CAN A DIET HEAL?
As I am sure you know, there is no shortage of testimonials claiming miracle cures from special diets. But do they really work and, if so, are the results sustained long-term? Over the following blogs we are going to look at some of the diets recommended for specific health problems. But before we do that, let me first set the scene by explaining the naturopathic context against which the diets will be judged.
The Biological Terrain
This is the name given to your state of health. For example, does your body have the right acid-alkaline balance, electrical charges and nutrient ratios? Are there beneficial microbes circulating in your blood?
If your internal environment becomes unhealthy – as most of ours are today – cell and organ function is compromised, inflammation ensues and your body becomes the ideal environment for chronic infections. So, if you want to restore health (rather than get rid of a symptom) it doesn’t really matter what diagnosis you end up with, as ill health cannot exist in a healthy biological terrain. Therefore, diets that simply target the disease are obviously going to be limited. One of the differences between mainstream medicine and natural medicine is that the former treats the disease and the latter the patient. So, ten people with the same diagnosis may be recommended to follow ten different protocols.
Food Allergies
Food allergies have increased by 400% over the last 20 years, the same time that GMOs have infiltrated our food supplies. Allergic reactions to foods are not a fashion and are not the result of increased awareness. Eating organically is not a fad; it is how your grandparents ate. It is interesting that organic foods are less likely to trigger an allergic reaction.
In addition to avoiding provocative foods, you need a lifestyle programme to improve your biological terrain and rebalance your immune system. If you eat organically as well, the allergies may disappear altogether. If you would like to watch an inspiring film about the link between modern foods and allergies, and how ordinary people have been fighting back, please watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHa-Om3jWas
The Microbiome
The microbiome refers to the health of the microbes throughout your body, and not just those in the gut with which most people are familiar. Your job is to keep your microbes happy, and you don’t achieve this by mounting an antibiotic or sugar attack on them or eradiating them with your mobile. A damaged biome is characterised by:
- immune suppression
- increased reactivity causing allergies and chronic inflammation
A damaged biome thrives within an unhealthy biological terrain and vice versa. In my practice, I have seen improvements in immunity, and a reduction in inflammation and infection within one month, providing effective EMF protection is in place. See my Blogs on EMFs and radiation.
The biome has become a buzz word in natural medicine. As the decimation to our immune systems is becoming apparent, the realisation that we need to support our bodies rather than kill off bugs or just eliminate certain foods, is being embraced by alternative medical communities – although it is likely to be some time before mainstream medicine is forced to concede their contribution to this health disaster.
In future blogs, I will discuss immunity and explain why there are better, and more powerful, alternatives to antibiotics. But next time, we will continue our exploration into therapeutic diets, starting with the most common such as the anti-Candida and diets recommended for environmental illnesses such as autism, M.E., and other neurological diseases such as M.S.