes
bladder infections

This is just a short list.

The reason I like to research remedies such as castor oil is because of its many uses. It is easy to store and it’s cheap. Castor oil has been used for a very long time by our grandparents and great grandparents, etc. Maybe it is possible these old home remedies have been used through the years because of their many benefits.

This is definitely a product you should have in your medicine chest. Along with it you might also add hydrogen peroxide, iodine, Epsom salts, tea tree oil and colloidal silver.

Colloidal Silver

It can be used topically for nail fungal infections, cuts or rashes, and as an eye drop for pink eye. It is good for problems of the mouth such as cancer sores. Oral colloidal silver can be used for infections or inflammation. It may also help fight candida albicans overgrowth.

Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)

great for candida overgrowth or parasites (personal experience). An international research team in 1989-90 (reported in Orthomolecular Medicine, Volume 5, No. 3, USA, 1990) compared GSE with 30 effective antibiotics and 18 proven fungicides. It performed the same and without the awful side effects. Some of the things you can use it for are: digestive disorders, food poisoning, infections (viral, fungal and bacterial), inflamed gums, colds and flu, ear infections, strep throat, acne, nail fungus, skin infections and on and on — almost everything.

Oregano Oil

Is good for many of the same things as GSE. I have used it for candida and intestinal parasites with great results. It is very popular with ear infections as well. It is known to inhibit the growth of germs such as Staphylococcus aureas. It helps with sinus infections and skin problems such as eczema.

Do some research about these three natural antibiotics and antiseptics. It is very interesting and you can use these to help your family stay healthy. So find out more about them and how to use them correctly.