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Sugar's effect on your health

The average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar

each week, which is not surprising considering that highly refined
sugars in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar),
and high-fructose corn syrup are being processed into so many
foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter,
ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and a plethora of microwave meals.

In the last 20 years, we have increased sugar consumption in

the U.S. 26 pounds to 135 lbs. of sugar per person per year!
Prior to the turn of this century (1887-1890), the average
consumption was only 5 lbs. per person per year!
Cardiovascular disease and cancer was virtually unknown in
the early 1900's.

The "glycemic index" is a measure of how a given food affects

blood-glucose levels, with each food being assigned a
numbered rating. The lower the rating, the slower the
absorption and digestion process, which provides a more
gradual, healthier infusion of sugars into the bloodstream. On
the other hand, a high rating means that blood-glucose levels
are increased quickly, which stimulates the pancreas to
secrete insulin to drop blood-sugar levels. These rapid
fluctuations of blood-sugar levels are not healthy because of
the stress they place on the body.

One of sugar's major drawbacks is that it raises the insulin

level, which inhibits the release of growth hormones, which in
turn depresses the immune system. This is not something you
want to take place if you want to avoid disease.

An influx of sugar into the bloodstream upsets the body's

blood-sugar balance, triggering the release of insulin, which
the body uses to keep blood-sugar at a constant and safe level.
Insulin also promotes the storage of fat, so that when you eat
sweets high in sugar, you're making way for rapid weight gain
and elevated triglyceride levels, both of which have been
linked to cardiovascular disease. Complex carbohydrates tend
to be absorbed more slowly, lessening the impact on blood-
sugar levels.

Sugar depresses the immune system.

We have known this for decades. It was only in the 1970's that
researchers found out that vitamin C was needed by white
blood cells so that they could phagocytize viruses and
bacteria. White blood cells require a 50 times higher
concentration inside the cell as outside so they have to
accumulate vitamin C.

There is something called a "phagocytic index" which

tells you how rapidly a particular macrophage or
lymphocyte can gobble up a virus, bacteria, or cancer
cell. It was in the 1970's that Linus Pauling realized
that white blood cells need a high dose of vitamin C
and that is when he came up with his theory that you
need high doses of vitamin C to combat the common
cold.

We know that glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical

structures, so what happens when the sugar levels go up?
They compete for one another upon entering the cells. And
the thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells is the
same thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells.
If there is more glucose around, there is going to be less
vitamin C allowed into the cell. It doesn't take much: a blood
sugar value of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%. So
when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing
down to a crawl.

Here we are getting a little bit closer to the roots of disease. It

doesn't matter what disease we are talking about, whether we
are talking about a common cold or about cardiovascular
disease, or cancer or osteoporosis, the root is always going to
be at the cellular and molecular level, and more often than not
insulin is going to have its hand in it, if not totally controlling
it.

The health dangers which ingesting sugar on an habitual basis

creates are certain. Simple sugars have been observed to
aggravate asthma, move mood swings, provoke personality
changes, muster mental illness, nourish nervous disorders,
deliver diabetes, hurry heart disease, grow gallstones, hasten
hypertension, and add arthritis.

Because refined dietary sugars lack minerals and vitamins,

they must draw upon the body's micro-nutrient stores in
order to be metabolized into the system. When these
storehouses are depleted, metabolization of cholesterol and
fatty acid is impeded, contributing to higher blood serum
triglycerides , cholesterol, promoting obesity due to higher
fatty acid storage around organs and in sub-cutaneous tissue
folds.

Because sugar is devoid of minerals, vitamins, fiber, and has

such a deteriorating effect on the endocrine system, major
researchers and major health organizations (American
Dietetic Association and American Diabetic Association)
agree that sugar consumption in America is one of the 3 major
causes of degenerative disease.

A good source of supplies for diabetics is

diabeticdrugstore.com. They offer healthy eating diabetic
food, hard to find sugar free candy and medical alert jewelry
for diabetes care.

Honey is a simple sugar

There are 4 classes of simple sugars which are regarded by

most nutritionists as "harmful" to optimal health when
prolonged consumption in amounts above 15% of the
carbohydrate calories are ingested: Sucrose, fructose, honey,
and malts.
Some of you may be surprised to find honey here. Although honey is
a natural sweetener, it is considered a refined sugar because 96% of
dry matter are simple sugars: fructose, glucose and sucrose. It is
little wonder that the honey bear is the only animal found in nature
with a problem with tooth-decay (honey decays teeth faster than
table sugar). Honey has the highest calorie content of all sugars with
65 calories/tablespoon, compared to the 48 calories/tablespoon
found in table sugar. The increased calories are bound to cause
increased blood serum fatty acids, as well as weight gain, on top of
the risk of more cavities.

Pesticides used on farm crops and residential flowers have

been found in commercial honey. Honey can be fatal to an
infant whose immature digestive tracts are unable to deal
effectively with Botulinum Spore growth. What nutrients or
enzymes raw honey does contain are destroyed by
manufacturers who heat it in order to give it a clear
appearance to enhance sales. If you are going to consume
honey, make sure it is raw, unheated honey. Good to use in
special cures, but not as an every day food. It is not much
better than white or brown sugar.

Here is a list of ways sugar can affect your health:

• Sugar can suppress the immune system.

• Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.
• Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression,
concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
• Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
• Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
• Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
• Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
• Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
• Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
• Sugar can cause kidney damage.
• Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
• Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
• Sugar can cause copper deficiency.
• Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
• Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
• Sugar can promote tooth decay.
• Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
 • Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
• Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
• Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.
• Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
• Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
• High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and
ulcerative colitis.
• Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
• Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
• Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
• Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
• Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
• Sugar causes food allergies.
• Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
• Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
• Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
• Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
• Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
• Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
• Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
• Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in
the kidney.
• Sugar can cause depression.
• Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
• Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
• Sugar can cause hypertension.
• Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
• Sugar can cause an increase in delat, alpha and theta brain waves,
which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.
• Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk
of blood clots and strokes.
• Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar
diets compared to low sugar diets.

• Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.

Source: www.nancyappleton.com
Sugar and cancer

Of the over 4 million cancer patients being treated in the U.S.

today, almost none are offered any scientifically guided
nutrition therapy other than being told to "just eat good
foods." Many cancer patients would have a major
improvement in their conditions if they controlled the supply
of cancer's preferred fuel: GLUCOSE. By slowing the cancer's
growth, patients make it possible for their immune systems to
catch up to the disease. Controlling one's blood-glucose levels
through diet , exercise, supplements, meditation and
prescription drugs - when necessary - can be one of the most
crucial components to a cancer treatment program. The
saying "Sugar feeds cancer" is simple. The explanation is a
little more involved.

German Otto Warburg, Ph.D., the 1931 Nobel

laureate in medicine, first discovered that
cancer cells have a fundamentally different
energy metabolism compared to healthy cells.
The gist of his Nobel thesis was this: malignant
tumors frequently exhibit an increase in
"anaerobic glycolysis" - a process whereby
glucose is used by cancer cells as a fuel with
lactic acid as an anaerobic by-product -
compared to normal tissues.(1) The large
amount of lactic acid produced by this
fermentation of glucose from the cancer cells is
then transported to the liver. This conversion of
glucose to lactate creates a lower, more acidic
PH in cancerous tissues as well as overall
physical fatigue from lactic acid build-up.(2,3)
Therefore, larger tumors tend to exhibit a more
acidic PH.(4)

Hence, cancer therapies should attempt to regulate blood-

glucose levels through diet, supplements, exercise,
medication when necessary, gradual weight loss and stress
reduction. Since cancer cells derive most of their energy from
anaerobic glycolysis, the goal is not to eliminate sugars or
carbohydrates entirely from the diet but rather to control
blood-glucose within a narrow range to help starve the cancer
cells and boost immune function.

Liver Detoxification

Fatty Liver Disease And Liver Detoxification

If you talk to radiologists and gastroenterologists who are looking at

people's livers today, they will tell you that the condition called "Fatty
Liver" affects more than 50% of people over the age of 50. Common
causes are poor diet, excessive alcohol intake, adverse reactions to
pharmaceutical drugs and toxic chemicals , and viral hepatitis.
Gallbladder surgery is the most common ly performed operation in
North America.

First, let me just say that if you have liver problems because of alcohol
abuse, that it IS possible - I didn't say EASY - to change your behaviour.
We all know abusing alcohol is bad for us. Why do we not do it then?
Procastination? Lazyness? Mental barriers? I was first introduced to
methods of breaking through procrastination by the popular
motivational speaker Tony Robbins. Tony Robbins has helped me make
marked improvements in not only my health but other aspects of my life
as well. I highly recommend his life-changing programs.

PRAYER is helpful with ANY addiction.

But many things other than alcohol can cause liver and gallbladder
problems. Every year, more than half a million people in the United
States and more than 50,000 people in Canada undergo surgery to
remove their gallbladders because of gallstones.
 • 90% of people have gallstones to some
degree
• 80% of people do not know that they
have gallstones
• Approximately 80% of all gallstones
show no symptoms and may remain
"silent" for years.

• More than 60 % of Americans will, in

their lifetime, develop some of these
health conditions: Colitis, Crohn's
disease, Irritable bowel syndrome,
Allergies, Arthritis, Cancer...

Symptoms of liver disease include nausea, malaise, vomiting, fatigue,

loss of appetite, itching, a yellow coloring of the skin or the eyes, pain in
the right upper part of the belly and dark urine. The best way to
determine whether your liver has been compromised in with some
simple blood tests.

One of the best tools you can use to prevent gallstones is a simple liver
cleansing procedure which you can perform in the comfort of your home
and which is very inexpensive: the Liver Flush.

Detoxifying the liver

Various nutrients are required in order for the liver detoxification to be

carried out successfully. An adequate supply of key antioxidants is
essential to prevent further liver damage. Milk thistle, vitamin C,
selenium, beta carotene, vitamin E, and N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) are all
powerful antioxidants which are helpful in liver detoxification.

The amino acid SAM-E plays an important role in liver health, in

addition to helping with depression. Cruciferous vegetables, such as
broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbage in the diet have been
shown to enhance liver detoxification. I use those regularly when
vegetable juicing.
The B vitamins, including riboflavin and niacin, also aid in liver
detoxification.

Coffee Enema Helpful In Liver Detoxification

The use of coffee in enemas for

liver detoxification purposes is
well known. It makes some people
chuckle. I prefer to think as a very
powerful health practice for a
healthy liver. The coffee enema is
extensively used in the Gerson
cancer therapy and is a practice
which has been recommended by
holistic and alternative medicine
professionals for many years.

The coffee enema is used to detoxify the liver, NOT THE COLON. It is a
low-volume enema that remains only in the sigmoid colon. There is a
duct between the sigmoid colon and the liver called the "entero-hepatic
circulation system". When the stool reaches this point, it contains many
toxins, which are sent to the liver for detoxification.

Coffee Enema For Liver Detoxification

Without getting too technical here, the caffeine that is absorbed into the
entero-hepatic system causes the liver ducts, including the bile ducts, to
empty into the sigmoid colon. Releasing the toxins in the liver ducts,
makes room for toxins from the body to enter the liver for
detoxification.

The alkaloids in the caffeine stimulate the production of an enzyme

called "glutathione-S-transferase", which is an enzyme that facilitates
the liver detoxification pathways. The coffee enema is safe even for
people who are sensitive to caffeine because the coffee remains in the
sigmoid colon, where it will not be absorbed, provided the proper
amount is used and the enema bag is not placed too high.

Additional Methods Of Achieving Liver Detoxification

Milk thistle, SAM-E, the coffee enema and the"Liver Flush" are all
discussed in detail on their respective pages. Good luck on your journey
to a healthier liver!

Milk Thistle For Liver Detoxification? Other Herbs Helpful In Liver

Detoxification

Family: Asteraceae
Genus and Species: Silybum marianum

Milk thistle is an herbaceous annual or

biennial plant with a dense prickly
flower head with purplish tubular
flowers.

Milk thistle is an edible plant native to southern Europe, southern

Russia, Asia Minor, and nothern Africa, and has been used for food in
the countries surrounding the Mediterranean for a long time as well as a
tonic herb for the liver. Virtually all parts of the plant have been used as
food with no known toxicity. Milk thistle was introduced to North
America by European colonists.

Today, milk thistle is best known as a producer of liver protectant

known as silymarin, a group of milk thistle flavonoids. The milk thistle
in commerce is a standardized extracts prepared from the fruits (seeds)
of Silybum marianum. Like Ginkgo biloba, milk thistle is required to be
standardized and rendered to concentrated forms to be effectively used
for desired medicinal purposes, which, in this case, is as a
hepatoprotectant. In general, milk thistle extracts are standardized to a
concentration of 70-80% of flavone lignans including isosilybinin,
silybinin, silychristin, and silydianin, which are collectively called
silymarin.

Milk Thistle For Liver Detoxification

 Milk thistle has been known in Europe and other
Mediterranean countries since ancient times.
Theophrastus mentioned about milk thistle around 4th
century, B.C. Dioscorides wrote about the medicinal
value of milk thistle, and Pliny the Elder wrote on the
improvement of bile flow by milk thistle, calling it
"Silybum" around the 1st century, A.D. Nicholas
Culpeper, an English herbalist mentioned in 1650 that
milk thistle is effective for removing liver obstructions.

Von Haller documented the use of milk thistle for liver ailments in 1744.
Milk thistle has been mentioned as a folkloric remedy for asthma,
cancer, catarrh, chest pains, dropsy, fever, hepatitis, rabies, jaundice,
vaginal discharge, malaria, plague, spasms, and spleen problems. Milk
thistle has been under scientific and clinical investigation since turn of
the last century, mainly in Germany. In the 1960s, German scientists
identified a group of active ingredients from milk thistle, mainly from
the seeds, and named them collectively as "silymarin". The preparation
of milk thistle fruits and seeds were approved by German Commission E
as a highly safe and effective herb for liver health.
Usage

German Commission E approved the internal use of crude milk thistle

fruit preparations for dyspeptic complaints. Standardized extracts
(usually ranging in silymarin concentration from 70 to 80%) are
approved for toxic liver damage and as a supportive treatment for
chronic inflammatory liver disease and hepatic cirrhosis.

Silymarin is known to protect the liver by altering

and strengthening the structure of outer cell
membranes of hepatocytes (liver cells),
preventing toxins from entering the liver cells,
and by stimulating the regenerative ability of the
liver and the formation of new hepatocytes
through the activation of an enzyme nucleolar
polymerase A, which leads to the increase in
ribosomal protein synthesis and cell division.

Silymarin, as an anti-oxidant, may also reduce damages to liver cells

caused by chronic use of certain prescription drugs. The silybin
component of sillymarin has been related to cholesterol-lowering
effects. Through the capability to increase bile solubility, sylimarin may
also help prevent or alleviate gallstones.

Dose: 12-15 grams per day of powdered seed is recommended for

making infusions or other preparations to be taken orally. For
standardized extract, 200-400 mg of silymarine per day is
recommended.

Side Effects: No side effects are known for crude preparation, as milk
thistle is a food, and a relative of artichoke. For standardized extract
with high concentration of sylimarine, a mild laxative effect has been
observed occasionally.

Chemistry and Pharmacology Of Milk Thistle

A rather complete chemical composition list of milk thistle can be found

in Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Milk thisle
seeds contain 1.5-3% flavonolignans, collectively called silymarin; 20-
30% fixed oils, of which approximately 60% is linoleic acid,
approximately 30% is oleic acid, and approximately 9% is palmitic acid;
25-30% protein; 0.038% tocopherol; 0.63% sterols, including
choleterol, campeterol, stigmasterol, and sitosterol; and some mucilage.
[Herbal Medicine - Expanded Commission E monographs, by Mark
Blumenthal, Alicia Goldberg, and Josef Brinckmann, first edition,
2000]. Silymarin's constituents are isosilybinin, silybinin, silychristin,
and silydianin, of which silybinin accounts for approximately 50% of
silymarin. [Dr. Duke's Essential Herbs, by James A Duke, 1999].

There have been very few clinical tests on milk thistle or any herb for
women at pregnancy. Thus, although an extremely safe herb and food,
milk thistle is recommended against women who are pregnant or
lactating largely due to the lack of data and our ignorance.

Milk Thistle Protects Liver Function

As a mild food and herb, milk thistle's anecdotes and folklores may not
be as fancy and splendid as those of ginseng or ginkgo. Unlike the latter
two herbs, milk tistle is strictly non-Asian, and has been used in the
regions surrounding the Mediterranean. Medicinal efficacies of milk
thistle fruits and seeds for protecting the liver and helping with various
ailments associated with liver function have been known and exploited
for more than two thousand years, even before the preparation methods
for standardized extracts were available.