Educators provide information

Adults like to do things their own way, and may prefer hands on, learn by trying rather than following advice. Public health education is about informing and since everyone varies, the goal is to provide information about the range of possibilities that are typical, so individuals can decide for themselves which parts might apply to their own life. Seeking more information on the topic or bringing it up with an individual health care provider is then possible.

What can’t be done by a public health educator is the actual work – cooking the meal, eating the potentially healthy food, or trying the Epsom salt bath or foot-soak.

I care a lot about survival of the human race and about other species and the ecosystem – but I can’t eat healthy foods for other people. I can share links of available research but even that can be varied in helpfulness for the individual because people vary. Not everyone will be helped in the same way by the same experimental treatment.

We have a need for individualized care and physicians and care providers need enough time to do a thorough differential diagnostic process – our current medical/insurance system is making it difficult for health care teams by limiting appointment times and limiting the number of symptoms that can be discussed. Differential diagnostic process requires exploring all of the known symptoms in relation to a variety of possible diagnoses and deciding on treatments to try based on the most likely diagnosis and then modifying the treatment if necessary because the second most likely or even an undiscovered problem might have been the correct condition.

I can work towards making a clinical trial of Epsom salt treatments for people who have symptoms of chronic magnesium deficiency but it takes time and money and approval for the an ethical research design when human patients are involved. I can use pomegranate peel extract for my own health issues and share information about research – but – until funding is available for more clinical research it is unlikely to be recommended as a medical treatment, or paid for by health insurance.

  • Whole food based health care has the benefit of being more environmentally sustainable, less processing, less packaging, less additional chemicals used to make a product that can be patented.
  • Collection of research regarding potential health and industrial uses of pomegranate peel extract, (doc)
  • (Big Pharma – the down side of for profit medication) a
  • Health from whole foods is inexpensive – not able to be patent protected.

“A society that keeps cures a secret so they can continue to sell medication for huge profits is not a real society but a mental asylum.” – Alfredo Bowman, also known as Dr. Sebi (Who is Dr. Sebi?) (Usha village alkaline geothermal healing spring water)* (pH in Honduras river water, Figure 19)* (mineral content & pH of a different hot spring resort)* *magnesium would likely be part of the beneficial effects from soaking in an alkaline hot springs.

In the mean time – the goal of public health education is to provide information for individuals to look into for themselves, with their own healthcare team. It is also to look at the larger level of health of the population – is the public on average healthy and happy?

Climate change is real and involves more than carbon dioxide and warming. Scarcity of water and food are likely, change is needed. Building differently now could help make the transition better.

“Intellectuals solve problems. Geniuses prevent them” – Albert Einstein

We need more geniuses preventing problems, because we already have enough problems. It may require intellectuals to solve problems, or just a skilled technician, however looking ahead and making changes that prevent problems is the more economical move, whether a genius or a regular maintenance schedule and skilled technician is a matter of labels, or administrative plans with a reliable budget and adequate oversight of work quality. Children’s proverb: “A stitch in time saves nine.” – repair the minor tear in the clothing now and many stitches will not be needed if the tear is prevented from becoming a large rip. The child is a genius.

“Our grand duty is not to see what lies dimly in the distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” – Thomas Carlyle

Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. It is not intended to provide individualized health care guidance, please seek an individual health care professional for individualized health care purposes.

Melatonin and the Pineal Gland

Melatonin is a hormone with immune and antioxidant importance. It is produced in the pineal gland at nighttime when there is no light present. The pineal gland can be at risk of calcification. It needs iodine and may be more at risk of calcification when excess fluoride is present and/or limited magnesium. (See: Alzheimer’s Disease & Pineal Calcification, Carolyn Dean MD) (Magnesium sources) (Pineal Calcification, Melatonin Production, Aging, Associated Health Conditions and Rejuvenation of the Pineal Gland, PubMed)

Calcification of the pineal gland may also interfere with our sense of direction possibly due to disruption of internal magnetic fields. (Pineal Gland Calcification and Defective Sense of Direction, PubMed)

Complete darkness during sleep hours with blackout curtains and any nightlight/alarm clocks or other electronic equipment lights are covered. Having some full spectrum light during awake hours may also help. (See: Sleep and Health).

Lack of typical levels of melatonin is more common in patients with breast or prostate cancer or for people on the autism spectrum. See ~ 1:08:00 in the video: Quiet Wars: Frequencies of Death. 

There may be a protective effect by female hormones or increased risk for males- more severe calcification is associated with more severe prostate or pancreatic cancer and less severe with breast or cervical cancer. (Pineal Calcification Among Black Patients, PubMed).

Quiet Wars: Frequencies of Death.

/Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes./

Iodine – a link

Iodine is essential for all glands in the body not just the thyroid gland. It also helps with energy production by mitochondria and can protect against oxidative stress as an antioxidant. It also helps the immune system and may become essential for treatment of antibiotic resistant microbes.

It is important to have adequate selenium but not excess, no more than 200 micrograms per day, to help protect against excess thyroid hormone. Selenium is necessary for the enzyme that breaks down excess thyroid hormone (each molecule of thyroid hormone contains 3 or 4 atoms of iodine). Food sources of iodine and selenium are available in G9, Iodine & Thyroid.

Link with history of use of iodine medically and dosages used and a review of the role of iodine in health: http://treeoflifecenterus.com/blog-posts-by-gabriel-cousens-m-d-iodine-96-the-universal-holistic-super-mineral-2/

  • Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

Phospholipid or phosphorylation deficiency, potential symptoms

Phospholipids are essential within membrane structures within and around cells and form the walls of blood vessels and organs including our largest organ – the skin itself. Phosphorylation is chemical process that is essential for building phospholipids and also critical within mitochondria for releasing energy from molecules of sugar (glucose). Severe problems in the ability to make phospholipids or phosphorylate other chemicals would likely lead to severe symptoms and death.

Symptoms of moderate severity might include infertility for females (implantation of the fertilized egg might not occur normally) and for males (sperm motility may be impaired), however too much of some forms might also impair fertility. Often chemicals within biology have a U shape toxicity, too little or too much can be detrimental to health.

Symptoms associated with genetic problems with phospholipid metabolism have been identified that can be grouped in three main types, symptoms affecting the Central Nervous System (the brain), peripheral neuropathies (numbness beginning with the fingers, hands and feet), and symptoms affecting muscles or cardiovascular health. (1)

Choline deficiency and metabolism is also critical for fertility and other functions including nerve and brain cell communication and energy metabolism. Phosphatidylcholine and acetylcholine are needed as messenger chemicals, for DNA production, and in converting sugar to usable energy. (2) Inadequate choline leads to reduced methylation, and epigenetic changes or DNA breaks may be more likely to occur. Liver cancer may occur due to DNA changes in tumor suppressor genes that normally would repair cancerous changes. Choline is required for folate metabolism. (9) So lack of choline prenatally also increases risk for neural tube defects more typically associated with folate deficiency. Egg yolk and other animal food products contain choline, a vegan diet could include nutritional yeast flakes as a source of choline and vitamin B12 (among other B vitamins and nutrients that may also be found in a variety of vegan foods) or peanuts, (Choline/Linus Pauling Institute), beans, seeds, and some vegetables, (see Table 1, choline food sources).

Adequate amounts of various fatty acids (fats) and other vitamins and minerals are also important for the body to be able to make phospholipids, Vitamin A and E and the B vitamin called folate are necessary in addition to trace metals magnesium and zinc. Polyunsaturated fats including the omega 3 fatty acid DHA are also necessary for optimal phospholipid production. Vegetarian sources of ALA, a potential precursor for DHA, may not be converted to EPA and then to DHA by many people. (3) (Magnesium sources)

Supplementing diets with phospholipids (glycerophospholipids, GPLs, and shingoyelin, SM) has been found beneficial without severe side effects for some health conditions and when used along with some types of medications. Arthritis damage due to inflammation was reduced in an animal study. Cachexia, severe weight loss and muscle breakdown, associated with cancer and other inflammatory conditions, may also be reduced with increased intake of phospholipid sources. Krill oil, a marine source of DHA bound to phospholipids, was found helpful in a study of premenstrual syndrome in comparison to fish oils with DHA as free fatty acids. Use of phospholipid sources along with NSAIDs painkillers found reduced problems with GI side effects associated with the pharmaceuticals (such as aspirin and ibuprofen). Ulcerative colitis sufferers may also benefit from increased intake of phospholipid sources. Use for treatment of cancer, cardiovascular, and cognitive conditions has also been studied. (4)

Problems with health or lifestyle that increase nutrient demands due to oxidative stress or toxin load such as alcoholism, (6), increased physical or emotional stress, or aging might lead to problems in complex metabolic pathways including lipid metabolism. “Aging, heart failure and Barth Syndrome [98]” have been associated with decreased glycerophospholipid (cardiolipin, CL) formation in the inner membrane layer of mitochondria which are the main organelle for providing energy within cells. (5) (Barth Syndrome is a rare genetic condition causing weak muscle development, heart problems, low tolerance for exercise, growth delay, increased risk for infections, mitochondrial deficit in production of tetralinoleoyl-cardiolipin. BarthSyndrome.org/about)

Animal Food Sources of Phospholipids:

  • Egg yolk;
  • Organ meats;
  • Krill oil and other fatty fish or fish derived oils;
  • Bovine milk extracts.
    (4)

Plant Food Sources of Phospholipids and other phospho-nutrients:

  • Hemp seed kernels and oil;
  • cocoa beans and cocoa powder, baker’s chocolate, dark chocolate and to a lesser amount milk chocolate and chocolate syrup; beans/legumes;
  • soy lecithin & other soy oil extracts, (4) ;
  • carrots; celery stalks and leaves; parsnip root;
  • coconut;
  • cardamom seeds and powder; cumin seed/powder; fennel seed, flax seed, pine nuts; sesame seeds, pumpkin seed kernels, squash seeds;
  • butternut squash and pumpkin; sweet potato or yam;
  • grapefruit and orange juice with the pulp;
  • Jerusalem artichoke (this is a root vegetable rather than a green artichoke);
  • asparagus; avocado fruit or the inner kernel, dried and powdered; Artemisia turanica/wormwood leaf; lettuce, spinach and mustard leaves and other leafy green vegetables and herbs; rosemary;
    gingko leaf; okra seeds;
  • nuts/peanuts, cashews, walnuts;
  • onion root, leek leaves, garlic; 
  • pomegranate seeds and pomegranate peel extract;
  • amaranth seed; oats; rice, white or brown but the bran is the best source; sorghum;  buckwheat (a seed botanically that is not wheat and is gluten free); wheat. (G.26)   

More information about phospholipids/cannabinoids during implantation of a newly fertilized egg.

During the first few days after conception the level of anandamide, an internally produced cannabinoid, has to be at just the right level for the fertilized egg to successfully implant somewhere along the uterine lining. Too much of the natural cannabinoid, anandamide, or too much of a synthetic or plant derived source of a similar cannabinoid can cause the fertilized egg to fail to implant properly. (7) The uterus and placenta both have above average amounts of Type 1 cannabinoid receptors which are the type more prevalent within the brain and are also found within the developing fetal brain. Type 1 cannabinoid receptors are activated by anandamide which is chemically similar to the euphoric cannabinoid, THC, found in marijuana, so prenatal use of marijuana may be a risk to fetal brain development. (8)

The identification of cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) in the uterus and placenta, and the high densities of CB1Rs, functionally coupled to G protein in prenatal developmental stages throughout the human brain, suggest the involvement of the cannabinoid system in neural development (Mato et al., 2003). It has also been suggested that the high expression of CB1 mRNA in the human fetal limbic structures may render such brain structures more vulnerable to prenatal cannabis exposure (Wang et al., 2003).” (8, Ch. 3, page 91)

This means that too much or too little cannabinoids could cause problems with implantation for a female or might negatively effect the developing fetus. So external sources such as marijuana or chemically similar analogs would be something to avoid using for women during times when conception is desired or might occur (which might be up to four or five days after having unprotected sex as sperm may survive a few days) or prenatally for the safety of the developing fetal brain. However, potentially, if a woman had a genetic defect in her ability to make cannabinoids internally or some other health problem effecting the metabolic pathways, then she might only be able to become pregnant successfully when using an external source of cannabinoids/phospholipids. 

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health care guidance. Please seek an individual health care provider for individualized health care guidance.

References:

  1. Lamari, Foudil & Mochel, F & Sedel, F & Saudubray, Jean-Marie. (2012). Disorders of phospholipids, sphingolipids and fatty acids biosynthesis: Toward a new category of inherited metabolic diseases. Journal of inherited metabolic disease. 36. 10.1007/s10545-012-9509-7.
    (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229426743_Disorders_of_phospholipids_sphingolipids_and_fatty_acids_biosynthesis_Toward_a_new_category_of_inherited_metabolic_diseases)
  2. Phospholipids and Choline Deficiency, SpringerLink,
    (https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4757-1364-0_18)
  3. Gimenez MS, Oliveros LB, Gomez NN. Nutritional deficiencies and phospholipid metabolismInt J Mol Sci. 2011;12(4):2408-33. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3127125/
  4. Daniela Küllenberg, Lenka A Taylor, Michael Schneider and
    Ulrich Massing, Health effects of dietary phospholipids, Lipids in Health and Disease, 2012 11:3 https://lipidworld.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-511X-11-3
  5. Daisuke Hishikawa, Tomomi Hashidate, Takao Shimizu, and Hideo Shindou, Diversity and function of membrane glycerophospholipids generated by the remodeling pathway in mammalian cells,
    May 2014 The Journal of Lipid Research, 55, 799-807. http://www.jlr.org/content/55/5/799.full
  6. Sozio M, Crabb DW. Alcohol and lipid metabolism. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2008;295(1):E10-6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2493591/
  7. B. C. Paria, et al., Dysregulated Cannabinoid Signaling Disrupts Uterine Receptivity for Embryo Implantation, June 8, 2001 The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276, 20523-20528.[http://www.jbc.org/content/276/23/20523.full]
  8. Endocannabinoids: The Brain and Body’s Marijuana and Beyond; Edited by E. S. Onaivi, T. Sugiura, and V. Di Marzo, Chapter 15, Neuropsychiatry: Schizophrenia, Depression, and Anxiety, by Ester Fride and Ethan Russo, p 373, Chapter 3 Endocannabinoid Receptor Genetics and Marijuana Use, by E. S. Onaivi, et al., pp 91-92 (CRC Press, Taylor and Francis, 2006) https://www.amazon.com/Endocannabinoids-Brain-Bodys-Marijuana-Beyond/dp/0415300088
  9. Zeisel SH. Dietary choline deficiency causes DNA strand breaks and alters epigenetic marks on DNA and histonesMutat Res. 2011;733(1-2):34-8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3319504/