PAY ATTENTION TO THE DARK SIDE OF SOY

I have been unconvinced about the health benefits of soy since a conversation I had with Chuck Walters, the former publisher of Acres USA, one of the top eco-agricultural newspapers/journals in North America. Chuck is one of my brightest and best informed friends, and he was, at best, skeptical of all the positive health claims because of research he said he was privy too but that had never been released for publication by Monsanto. He claimed that this wasn’t unusual when research didn’t support the spin placed on a product by the corporate sponsor, and Monsanto has a reputation for being one of the most consumer hostile companies in the industrialized world, and that filters down to it’s subsidiaries as well. A little personal research on Monsanto left me feeling like the earth and its inhabitants would be better off without this company. Monsanto is the primary promoter of soy consumption, and their lobbyists shell out millions to our legislators to promote a positive spin on soy.

Kaayla Daniel, Ph.D., C.C.N., has written a book called The Whole Soy Story, The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food. In it she details the anti-nutrients and toxins in this legume that make it unfit for human or animal consumption. She reveals the specific research that has been done in each area of concern which include impaired digestion and mineral absorption which can lead to immune weakness and thyroid problems. Both of these problems are epidemic in our society. The phytoesterogens ( plant hormones that mimic human hormones) that are promoted as healthful have been shown to be double edged sword, both promoting and retarding the process of carcinogenesis.

Soaking and cooking do not eliminate the harmful anti-nutrients in soy. Fermentation reduces them, and the only truly fermented soy products are miso, natto, and tempeh, and only tempeh is readily available as a protein food, and the research does not support its regular use. Tofu is not fermented, and is therefore toxic. In fact it has become one of the major allergens in the western diet and is found in most processed foods. Additionally, she does an excellent job of researching the research on animal studies, and demonstrates how science has put a positive spin on soy by using questionable animal studies that suggest safety.

The chapter on soy infant formula was perhaps the most shocking. The dose of soy phytoestrogens, she revealed, is so high that in 2003 the British Dietetic Association (BDA) issued a position paper warning about its’ possible dangers. Then the BDA actively encouraged dietitians and physicians to discourage the use of soy protein in children under 6 months old. The facts are in, and the idea that soy formula or soy protein for children is healthful is misguided.

The information on how the powerful soy lobby influences congress and the FDA is scandalous but not that unusual. This is a well researched and well referenced book that merits serious consideration by families who have been misled on this serious soy as a healthy food issue. I’m delighted that Ms Daniel did such a marvelous job with her research, because now when I am questioned about the use of soy I can point the inquirer to a book that will both inform and amaze.

Article #2 of 3

DIGESTIVE AIDS AND ANTI-AGING

A slap upside the head – Some years ago I had the opportunity to read a piece of research on the effects of stress on digestion and the effects of the resultant indigestion on aging that drastically changed the way I looked at it.

The impression that research made on me was indeed profound. I had been interested in nutrition right from the beginning of my education, and as a health care practitioner, and the importance of digestion, I thought wasn’t lost on me. After all, I had heard, and often quoted the old dictum, “you are what you can digest of what you eat.” Nevertheless, this research was like a slap upside the head.

Aging in spurts – This research was fascinating. It pointed out the fallacy of another myth we have chosen to embrace within the healing arts. It is similar to the myth that kids only grow slowly.

Mothers told us for ages that their kids also grew quickly, in spurts, like overnight. Doctors disagreed, and it was only recently that science confirmed that mothers were right after all. Kids do experience growth in spurts.

That doesn’t mean that we don’t age gradually too; of course we do, but it showed that like the growth spurts in childhood, we also age very quickly, in big chunks, or spurts. This very rapid form of aging takes place at times of severe stress accompanied by indigestion. The real importance of this rapid aging phenomenon is that it is modifiable.

I remember hearing conversations between adults when I was a child about how quickly some friend or relative had aged, often immediately after some unusually stressful life event. Obviously, people had been aware of this phenomenon through simple observation, and now science had filled in the missing piece: indigestion. The research also showed that under normal circumstances, many people over forty begin to lose their ability to digest at the stomach level. By age sixty, digestive difficulty affects the majority.

Stressful events & personal experience – I remember how my Dad popped antacids like candy when members of the family passed away, and when other stressful events occurred in his life. The research corroborated these observations, suggesting that when people are stressed, the stomach is the first organ affected, as well as the organ most affected.

Over time, these events take a greater and greater toll, and soon the stomach can no longer secrete sufficient hydrochloric acid (HCl) to do its job.

The stomach’s job – Digestion first occurs in the mouth. Salivary enzymes break down simple sugars in food we have chewed, and some of that is absorbed through the lining of the mouth into the bloodstream. Whatever is left is swallowed, and ends up in the stomach. The stomach doesn’t directly digest fat or carbohydrate; its job is to start the digestion of protein. An enzyme, pepsin, breaks proteins (very large molecules) into peptones and proteoses (much smaller molecules), and pepsin only works in a very acid environment. HCl provides that environment.

So the stomach’s job is to secrete HCl and pepsin to break down protein in preparation for further digestion in the intestines. Without this stage of digestion taking place efficiently, protein is not sufficiently broken down and can’t be absorbed in sufficient quantity to supply daily needs. Protein absorption is critical in aging.

The protein connection – The body is held together by an appropriately named type of tissue: connective tissue. Connective tissue repair is dependent on adequate protein, vitamin C, and a host of other micro-nutrients.

Protein also makes up the basic superstructure of virtually all other types of tissue in the body. When protein is not digested and absorbed efficiently and the body has to make repairs, it must get protein for the repairs somewhere. Logically it borrows the protein from the tissues that are the least critical to life, and connective tissue qualifies.

When this happens, we start to disconnect. Cheeks and eyelids disconnect (go south) as does the butt and the belly. We disconnect as connective tissue is borrowed for its’ protein, and gravity does the rest.

To sum it all up – Stress causes indigestion, resulting in accelerated aging. What the researchers found was that especially after the age of sixty, although it occurs in many people in their mid forties, cumulative stressful life events bring about changes in HCl secretion in the stomach which results in impaired protein digestion and absorption. That leads to the body having to borrow for repair of critical tissues from less important tissues, i.e., connective tissue. When this happens we virtually begin to disconnect.

This is an important part of the aging puzzle, and with it in place, the clue to how to stop or modify aging becomes apparent. While we bring some control to this facet of the aging process, let’s not forget that aging also has other components such as skin hardening and drying that are the result of insufficient mineral and fat soluble nutrient absorption and utilization. These two additional components are dealt with on my anti-aging audio tape (information can be found on the back page of the Preventics order blank).

How to slow aging – The key to this part of the aging puzzle is the drop in production of HCl in the stomach due to repeated periods of severe stress induced indigestion. Indigestion is the primary symptom or warning marker. It signifies that the body is calling for help and that supplemental digestive enzymes are necessary. Taking digestive enzymes instead of antacids at times of severe stress and after the age of forty, can result in additional years of youthful appearance.

How to be sure you need digestive aids – The primary symptoms of acid imbalance are a feeling of over-fullness long after meals have been completed, and belching. If you belch regularly after meals, you need help digesting your food, and digestive enzymes are in order. Acid reflux, the belching of acid up into the esophagus, is serious, so contact me on our 800 number for individualized help.

Three different types of indigestion you should know about – Type one, over secretion of HCl hyperchlorhydria, or over-acidity) is usually found in people less than thirty five years of age. Type two, under secretion of HCl (hypochlorhydria) is commonly found in people over forty five years old. Type three, no secretion of HCl (achlorhydria) is common after age seventy, and becomes more common as we continue to age.

Types one and two exhibit similar symptoms; indigestion with acid reflux (acid taste and burning in the throat) which progresses in the type two to a hiatal hernia.

Type three is usually symptom free. Antacids, the most common drugs in our society, are very bad for type two and type three. Type two people almost always need digestive aids, not antacids. When used regularly, antacids cause rapid aging by upsetting protein digestion (the mechanism of action was explained earlier). Indigestion is a very serious disorder that we take too lightly.

Three types of indigestion, three products – Preventics Di Acid Dim is designed for the young people, type one. It contains glycine to soothe the stomach and digestive enzymes to support the second, or intestinal phase of digestion. Di Acid Dim should be taken just before or during meals when having episodes of acidity, as well as when one is having an “acid attack.” One or two tablets are usually sufficient. Many people find it helpful to take one at bedtime to ensure sound sleep undisturbed by acid reflux. Diabetics and some blood sugar sensitive people do better taking Di Acid Dim immediately after the meal.

Preventics second digestive enzyme, and by far the most popular, is Di Acid Stim. This product is designed for the type two, hypochlorhydric person. If you are over forty five but under seventy and have occasional to regular indigestion, this is the product for you. I keep this product on the dinner table in a sugar bowl. By keeping them on the dinner table, I don’t forget to take them before I eat. Di Acid Stim should be taken just before and/or during meals. One or two is usually sufficient, but it is not unusual to need more.

Some stubborn indigestion requires four to six tablets before meals for months before healing takes place and you can cut back. Heavy protein meals, especially late in the evening, require more enzymes. Di Acid Stim also helps reduce acid reflux in the older patient when taken at bedtime.

Acidic is Preventics third product and is designed for people over seventy. This is a strong digestive aid designed especially for those whose acid production is absent or almost absent (achlorhydria). Usually, the older you get the more you need Acidic. Sometimes it is wise to combine the Di Acid Stim with an Acidic. I find that when I eat a heavy protein meal, such as steak or lobster, after seven o’clock at night, the Di Acid Stim isn’t enough, and I need to add an Acidic. If I don’t, I feel bloated and uncomfortable for hours, a sign that the food is not being digested in the stomach the way it should.

Quality and price – The digestive aids carried by Preventics have been time tested for decades by holistic practitioners with excellent results. Buying these digestive aids at wholesale will save you a good deal of money while obtaining as good a product as modern technology can produce.

I loved it when it was announced on the front page of the newspaper that a study of 50,000 older women showed that the Low Fat Diet failed to sufficiently produce weight loss, and was no help in reducing the risk of breast and colon cancer. The study also promoted what were called the good fats. I have been telling you for over 30 years that he low fat diet wasn’t going to work, and that the way to health is on a low refined carbohydrate diet. That means a “no junk food” diet. Simple carbs cause people to be fat, and anyone smart enough to read the physiology texts figured that out a long time ago. Additionally, the only bad fat is the fat that’s full of antibiotics and hormones used in feed lots and mass production facilities and the man made fat that causes heart disease and cancer, trans fat that you find in most packaged products (we have to read labels to be healthy). Obviously, some fats are better for us than others, but there are no natural bad fats. Probably the foremost world authority on fat, Dr. Mary Enig, dispels the fat myths on her website www.bethesdapress.com.

So, 35 years of spin on The Low Fat Diet has all been baloney. Thanks, Journal of the American Medical Association for making that absolutely clear. Now, the job of every homemaker is to focus on the foods that research has demonstrated are the healthiest, and healthiest by a wide margin, the organic ones. Especially the brassica family vegetables, broccoli, brussel’s sprouts, etc., and grass fed and grass finished beef, free range chicken, etc. There’s information on purchasing some of these products on the website, www.askdoctordavid.com, under the All About Kids Referral Network.

The side effects of the Low Fat Diet, which is a high carb diet, have been increased heart disease from trans fats and simple sugars; increased cancer, cancer cells don’t like protein and fat, but prefer simple sugars for their growth; and dementia, because on a low fat diet the brain, which is 60% fat by weight, doesn’t have sufficient fat to make repairs. All of this is documented in the literature in greater and greater amounts over the last 3 decades. The Low Fat Diet was challenged right from the beginning, but the spin doctors had the backing of industry lobbying money, and those industries made a fortune while citizens died.

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