Ki Center Blog

Once again it's allergy season. I can tell because the amount of allergy medicine commercials has increased. The amount of money spent on over the counter medications is almost obscene. And none of these drugs address the cause of your allergies but only mask the symptoms. Wouldn't it be nice if you could actually alleviate the cause instead of just drying up the runny nose? Well, you can.

Dietary fats are important

One of the leading causes of over-sensitization to allergens is the amount of omega 6 fatty acids we consume. These fats are primarily found in vegetable oils. These oils make up a large portion of the ingredients found in processed foods, salad dressings and the like, and as a result are ingested in higher doses than the body can handle. When these omega 6 fats are out of balance, the beneficial omega 3 oils are overwhelmed and can lead to several diseases, hormonal problems, bad hair and skin and seasonal allergies. A significant change in dietary habits can alleviate these problems, make you healthier and help you to live a longer life with less illness.

As difficult as it sounds, reducing, and whenever possible, eliminating processed foods from your diet will be a huge step to correct this yearly ritual. Whenever possible eat whole foods, eat real butter not margarine and use oils such as flax and olive oil in your foods. You may have to take a tablespoon of raw flax oil each day for an extended period of time to balance the omega 6 to omega 3 levels.

Making these simple dietary changes will reduce the amount of omega 6 and linoleic fatty acids intake, and make a profound change in your body's metabolism. In addition, it will reduce the prostaglandin E2 production (which causes allergies) and increase the production of the good stuff helping to prevent these allergies. Getting on the right supplements, using a good quality air purifier and making sure your digestion is on track will be a powerful protocol for allergy health. In the clinic, we use a product from Standard Process called Allerplex with great results during the tough times. At times adding a digestive aid such as Multizyme (also from Standard Process) will greatly reduce a persons inhalant allergy.

Digestion important too

I need to emphasize the role of proper digestion in allergy relief. If you are a chronic antacid user, or suffer from consistent heartburn and digestive ailments, then we need to balance this issue before we can be successful with the allergy. I've noticed that many seasonal allergy sufferers also have a significant food sensitivity history, especially with proteins. I have written articles in the past that address digestive problems so I won't go into details.

If you are one of those who have severe seasonal allergies you may need to eliminate wheat, grains and dairy for a time. Sleep apnea and horrendous snoring can be a symptom of wheat sensitivity. Just because you are not allergic to wheat doesn't mean it is not playing a part in this disorder. Try this; eliminate all wheat and dairy for a week and see how you feel, and if you (and those you love) sleep better.

Water intake

Another player in allergy relief is dehydration. When we consume too much bread and sugars your body uses water to dilute and eliminate these excess sugars. So again we see the connection of a diet of high processed foods (high in sugar) contributing to dis-ease in the body. When the body uses up so much water, dehydration occurs. This then dries up the mucous membranes in your sinuses. This of course results in a reduced protective factor for inhaled allergens, dust, yeast and molds. Add to this the use of allergy medicines which dry you out even more, and it is no wonder dehydration is a part of the allergy puzzle.

Finally, there may be a need for overall liver support. When your body is trying to get rid of toxins (allergens), and your liver is struggling because of overload from poor diet, frequent medications and the like, you may need to give it some help.

Isn't it time to break the cycle? Come see us at the Ki Center and get a comprehensive evaluation for these and many other problems.

Let me take a moment to say thanks to the East County Gazette for allowing me the opportunity to contribute to their publication. In the articles to follow I hope to surprise you, raise questions and possibly even make you angry. Above all what you will get is pertinent, accurate information designed to make you think and hopefully encourage you to check out information for yourself. I will never tell you what to think. You have enough of that already. You are in charge of your health care; do not let anyone convince you otherwise. What you need is good information to make informed decisions. Lets get started.

The Wrong Information

I get so angry at the established medical community scaring their patients senseless with incomplete information about their cholesterol levels. Thousands of unsuspecting intelligent people have been convinced to take liver damaging drugs to artificially reduce their cholesterol numbers. Maybe you remember some 20 years ago that the medical profession informed the public that if your cholesterol was 180-200 then you were sick and needed a pill to correct this life threatening disease. Then a new line of Statin drugs came out which could lower the numbers even more. More recently the number has dropped to even lower levels because of, you guessed it, newer drugs. When you take into account that these drugs gobble up vitamins such as Coenzyme Q-10, Folic Acid, Vitamins B-12, K, D, E and Iron you have a recipe for disaster.

The Facts

Let me give you some facts to help you decide for yourself what you need. Cholesterol is essential for life. Just as the banana peel protects the fruit from damage and oxidation, your cholesterol protects your cells from damage and oxidation. It’s quite a bit like a bullet proof vest for the cell. People have been duped into believing that the lower their cholesterol is the healthier they are. This is not true and frankly the opposite is true. If your total cholesterol numbers get to 125 and lower you are sick and in danger of serious disease and illness. Did you know that when you have damage to a blood vessel or any damage for that matter your body uses cholesterol as a bandage to repair the area? Weaknesses in the blood vessels are patched with cholesterol. So a question remains; is the cholesterol building up in your veins because of fat or repair of weak areas?  If your total cholesterol gets too low the cells can be damaged by free radicals, toxins and drug interactions. Cholesterol protects these cells from damage.

Practically every organ in the body manufactures cholesterol. If your eating habits, exercise and life style are relatively good the cholesterol in your system will regulate itself. If you have adequate fat in your diet, and I am talking about good fat, omega 3 and 6, you won’t have the elevated levels that are truly a problem. If your numbers are 280 and above then yes we need to make some changes to allow the body to bring these levels back into balance. Let me say that this is possible without drugs. I have seen it in my clients reductions of 50 points in 30 days or less just by giving the body the tools it needs to regulate the process. And a real shocker for them is when I tell them to increase their intake of dietary fat. Well that just flies in the face of conventional drug profit wisdom doesn't it? Heaven help us all if we start to get healthy without medications!

In fact the older we get the higher the cholesterol numbers should be up to a point. If the body is in balance, in other words if the ratio to HDL and LDL are good, your triglycerides are in normal range and you eat relatively well and get exercise, then a number like 230-245 (if your in your 50s and older) is great! You want that protection around your cells to keep the degeneration and break down of tissues as we get older from running rampant. Cholesterol lowering drugs damage your liver, period. Just because someone has said that you're sick if you have cholesterol above 150 doesn't make it true, especially if that someone has a profit motive for you to buy their drug.

Case History

Medications can be a life saver when needed. But it just makes more sense to try something less invasive and easier on your system first. By the way that client I have that reduced her cholesterol by 50 points; she went from total cholesterol of 295 to 215 in 45 days without drugs. You know what her doctor said? Thats a good start but I think you still need to be on this drug. You decide.

There seems to be a fair amount of confusion about fat and its importance in the diet. We hear about omega-3, omega-6 fats, but what does it all really mean?

Whats Good

These are defined as essential fatty acids. This means that they are necessary for normal bodily function. But what is most important, is the ratio of these essential fatty acids to each other.

Omega-3 fats are those which can be found in fish oil and flax oil. By far, the most important fat you need for good health is omega-3. Besides being critical to normal hormone production, these fats are brain food. Your brain is composed of 60% fat and without a good intake of omega-3 fats, you could see a decrease in brain function. Everything from mild memory loss to other more serious neurodegenerative diseases can be attributed to this type of nutritional deficiency. Fish oil from salmon, cod, mackerel and other deep cold water fish, are the healthiest and the most potent of the omega-3 fats. Flax oil is a good source as well, however, it is from a plant, and lacks the same potency as compared to fish. It has been estimated that it takes 10 times the flax oil to equal the same benefit from fish oil.

Omega-6 fats are those found in corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut, soy and canola oils. You can find these types of fats in many of the processed foods we eat. Dietary experts have stated that the average American diet consumes 50 times the amount of omega-6 fats as they should. Excess amounts of this fat can cause inflammation in the brain, which is the main culprit of all neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons and ALS. An essential fatty acid, and important to good health, omega-6 should be consumed in moderation, as too much can lead to problems.

Another type of omega-6 fat, one that is more beneficial, can be found in many types of plants in minute amounts but the most prevalent source is evening primrose oil, borage, and black currant seed oil. This is a specialized form of fatty acid high in GLA, (gamma-linoleic-acid), essential for female hormone balance.

Balance of Fats

A healthy and balanced diet will contain more omega-3 than 6. Almost everyone I test during their evaluation is low on essential fatty acids. This will show up as an imbalance and can be the culprit behind many symptoms. I can supplement with fish oil capsules or flax oil to increase the amounts of omega-3. A reduction in the type of fats in many of the cooking oils and processed foods will usually be in order as well.

It should be mentioned that if your gallbladder is not working properly, or you routinely have problems eating fat of any type, we will need to clear that up as well. You can take the best supplements in the world, but if your body cannot metabolize what you take in, then it's a waste of money and will have very little benefit.

Dietary Considerations

Generally speaking, whenever I see someone on a low fat diet, I suspect that it will be synonymous with low nutrition. If they are on a low fat, high protein diet, then I know we will have some work to do in regaining good nutritional balance. What I would like to see is a moderate protein, low carbohydrate and adequate amounts of good fat diet!

Fat (the good kind) is essential for good health. Too much omega-6 fats as found in the oils mentioned earlier, is bad for you. Animal fats from bacon, and marbled meat, and dairy are fine in moderation. At least these are real fats that your body can use and will metabolize. I use real butter and no margarine of any type. Frankly, in my opinion, I don't feel margarine should even be considered as food. If you do not eat fish on a regular basis then I would highly recommend a good fish oil supplement. Standard Process Labs produces an excellent product called Tuna Omega-3, which we carry at the clinic. If you cannot tolerate the fish oil or just can't stand the taste of fish, then I recommend you add flax oil to your diet, 1 tablespoon a day. There are several good brands that I can recommend.

Just remember that good fat is essential to your health. If you have been on a low fat diet and you really haven't seen any improvement, or you feel worse, it may be time for a change to an eating plan that makes sense.