
HEALTHIER

IN 3 STEPS

Carine Green

2018

Beefcake Publishing
For all people who want to work on their health, deal with overweight, chronic fatigue, muscle aches, high sensitivity, stress or depression.
Disclaimer

In case of (suspected) illness, it is always highly recommended to consult a doctor. When doing so, follow their instructions to the letter. The author has strived carefully to present the information in this book as correct and as complete as possible, but cannot guarantee this. The information is meant exclusively as a means of illustration, the application is of course different for every situation in reality. The author rejects any liability for damages caused by the interpretations of this book. The reader themselves are responsible to assess whether or not the presented information and the translation to one's personal situation is applicable. Should the reader, as a result of the information in this book, consider stopping with treatments, therapies or medication, they should always do so after consulting the doctor or specialist currently treating them. The author is in no way liable for any possible consequences hereof.

# Preface

We all want to be healthy. A lot of people invest a lot of time and money in their health, ranging from buying and reading books about the subject up to expensive diets, food supplements and fitness subscriptions. But even when you do your best, it is still hard to find out what to do exactly to improve your health or to deal with chronic diseases, pain, symptoms of depression or overweight.

Health is a popular theme. This is why a lot of ink is devoted to it. Every week, you read several pieces about it in the media. They often contradict one another. What helps prevent cancer one week, turns out to be at the cradle of this awful disease the next week. It is hard to see the forest for the trees.This is because it is not a simple black and white story. Our body is a complex machine with countless parts that together determine how we feel and function as a human being. To make it even harder: not everyone is the same. Because of this reason, one person might experience certain side effects from medicines, whereas others might not. And of course, a lot of information about health is not entirely objective, as it is being directed by the food or the pharmaceutical industry. And obviously, every producer will claim that their products are healthy.

Because I suffered my fair share of problems with my health and wanted to help others, I started conducting research into the topic. I read books, magazines and studies and I asked doctors and other specialists for advice. I published earlier discoveries in my book _Stress Reset_ , in which I put forward a simple yet efficient way to deal with traumas and let go of stress.

In this book, I will go one step further. I read hundreds of recently published scientific researches and studied topics such as healthy intestines, chronic inflammations and vitamins, to be able to formulate a number of recommendations that can help improve your general health and counter certain specific complaints.

It is all about applying a number of very easy methods, which you should try for at least a month to feel the difference. When suggesting these, I always have your general health in mind. It is not about countering acute symptoms. I am more interested in a durable long-term solution with which you deal with the underlying causes.

There are no wonder drugs out there which guarantee you will never become ill again, so I would not dare promise you anything like that. In the end, every human being is unique and you have to discover what works best for you by experimenting. But with the recommendations from _Healthier in 3 Steps_ , you have a proper guidebook in your hand to finally deal with the health problems that gnaw at the quality of your life. Simple, achievable and efficient, without having to overthrow your current lifestyle.

To your health!

Carine Green

# War in your stomach

## The importance of a healthy gut flora

### 1.1 The good and the bad army

Unless you spent the last ten years on a different planet, you have undoubtedly heard or read the term 'healthy gut flora' dozens of times. In a magazine, at the doctor's or in a yoghurt commercial. It is one of those typical concepts which everyone talks a lot about, even though very few people really seem to know why. Moreover, quite some faulty or oversimplified information circulates, which leads to confusion. What should you or should you not eat? What are probiotics? Can you restore your gut flora by eating yoghurt from a certain brand? You read so much that you cannot see the forest for the trees anymore and every health or diet guru seems to have their own opinion about the matter.

Because I personally experienced how big the influence of your gut flora is on your wellbeing, I delved into what exactly occurs in one's stomach and how we can influence these processes. Surprisingly, I discovered that my gut flora is at the base of the peaks of the chronic fatigue that I experience often. With some easy adjustments, I have learned how to turn the tide. I have not had a relapse in almost a year, I feel more energetic and I no longer suffer from stomach cramps or a bloated feeling after eating. In this chapter, I hope to bring you on the path to healthier guts and more joy in life.

But let us begin at the beginning. An average adult has more than 8 metres of intestines. They are incredibly important - not just to digest food, but also for your health in general. This is proved time and again by research. An unhealthy gut flora is at the base of a lot of health problems, leads to chronic inflammation and may cause your body to be unable to take in (enough) essential nutrients. You can suffer from an unhealthy gut flora for years without even realising it, partly because it often manifests in unsuspected places or ways, such as continuous fatigue or a continuous rash.

_Your gut bacteria possess their own DNA. This determines - together with your own human DNA - how your body functions. Recent research has shown that the DNA of your gut flora even determines whether or not chemotherapy works. _

There is an entire world living in your stomach. You have more bacteria than you have cells in your body. Together, the microorganisms in your body weigh about 1.5 kilograms. The main part of these microscopically small organisms live in your intestines. When hearing the word 'bacteria' or 'microbes', most people spontaneously suffer from a case of palpitation. However, this is not necessary at all. No less than 80% of your gut flora consists of good bacteria, as opposed to only 20% bad organisms. These good microbes help you digest food, produce vitamin K and support your immune system. About 80% of the cells of your immune system can be found in your intestines. The microorganisms in your intestinal wall protect your intestines by keeping intruders out and by killing viruses and bad microbes. They help your immune system in distinguishing innocents substances from pathogens and by taking appropriate countermeasures.

I sometimes compare our gut with a battlefield upon which an eternal battle is fought. On the one side you have the good army, which consists mainly of good bacteria. On the other side you can find the hostile troops, also known as the bad bacteria. With your eating habits and lifestyle, you continuously feed both sides, without even realising it. The trick is to give the good army more firepower than the bad one. As long as the 80-20 balance is kept and the bad microbes do not get the chance to profiteer, you will have a healthy gut flora.

You are what you eat

_A study has shown that people who are fond of chocolate have different microorganisms in their gut than people who do not like chocolate at all._

What you eat influences your gut flora. So far this is nothing new. But did you know that the opposite is true as well? The bacteria in your gut play a part in determining your eating habits! Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what your gut flora looks like... Different scientific studies have shown that your intestinal microbes play a part in determining what you feel like eating. This is because every group of bacteria has its own preference for certain types of food. For example, candida fungus makes you want to eat a lot of sugar. If you do, it gets the opportunity to continue developing. A vicious cycle. This is how microbes can strongly influence your weight. Realising this is the key to breaking patterns that have rusted fast. Anyone who has gone some time with less sugar will probably recognise it: once you have passed the withdrawal symptoms, you will feel better and more energetic, and you will simply not crave sugar as much. The first few days are the hardest, after those it only gets easier.

But that is not all. Research has also shown that the composition of your gut flora determines how much fat your body stores. This is why someone else could eat exactly as much as you do and still not gain (as much) weight. People (and animals) that are suffering from overweight possess a different gut flora than thinner people. Studies have shown that taking certain probiotics can lead to weight loss, even without making any changes in your menu. Remarkable, isn't it?

It already starts before your birth

A newly born baby has sterile intestines. It is through nourishment and interaction with its mother that the baby creates a gut flora during the first days of its life.

As you will discover further on in this chapter, there are quite some things you can do to influence the general health of your gut, both positively and negatively. However, it is a fact that some people simply appear to be born with a healthier gut flora, giving them 'better chances' from a young age when it comes to their health. It is true that your gut flora is formed during those early days of life. That is why it is very important to receive healthy nourishment as a baby, which helps you build a healthy gut flora. Of course, you can adjust it in a later stage of life, but research claims that those first days are crucial.

Even more: it all starts before your birth. It has been known for a long time that a mother's lifestyle affects the foetus. Smoking, drinking, eating unhealthy food and pollution have a negative influence on the foetus. This increases future risk of infections. For example, babies with an obese mother have a higher risk of developing disorders such as autism, asthma and cardiovascular disease. Studies at the University of Western Australia have now shown that even the eating habits before pregnancy play a part. The explanation? The gut flora which is developed by the mother because of her eating habits.

Your immediate environment and even the society in which you are born influence the general health of your intestines. A research at the German University Marburg raises the fact that chronic diseases in industrial countries have known an epidemic growth after the Second World War. We do not call them Western diseases for nothing. The researchers have looked at countries that are just now making a 'worldwide entrance' such as India and Brasil and have noticed that they are approximately one generation behind regarding Western diseases. Where you are born and grow up influences you and your gut flora. But this does not mean that you cannot make adjustments later on...

Help, I have a leaky intestine!

An excess amount of bad microbes can create small holes in your intestinal wall, which might eventually lead to a leaking intestine. In turn, this causes (in)digestible substances to make their way into your bloodstream, where they do not belong. This activates a different, good army which fights for your body: your immune system. During the attempt of neutralising the threat, your body releases inflammatory mediators. Because of this, leaky intestines are also one of the main causes of chronic inflammation.

In the next chapter I will delve deeper into the subject of chronic inflammation and how to treat it, but I would first of all like to share that recent research suggests that chronic inflammation is at the base of a lot of conditions, among which most Western diseases. It is most likely not a surprise that digestive problems, diarrhea, and stomach ache are caused by your gut. However, for many people it is a surprise that other conditions such as eczema, skin diseases, painful joints, fibromyalgia, autoimmune diseases and allergies often originate in one's bowels.

Furthermore, chronic inflammation plays an important role in autoimmune diseases such as coeliac disease (gluten intolerance). A leaky intestine might also contribute to a resistance against insulin, since the substances that enter your body through your intestines harm your pancreas, which eventually leads to diabetes. Chronic fatigue, migraine, asthma, arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease are also often connected to a leaky intestine.

Depressed intestines

A recent neurological study has shown that one in ten psychiatric disorders originates in one's bowels. Moreover, an unhealthy gut flora is a common cause of depression.

I think that everyone at one time or another has experienced that your gut and your mind are connected to each other. This is not a delusion. When bad microbes gain the upper hand, they produce toxins that influence your brain. Under normal circumstances, your intestinal wall protects you against these toxins, but when you have a leaky intestine, these damaging substances find their way to the rest of your body.

There is another reason why your gut plays a part in determining your state of mind. You have most likely heard of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that influences your mood, emotions, memory, confidence, sleep, sexual activity, appetite and the processing of pain stimuli. No less than 90% of the serotonin in your body is created in your bowels. A shift in your gut flora could also lead to a reduced production of serotonin, which has its consequences.

Stress is also largely linked to one's intestines. Just think about that awfully smooth bowel movements the morning before an application or an important meeting or the stabbing pain in your stomach after an awful day at work where everything that could go wrong did in fact go wrong.

There is a proper biological reason why your intestines and brain share a close connection. When our brain senses a problem or danger, they want to fix it as quickly as possible. The energy which is needed for this is drawn from the gut. Which is fine, but only for a while. It is a kind of primal instinct that enables us to survive as a species - the 'fight-or-flight' response which we also see in animals. Just think of a gazelle on the run from a lion. To survive, it is essential that the body of said gazelle puts all its energy into being faster than its pursuer. Stress is a survival strategy, but should only be a temporary state. Ten minutes after a failed lion attack, the gazelle is grazing peacefully again as though nothing happened.

People, especially in the West, are rarely hunted by a lion. Our attackers are work related stress, traffic, family feuds, world problems, financial worries and 101 different issues which modern man has to deal with. Most people are (nearly) constantly under pressure. Our body is not made for this. Long term stress leads to problems. At a certain point, your gut will be sick of it and will send a signal to your brain, which in turn reacts with a signal to your intestines. The result? You feel tired or ill, you suffer from diarrhea or you lose your appetite.

Scientists were faced with a conundrum: they could not find out how the link between the brain and the bowels worked exactly. Recent research shined a light on it and showed that your brain and your gut are constantly communicating with each other. Your intestines possess their own nervous system, which is connected to your central nervous system. That is how signals are exchanged between your brain and your gut. A disruption in the communication suffices to cause problems. In other words, there does not even have to be a structural mistake in one's bowels or brain.

Researchers discovered that the nervous system of the intestines is sometimes stimulated too much, for example due to an infection. This causes the system to send the wrong signals to your brain. The opposite happens as well: sometimes your brain sends faulty signals or signals that are too strong to your intestines, for example, when you suffer long-term stress.

And this brings us back to serotonin. This substance plays a key part in the communication between the brain and the bowels. If the serotonin balance is disrupted, it could influence the working of your gut, as well as your brain. This explains the connection between intestinal problems and depression. Sadly, it is difficult to adjust the functioning of serotonin by changing your eating habits or your lifestyle. However, this does not mean that there is nothing you can do to improve the communication between your gut and your brain. Intestinal bacteria - both the good and the bad soldiers - play a part as well. By feeding the good soldiers and not stimulating the bad ones, you can give your bowels a hand.

### 1.2 Food for the good soldiers

Each day you strengthen the bad microbes in your gut. You do this unintentionally and unconsciously. But with the right insights, you can tip the balance in favour of the good army. We will take a closer look at some of the 'bad guys'. Furthermore, it is important to mark that a general healthy lifestyle influences your intestines in a positive way and that smoking, alcohol and too little exercise are harmful.

Antibiotics and other medication

Antibiotics. The name is self-explanatory: these substances kill bacteria. Which is logical. This is why they were created. Unfortunately, they do not distinguish between the good and the bad microbes. An antibiotics treatment has a large influence on your gut flora and your resistance. When a doctor prescribes antibiotics, he or she will inform you about this. Doctors nowadays are also less likely to prescribe antibiotics.

The fact that antibiotics have a negative influence on your gut flora is common knowledge. However, the fact that this counts for a lot of medicines is something that a lot of doctors did not know until recently. The European Laboratory for Molecular Biology conducted research regarding the effect of no less than 1200 medicines on 40 common gut bacteria. A quarter of the medication that was tested noticeably slowed down the growth of one or several bacteria. Some medicines influenced more than ten different bacteria. Some of the medicines they ran tests on are medicines against diabetes, against heartburn, antipsychotics or anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin. Even some of the seemingly innocent medicines appeared to have a big influence on the gut flora.

The researchers were perplexed. This is once again evidence that proves that we do not yet know everything about our gut flora. Because these drugs unintentionally kill bacteria, they also increase your resistance against antibiotics. And this is worrying, especially since so many people take these seemingly innocent medications often or even for a long time.

Is colloidal silver harmless?

It is often claimed that colloidal silver is harmless because it is a natural remedy. Nevertheless, it is still an antibiotic, which also kills the good microbes. The upside is that it does not contain any sugar or sweeteners, but it does affect your gut flora, which makes your body unbalanced. Besides, the claim that colloidal silver increases your resistance is not founded on the truth. In fact, it undermines your immune system by disturbing your gut flora.

The drug that you too take every day

_An average Western person eats about 50 kilograms of sugar each year. There are even cats that have diabetes because companies add sugar to animal nutrition._

It may sound a little exaggerated, but sugar is a drug. And the addiction to it is one on an epidemic scale. We feed it to our children from a young age on and a massive amount of articles of food contain large amounts of sugar - even some foods and drinks from which you would not expect it. Obviously your body needs a limited amount of sugar, but I have never met anyone who has a sugar deficiency. Even if you avoid sugar and foodstuffs with a lot of added sugars, you will still get plenty from vegetables and fruit.

The reason why sugar is added to everything is simple: it is cheap and addictive. And as a producer, it is a bonus if people become addicted to your products on a large scale. Purely financially, that is, because it is not terribly ethical, considering that sugar disturbs your intestines and causes a lot of unhealthy peaks in your blood sugar which leads to overweight, a hormonal imbalance, diabetes, ... Those who eat a lot of sugar also have higher risk of getting breast cancer, bowel cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Feelings of depression, listlessness and concentration disorders are also stimulated by sugar. And what about inflammation and a disturbed appetite, which causes you to reach for sugar more quickly? Bad bacteria and gut fungi truly love sugar. Especially fast sugars. You often notice them by feeling bloated or suffering from cramps. In their eternal hunger for sugar, they will make you crave unhealthy food time and again.

There are also sugars inside of fruits and vegetable, but these are natural, slow sugars that have less detrimental consequences. Besides, that little bit of sugar does not outweigh the enormous health benefits of vegetables and fruit. However, people with diabetes do have to be careful with certain fruits such as bananas and grapes.

Completely avoiding all sugars and sweeteners is very hard, but you can start by not adding sugar to your coffee, tea and dishes and not consuming any sweets or soft drinks. Also consider things such as fruit juices, chocolate milk and yoghurt that often contains sugar. A simple glance at the package betrays the presence of sugar in products from which you would never have expected it. But beware: even packaging does not always provide clarity. Sugar and other sweeteners are often mentioned as sucrose, dextrose, lactose, monosaccharide, polysaccharides, fructose, glucose syrup, disaccharide, muscovado, caramel, you name it.

And then we have not even talked about carbs yet. Especially refined carbs, which can be found in bread, rice and pasta, are quickly converted to sugar in your body. In other words, you would do best to choose the whole grain variety and even then, only in moderation.

_Lactose is a sugar that can be found naturally in a lot of dairy products. A lot of people are intolerant to lactose to a degree, which causes windiness, cramps, stomach aches or diarrhea. Do you suffer from these symptoms? It is worth avoiding all dairy products for a while to see whether or not this reduces your bowel problems or even makes them disappear._

And what about sweeteners?

A lot of people think that food with sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, sorbitol, xylitol and cyclamate are better for your figure. The truth is that they increase your craving for sweets and carbs, causing you to gain weight. Moreover, sweeteners are not healthy. Sometimes they are even less healthy than sugar and at least as addictive.

Also be careful with products that contain stevia. In itself, stevia is a healthy alternative for sugar and sweeteners. Different studies even suggest that stevia is good for your hormonal balance, blood sugar and blood pressure. But it is not because a product says it contains stevia, that this makes it healthy and that it cannot also contain sugar. Even containers of stevia powder that you buy in a supermarket usually do not only contain stevia, but also maltodextrin. Some brands even have a ratio of more than 90% maltodextrin as opposed to less than 10% stevia.

Reading the labels is the message. Pure stevia is more expensive, but is so sweet that you only need a little bit of it. One teaspoon easily replaces an entire cup of sugar. Some brands do have a bitter aftertaste, which some people find unpleasant, so it is best if you experiment a little to discover which brand(s) you prefer.

Why it is best to avoid pesticides like the plague

_I have experienced that I suffer from a 'relapse' when I have eaten raw vegetables or fruit. For a long time, I have wondered why this is. Finally, I came to the conclusion that it had to do with pesticides._

I would dare to bet that you would not be exactly flabbergasted if I told you that pesticides are unhealthy. This is the case for everyone. But some people are more sensitive to chemicals on our fruits and vegetables than others. Whether this is determined genetically requires further research. Nevertheless: people with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia react more intensely to pesticides. Anyone who suffers from one of these illnesses has probably heard that 'it is all in your head', which is a discussion stopper, that gives you the feeling that it is your own fault and you should just 'get over it'. If only it was that easy! I have had to hear it for years when I went from one doctor to another, hoping to discover why I was so ill and more importantly, what I could do about it.

In the meantime, researchers and doctors seem to be more and more convinced that these types of affections are not just psychological but at least partly physical. I came to a rather shocking insight myself, which I have tested time and again, and which proved correct every time. When I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome ten years ago, I was a kind of walking zombie that was constantly in pain. Some days, I was so tired that I could barely lift my arms. I consulted more than ten different family doctors and specialists and I wore out no less than three physical therapists and an osteopath. When the latter looked me straight in the eye after a treatment and told me he could not help me - which was really just very honest - I broke down. The following days, I did nothing but cry and wallow in self pity. But then I was done with it. I had to grab hold of my life again. But I had no idea how to do so.

Until an unforeseen meeting in a specialist's waiting room got me on the right track. Thanks to a complete stranger, I discovered the formula, a combination of two natural supplements which have to be taken in the correct proportions. Thanks to this formula, which I describe in my book _Stress Reset_ , I got my chronic fatigue under control. The worst complaints already disappeared in about two months. If I look at my life now and compare it to my situation a couple of years ago, I am grateful that I discovered this formula. I have by now helped quite some friends and acquaintances with it and, through my book, I eventually also helped people I did not even know at all.

I threw all pain killers, anti-inflammatories and acid inhibitors in the bin and I started walking. At first, I did not get that far, because my body really just did not want to, but after a while, I managed to walk for half an hour and eventually even an entire hour. In the meantime, I read loads of articles and books that dealt with the topic of health. Until then I had spent all this spare time in waiting rooms, but now I suddenly had a lot of time and a bit of energy to deepen my knowledge about my own health. I simply had to get better. And it worked.

Yet, at a certain point, I noticed that I did suffer a small relapse from time to time. I did not understand it at all. Until I started writing down my daily meals. I looked for it and discovered a remarkable pattern: whenever I had eaten raw vegetables, I suffered a relapse that would persist for a few weeks! One relatively small change in my eating pattern has caused me to not suffer a relapse in almost a year: I removed all raw vegetables and non-biological fruit from the menu.

Pesticides are chemicals that affect your body. A lot of people think that they can wash them off, but a bit of water does not suffice. The same goes for brightening agents, which you find on some fruits such as apples. The good news? The negative side effects disappear nearly completely when you cook them. If you do eat raw vegetables or fruit with its peel, you would do best to pick biological options. This also counts for fruit juices and - not unimportantly! - herbs, that are treated. A fresh mint tea at a cafe terrace could be enough to cause an upsurge... Non-biological jam should also definitely be avoided.

Symptoms of a pesticide poisoning are, among other things, skin rash, itchiness, muscle aches, mucus production in your throat, frequent peeing and psychological discomfort. People who are sensitive to this, will notice these symptoms more easily.

After a pesticide poisoning, it takes up to an entire month before the poison has left your body. But even then, you will still experience the consequences for some time. You have an increased need to sleep, because your body is still recovering from the chemical 'attack' it endured. All in all, it takes about two months for the effect to wear off. In other words, those who eat raw vegetables frequently never give their body the chance to recover. To test the effects of a diet that contains no pesticides on your health, you have to stick with it for at least two months.

Little poison

'But all of that is regulated,' I can hear you think. There are indeed quite some rules about how much toxins are allowed in our food. The question is whether or not we think this suffices.

The Poison Control Center states the following: 'Pesticides for fruit are regulated strictly in Europe and fruit can only be sold after a certain waiting period. This causes only small doses of pesticides to remain in the fruit, too small actually to really cause symptoms. Not even when you eat a lot of fruit. These pesticides are obviously very poisonous to bugs, but hardly or not at all poisonous to warm-blooded animals such as humans. A reason for this is because the human body breaks down these pesticides really quickly. This is why taking a medicine to break down these substances would have no use. And why it does not even exist.'

I find some of these words rather interesting. 'The doses are 'too small _actually_ to _really_ cause symptoms'. This causes to let some doubt creep in... And how about the words 'hardly or not at all poisonous to warm-blooded animals such as humans'. If someone would serve you a plate with some unknown food and told you that it is 'hardly poisonous', would you eat it?

And what about bodies that - for example due to a disturbance in your gut flora - do not break down pesticides as easily? Every person is different and the same goes for their bodily functions.

_Remember that processed products may contain raw materials with pesticides as well. For example, some fruit juices use the peel of the fruit. And some types of grain are sprayed with pesticides. Organic bread might be the answer here. There is also a certain brand of pasta which clearly states that it is free of pesticides. You can make tomato soup with organic tomatoes and with organic concentrate from peeled tomatoes._

I am deliberately talking about chemical pesticides. There are also biological variants, that are often used in organic agriculture. Yes, that's right. Organic foods do not guarantee to be free of pesticides. Often, they were in fact used. They simply come from a different, natural source. It sounds healthier and in general, it is.

But organic is definitely not everything. The biological pesticides such as hydrogen peroxide, pyrethrin and eucalyptus oil are in fact poisonous to bees and azadirachtin may even cause brain diseases in children. Because these natural substances are often less efficient, it is not unheard of that an organic farmer might spray more of them to gain the same effect. Nevertheless, the fact remains that organic fruits and vegetables generally contain less damaging substances and, moreover, they contain more essential nutrients and up to 40% more antioxidants. The latter are very important to our immune system.

A study at the British Cambridge University has shown that organic crops contain smaller amounts of harmful pesticides and nitrogen. They also looked into the presence of cadmium, a heavy metal that damages your kidneys. With no less than 48% less cadmium, the organic products did better. But it is still present...

In short: even when buying organic products, I advise caution. Those who are sensitive to pesticides would do well to avoid fresh herbs, raw vegetables and fruits with their peel still on, even those that are organic. Washing them does not remove the pesticides completely. There are even some pesticides that penetrate through the peel of fruits and vegetables. Although it is always best to wash and peel them, this does not guarantee that you will not be ingesting remnants of pesticides. According to American scientists, it would however help to wash your fruits and vegetables in some water with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).

The most sprayed foods

Samples from the Dutch Voedsel-en Warenautoriteit, NVWA (an agency that monitors the correct enforcement of laws regarding food, health, etc.), shows that strawberries contain six times more harmful substances than other types of fruits. In general, up to eight pesticides have been used for each strawberry. For some kinds, these numbers are even higher. Since the legal standard per used product is not exceeded, the agency cannot intervene. But this means that you ingest quite some toxins when you eat strawberries...

Top 12 most sprayed fruits and vegetables

in 2018, in the Netherlands, according to research conducted by the NVWA

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Nectarines
  4. Apples
  5. Peaches
  6. Pears
  7. Cherries
  8. Grapes
  9. Celery
  10. Tomatoes
  11. Bell peppers
  12. Potatoes

Top 15 least sprayed fruits and vegetables

in 2018, in the Netherlands, according to research conducted by the NVWA

  1. Corn
  2. Avocado
  3. Pineapple
  4. Cabbage
  5. Onion
  6. Peas
  7. Papaya
  8. Asparagus
  9. Mango
  10. Eggplant
  11. Honeydew melon
  12. Kiwi
  13. Cantaloupe
  14. Cauliflower
  15. Grapefruit

These lists may differ slightly for each European country, but not by much.

Could new techniques make pesticides superfluous?

There is a new, promising revolution in biotechnology: the CRISPR/Cas9-Technique. It makes it possible to cut and paste DNA to improve genes. With this technology, they can create crops that are more resistant against diseases, heat or draught, making pesticides (largely) superfluous. This technique may sound radical and unnatural, but nature does it all the time, usually coincidentally. Survival of the fittest causes species that have slightly beneficially divergent DNA to gain the upper hand. Evolution in a nutshell, so to say.

Similar techniques have been used for a long time, for example in developing different colours of flowers. However, this way of working, through crossbreeding and selection, takes years. CRISPR would be able to reach the same effect but in a matter of months. The difference with genetic modification is the fact that the latter inserts pieces of DNA from a different organism and uses radioactive radiation and carcinogenic substances to alter the DNA without knowing what the result will be. As though creating some sort of Frankenstein's Monster. Scientists now think that CRISPR is a lot safer, because it only cuts and pastes DNA in the plant itself. It would also be much more exact, making the consequences a lot more manageable.

Chlorine: (too) efficient of a bactericidal

In Antwerp, where I live, tap water often smells and tastes like chlorine. Chlorine is used to purify drinking water and of course you recognise the chlorine smell of swimming pools. There is a good reason for this. Chlorine is very efficient when it comes to killing bacteria. However, it can also kill good gut bacteria and is one of the causes of the rise of candida infections. These infections can occur on different parts of your body, for example on your skin or on your intestines, where they cause complaints such as a rash and itchiness. The culprits are candida, a type of mold that naturally occurs in your body. As long as there are not too many of them, we do not notice their presence. But chlorine, antibiotics and other influences may cause these troublemakers to increase in numbers and actually cause trouble.

In the Netherlands, chlorine is no longer allowed to be used as the primary disinfectant and is only applied in exceptional circumstances - and even then, only in small amounts. And yet, measurements done by Dutch water companies show that there is still chlorine in their tap water. We are talking about different types of chlorine that end up in the water due to human activity. For example, there are quite some cleaning products that contain chlorine. And it is really difficult to get these out of the water again. In Belgium, anno 2018, chlorine is still actively added to drinking water. The standard is 0.25 mg per litre of water.

Chlorine evaporates when the fluid is boiled or when it comes into contact with oxygen. There are chlorine filters, but these could aid the growth of bad bacteria. Personally, I have discovered that I suffer from a stomach-ache after drinking unboiled tap water, even when I let the water sit for a while, which is often recommended. If you are dealing with certain complaints such as intestinal problems, and you drink tap water frequently, it might be worth consuming only bottled water for some time to see whether this at least reduces these conditions.

Lastly: a report of the Flanders Environment Agency from 2016 has shown that 99.6% of the tap water in Flanders meets the legal standards. This sounds promising and, to an extent, it is. However, research has demonstrated that heavy metals, pesticides and chemicals were found in our drinking water. These quantities were below the legal standard, but this proves that these dangerous substances are present in our tap water in a small, and according to official institutions harmless, amounts. Besides, we also notice regular bacterial pollution. This gives you pause for thought...

_When you are sensitive to chlorine, it is good to know that you also frequently ingest chlorine when visiting a pool, which uses chlorine. Visiting an indoor pool frequently could even lead to lung diseases. Swimming in open air is preferable, because at least a part of the chlorine evaporates. The same goes for taking a shower with tap water that contains chlorine: make sure your bathroom has sufficient ventilation to reduce exposure._

Fluorine: detrimental to your intestines

Fluorine has a bactericidal effect and therefore disturbs your gut flora. Even small amounts have a negative influence on your digestion. It is also bad for your kidneys. Furthermore, fluorine hinders the production of the essential vitamin K, about which I will tell more in part 3 of this book.

Fluorine is added to most toothpastes, though you can buy toothpaste without fluorine in certain (organic food) stores. In some countries, such as Australia and the United States, it is added deliberately to tap water to prevent tooth decay. In the Netherlands, they started doing this in the Sixties, but stopped adding fluorides to the tap water after the protests of some worried civilians.

In Belgium, the government made the Superior Health Council and the National Advisory Board of Food carry out a study. Their conclusion states that fluorine is not an essential trace element (in short: we do not need it to be healthy) and that it has a 'limited safety margin'. Because of these reasons, it is not added to the drinking water in Belgium, but the aforementioned study conducted by the Flanders Environment Agency shows that it is still present in our tap water in small doses. The amounts are affected by local fluctuations and dependent on different factors.

Fluorine can be found in quite some foodstuffs. The values for bottled water, vegetables and fruits are very low, just like in meat. Tea contains higher amounts of fluorine. Usually, we do not ingest harmful amounts through our food and water. However, for people with sensitive bowels (or kidneys), it could be worthwhile to limit the daily intake of fluorine to an absolute minimum by not drinking tap water and tea, but instead choosing bottled water with low fluoride levels, as well as not swallowing their toothpaste and potentially even opting for a toothpaste without fluorine. It is also good to know that fluorine does not even really protect your teeth. I will come back to this in part 3 of my book.

Linoleic acid: why 'healthy' fats can be unhealthy

In itself, linoleic acid is not something unhealthy, on the contrary: it is an essential, unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. We need it for certain important bodily functions, but cannot produce it ourselves. In other words, we have to ingest it through our food. However, we only need 2.5 to 5 grams of linoleic acid each day. Since linoleic acid can be mainly found in corn oil and sunflower oil, which is added to a lot of products, most Western people in fact ingest (way) too much of it. Especially margarines often contain large amounts of linoleic acid. This is because a small amount of linoleic acid can help reduce your cholesterol. Clever margarine producers highlight this property on their packages. But if you eat too much omega-6, it is actually unhealthy. Moreover, too much linoleic acid disturbs your gut flora and aids inflammation and infections.

Furthermore, it is important to know that omega-6 interacts with omega-3 and that the balance between these two groups has to be right. Scientists do not yet agree on what exactly the ideal ratio is. They do however agree on this: in Belgium and the Netherlands, most people eat too much omega-6 and too little omega-3.

And that is not all. There are in fact different types of omega-3. The three most important omega-3 fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). You need all three of these.

ALA can be found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, purslane and watercress, but also in legumes, nuts, soybeans, linseed and in walnut, soy and linseed oil. Some margarines contain omega-3, but often also large amounts of omega-6. Our body cannot produce this fat by itself. EPA and DHA are produced in our bodies, but only in small amounts, so it is recommended to ingest more of them through your food. You can find EPA and DHA mainly in fish and in fish oil.

This is, in other words, a problem for people who do not eat fish, such as vegetarians. ALA is partly transferred into EPA, but this transfer is hindered when you ingest too much linoleic acid. And this is often the case for vegetarians. Omega-3 can only be found in fatty fish and in fish oil, which are often polluted by heavy metals, dioxins, PCB and other harmful substances that mess up your intestines. A health dilemma, as it were. By the way: not every fish contains the same amount of omega-3. You will find the highest concentration in fatty fish. Farmed fish often contains less and sometimes even no omega-3 at all.

Luckily, there are also seaweed and algae such as spirulina and chlorella. They contain small amounts of omega-3. You would have to eat pretty large amounts to ingest enough, but there are also supplements. The benefit is that they are vegetarian, unpolluted by toxins and therefore healthier. They are also more durable, since producers of fish oil supplements need large amounts of fish for their production.

All in all, it seems better to choose ALA. However, research shows that only 5 to 10% of the ALA that we ingest is converted into EPA and even just 2 to 5% is turned into DHA. Many specialists share the opinion that consuming ALA alone does not suffice.

_The ability to transfer omega-3 fatty acids is different in every human being. Women convert more ALA into EPA. People who live in warm places also transfer more ALA. The theory of the researchers is that people in the North historically ingested more omega-3 since they ate a lot of fish._

Synthetic thickening agents: ideal for those who want to become thicker

To thicken fluid food and give it a good structure, producers all too often add synthetic thickening agents. Both carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80 are popular, as they are used often in ready-to-eat food, sauces, soups, desserts and ice cream. These products are a lot more powerful than traditional thickening agents such as gelatin, corn starch and potato starch. They are also a lot less healthy and attack your gut flora, which leads to inflammation and a disrupted metabolism. Scientists suspect that artificial thickening agents are at the base of quite a few intestinal disorders and cases of obesity.

### 1.3 Food for the good soldiers

As you have by now figured out, there are quite some 'attacks' both from inside and outside of your body that influence your gut flora negatively. So far the bad news. The good news? You can give the good soldiers a hand, not only by avoiding bad influences, but also by feeding the good soldiers and in this way improving the general condition of your intestines.

Probiotics: a miracle cure?

Probiotics are living microorganisms that have a positive influence on your health when they are administered in sufficient amounts. The name itself really says it all: _pro_ means _for_ in Latin and _bios_ stands for _life_. Recent scientific research has confirmed that probiotic bacteria protect the nerve system of your intestines and positively influence the communication with your brain. Dairy products are one of the most common sources of probiotics, in particular lactic bacteria. In addition, there are also foodstuffs that are enriched with probiotics and there are also pills and tablets available.

Often, these supplements are prescribed by nutritionists after an antibiotics course or after the yeast infection candida. Research demonstrates that taking probiotics is safe. It is only advised against if you suffer from acute pancreatitis. Furthermore, if you suffer from a severe intestinal disease or have problems with your immune system, it is recommended to first consult a doctor before starting a probiotics course.

There are a lot of supplements on the market, usually in the form of a pill or a powder, with very variable contents and results. If you want to take probiotics, you would do best to look at the strains that are in it. Five important strains of which the health effects have been scientifically proved are: Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 (RC-14), Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 (LA-5), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 (GR-1) and Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12 (BB-12). There has not been done any or not enough research into other strains. It is also good to know that supplements often contain all sorts of filling material, including sugars, which in fact have a bad influence on your gut flora.

Fermented food: a natural source of probiotics

Fermented food contains quite a lot of probiotics. It is a natural source of living microorganisms without any filling material. Fermentation is a process in which sugars are broken down by yeast and bacteria. This prolongs the food's shelf life. Already at the start of the 20th century, studies were published that pointed out the possible health effects of bacteria from fermented foods and this was only confirmed by later research. Even by some very recent studies.

The Asian kitchen knows quite a lot of fermented products that do not only contain probiotics, but that also provide other demonstrated health benefits. Many of these products are made on the base of soybeans. Just think of **tempeh** , a meat substitute full of proteins and antioxidants that posses cholesterol reducing properties.

**Natto** is also made from fermented soybeans. It is one of the most commonly used ingredients in the Japanese kitchen. Apart from probiotics, natto also contains a lot of fiber and vitamin K. During the fermentation process, nattokinase is produced, which is an enzyme that lowers blood pressure and helps prevent and solve blood clots.

And let us definitely not forget about **miso** , which is the result of fermenting soybeans together with salt and koji, a type of fungus. Japanese people use it to season their soups, salads, dressings and marinades. Miso contains an incredible amount of probiotics. Research shows that miso could possibly drastically reduce the risk of certain cancers and that it is very good for your heart. However, this requires further research. This product can be found in Asian supermarkets, organic stores and in quite some regular supermarkets.

Of course, there are other sources of probiotics. **Kefir** is a fermented dairy product that consists of kefir grains that are added to milk. The result is a very healthy drink of which the taste resembles buttermilk.

Another probiotic drink is **kombucha** , a fermented tea that can be made of either green or black tea and which has grown popular over the last years. Animal tests suggest that kombucha reduces blood sugar and cholesterol. It is available in a lot of supermarkets.

Sourdough bread is a type of bread that is not made with yeast but with **sourdough**. This is a natural product that is created through the fermentation process of the flour and the water. And you may have already guessed it: this bread contains lots of healthy bacteria.

A forgotten superfood

The past few years, many articles have appeared regarding the alleged _superfoods_ to which a great deal of health improving properties were attributed to. Sauerkraut is hardly ever mentioned, though. Unfairly. It is actually an excellent source of probiotics.

Sauerkraut is nothing more than sliced white cabbage that owes its sour taste to various lactic bacteria. During the fermentation of the cabbage, yeast causes the starch and sugar in the cabbage to be converted into lactic acid. Sometimes spices or wine are added to this, purely for the flavour.

This fermented white cabbage is incredibly healthy, contains a lot of probiotics, is easily digestible and hardly contains any calories. Furthermore, sauerkraut contains a lot of vitamin C, as well as vitamin B, potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc and fibres. Sauerkraut works as a disinfectant. Drinking sauerkraut juice helps against eczema and acne.

In organic stores, you can find sauerkraut of organic origin, which tastes better. Here, you can usually also choose between different kinds: sauerkraut with spices, salted in a traditional way or fermented with lactic bacteria. The latter is the most healthy. It contains less salt and they add juniper berries and lactic acid to it. It is best to eat sauerkraut raw. During cooking, it loses a lot of nutrients.

_Most sauerkraut comes from a factory, whether you buy it from the barrel at your local greengrocer or in a bag at the supermarket. In itself, this is not a real problem._

Could yoghurt save us?

We all know those commercials in which yoghurt with living ingredients are promoted as some sort of miracle cure that magically solves all of our health problems. But to what extent is this image true and what exactly is yoghurt with probiotics?

Probiotic yoghurt is made from fermented milk, usually with lactic bacteria. It contains a relatively large amount of good bacteria. Not every yoghurt contains living ingredients, so this is the first thing to pay attention to. Yoghurt with bacteria contains a lot of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, B2 and B12 and can help lower your blood pressure. Some yoghurt producers claim that their product can help you gain a greater resistance and healthier gut flora. This, however, is exaggerated. The number of good microbes is too low and they often only belong to one single strain. A known producers is brought before court because of its misleading commercials and had to change course with its marketing campaign.

_Yoghurt and other dairy products put a film on your intestines that hinders your digestion. If you combine yoghurt with food that is hard to digest, this will possibly cause your gut problems to worsen. Moreover, a lot of yoghurts contain large quantities of sugar and thus causes bad bacteria to fester._

Prebiotics as food for probiotics

Prebiotics are indigestible food components (fibres) that encourage the growth of one or several good bacteria. The difference with probiotics is that prebiotics are not living organisms, but that they serve as food for good bacteria.

A well-known subgroup of prebiotics are the fructooligosaccharides, better known by its abbreviation FOS. There are supplements available, but prebiotics appear in certain foodstuffs such as tomatoes, onions, garlic, leek, artichoke, asparagus, barley, apple, banana, seaweed and cacao. Eating prebiotics is very healthy. I should add that you do lose some fibres when cooking these foods. If you want to increase your intake of prebiotics, then it is worth doing this gradually, otherwise your bowels might react to this sudden turnaround in your eating habits and you might (temporarily) experience more problems...

### 1.4 In a nutshell

There is a war raging in your intestines between good and bad bacteria. When the bad microbes gain the upper hand, it leads to various health problems and eventually to serious conditions and diseases.

Keep your bad gut bacteria under control by:

● Only taking antibiotics, colloidal silver and other medicines when it is really needed and of course only when prescribed by a doctor.

● Consuming as little sugar and carbs as possible by cutting back on sweets, sugary drinks, white bread and pasta.

● Minimising the intake of pesticides by avoiding raw vegetables, fresh fruit juice and fresh herbs and always choosing organic. **This especially applies to people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, who are extra sensitive to pesticides.**

● Consuming less omega-6 (linoleic acid) by avoiding products that are enriched with it. The main example of this are vegetable fats such as margarine.

● Not smoking and drinking very little or no alcohol at all.

Help your good gut bacteria by:

● Consuming probiotics, preferably those from fermented foods such as sauerkraut, miso, tempeh and natto. When suffering from intestinal distress or after an antibiotics course, it might be advisable to follow a probiotics course.

● Eating food that contains lots of prebiotics such as onion, garlic, tomatoes, asparagus, leek and banana.

● Getting enough exercise.

Personally, as a probiotic I take Hyperbiotics PRO-15: twice per day I take a capsule together with half a teaspoon of Manuka honey (MGO 550+). This quickly causes your intestines to get back to normal. Many other products often work insufficiently.

# The danger of inflammation... and of anti-inflammatory agents

## Turmeric in the war against inflammation

### 2.1 Silent killers

'I can't keep swallowing painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicines for the rest of my life,' I said to my (by now former) family doctor one fine day after he had prescribed me heavy medication once again. 'Isn't it unhealthy and addictive?'

He smiled as he handed me the prescription. 'Oh, that won't be a problem if you deal with it sensibly.'

I knew that this was nonsense. I had read plenty about it to be aware of the dangers. And to deal with with it sensibly, what exactly does that mean? At that time, I had been taking three pills a day for weeks. How do you do that sensibly?

That day, I decided to reduce my intake of medicines. I was exhausted and had constant muscle aches, causing me not to sleep and to become even more exhausted. A vicious cycle. Luckily, I discovered the Stress Reset method, which allowed me to reduce my problems simply by combining two natural products. I wrote more about this in my book Stress Reset. Later on, I added turmeric supplements to this formula. In short: I have discovered an alternative method instead of taking painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Why this is so important and how to tackle this issue? I will tell you in this chapter.

What exactly is an inflammation?

An inflammation is actually nothing more than a reaction of your body to tissue damage (just think of a wound that festers) or stimuli from the outside, for example due to infection by a virus, bacteria or fungi.

Inflammation on the outside of your body does not go by unnoticed. Usually you notice a thick red spot that hurts and feels warm. It might also be difficult for you to move the inflamed body part.

An inflammation in your muscles or joints is more difficult to detect. And when one of your organs is inflamed, a blood test, viewing instruments or medical imaging are required to map the problem. Of course, you do not just do this without reason. This means that you or your doctor should already suspect that there is an inflammation before you let such examinations be carried out. The problem is that you can carry a chronic inflammation with you for years without being aware of it, which means you also do not get tested for it...

Regarding this topic, people speak of acute and silent inflammations. The former kind does not go by unnoticed. Just think of the flu, sunburn, an insect bite or an acute lung or bladder infection. Most acute inflammations are dealt with by your immune system within a week.

Aside from these, there are also silent inflammations. With this type of inflammations, our immune system usually does not manage to neutralise the problem. Your immune system goes into overdrive and eventually becomes exhausted. Just think of frozen shoulder, hay fever, food allergies, irritable bowel syndrome or Alzheimer's. Silent inflammations are often chronic.

_Silent inflammations play a part in quite a few conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, rheumatism, osteoporosis, pains without due cause, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, infertility, complications during pregnancy, depression, cancer, COPD, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, migraine, eczema and dementia._

Why does our immune system not fix this?

Our immune system is indispensable. It renews itself constantly, keeps our body in top condition and fights off pathogens. Nevertheless, it is not foolproof, especially when dealing with chronic, silent inflammations. I sometimes compare our immune system with a kind of control room, in which a group of specially trained security guards are constantly watching a wall of screens that shows every corner of our body. As soon as an 'incident' occurs or when a 'suspicious person' (virus, bacteria, ...) is identified, a part of the security guards hurries to the scene to neutralise the threat.

Our security team is very good at its job. The only downside is the ageing within the team: they underwent their training during a time when there were no acute threats. An old-fashioned flu, sunburn, insect bite or allergic reaction is perfectly manageable for them to fix within seven days. But the world of inflammations has changed profoundly compared to the time when our old guards underwent their training. A new danger lurks around the corner, specific to our modern society: silent inflammations. They know perfectly where the blind spot of each security camera is. Our trusty security personnel works overtime to track them down. They have to stay longer, their leave is cancelled and they are constantly under severe pressure. If this keeps up, half of them will soon be home with a burnout...

Because all your energy goes to your immune system (they send interim workers to your security team, so to say), other body systems are put on hold. You become tired more quickly, your muscle mass decreases, you become thinner or suddenly gain weight without due cause, you suffer from depressive thoughts, you become restless, listless or, on the contrary, you become hyperactive. You name it.

Eventually, not even your immune system manages anymore, even with those extra, temporary workers. In this moment, there are two possible scenarios: your immune system does nothing anymore or it goes into overdrive, causing it to attack the body's own cells. Your overworked security personnel no longer sees the difference between the real and the imaginary threats and attack body tissue. These are the so-called autoimmune diseases.

Due to the inability of your body to deal with the silent inflammations, they often become chronic. We speak of chronic inflammations when they last for more than 42 days. Sometimes, an inflammation lasts for years, with all the implications that follow.

A research study shows that anti-inflammatory food causes you to have 50% less chance of becoming depressed as opposed to when you eat food that boosts inflammation.

How do you notice a silent inflammation?

This type of inflammations is not clearly visible in your blood. The only leads are often a slightly raised CRP level, high glucose levels, increased LDL cholesterol levels and/or an increased triglyceride level and a reduced level of HDL cholesterol. The problem is that it is hard to interpret these levels correctly. And even then, this only confirms the existence of an inflammation, but does not say what type of inflammation or where it is. Certain levels can also indicate other problems.

There are other symptoms as well that may indicate a chronic inflammation:

\- Overweight

\- Chronic fatigue

\- Pain without due cause in your joints, muscles or tendons

\- Digestive problems

A good doctor will always look at the overall picture before giving you a diagnosis.

Syndrome X

Metabolic syndrome or syndrome X is the Western disease par excellence of the future. It is seen as the precursor of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease and, in addition, it perceptibly increases the chances of developing cancer. Syndrome X is a combination of overweight and a number of disruptions of your body, which can be found in your blood. You suffer from metabolic syndrome if you meet at least three of these symptoms:

\- A Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 30

\- A waist circumference of at least 88 cm. (women) or 102 cm. (men)

\- A blood pressure of more than 140/90

\- Fasting glucose of more than 6.1 and an increased sensitivity to insulin

### 2.2 Curbing anti-inflammatories

Okay, so, inflammations are omnipresent and form a real threat to our health. No wonder so many people people are being prescribed anti-inflammatories. It seems like a good solution, but is it?

NSAIDs: prescribed dangerously often

_NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, should never be taken together with blood-thinning agents, because of the risk of bleeding in the stomach or intestines_.

In 2005, the American Food and Drug Administration reported that chemical painkillers and anti-inflammatories have very harmful consequences for our health. In 2016, a group of doctors even concluded that it would be better if people above the age of forty would not take classic painkillers at all. This warning applied to all NSAIDs that were available on prescription. And this warning was indeed important. After all, recent research shows that these medicines are more harmful than it was formerly believed. For example, they significantly increase the risk of heart failure and heart attacks. And they do so even after only using them for a few weeks!

NSAID stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. They combat pain and inflammations and they do so well, but only temporarily. A lot of people have to continue taking NSAIDs daily for many years. Medicines that are taken often are for example Naproxen, Motrin, ibuprofen, Advil, Celebrex and Diclofenac (Voltaren and Cataflam). The classic NSAIDs of the first generation, such as ibuprofen, are especially bad for your stomach. For this reason, doctors often also immediately prescribe an acid inhibitor. Common side effects are inflammations of the gastric mucosa, nausea, vomiting and even ulcers. The second generation is less harmful to your stomach, but most doctors still prescribe acid inhibitors as well and it is not proved that these medicines are healthier than their classic 'brothers'.

NSAIDs increase the risk of bleeding in the stomach or intestines. Because of this, it is perilous to take them together with blood thinners, as this makes it very hard or impossible for doctors to stop the internal bleedings.

It is advised to take these medicines as little as possible. Only if you must take them as a last resort, you should limit the consumption, as well as the dose and the length of time taking them. People who already suffer from a heart condition should try to avoid NSAIDs all together. Different researches conducted on patients with heart conditions have demonstrated that these drugs noticeably increase the risk of an premature death.

Even young people have to be careful. Another study was conducted on people between the ages of 18 and 35 who took ibuprofen daily for some time. The levels of their sex hormones reduced significantly. This usually mainly occurs with older men, but after 6 weeks of taking ibuprofen, the young subjects already produced a quarter less testosterone. In the long run, this leads to acquired primary hypogonadism, a condition that is associated with erectile dysfunction, a reduced libido, a lower fertility rate, a reduced muscle mass and power, osteoporosis, fatigue, depression and memory problems. Furthermore, in the past researchers already discovered a clear link between low testosterone levels and premature death.

Other studies showed that ibuprofen leads to hearing damage, as well as damage to the kidneys and the heart. Despite this crushing evidence, ibuprofen and other NSAID medicines are still being prescribed by many doctors, often against chronic pain and arthritis. But since long-term use is so harmful, it is most definitely not an ideal drug for chronic complaints. This is why lots of people with joint pains stop taking NSAIDs after a while, simply because they suffer too much from the side effects.

Paracetamol: harmful in the long run

_Since paracetamol is often prescribed for chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis, arthritis, rheumatism, gout, bursitis, fibromyalgia and ankylosing spondylitis, there are a lot of people who take this medicine for a long time. And this is absolutely not without danger._

In the first instance, doctors usually prescribe paracetamol, which is known for example under the brand name Dafalgan. It is a popular medicine against early-stage complaints of rheumatism and causes the pain stimuli not to be transferred to the brain. Its effect lasts for 3 to 6 hours.

Paracetamol is commonly found in combination with other active substances. This is the case in Toplexil syrup, Nevrine codeine, Algocod, Afebryl, Sinutab and Lonarid. It is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs against pain and ever worldwide and is even given to children and pregnant women. In the Netherlands, it is available without a prescription. In other words, you would expect it to be a safe medicine.

Alas. Provided that you do not exceed the suggested dose and only use the drug for a short amount of time, there are nearly no side effects. However, if taken excessively or long-term, paracetamol causes damage to the liver and kidneys. People who already have trouble with their organs are not advised to take paracetamol. Blood disorders also occur. Furthermore, at a certain point, paracetamol just does not help anymore, causing many people to switch to NSAIDs after all.

Aspirin, far from innocent

_In the United States, aspirin is mentioned in the top 10 most common causes of death._

In 1900, aspirin was considered some sort of miracle cure. At the time, they thought that it helped against headaches, trombose, rheumatism, a cold and tuberculosis. Many decades later, it was still the most commonly prescribed medicine against pain, fever and inflammations. For a long time, people thought that low daily doses of aspirin even reduced the risk of getting a stroke or a heart attack. More recent research, however, has shown that this is not correct at all. On the contrary: aspirin actually doubles the chances of suffering an internal bleeding. Several independent studies even concluded that the benefits of aspirin do not outweigh the drawbacks.

Every year, quite some people end up in the hospital after taking aspirin. Especially bleeding ulcers are a common side effect. In addition, patients often suffer from asthma attacks and kidney damage. Aspirin also functions as a blood thinner. Because of this, the medicine may lead to problems, even during simple procedures. This is why you are not allowed to take any aspirin during the five days before having an operation.

Aspirin interacts with certain other drugs. This may reduce or increase the effect of these medicines. For example, the combination of aspirin with anticoagulants may lead to stomach bleeding, the risk of suffering side effects when combining aspirin with anti-inflammatories increases, and the combination with medicines against high blood pressure in fact causes your blood pressure to spike. Medicines against heart and kidney conditions, as well as antidepressants, should not be taken together with aspirin. Also good to know: aspirin does not have a long shelf life. The medicine should under no circumstance become damp, because then it breaks down into a strong acid that is very harmful to your stomach. In short: this garden variety medicine is in fact far from safe or innocent.

Vioxx: 60,000 deceased

Around the turn of the century, Vioxx was placed on the market. What was launched as the medicine that could circumvent the numerous downsides of aspirin would quickly be at the heart of one of the largest medical scandals in human history. This anti-inflammatory medicine killed approximately 60,000 people. In 2004, the drug was taken off the market again, after numerous stories of heart attacks due to Vioxx. According to the lawyers of the next of kin, the internal documents showed that the company had been aware of the health risks of its medicine for some time. The producer paid a compensation of 4.85 million euros and is currently still producing medicines that can probably be found in your cupboard...

_One of the researchers of the Erasmus University of Rotterdam discovered that the majority of the medicines that are currently being sold date from a time in which pharmaceuticals were only tested on men. There is no precise evidence for many drugs whether or not they are effective for women, let alone what the possible side effects are. Hardly surprising that women have a 70% greater risk of being admitted to the hospital after taking medicines._

Withdrawal symptoms

Most people know that you can become addicted to painkillers, but they still underestimate this, probably because addiction is often passed off as something that only occurs to weak people. However, some substances are so addictive that no one can resist them. Moreover, some people naturally have a greater predisposition towards addiction. And you do not discover this until it is too late.

It is not always obvious to find out to which substances you can become addicted. Doctors often pass off medicines as harmless and non-addictive. For example, you can in fact suffer withdrawal from codeine if you take it for some time. In itself, this is not really surprising. Codeine is an opiate, just like morphine and heroin. And yet, this is a drug that many people - often inside of a cough syrup or in combination with paracetamol in the medicine Dafalgan - simply have lying around their house, reaching for it whenever they even suffer from mild complaints. You could ask yourself whether a small headache or a nagging cough should really be fought with such a powerful, addictive opiate... Combining it with alcohol is not a good idea either: alcohol increases the effect of codeine even more.

A poignant example of how quickly certain doctors prescribe heavy medication is the drug oxycodone. This is an opioid, a.k.a. a painkiller that has the same effect as morphine. It does not contain opium, but the effect is similar. Oxycodone is actually even twice as powerful as morphine. Because of this, it has been used for some time for terminal cancer patients. But nowadays, it is sometimes prescribed after suffering a broken bone, a tonsil operation or against chronic pain. Many doctors do not realise how addictive this substance is. And that is a problem.

During long-term use, oxycodone is very addictive. The withdrawal symptoms described by the users are reminiscent of those of heroin users: shivering, sweating, fever and severe bone pain. These symptoms can last for days. In 2015, the Drug Enforcement Administration already spoke of a genuine opioid crisis and an epidemic. An estimate shows an approximate 50 deaths each days in the United States due to the use of opioids such as oxycodone.

Made in China

_As a consumer, it is nearly impossible to find out where medicines were produced, especially because it are usually the raw materials that are made in foreign countries. Moreover, the medicines often go a long way from country to country, in which they are sometimes even repackaged._

Many (raw materials for) medicines, also those of so-called Western brands, come from China and India. The low wage costs make European companies to close their factories here and to move production to Asia. These drugs and raw materials dive under the European market prices. In the past, quite some problems came to light because of this, which caused the government to (temporarily) remove medication from certain companies from the market, for example those from a factory from Toansa in Northern India.

In itself, Asian medicines do not necessarily have to be worse than Western ones, but the conditions in which they are produced leave a great deal to be desired. There are different working regulations than in European (pharmaceutical) companies which causes mistakes to be made. Furthermore, it is difficult to exercise control on your activities as a producer when said activities take place at the other side of the world.

Be wary of fake medicines

_Never buy medicines online. According to data from the Dutch government, approximately half of them are fake. Moreover, it is dangerous to simply take drugs without first consulting a doctor._

There is a large black economy of illegal drugs. A significant part of it is fake, ranging from solutions for erectile dysfunction to sleeping pills or tranquilizers, antibiotics, painkillers, antidepressants and even expensive cancer drugs. The World Health Organisation speaks of a severe threat to public health and ten thousand deaths due to false medicines.

Sometimes, medication from illegal trade ends up at the local pharmacy, but the main part is being sold online. It is never a good idea to sell your medicines online. Even when the pills are not fake, they can still have unexpected side effects due to a different composition - sometimes in interaction with other drugs - and it is best to only take medication when prescribed by a doctor anyway.

How do you recognise fake medication?

Sometimes, drugs are replicated so well that it is nearly impossible to discern the real medication from the fake. However, there are a few indications that should raise a red flag. Pay attention to every detail and be wary if:

\- A pill has a different shape than normal.

\- The packaging is made from different (often lighter) materials than normal.

\- The name of the medicine is misspelled.

\- There are a lot of spelling mistakes in the package leaflet.

\- You experience different side effects than normal.

When in doubt, it is best to return the medicines to your pharmacist.

Generic medicines

At times, a pharmacist gives you a different medicine than the one your doctor prescribed or the one you asked for. He or she will point out that the same active substance is in it, but that the price tag is significantly lower than that of the brand product. These are the so-called generic medicines. However, are these 'store brands' as good as the original?

Well, there are some observations to be made. It is correct that the active substance is the same in a generic medicine. The dosage may differ from that of the original medicine, which can be of great importance for certain conditions and patients.

In addition, each medicine contains filling material or excipients. These may also be different in generic medicines than in the brand you are used to. If you are sensitive to one of these excipients, it may cause unpleasant side effects. The opposite could also be the case: that you are more sensitive to the filling material in brand medicines. And even though many generic medicines are so cheap because they are produced in countries such as India, the same might actually be true for brand medicines. In other words, there are no general conclusions to be drawn regarding the choice of brand medicines over generic medicines.

Careful with antacids

Many people take antacids. Nevertheless, more and more people suffer from a shortage of stomach acid the past decade. The causes should be looked for in antibiotics, painkillers, refined foods and sugars, as well as chemical products such as pesticides. This stomach acid shortage leads to all sorts of vague problems such as muscle aches (especially in your neck). The cause of these is hardly ever linked to your stomach. If you continuously have too little stomach acid, your complaints will become chronic and you might eventually develop an autoimmune disease.

This is not actually very surprising. Stomach acid is very important to your body. It is responsible for breaking down protein molecules, fats and carbs, so they can be absorbed by your blood. The acid in your stomach also causes the fungi and bacteria in our food to become harmless and helps us absorb vitamins and minerals, most importantly B12 and iron. Taking antacids for years could lead to a vitamin shortage, with all the implications that follow (also see chapter 3 of this book).

Quite a few filling materials in medicines are hard to digest. This is often related to the shortage of stomach acid, which may be caused by stress. If you are affected badly by it, you could consider drinking cola. Even though it is not healthy, for example because of its high sugar content, it does help you produce more stomach acid, which in turn aids your digestion. Make sure to drink with a straw so you do not damage your tooth enamel and choose cola that does not contain sugar. You can read more about this at the end of the book.

Does medication cause more harm than good?

Those of you who pay careful attention reading this book will, amongst other things, learn that quite some medicines - and definitely not just antibiotics - affect our gut flora, that many painkillers and anti-inflammatories have severe and even life-threatening side effects and that medicines steal significant amounts of vitamins from our body. Caution should be exercised regarding medicines...

Prominent specialists warn against the usage of medicines. Aseem Malhotra, a British cardiologist, stated in the newspaper The Guardian that modern medicine constitutes an important danger to public health, that medicines are prescribed too often and too quickly, and that the majority of people do not benefit from medicines. He pleads to deal with the underlying causes instead of simply prescribing pills. For example, making certain changes in your lifestyle reduces the risk of getting heart attacks and strokes, and having a healthier lifestyle positively affects patients within days. Many people only further deteriorate due to the side effects of their medicines. Aseem recommends people to always ask their doctor whether or not a certain medicine, test or procedure is truly necessary.

Peter Gøtzsche of the Cochrane Collaboration, an independent, renowned network of researchers, professionals, caretakers and patients, even estimates that medicines prescribed by doctors are worldwide the third highest cause of death, after heart conditions and cancer. This Danish professor compares the pharmaceutical industry with organised crime. It is a world he knows well, because he worked in it for years. However, he decided to leave his career behind him and become a whistleblower. In his book, Deadly Medicines and Organised Crime, he describes how producers of medicines fool both patients and doctors, alter test results and even bribe doctors.

Messing around with herbs

Back in the day, I assumed that herbal products were by definition safer than their synthetic 'counterparts'. I did not really believe in the efficiency of the majority of these herbal remedies, but I based myself on the principle of 'no harm no foul'. However, you should in fact be careful with these as well, because not ever herbal product is as innocent as the label would make us believe...

The University of Guelph (Canada) conducted research into 44 products from 12 different companies. As it turned out, only two of these companies made products of which the contents matched those on the label completely. When looking at the other producers, the researchers noticed replacement products, cheap filling materials and pollution. About 60% of the tested products contained plants that were not mentioned on the list of ingredients. And not all of these plants are equally harmless. For example, there was no St John's wort in one of these remedies, but instead they discovered Senna alexandrina. This plant does not only function as a laxative, but it may also lead to chronic diarrhea and liver damage. In other herbal products, they discovered feverfew, which causes nausea and cancer sores, swellings and numbness in your mouth. Furthermore, they discovered nuts, soy, rice and wheat that was not mentioned on the label, which is a problem for people with allergies and which could even lead to life-threatening situations for some people. Sometimes they are deliberate additions as filling material, but sometimes they are accidental contaminations.

Herbal products are sold in quite a lot of stores without requiring a prescription and are becoming more and more popular. Many people take them for years.

_Herbs may also interact with other herbal products or medicines. The same goes for the filling materials that may or may not be mentioned on the label._

### 2.3 Turmeric as an alternative anti-inflammatory agent

If you take all problems and scandals regarding traditional medication into account, it is not that strange to go looking for an alternative. Personally, I managed to leave all painkillers and anti-inflammatories behind. And with them, I also left all troublesome side effects and the large health risks to which I was exposed in the past. My secret? A yellow powder which we mainly know from the Indian cuisine: turmeric.

Turmeric or curcuma originates from India. This plant has been cultivated in Asia for centuries and is related to ginger. There are a number of varieties. The type used for the common turmeric powder is the Curcuma longa. This plant has a height of about one metre and has beautiful white flowers when it blooms. The yellow-orange colourant we know so well from our spice rack originates from the tubers and roots of the plant. There are three yellow pigments in turmeric. Curcumin, also known as E100, is the most active substance of these three and is used in many foodstuffs.

Indian people eat an average of 2 grams of turmeric each day. Furthermore, they use it to treat problems with their digestion, gallbladder and liver. Numerous studies have shown that turmeric is good for both your body and your brain. According to scientific research, there are a number of conditions that turmeric can help improve, and the list grows longer each day. Currently on the list: pain relief, preventing, reducing or even completely removing (chronic) inflammation, wound healing, rheumatism, atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cataract, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, gallstones, liver diseases, high cholesterol, obesity, too high or low blood pressure, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, sleeping disorders and depression. Turmeric is poisonous to cancer cells and is a powerful antioxidant, which deals with the harmful free radicals in your body. Curcumin also works against viruses, bacteria and fungi. It is even used as an antibiotic against a bacteria that causes ulcers.

But in the first place, turmeric is used as a painkiller or an anti-inflammatory. Studies indicate that turmeric is almost as efficient against inflammations as anti-inflammatory medicines and even more efficient than painkillers. The difference with chemical substances is that turmeric deals with the inflammatory reactions on a cellular level, by slowing down the mediators of your immune system that are responsible for the development and preservation of inflammations.

_There is a number of people with chronic conditions for whom traditional painkillers and anti-inflammatories simply do not work anymore. To them, turmeric might possibly be a good alternative._

### Turmeric against depressions?

In the past, scientists had already discovered that some anti-inflammatories have a positive effect on the state of mind of some people who suffer from depression. Important side note: this only counts for test subjects who had high levels of inflammation markers such as TNF in their blood. For others, there was hardly any or no noticeable improvement at all.

For these people, whose depression is caused by an inflammation, curcuma might possible be an efficient remedy. Curcumin influences the issuance of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which largely determines your state of mind. Animal tests have shown that turmeric is just as efficient in treating depressions in animals as classic antidepressants. Afterwards, they performed a test on people. Sixty test subjects were divided into three groups. Group one received 1000 mg of turmeric extract each day for six weeks, group two received 20 mg of the antidepressant fluoxetine (also known as Prozac) and group 3 took a combination of both. The research demonstrated that turmeric is almost as efficient, but without the often troublesome side effects of classic antidepressants.

Moreover, turmeric could also help in preventing depressions. Curcumin fights inflammations in the brain and stimulates the growth of new brain cells. Back in the day, scientists thought that adults could not produce new brain cells anymore, but recent research contradicts this. And this is good news, because this renewal helps in preventing depressions and dealing with stress. And so, turmeric also lends us a hand in doing so.

_About 30% of all people who deal with depression do not react to traditional antidepressants. To them, a turmeric course might prove very interesting._

Getting started with turmeric

You may have read about the health benefits of turmeric somewhere before. Personally, I am a big fan of Indian curries, which means I often use the yellow powder in the kitchen. When you read certain articles, you would think that adding a little turmeric to your dinner each day suffices to never get sick. I would like to relativise this.

Adding a little (or a lot) of turmeric powder to your stir fry each night does not suffice to experience its effect. This is the same for many substances and in many cases, this is for the better. This means you need high concentrations of turmeric. What is more, only about 3% of the turmeric root consists of curcumin - the most effective part - and that turmeric powder from the store often only contains 10% curcumin. If you really want to take turmeric for health reasons, taking a supplement is a good solution.

A large part of the turmeric you ingest leaves your body through your stool without your intestines properly absorbing it. Of course, this is good for your gallbladder and your digestion, but to deal with inflammations and the sort it is useful if you absorb more of it. Black pepper causes your body to absorb more curcumin. Because of this, producers of (good) turmeric supplements also add black pepper extract to them.

Since turmeric has so many benefits, many producers jumped on the bandwagon. There is not always scientific evidence of the effect of every curcumin pill, though. However, it is scientifically proven that the ones I take, Optim Curcuma, do work. A good supplement contains more than 90% turmeric.

I advise you to always consult a doctor before starting a course, especially if you suffer from a bad condition. Just like most medicines and treatments, a turmeric course will not necessarily completely rid you of a disease. It is also not because you take turmeric, that you do not risk getting diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer's anymore. It is a powerful remedy to reduce the risks and to completely or partly deal with the chronic inflammations that are behind many diseases. But it is definitely not some sort of miracle cure that will add ten years to your life.

I find it important to make this side note, simply because I spent years searching and became frustrated with the promises of certain specialists, producers of medication and health gurus. Whether or not you get a certain illness is usually dependent on a whole series of factors. But I would stake my life on it, no matter what, turmeric presents numerous health benefits and is a great deal healthier than anti-inflammatories and painkillers. It is also important to know that it is not a chemical agent, which means it might take some time before you fully experience its effects. Only after about six weeks, you will really start noticing the difference.

Possible side effects

If you have read the texts about medication, you will quickly realise that the possible side effects of turmeric are not that bad in comparison. In high doses, it could cause a dry mouth, flatulence and a slight irritation of the digestive system. More important to keep in mind: turmeric thins your blood. If you take blood thinners or suffer from gallstones, cholestasis or have too much stomach acid, you should not take too high doses of turmeric. Since turmeric has a stimulating influence on your womb, it is also advisable for pregnant women to be careful with it. Those are all the side effects of turmeric, though. I would say: read the package leaflets of painkillers and anti-inflammatories in your medicine cabinet and compare them to this.
Zeolites: vacuum your body

For those people who notice their curcumin supplements to interact with their medicines, there is now a good alternative: food supplements based on zeolites, an efficient anti-inflammatory. Zeolites are complex, crystal-shaped minerals that are generated through a chemical process that occurs when volcanic lava comes into contact with freshwater or saltwater. It is a kind of clay with very special properties.

Zeolites do a lot more than fighting inflammations: they neutralise the poison in your body. By consuming zeolites, you neutralise heavy metals and toxins - such as pesticides - from your food. The toxins become encapsulated, as it were, and are then hauled away so they cannot do any more damage. Zeolites are a kind of vacuum cleaner that cleans your organs.

After the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, zeolite was used to combat the radioactive pollution in the environment. The local population was given zeolite to neutralise the effect of the harmful radiation on their health as much as possible. Zeolite is also used to prevent the radiation of stored radioactive waste to spread. Producers of detergents, cat litter and aquarium filters also benefit from zeolite's ability to absorb harmful substances and nastiness.

Since zeolite is such a strong ally in the battle against harmful substances in our body, it definitely deserves a spot in the top ten of most efficient antioxidants. It helps neutralise the free radicals that are partly responsible for cancer. Zeolite can even help heal patients that suffer from cancer.

_A small study in the US has shown that zeolites are possibly employable against different types of cancer. No less than 78% of the terminally ill cancer patients who received zeolite during the research did recover!_

Because zeolite absorbs so many toxins, it is a powerful tool against the overload of your intestines and liver. Zeolite improves your digestion and the intake of vitamins and minerals from your food. Furthermore, it has an antiviral function. It boosts our immune system and fights the viruses in our body, making you less vulnerable to illnesses such as the flu. Lastly, zeolite also helps you lose weight. This is because your liver stores toxins in fat.

Detoxing by taking zeolite

Every day, we absorb harmful substances, and not in the least through our food. They are stored in our bodies, mainly in our fat and our liver. And we are right to be concerned. At regular intervals, you read messages about all sorts of ways to detox. There is currently no scientific evidence that suggests that detox courses do in fact have a detoxing effect. According to some doctors, they could possibly even be harmful.

Visits to the sauna are also linked to detoxing. It is indeed true that (regular) visits to the sauna may benefit your health, but the amount of toxins that are removed through transpiration is limited. And if you sweat excessively, you actually damage your body's natural detox system.

In an ideal world, we would not need to detox. Our body is perfectly capable of excreting limited amounts of harmful substances. Our body purifies itself with the help of the kidneys, liver and intestines. Many toxins are also excreted through our urine. However, in our modern, Western society harmful substances are so omnipresent that our body simply cannot keep up. An overload of harmful substances is stored in our liver and fat cells and starts building up. This leads to a series of health problems, such as fatigue, joint pains, high blood sugar, weight gain, depression and yeast infections.

You can give your detox system a hand by drinking a sufficient amount of water, which helps your liver and kidney to excrete the toxins through your urine. And with sufficient, I mean 2 to a maximum of 2.5 litres of water per day. Drinking more water is not at all necessary and may even have negative consequences. Large amounts of water can lead to headaches, fatigue, vomiting and mental disorientation.

How do you take zeolite?

You cannot simply buy zeolite anywhere. It can be bought or ordered in certain health-food or organic stores. You can also order zeolite online, most commonly named zeoforce. It is sold in different forms, for example in capsules, and does not leave a taste in your mouth. Be careful when choosing which form you buy, as certain types are 'polluted', since they are used for water-filtering purposes. These are not made for human consumption. Also make sure to always read the package leaflet.

Personally, I take Toxaprevent, a zeolite made in Germany. It consists of capsules that contain very fine grains. I take one capsule before every meal (so three per day) for four weeks together with a bit of water. After that period, I do not take it for a week, before starting over again. The only possible side effect is constipation.

### 2.5 And what about cannabis oil?

The past few years, there has frequently been quite a fuss in the media about medicinal cannabis. A number of countries struggle with the question whether or not it should be legalised and under which conditions. The product is used for different types of symptoms and stories of users have shown that cannabis (oil) does indeed function as a relief to the complaints of thousands of people. But where is the scientific evidence?

Since the medical world has resisted the idea that medicinal cannabis could have any health benefits for a long time, research is still at an early stage. In the meantime, animal tests did confirm quite a few of the health claims about cannabis. Moreover, studies demonstrated that cannabis users suffer less from inflammations.

Cannabis contains two active substances: THC and CBD. THC is the substance to which cannabis owes its popularity as a drug. But apart from the high, THC also functions as an acute painkiller.

CBD does not have a psychoactive effect and mainly works as an anti-inflammatory agent, especially in the long run. This substance has been tested extensively in the past years, both on animals and on humans, against all sorts of conditions. For many diseases, it turned out to cause some improvement or relief of the symptoms.

An additional benefit of CBD is that it has almost no side effects at all. There is no risk of addiction. CBD might have a slight sedative effect, especially in combination with other sedating products. Because of this, you need to be extra careful in traffic and you should never combine cannabis oil with opiates or benzodiazepines.

In many countries, the use of cannabis oil is currently still illegal, even when there is not CBD in it. This makes it difficult to get it from a reliable source. The lack of inspection or control causes the composition of cannabis oil to differ enormously. Random testing has shown that the composition does not even always match the ingredients listed on the label. If you want to start using cannabis oil, I would advise you to start with a small dose and slowly build it up until you feel it works and you do not experience any side effects. It also does not hurt to talk about it with your family doctor. More and more doctors are open to it. If you do not notice any improvement after some time, you can stop the treatment. Just like with classic medicines, cannabis might not be (as) effective for everyone.

Cannabis oil with THC has more side effects and is therefore not advisable. It might, for example, cause a dry mouth, dizziness, red eyes and an increased heart rate. People with schizophrenia, a bipolar disorder or a severe depression should probably not take THC either. The use of cannabis is also not advisable for pregnant women, children and adolescents.

_A dentist from Mortsel, a town in Belgium, experiments with cannabis toothpaste. She hopes to help people in keeping their teeth healthy and preventing oral diseases. This way, she hopes to significantly reduce the number of dental operations._

### 2.6 In a nutshell

Under normal circumstances, your immune system deals with an acute inflammation within a few days. But sometimes, it simply cannot manage, causing the inflammation to become chronic. Silent, chronic inflammations can be present in your body for years, often without you even noticing it. The symptoms can be very diverse and vague. Silent inflammations form a real threat to your health and are at the base of a number of modern Western diseases.

Anti-inflammatories and painkillers have nasty side effects. There are also quite a number of worrying trends with medication from low-wage countries, fake medicines and even herbal products.

CBD oil can also slow down inflammations. Moreover, it could help against certain other diseases. The quality and composition of these currently only illegally attainable oils are sometimes a mystery, though.

This is why I would advise you to choose turmeric or curcumin.

A curcumin supplement, preferably combined with black pepper for a better intake, is a possible alternative to deal with inflammations. Personally, I take Optim Curcuma.

For those who do suffer side effects of turmeric, which might occur in rare cases when taken together with certain medicines, zeolite is a good alternative. This powerful food supplement works as an anti-inflammatory and filters toxins and heavy metals in your body.

Zeolite can also help you lose weight.

# The sense and nonsense of vitamins

## Should you take vitamins to be healthy?

### 3.1 What you should know about vitamins and minerals

When I went to bed as a kid, my mum made me drink an orange drink first. It consisted of water and a powder from a bag. 'Vitamin C, it will make you ill less easily,' my mum told me when I protested. The drink was not even that bad, it had a slight orange-like flavour. After a while, I stopped protesting and the vitamin drink became a part of my daily evening routine.

When I stayed over at my grandmother's I did complain. She did not give me powder from a bag. Instead, she gave me a spoonful of oil that left an awful taste in my mouth. Most people over 35 most likely know what I am talking about. Cod liver oil. I thought it was a vile substance - and back in the day I still thought they killed whales to produce it - so whenever I saw my grandmother tread towards me with that little bottle in hand, my stomach simply turned.

My mother and grandmother did not do this to torture me. They were just continuously told that children suffered from a chronic vitamin shortage. Because of this reason, we were given a bottle of milk with a straw during morning recess. Milk disgusted me - I still do not like it, by the way - but we simply had to finish that bottle, otherwise we were not allowed to return to class. Milk does a body good, or so the message of general interest we heard daily was. We basically grew up with the idea that you can never take in enough vitamins. But is this true?

What are vitamins actually?

Vitamins are micronutrients that are present in food. We are dependent on our meals to ingest these very important substances. Every vitamin has different functions. There are a total of 13 types of vitamins we need: A, eight types of B, C, D, E and K. Vitamin C and B belong to the group of water-soluble vitamins. Your body can hardly store them: an overload gets excreted through your urine. B12 is an exception: your body can store a part of it.

Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins. Therefore, the main source is animal fat. Our body stores these micronutrients partly in our fat and partly in our liver. A shortage of these vitamins has damaging effect, but the same goes for an excess of it.

Apart from vitamins, there are also minerals and trace elements, some of which are essential. This means that our body cannot (or at least insufficiently) produce them, which means we must get them from our food. Magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium and phosphorus are minerals which we need in sufficient amounts. From certain other minerals such as zinc, iron, fluoride and iodine, we only need very small amounts. These are the so-called trace elements.

Many vitamins, minerals and trace elements work together. This is why you must be very careful if you want to compensate a shortage by taking high doses of one certain vitamin. Vitamin D, for example, is often prescribed separately, while this vitamin actually works together with vitamin A, K and magnesium. Taking nothing but vitamin D can lead to shortages of vitamin A and magnesium. I will delve deeper into this in this chapter, but I would already like to say the following: take supplements after consulting a doctor and use the info in this book to determine which vitamins and minerals cooperate and should therefore probably be taken together. I will also give a short overview of the different micronutrients, the foods that contain them, whether you can have a deficit or an excess of them and what the possible causes of this may be. This can help you determine what can help you improve your health, though I advise talking about this with your doctor as much as possible. Sadly, many doctors are not always in the loop regarding food and vitamins... so be critical.

### 3.2 No two vitamins are the same

There are quite a lot of misconceptions about vitamins. A doctor will tell you if you have a shortage when it shows after an examination or test, but you often have to find out for yourself what this means for your health. All too often supplements are being prescribed for one single vitamin, while it works together with other micronutrients. It is practical to know what you should take into account when you want to get rid of a deficit. Since you cannot simply see every deficit in your blood, it is also good to know the symptoms that indicate these shortages. And finally: you can, in fact, get an overdose of certain vitamins, which is not always harmless.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A or retinol is a fat soluble vitamin that can mainly be found in animal products. In addition, your body also produces vitamin A itself from vegetable sources. This essential micronutrient boosts your immune system and is good for your skin, hair, eyes and gums. Retinol improves the growth and wound healing and reduces the risk of inflammations.

Possible symptoms in the case of a shortage

● Skin problems

● Dull hair

● Night blindness

● Blindness

A part of the vitamin A you ingest gets stored in your body fat. The rest leaves your body through your gall and urine. An excess of vitamin A only occurs in people who eat a lot of liver (or liverwurst or pâté) or who take lots of supplements. An excessively high intake of vitamin A can have harmful consequences, especially for pregnant women and children. For them it is not recommended to take supplements or to eat liver products. When ingesting too high doses of vitamin A, you could exhibit symptoms of poisoning such as nausea, dizziness, fatigue, headaches and eye, skin and bone disorders. Moreover, a daily dose of the animal variant of vitamin A of more than 1500 microgram possible increases the risk of hip fractures.

Sources of vitamin A:

● Meat, especially liver, liverwurst or pâté

● Fish

● Eggs

● Many margarines and cooking butters (see label)

● Dairy products

● Green cabbage

● Broccoli

● Spinach

● Carrots

● Apricots

● Papayas

The aforementioned vegetable sources contain different types of provitamin A, which is converted in our body into vitamin A. The retinol from animal sources is absorbed more easily. Since retinol dissolves in fats and is not lost when heated, it is often added to margarines and cooking butters. This is always mentioned on the label. If you take supplements, vitamin A is sometimes called retinol, provitamin A-carotenoids, retinyl acetate, B-carotene or palmitate.

Cooperations

Vitamin A helps your body absorb vitamin D. If you want to get rid of a vitamin D shortage with a supplement, you would do best to take vitamin A as well.

B vitamins

Back in the day, people assumed there was only one vitamin B. More recent research, however, showed that there are several types. All types of vitamin B are water-soluble.

B1

B1 or thiamine causes carbs to burn and gives your body energy. B1 is also important for the conduction of nerve impulses and the functioning of your heart muscle. The natural form you will find in your food and drinks is called thiamine (Th) or Th-diphosphate (TDP). On the labels of supplements, you will usually read thiamine chloride hydrochloride or thiamine mononitrate.

Possible symptoms in the case of a shortage

● Fatigue

● Depression

● Reduced appetite

● Memory loss

● Concentration problems

● Numbness in the legs

● Heart conditions

An excess amount will be excreted through your urine.

B1 can be mainly found in:

● Vegetables (especially pulses)

● Grains

● Potatoes

● Milk and dairy products

● Meat (especially pork)

The highest concentrations can be found in wholemeal products such as whole wheat bread and in meat. It helps the enzymes that convert carbs, proteins and fats into energy. Furthermore, B2 helps keep your hair and skin healthy.

Possible symptoms in the case of a shortage

Deficits hardly ever occur, but could lead to facial skin disorders.

B2 can be found in:

● Milk and dairy products

● Vegetables

● Fruit

● Cereal products

● Meat

Milk and dairy products are the most important source. B2 cannot handle light and also loses many vitamins when cooked. The natural forms in food are riboflavin, flavin mononucleotide and adenine nucleotide/dinucleotide (FMN, FAD). On the labels of the supplements, you will usually read riboflavin or riboflavin-5'-phosphate.

B3

B3 or niacin helps your body draw energy from sugar, fat and protein, causes you to have a healthy skin and makes your nervous system function correctly. Niacin is also partly responsible for the production of fatty acids. Niacin is also sometimes called pellagra prevention or PP1. The natural forms are called niacin, nicotinic acid nucleotide and dinucleotide (NADH, NADPH). In supplements, you will usually find the synthetic form nicotinamide.

Possible symptoms in the case of a shortage

Shortages are very rare in the West, but could lead to pellagra, a disease of which the primary symptoms are skin conditions, diarrhea and even dementia. An overdose is only possible by taking a lot of supplements and could lead to the dilation of your blood vessels and in extreme cases damage to the liver and the eyes.

B3 can be found in:

● Meat

● Fish

● Wholemeal products

● Vegetables

● Potatoes

B5

B5 or pantothenic acid helps your body break down proteins, fats and carbs and aids the production of anti-stress hormones and antibodies.

Possible symptoms in the case of a shortage

Shortages hardly ever occur, because B5 is present in some many foodstuffs. A long-term deficit may lead to pain or a burning sensation in your feet. The intake of extremely high doses (tens of grams per day, through supplements) could lead to diarrhea.

B5 can be found in:

Most foods, some of which are:

● Meat

● Eggs

● Wholemeal products

● Pulses and vegetables

● Fruit

● Dairy products

B6

B6 or pyridoxine stimulates the production of red blood cells, stimulates your digestion and increases your resistance. It helps your nervous system and keeps your sex hormones in balance. Pyridoxine also plays a part in your metabolism. Moreover, it can help reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Possible symptoms in case of a shortage

● A reduced resistance

● Anemia

● Skin disorders

In the West, deficits hardly ever occur.

B6 can be found in:

● Wholemeal products

● Pulses

● Potatoes

● Butter

● Milk

● Cheese

● Nuts

● Fish

● Meat

B8

B8 or biotin improves the production of fatty acids, helps you convert your food into energy and is at the base of a normal functioning of your nervous system. Biotin keeps your skin and hair healthy. Biotin connected to the amino acid lysine is called biocytin.

Possible symptoms in case of a shortage

● Anemia

● Skin disorders

● Depression

A shortage of B8 hardly ever occurs. Only people who eat a lot of raw eggs should be careful. This is because raw eggs contain the substance avidine, which causes you to be unable to absorb biotin. As soon as you cook or bake an egg, this effect is lost. An excess amount of B8 is simply excreted through your urine.

B8 can be found in:

● Cauliflower

● Nuts

● Soy

● Milk

● Eggs

● Chocolate

B11

B11 or folic acid is mainly important in the production of blood and DNA and protects you against cardiovascular diseases. Folic acid plays an essential role in the development of embryos.

Possible symptoms in the case of the shortage

● Anemia

● Fatigue

● Weight loss

● Reduced appetite

● Memory problems

● Anomalies in newborns, such as spina bifida, a harelip or a cleft palate

Pregnant benefit from a supplement of folic acid.

B11 can be found in:

● Green vegetables

● Fruit

● Wholemeal products

B12

B12 or cobalamin stimulates the nervous system and is required for the production of red blood cells. A deficit has a whole series of unpleasant side effects.

Possible symptoms in case of a shortage

● Fatigue

● Dizziness

● Coordination disorders

● Heart palpitations

● Tinnitus

● Memory problems

● A tingling sensation in your fingers

● Muscular weakness in your legs

B12 is the only water-soluble vitamin which your body partly stores. A shortage only arises when you have not been getting enough cobalamin for months. Especially vegans are likely to face a deficit and would do well to take a supplement or start consuming products that are enriched with B12. Normally, you cannot ingest too much of it.

B12 can be found in:

● Meat

● Fish

● Dairy products

● Eggs

● Some vegetarian products, such as vegetable milk, are enriched with B12

Vitamin B12 can also be found in algae and in seaweed, but this is a variety that does not get absorbed well.

Cooperations

The different B vitamins all work together among one another. It is therefore not recommended to take one type of vitamin B for a long time, as this threatens you to create a shortage of certain other B vitamins. Choose a composition in which they appear in a good proportion.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is a powerful antioxidant that protects you against free radicals, harmful molecules which are partly responsible for cancer. This vitamin counters the aging of your skin cells, causes the production of collagen and connective tissue and boosts your immune system.

Possible symptoms in case of a shortage

● Reduced resistance

● Bad healing of wounds

● Symptoms of depression

● Fatigue

● Bleeding gums

● Lack of appetite

● Scurvy (common in the old days, but rare nowadays)

An excess of vitamin C does essentially not occur, you can ingest large quantities of vitamin C without it having any harmful consequences.

You will mainly find vitamin C in:

● Citrus fruit

● Kiwis

● Cherries

● Strawberries

● Berries

● Potatoes

● Onion

● Broccoli

● Cauliflower

● Spinach

When cooked, a lot of the vitamin C is lost.

_People and primates cannot produce vitamin C themselves. Other animals can, though. Goats, for example, produce no less than 13.000 mg of vitamin C per day._

Cooperations

Vitamin C works together with iron and helps your body absorb enough of it. Vitamin E needs a sufficient amount of vitamin C as well to function properly.

Vitamin C for cancer patients

Under normal circumstances 100 mg of vitamin C per day suffices amply. This micronutrient is sometimes given intravenously in large doses to cancer patients. We are talking about amounts that you cannot ingest through food or even pills. A therapeutic infusion of 25 grams contains as much vitamin C as 300 oranges.

Recent studies have shown that large quantities of vitamin C can help break down cancer cells. This is because the cancer cells eagerly absorb the vitamin, since it structurally looks like sugar - the favourite food of cancer cells! The vitamin is converted into H202, which piles up into the cells and finally destroys it from the inside out. Healthy cells work differently and therefore do not suffer from this, only the cancer cells perish.

This is not done during chemotherapy or radiation, because the cancer cells could then use the recently administered vitamin C to protect itself against the treatment. It is only after a while that the conversion to H202 and the subsequent breakdown takes place.

This practice of administering vitamins in high doses is not new. There is even a term for it: orthomolecular medicine. This term was already in use in 1968 by Linus Pauling, who managed to receive the Nobel Prizes for Science and Peace. He reported that terminal patients lived longer when they were given high doses of vitamin C.

Under certain conditions, you can enjoy a partial reimbursement of this definitely not cheap treatment. Ask your doctor for more information.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble vitamins that are important for your health. The two most important ones are vitamin D2 and D3. Vitamin D contributes to your health and cardiovascular system and encourages the intake of calcium and phosphorus. This way, your bones remain strong and osteoporosis is prevented.

D-vitamins also have a very positive influence on certain processes of your immune system, such as fighting tumors. This way, they reduce certain types of cancer such as breast, prostate, intestinal or skin cancer. A sufficient amount of vitamin D also reduces the risk of getting a cold or the flu.

Research has also demonstrated that this micronutrient aids in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS) and type 1 diabetes. Animal tests have shown that supplements can even help humans who already suffer from these diseases, because vitamin D slows down the inflammations that are at the base of these conditions. In this way, certain symptoms can be alleviated and the cause can even be dealt with. Vitamin D also plays a part regarding cardiovascular diseases such as strokes, heart failure and ischaemic heart disease.

_Something only few people know: a vitamin D shortage can cause serious balance disorders. These can grow to such proportions that life without aid or supervision becomes nearly impossible._

Possible symptoms in case of a shortage

● Osteoporosis

● Continuous fatigue

● Weak muscles

● Muscle cramps

● Brittle bones for adults

● Rickets for children

● Frequent colds or being under the weather

● Overweight

● Symptoms of depression (for example the so called 'Winter blues')

A continuous shortage increases the risk of getting serious conditions such as different types of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. No less than 50 to 80% of all people in Northern countries such as Belgium or the Netherlands suffers from a medium to high vitamin D deficiency, especially during the Winter, but also often during the Summer.

A shortage during the early childhood is often connected to autism or schizophrenia. Another study showed that low vitamin D levels during the prenatal period and earliest childhood is one of the factors that leads to MS at an older age. Those who have too little vitamin D also have a higher chance of contracting infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, respiratory infections and influenza (the flu).

_Research indicates that taking vitamin D supplements can reduce the risk of getting 16 different types of cancer by 75%._

Vitamin D can be found in rather high amounts in:

● Cod liver oil

● Oily fish

● Liver

And in smaller amounts in:

● Egg yolks

● Milk

● Cheese

● Butter

● Yeast

● Mushrooms

● Wholemeal products

● Margarines, cooking butters

● Certain vegetable milk replacers

The amounts of vitamin D in our food are limited, however. The majority has to be produced inside of our bodies under influence of the Sun. Doctors advice to go outside each day for 15 to 30 minutes between 11AM and 3PM. Elderly people or those who have a tan skin produce less vitamin D and therefore have a high risk of having a deficiency.

Regarding cod liver oil, oily fish and liver: these do contain considerable amount of vitamin D. Though I would like to make a little side note, as these products are not actually that healthy. Oily fish and cod liver oil (made from the fat of cods) often contain a lot of harmful substances. This is because fish store heavy metals and toxins in their fat tissue. A particular concern here is the heavy metal mercury.

A study conducted at the Royal Swedish Academy of Science in 2007 demonstrated that the amount of mercury in your blood can be up to twice as high after eating certain saltwater fishes. Even a very low dose of mercury can make you very ill in the long run. Furthermore, certain bacteria that can be found in saltwater fishes can cause health problems, ranging from intestinal distress to food poisoning. Farmed fish, on the other hand, often pose different problems, such as the antibiotics that are administered to avoid diseased fish or the PCBs and carcinogenic dioxins that are found in farmed salmon. The same goes for liver (and kidneys): all the animals' toxins and heavy metals which they eat during their lives are stored in these...

How much extra vitamin D you need depends on a whole lot of factors, such as your eating habits, age, skin colour and where you live. You would do well to let your doctor check your blood or to talk about it with him before taking supplements.

Vitamin D plays a vital role in every stage of life, no matter whether you are a child, adult or an elderly person. Recent research even suggests that good levels of vitamin D may boost your overall life expectancy. Children up to three years old, people older than fifty, pregnant women and women who breastfeed are nevertheless always advise to take extra vitamin D. And take note that people with a darker skin produce less vitamin D.

It does not often occur that people take too much vitamin D. However, should you take large doses during a long period, you would risk damage to your heart, kidneys and blood vessels. Nausea, somnolence, constipation and a reduced appetite may occur if you really take too much vitamin D.

_In fact, vitamin D is strictly speaking not a vitamin, but a prohormone. Prohormones are the substances which our body converts into hormones. In the case of vitamin D, this is calcitriol._

Vitamin D and sunscreen

If you put on enough sunscreen, you drastically reduce the production of vitamin D. Of course, it is a good idea to protect your skin when you intend to spend a long time in the Sun when the UV-index is high. On a Summer day, just 20 minutes in the Sun suffices to get your dose of vitamin D. If you go outside for a long time, especially between 11AM and 5PM, a good sunscreen is necessary. A burnt or even a tanned skin indicates DNA damage. Normally, you body can replace this damaged skin without difficulty, but this sometimes goes wrong, causing tumors to be created, that can be either benign or malignant.

Sunscreen offers partial protection, but even then it is advisable to stay out of the Sun on the warmest moments of days with a high UV-index or to at least wear clothing and a hat. To be well protected, you should spread a thick layer of (at least factor 30) sunscreen on your skin half an hour before going outside into the sunlight. In doing so, you should apply 2mg of cream per square centimetre of skin, which hardly anyone does. Moreover, you should apply the sunscreen again every hour to be truly protected.

_A correct usage of sunscreen significantly reduces the risk of skin cancer. Sadly, many people do not apply enough sunscreen and assume that they are completely protected and can therefore stay in the Sun for hours._

I should make a side note again, though. There is quite a difference in quality and composition amongst the different brands of sunscreen. Ironically enough, you find substances in certain brands that in fact aid skin cancer or that cause a different side effect.

To help you choose, I have listed a series of substances that can often be found in sunscreen but which you would do best to avoid. Reading the labels is the message, but, obviously, once you have found a good brand, you do not have to do it anymore.

These are the substances you do not want to find in your sunscreen:

● Padimate O (Octyl Dimethyl PABA / PABA Esther)

● Avobenzone (Parsol 1789)

● Octisalate

● Ensulizole (Phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid)

● Octocrylene

● Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3)

● Octinoxate (octyl methoxycinnamate)

● Homosalate

● Micronised or nano zinc oxide

● Nano titanium dioxide

● Sulisobenzone (bezophenon-4)

● Menthyl anthranilate

Good substances that are often found in healthy sunscreens are for example antioxidants, aloe vera, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), vitamins A and E. It is, however, important that this vitamin A is not retinyl palmitate, as this actually increases the risk of skin cancer. Some of these ingredients do not protect against UV-radiation themselves, but are added to feed or soothe the skin.

Cooperations

Vitamin D works together with other fat-soluble vitamins: A, E and K. It has no use to take a supplement with only vitamin D. This is because you need no less than ten times as much vitamin A to be able to absorb the vitamin D. If you only take vitamin D, you will soon exhaust your supply of vitamin A. To experience the benefits of vitamin D, you should in addition take vitamin K (specifically K2). Furthermore, vitamin D improves the absorption of calcium and phosphorus.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E or alpha-tocopherol is an important antioxidant that protects your body cells against free radicals. These harmful substances that cause cancer attack your body cells. Vitamin E keeps your skin, nerves, muscles, red blood cells and heart in peak condition. It also helps in preventing cardiovascular diseases and conditions that are linked to inflammations.

Vitamin E can be found in large amounts in:

● Butter

● Sunflower oil

● Olive oil

● Soy oil

● Nuts, especially almonds

● Seeds, such as sesame seeds

● Cereal products

● Brown rice

● Eggs

● Milk

● In smaller amounts also in fruit and vegetables, such as spinach, peas, green cabbage, fennel, peppers, kiwis, peaches and mangos

Severe shortages only rarely occur, in part because the vegetable and animal form of vitamin E are the same.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K causes proper blood coagulation, plays a part in the production and strengthening of bones and improves your bone metabolism. Moreover, vitamin K prevents blood clots and cerebral hemorrhages and keeps your vessel walls supple.

Possible symptoms in case of a shortage

● Osteoporosis

● Bad coagulation, causing you to bleed longer

● Spontaneous bleedings, such as a nose bleed or bruises

Taking antibiotics may contribute to a deficiency, since antibiotics destroy the gut bacteria that help produce vitamin K. An excess does not occur very often. When you use blood thinners or anticoagulants, it is best not to take supplements of vitamin K, though, as they reduce the effect of your medication.

Vitamin K can be found in:

● Natto (fermented soy beans)

● Fats and oils

● Eggs

● Meat

● Vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables)

● Yoghurt

● Seaweed

● Wholemeal grains

The vegetable form which we get from our food is K1 or phytomenadione. K2 or menaquinone is the form that is produced by the bacteria in the large intestine of both humans and animals. We do not absorb the vitamin K from our food that well. Only natto contains a high, easily absorbable dose. These fermented soy beans are popular in Japan. A study demonstrated that Japanese women in their menopause who ate a lot of natto suffered significantly less from hip fractures than other Japanese women who ate little or no natto. There are supplements based on natto. This proves a good alternative for vegetarians.

In case of a vitamin K or D deficiency, it is best to take a K2 supplement. As I already explained in the part about vitamin D, these vitamins cooperate.

_Good to know if you breastfeed: the first three months, children need a daily dose of vitamin K of about 150 micrograms, since their intestines are not able to produce it yet. Vitamin K is also always administered after birth. Good breast milk substitutes usually contain a sufficient amount of vitamin K._

### 3.3 Also important: minerals and trace elements

Calcium

Calcium is an essential building block for your bones and teeth, strengthens your skin, blood vessels and muscles and helps against blood clots. This mineral also aids in the transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contractions. Furthermore, it helps vitamin C build connective tissue as well as collagen.

Calcium helps with the transportation of other minerals such as magnesium, sodium and potassium. Vitamin D, on the other hand, helps your body absorb calcium.

Possible symptoms in case of a shortage

● Disrupted bone development at a young age (rickets)

● Osteoporosis at an older age

You get calcium from:

● Green leafy vegetables

● Broccoli

● Cabbages, especially kale

● Pulses

● Figs

● Apricots

● Hazelnuts

● Almonds

● Sesame seed

● Milk replacers that are enriched with calcium

● Milk and dairy products

Milk contains a lot of calcium. This is why we are raised with the idea that children should drink lots of milk. However, scientific research has shown that milk actually leads to osteoporosis, arteriosclerosis and brittle bones. Moreover, beta casein A1, a protein that can be found in most cow milk, has been linked to heart diseases, type 1 diabetes, Crohn's disease, autism, schizophrenia and certain types of cancer. Luckily, you do not need to drink milk to ingest calcium. One hundred grams of kale contains twice as much calcium as a glass of milk.

Many people think that the white spots on their fingernails or that crumbly nails indicate a calcium deficiency, but this is not true. These symptoms are caused by a fungal infection.

Chlorine

Chlorine or chloride takes care of the liquid balance in your body together with sodium and potassium. Furthermore, it also contributes to the creation of stomach acid. Next to sodium, chloride is the most important ingredient in common salt.

Chloride can be found in:

● Common salt (sodium chloride)

● Foods that contain salt

It is very unlikely that you will suffer from a chloride shortage. It can be found in nearly every foodstuff nowadays and most people use way too much salt.

An excess amount of chloride can lead to high blood pressure. Eating too much salt has other undesirable side effects as well, but these are mainly attributed to sodium.

Chromium

Chromium (chrome) plays a part in the activity of insulin and the carb metabolism in your body. Shortages probably do not occur, as it is assumed that you ingest plenty when you have a sufficiently varied diet. However, not a lot of research has been done regarding chromium, causing it to be a lot guesswork. There is also little known about the maximum amount and the symptoms of a possible overdose.

Chromium can be found in:

● Vegetables

● Fruit

● Wholemeal grains

● Nuts

● In smaller amounts in meat and dairy products

Fluoride

Fluorine in its pure form is a toxic gas. The fluorine that can be found in food is always bound to another substance, such as calcium or sodium. We call this fluoride. This trace element is said to protect your teeth against tooth decay, but the positive effect of fluoride is contested by certain other scientists, since fluoride actually makes your teeth more brittle.

You ingest fluoride through:

● Nearly any foodstuff, especially tea and saltwater fish

● Toothpastes containing fluoride

Symptoms of an excess of fluoride range from brown spots and stripes on your teeth to the degradation of your muscles, bones, nerves and kidneys. American studies have shown that fluoride has a negative influence on your thyroid gland and even affects your brain and nervous system. All the more remarkable that it is still added to tap water in the US and in Australia. The American Dental Association therefore advises people not to give babies baby formula that is made with tap water during the first twelve months.

The Belgian Superior Health Council and the National Advisory Board of Food already concluded in 1995 that an excessive consumption of fluoride posed health risks and that it is not an essential trace element. In other words, we do not need it to be healthy.

The American Food and Drugs Association FDA has been warning parents for years not to give children below the age of six toothpaste that contains fluoride and definitely not to swallow it. You could opt for a toothpaste that does not contain fluoride. These can be found in organic food stores.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is a mineral that can be found in a lot of foodstuffs in the form of phosphate. It works together with calcium to strengthen your bones and teeth. It is also part of every single body cell and contributes to the digestion and the biochemical processes in your body. A shortage does not occur that easily and is usually caused by certain medicines. An excess amount is also very rare. This really only happens when your kidneys are disturbed and therefore excrete less phosphorus, causing you to suffer osteoporosis after some time.

Phosphorus can be found in:

● Wholemeal grains

● Pulses

● Eggs

● Dairy products

● Fish

● Meat

Iron

Iron is a trace element which is essential in the production of hemoglobin, a protein that can be found in red blood cells and takes care of the transport of oxygen in your body. Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron. Calcium does the opposite. What is remarkable is the fact that your body partly regulates the intake of iron itself depending on its supply. In case of an imminent shortage, your small intestine starts absorbing more iron.

Possible symptoms in case of a shortage

● Fatigue

● Pale skin

● Shortness of breath

● Restless legs

● For young children: memory problems and disturbed study behaviour

● For pregnant women: reduction of the duration of the pregnancy

Low levels of iron are quite common, especially in women, children and vegetarians. This low level of iron for vegetarians is also related to the fact iron from vegetable food sources is slightly harder to absorb than the animal counterpart. Lower levels do not necessarily equal a severe deficiency. Vegetarians who enjoy a varied diet usually do not really benefit from iron pills.

An iron shortage is one of the factors that could lead to anemia, together with shortages of folic acid and B12. Anemia can also be caused by an inflammation in the small intestine or due to internal blood loss. The term anemia is used once the hemoglobin level in your blood is too low. A severe iron deficiency which leads to anemia is rare, though, so make sure not to take supplements for nothing.

Be careful with iron supplements. From a dose of 45 milligrams per day, you can suffer from nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. An overdose can also damage your liver and increase the risk of liver cancer, cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Do not take pills in which there is more iron than the recommended daily allowance, unless your doctor advises this due to a severe shortage.

You will mainly find iron in:

● Vegetables such as watercress, purslane, spinach, paksoi, chard and endive

● Parsley

● Pulses

● Wholemeal products

● Meat (such as beef and lamb)

● Fish

_About 0.5 percent of the population suffers from hemochromatose, an inherited disorder that causes you to absorb too much iron from your food. This leads to chronic inflammations in your liver, pancreas, joints, skin and heart._

Iodine

The trace element iodine is mainly important for the production of thyroid hormones that help with a proper metabolism, a normal growth and the development of your nervous system.

A deficiency could lead to stunted growth in children, as well as a reduced learning ability. In adults it could lead to overweight, depression, hair loss, slowness or constipation. Because your thyroid gland stores iodine, it could take years before the consequences of a shortage will manifest themselves.

Too much iodine has negative consequences, due to an overstimulation or enlargement of the thyroid gland. For most people, an excessive intake will not immediately lead to big problems, but people with a thyroid abnormality are sensitive to it. This could lead to diarrhea, weight loss, heart palpitations and nervousness. Having too much iodine usually only occurs to people who, for example, eat a lot of seaweed or who take supplements.

If you have a healthy diet, it would normally not be necessary to take iodine pills. If you take vitamins, you should pay attention that your iodine dose does not exceed your recommended daily allowance.

Iodine can be mainly found in:

● Seaweed (in very variable amounts)

● Fish

● Eggs

● Bread (where it is added)

In these foods, you will find very low concentrations of iodine:

● Yoghurt

● Potatoes

● Bananas and apples

● Cheese

● Beans

● Chicken

Potassium

The mineral potassium cooperates with sodium and chloride to maintain the fluid balance in your body. Moreover, it helps your muscles contract and transfer nerve impulses.

A shortage usually only arises when you suffer from severe diarrhea or vomiting. Taking diuretics will also contribute to a deficiency. Symptoms that indicate such a rare shortage are listlessness, nausea, a reduced appetite, weakened muscles and sometimes heart rhythm disorders. You would do best not to take pills before consulting your family doctor. They are nearly always unnecessary.

If your kidneys do not function properly, your body can build up an excess amount of potassium. A healthy body regulates the amount of potassium itself. It is nearly impossible to ingest too much potassium through your food. However, amounts as of 5 grams per day can have a negative effect on your heart and in extreme cases, very high doses can lead to cardiac arrest.

Potassium can be found in:

Nearly every foodstuff, especially in:

● Raw, green vegetables

● Potatoes

● Fresh and dried fruit

● Fruit juice

● Bread and cereal products

● Nuts

● Dairy products

● Meat

● Fish

Copper

Copper is a trace element that influences blood production and the activity of different enzymes. It is also involved in the creation of bones and connective tissue, the correct functioning of your immune system and the development of hair pigment.

Healthy people do not risk ingesting too much or too little copper through their regular food. Only people with Wilson's diseases, a rare metabolic disorder, may have an excess amount of copper in their body.

Copper can be found in:

● Vegetables

● Fruit

● Nuts

● Whole grain products

● Meat

● Cacao

Magnesium

Magnesium strengthens your muscles and speeds up your body's regenerative abilities. It also contributes to the transfer of nerve impulses, muscle contractions, a good working of the heart, bone development and protein synthesis. This mineral also supports the hormone system. Magnesium supports the functioning of vitamin B.

As magnesium can be found in many foodstuffs, shortages are rare. Intestines or kidneys that do not function properly may lead to a deficiency, though. Possible symptoms are fatigue, listlessness, muscle cramps and in severe cases heart rhythm disorders. It is very hard to determine, even when running a blood test. Hardly 1% of the magnesium in your body can be found in your blood. The rest is in your muscles, nerve tissue, organs and body cells.

If you have normal eating habits, you will most likely not ingest too much magnesium. An excess arises only if you take (too many) supplements and magnesium salts. If you take extra doses of 250 milligrams each day on top of the magnesium you get from your food, you might suffer intestinal distress.

Magnesium can be found in:

● Bananas

● Green vegetables

● Pulses

● Sesame seed

● Brown rice

● Algae

● Nuts, such as peanuts

● Chocolate and cocoa

● Chicken

● Dairy products

_Wholemeal grains contain a lot of magnesium, but they also contain phytate. In fact, this substance reduces the intake of magnesium._

Manganese

Manganese is a mineral which is part of different enzymes and which delivers energy for several physical processes. Moreover, manganese helps with the strengthening of your bones. Shortages do not occur, as far as scientists currently know. Surpluses are very rare, but they could lead to movement problems, as well as psychological problems.

Manganese can be found in:

● Wholemeal products

● Nuts

● Pulses

● Vegetables

● Fruit

Molybdenum

Molybdenum is another trace element that contributes to the functioning of countless enzymes.

Molybdenum can be found in:

● Pulses

● Grains

● Meat

Sodium

Sodium, together with chloride, is a part of common salt (sodium chloride). Sodium cooperates with potassium and regulates the fluid system, muscle contractions, nerve impulse transfer and blood pressure.

Since we use so much salt and it is added to quite a lot of foodstuffs, a shortage does not easily occur. Most people use too much salt on a daily basis. An excess of sodium leads to a high blood pressure, increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, stomach cancer and osteoporosis.

A (very rare) deficiency may lead to nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, listlessness and even epileptic attacks. Normally, a shortage only happens when you suffer an extreme fluid loss, for example by sweating profusely, due to diarrhea or vomiting. In that case, it is recommended to ingest more fluids and salt.

Sodium can be found in:

● Common salt

● Most prepared foodstuffs, especially meats, fish, bread, cheese, ready-made meals, pizzas, soup and sauces

● Certain brands of water

Selenium

Selenium is a trace element that contributes to the proper functioning of quite a lot of enzymes. It can be found in your liver and protects red blood cells against damage, aids with the proper functioning of your thyroid gland and it possibly even helps prevent prostate cancer. Selenium functions as an antioxidant that counters heavy metal poisoning.

Most people ingest plenty of selenium through their normal food. According to some studies, young children and pregnant women would risk having a shortage. A severe and long-term deficiency could lead to a heart murmur and muscle pains. In this case, a blood test can provide a definitive answer.

You will not get an overdose of selenium through your food, but taking excess amounts of this mineral through supplements may lead to disorders of the nervous system, skin damage and loss of hair, teeth and nails.

Selenium can be found in:

Most foodstuffs, both vegetable and animal.

Zinc

The trace element zinc helps in the healing process of infections, prevents anemia and strengthens the immune system. You need it for the production of proteins and tissue. Zinc is part of numerous enzymes that are involved with the metabolism.

There are no known cases of an overdose or shortage of zinc. However, by taking zinc pills daily a copper deficiency may eventually arise.

Zinc can be found in:

● Cereal products, especially oatmeal and wheat germ

● Vegetables

● Nuts

● Shellfish

● Cheese and other dairy products

● Meat

### 3.4 Help, I have a vitamin shortage!

For years, I took multivitamin pills daily, thinking that this is what I needed to do if I wanted to stand a chance to get healthy. You might be the same - or you at least know one person who does this, making you wonder whether you should get your own stash of vitamin pills as well. I have some good news for you: if you are healthy, maintain a balanced diet and do not take medicines, you absolutely do not need to take multivitamin pills.

I do not deny that there are people who have vitamin shortages and that these shortages may have severe consequences. But under normal, healthy circumstances, multivitamin pills are unnecessary. If you suffer from a deficiency (determined by a doctor), you could try to adjust your eating habits, but in case of a (severe) shortage, supplements are often the only solution. However, there are quite some things you should take into account before randomly starting to take vitamin pills.

Multivitamin pills are only advised if you...

➢ suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, because you might not absorb certain nutrients that well.

➢ suffer from certain illnesses.

➢ suffer from proven shortages. Do this after consulting with your doctor and choose the right supplements. Often it is best to take specific supplements for certain groups of vitamins or minerals instead of taking multivitamin pills.

➢ take medication, because many medicines drain vitamins from your body.

Vitamin thieves

_Some medicines work better in combination with certain vitamins. They steal these nutrients from our body and bind themselves to them._

The American pharmacist Suzy Cohen who regularly stars on the _Dr. Oz Show_ describes in her book _Drug muggers_ how medicines absorb vitamins and how this often leads to shortages. They do this by changing the degree of acidity in our stomach, intestines and urinary tract to such an extent that the absorption is being hindered and by slowing down enzymes that help transport, transform and activate nutrients in our body.

● **Antibiotics** cause a loss of vitamins B, calcium, magnesium, iron and good gut bacteria.

● **Blood pressure medicine** , for example ACE inhibitors such as captopril, enalapril and lisinopril, but also beta-blockers such as atenolol, metoprolol and sotalol. Furthermore, calcium antagonists as well, for example nifedipine, felodipine, verapamil, diltiazem and amlodipine. This medication mainly steals the zinc, magnesium, potassium and calcium from your body.

● **Cholesterol-lowering drugs** , such as gemfibrozil, clofibrate, colestipol, cholestyramine, atorvastatin, lovastatin, simvastatin and pravastatin reduce the levels of B vitamins, vitamin D3 and minerals in your blood.

● **Antacids** , such as cimetidine, ranitidine, nizatidine, roxatidine, lansoprazole, esomeprazole, omeprazole, pantoprazole and rabeprazole. Especially when taken for a long time, these medicines steal almost all your vitamins and minerals.

● **Medicines against diabetes** , for example glibenclamide and metformin, eat away at vitamin B6, B12 and plunder the storage of B6, B11 and B12 in your body.

● **Anxiety suppressing medicines** , for example the drugs from the benzodiazepine group, such as alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam and oxazepam.

● **Antidepressants** , both MAO inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, absorb a lot of vitamin B2, B6 and iodine.

● **Painkillers** do not score too well either, both aspirin and the medicines from the NSAID group, such as naproxen, meloxicam and ketoprofen. They are mainly after your vitamin C, B11 and iron.

● **Contraceptives and hormone replacements**. All hormonal medicines that contain oestrogen finish off good bacteria and minerals (especially zinc), B vitamins and vitamin C.

● **Diuretics** assault your B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

As you may distill from the list above, most medicines eat away at your vitamins. After consulting your doctor, you may supplement certain (possible) shortages. It could take some weeks or even months before the vitamin levels are back to normal again.

Another vitamin robber: smoking

The fact that smoking is not healthy is an understatement. Extensive research has shown that no less than 90% of the people who die of lung cancer are smokers. When you smoke a cigarette, large quantities of free radicals are released into your body. However, not too many people know that smoking can also lead to a vitamin deficiency. Smokers have a greater need for most vitamins, including vitamin C.

How to choose a good supplement?

You can find vitamin supplements just about anywhere, at the pharmacist's, at the supermarket or of course online. A large part of the available supplements are simply inefficient. Then how do you choose a good multivitamin supplement?

● Just as we mentioned earlier regarding medicines, I would like to point at the dangers of buying supplements online.

● If possible, I also try to avoid supplements from the supermarket. I prefer buying them at the pharmacist's or at a good drugstore.

● The label can tell you a lot. Of course, all essential vitamins and minerals should be present, but apart from that, most of them also need some sort of binding substance or excipient to cause them to be absorbed well by the body. On many labels, the full names of vitamins and excipients are not mentioned. Selenium, for example, is absorbed better when it is taken together with methionine. In case it is present, this excipient should be marked like this: selenium (selenomethionine). Are the full names and excipients nowhere to be found? Then you would do best to leave the supplement on the rack.

● You probably want to avoid magnesium oxide in your supplement. It is a type of laxative. Magnesium bisglycinate or magnesium citrate are better.

● Also pay attention to unnecessary and often unhealthy E-numbers, artificial colourings and fragrances and preservatives.

● It is best if it contains no phosphorus or sodium (salt), since you already ingest sufficient amounts of these.

● Of course, the amounts are important as well. The label usually mentions whether or not you should take one or several pills per day. You would also do well to look at the percentage of the recommended daily allowance of B6 (pyridoxine). You need about 20 mg per day of this. Taking an excess amount can have unpleasant consequences, so try not to exceed this amount - even if the label says otherwise.

● Does a supplement contain more than 100% of the recommended daily allowance of certain vitamins or minerals? Then it is probably best to leave these on the rack. Taking too much of certain nutrients can be harmful for your health. Do not forget that you also ingest nutrients through your food. Only in the case of severe shortages and after consulting a doctor should you start taking specific vitamins in large(r) quantities. Be careful, though.

_Many people get their blood tested frequently at the doctor's. In itself, this is a good idea, so they can check your overall health. But regarding vitamins, a blood test does not always tell you everything. First of all, you only see the level of vitamins in your blood. Vitamins can also be found in other parts of your body, though, and a blood test tells you nothing about this. Moreover, you can only read the levels of a limited amount of vitamins and minerals from your blood test. A good blood result does not guarantee that you do not have any shortages._

Are natural vitamins better?

Lots of people think that 'natural' vitamins are better than synthetic ones. Obviously it is wonderful that you have a healthy and balanced diet and (the majority of) vitamins can be absorbed through your food. This makes supplements (mostly) unnecessary. But synthetic versions of vitamins are basically not inferior to their natural variant.

With natural variants we mean vitamins that can be found in vegetable and animal foodstuffs. The vitamins in supplements are nearly always synthetic. This does not pose any problem, as long as they have the same structure as the original. We call this bioidentical. Your body does not notice the difference. One exception is vitamin E: the lab version (dl-alpha tocopherol) has a slightly different structure than the vegetable version (d-alpha tocopherol). The natural version is absorbed slightly better by the human body. All other vitamins are often absorbed more easily in their synthetic form, because your body does not have to draw them out of your food anymore. They have less work with them, so to say. Because vitamins dissolve in fat and water, it is best to take them after dinner with a glass of water. This improves the intake.

There are obviously quite some foods that contain vitamins and minerals and are therefore absolutely valuable to avoid shortages. If you want to avoid a deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins, you could for example pick clarified butter instead of regular butter or margarine. By heating butter at a low temperature - to clarify it - the solid part such as the milk particles and proteins and water can be separated from the butter fats. What is left is pure butter fat.

Our ancestors did this because clarified butter has an increased shelf life, even at room temperature. It handles heating very well, even at very high temperatures. This makes it ideal to cook, broil or fry. Clarified butter does not contain lactose (milk sugar) or casein (milk protein). What it does contain are high amounts of vitamins A, D, E and K. Of course, you should not consume too much clarified butter: it is nothing but fat and contains a lot of calories.

Vitamins through an infusion

In the part about vitamin C, I already wrote about an intravenous treatment with vitamin C for cancer patients. But healthy people can get a vitamin injection as well, in which the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are brought straight into the bloodstream. This way, these micronutrients are absorbed much faster and you experience an energy boost. The following days, you will be more focused and you will sleep better. It is especially popular with professional athletes and business men. It is often seen as a performance enhancing tool or a ways of compensating an unhealthy lifestyle or an unnatural biorhythm. In the United States and the United Kingdom, it is even promoted against hangovers. In certain British club scenes there are small vans driving around where you can get a shot after a long night out before stepping into the office. According to toxicologists, these infusions are not harmful, but completely unnecessary.

### 3.5 Amino acids against depressions

_Due to its positive effect on neurotransmitters, L-lysine may help reduce high sensitivity. This is because overreactions occur because of a bad nerve impulse transfer._

L-lysine is an essential amino acid, which is important for the production of basic proteins. In fact, L-lysine is only one form or pathway of the amino acid, called the diaminopimelate pathway. The other one is the α-aminoadipate pathway. Both of them are quite alike, but have different properties. It is the former one that we need.

L-lysine is vital for our growth, the production of bones, tissue regeneration and collagen. Collagen strengthens our tendons, muscle bundles, blood vessels and skin. Moreover, L-lysine plays a part in the production of antibodies, enzymes and hormones and it improves the absorption of calcium through our gastrointestinal tract. This amino acid furthermore helps against infections, herpes simplex and certain infertility problems.

Your body cannot produce its own lysine. In general, you also do not manage to ingest enough lysine through your food. Especially vegetarians and vegans often suffer from a deficiency. Because lysine is converted into carnitine in your body, you also risk having a shortage of this.

For all amino acids the same rule applies, namely that you ingest them by eating proteins. These are broken down in your body into amino acids. In animal proteins such as those from meat, fish or dairy, you will find all the essential amino acids. These are complete proteins. Sources of carbs such as wholemeal grains, nuts and beans also contain proteins, but sadly they do not contain all the essential amino acids. As a vegetarian, it takes quite a bit of planning and paying attention to combine different kinds of protein products to make sure you ingest every different kind of essential amino acid.

Symptoms in case of a shortage are chronic fatigue, attention deficit disorders, bloodshot eyes, nausea, dizziness, hair loss, anxiety and nightmares. This is a returning problem for many people, which is worsened by a reduced resistance, weather conditions and stress. Lysine is mainly known as an efficient remedy against cold sores, but as you just read, it is much more than that!

Lysine against chronic anxiety

Lysine is a powerful tool to deal with negative thoughts, anxiety, a bad mood, sleeping problems, fatigue and digestive problems. Do you suffer from a lot of nightmares and chronic anxiety? Then you most likely suffer from a lysine shortage.

Anxiety has a big influence on our daily wellbeing. If you feel too much tension, get anxious or even panic in non-life threatening situations, you suffer from an anxiety disorder. If this problem occurs for more than two hours per day, you might be experiencing a phobia. Our thoughts and emotions really mess with us then. These can find their root in a bad nutrition and shortages. Our neurotransmitters play an important part as well.

Neurotransmitters are chemical substances that help transfer nerve impulses, a kind of electric impulses that pass through messages from one nerve cell to the next. Famous examples are adrenaline, serotonin, endorphin and dopamine. Every type of neurotransmitter has its own function. Some types are truly essential for certain body functions.

Neurotransmitters are the messengers of your body. They influence your emotions, your state of mind and whether or not you experience pain. They are indispensable to the proper functioning of your organs, your digestion, your sleep, weight, stress, ... In short: they control your entire body. If a loose wire in an electronic device may cause it not to function anymore, the same goes for humans when their neurotransmitters do not function properly anymore. Sadly, neurotransmitters are very vulnerable. Malfunctions in your neurotransmitters may lead to symptoms for which they may not be able to find a medical cause, such as muscle aches, emotional distress, profuse sweating, bad body smell, medication that does not function well. Lysine influences neurotransmitters that play a large part in the development and maintaining of surreal, troublesome fears.

_Molecular doctors use lysine to counteract the breakdown of collagen in cancer patients._

Consumption

Our body cannot produce its own lysine, but it can store large amounts of it. You can take several grams per day without experiencing any side effect, because an excess amount will be excreted. I recommend 2 pills of 1500 mg L-lysine per day.

### 3.6 In a nutshell

Multivitamins are only necessary in case you:

● Suffer from inflammatory bowel disease

● Take medication

● Suffer from a recognised shortage

● Have an unbalanced diet

Assessment of multivitamin supplements: quick checklist

❏ Are the full names of the vitamins and excipients mentioned on the label?

❏ Does the formula contain enough (but not too much) of the recommended daily allowance of each vitamin?

**Vitamin D shortages** occur on a massive scale. A supplement is therefore usually a good idea. Buy vitamin D3 at your pharmacist's and always combine it with vitamin K2 and vitamin A.

Good to know

➢ It is best to take your vitamins with a glass of water during or right after your meal. Vitamins may increase or sate your appetite, depending on the person who takes them. For some, an apple is a perfect snack, for others it arouses their appetite. You can take this into account when you choose the time to take your vitamins.

➢ Smokers need a lot more vitamins, especially vitamin C.

➢ Many vitamins cooperate with other micronutrients. Before taking a supplement, it would be best to quickly check this. This way, you know what vitamins you have to take in addition to get rid of this shortage without developing any new shortages.

➢ Always consult with your doctor before taking supplements.

**Lysine** is an essential amino acid that benefits your psychological wellbeing and helps prevent cancer. The amounts that you absorb from your food does not suffice. This is why a supplement is a good idea. Take 2 capsules of 1500 mg per day.
Bonus: practical tips for specific situations

# Improving your general health

A good health begins, as I described in part 1, with a healthy gut flora. Medication, sugar, carbs, pesticides, excessive amounts of omega 6, alcohol and smoking assault your good gut bacteria and make the bad bacteria fester. Taking this into account will save you quite a lot of trouble. Moreover, you may opt to take probiotics, in the first instance through your food. Fermented foods such as miso, natto, tempeh and sauerkraut contain lots of probiotics. You can feed these good bacteria by giving them foodstuffs that contain a lot of prebiotics such as onion, garlic, tomatoes, asparagus, leek and banana. If you truly suffer from intestinal distress or just took an antibiotics course, a prebiotics course may put you back on your feet.

It is also important to be aware of silent, chronic inflammations and what harm they can do (see part 2). It would be best not to treat these with painkillers and anti-inflammatories, as these can cause harm to your body and may even lead to death... A good alternative which yields great results for the majority of people is a course of turmeric supplements. Zeolite is also a powerful remedy, not just against inflammations, but also to protect your body against the influences of harmful substances such as pesticides and heavy metals.

Finally, vitamins play a considerable role for your health. Ranging from increasing your immune system to reducing the risk of developing cancer, a proper vitamin balance is essential. Pay attention not to just start taking vitamins at random, though. In part 3, we delved deeper into the possible causes of shortages and what to do about them.

Of course, it is also important to have a healthy diet and to do plenty of exercise. Not a single supplement can compensate an unhealthy lifestyle.

Losing weight

Quite a lot of people suffer from overweight, despite their attempts to lose weight, eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise. Numerous diets do not seem to offer a way out. In this case, the source has to be looked for elsewhere.

Countless studies have been conducted regarding the influence of your gut flora on your weight, as you can read in part 1. A healthy gut flora helps you lose weight and if you eat healthy for some time, your gut flora will change by itself, causing you not to crave sugar and the like quite as badly. By following the recommendations from part 1, you will not only improve your gut flora, but you will also deal with some of the possible reasons of overweight in an effective way.

Chronic inflammations are one of the common underlying causes of persistent overweight. You can deal with these by taking turmeric supplements or zeolite, as you find out in part 2 of this book. This way, you immediately reduce the risk of several Western diseases.

A vitamin D deficiency may lead to overweight as well. You would do well to make sure you do not have a shortage of it. Good vitamin D levels offer countless other health benefits, as you can read in part 3.

Digestive problems

Suffering from bad digestion can have many causes. In part 1, you can read everything about your gut flora and how you can stimulate it in a positive way by avoiding certain things and boosting your good gut bacteria. For a lot of people, this solves most intestinal issues.

But stress might also play a part - both mental stress and stress that arises in your body because of 'hostile' substances such as certain medicines and pesticides. Zeolite (see part 3) might offer a way out for this.

Vitamin shortages may also contribute to digestive problems. You have read all about this in part 3, as well as how to tackle these possible shortages.

L-lysine pills (see part 3) also help improve the digestive process. When you take lysine, you might want to consider taking this supplement with a bit of cola. Cola can be good for your digestion. Obviously, it is not a good idea to start drinking nothing but cola from now on, but in moderation, it can improve your digestion. It is like this: when you ingest toxins (such as pesticides), your body will react by producing less gastric acid. This is because it would rather not digest (and absorb) these substances. Cola contains a type of acid that helps improve your digestion and helps process chemical substances. Choose a brand that does not contain sodium benzoate. This preservative causes a natural reaction with vitamin C and creates benzene, which is a carcinogenic. Read the label: does it mention benzoic acid (E210) or sodium benzoate (E211)? Then it might be best to leave the drink on the rack. Moreover, pick a sugar free variety, as sugar assails your gut flora and will worsen your digestive problems.

Stress, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and similar conditions

The causes of stress may seem very innocent, the consequences are usually quite the opposite. We often rush ourselves in our daily affairs. These aggravations may linger for hours or even days. American studies have shown that people who are not able to immediately let go of the negative emotions caused by small stressors will suffer from more health problems in the long run, for example, chronic muscle aches.

There are many ways to help let go of stress, ranging from exercise to mindfulness. However, this requires great dedication and does not have the desired result for everyone. Especially if there are underlying causes, you cannot simply rid yourself of the stress.

As you can read extensively in part 3, vitamin D and lysine help fight (the negative consequences of) stress. Vitamin D mainly helps in counteracting the feelings of psychological unease, whereas lysine focuses on fighting your feeling of anxiety.

Do you suffer from persistent stress and possible even (unresolved) trauma from your past? Then the Stress Reset method might provide a possible solution. You can read all about this in my book _Stress Reset_.

Symptoms of depression

A depression is a very severe, often underestimated condition which is still somewhat taboo in our society and about which there are still many misconceptions. Many people simply do not know how to act around a depressed friend or family member. With nothing but good intentions, they sometimes end up saying completely wrong things.

There are more than a thousand different types of depressions. Quite odd that doctors want to treat every different type with the same kind of medication. A depression may arise in completely different ways. Many severe depressions are in fact a side effect of medication, such as sleeping pills or sedatives. A vitamin deficiency, such as vitamin C, may also lead to symptoms of depression. A common cause is anesthesia. There are substances that can make a happy person depressed in a matter of minutes. People in their environment do not understand this and are often surprised if a seemingly happy person is in fact depressed and even commits an act of desperation.

How severe a depression is, is measured by means of the Hamilton depression scale, with a number between 0 and 52. People who suffer from a depression usually score a 20 or more. When patients take an antidepressant, this score drops to an average of 12. This appears to be a good effect, which is why doctors keep prescribing it en masse. However, three big considerations can be made:

  1. If you give patients a placebo (a fake pill), their score drops to an average of 13. That one point on the scale appears to be enough for researchers to decide that an antidepressant can make a 'significant difference'. The patient does not even feel the difference between a Hamilton score of 13 or 12!
  2. To make matters worse, antidepressants cause side effects, ranging from weight gain to loss of libido or even suicidal tendencies. Many people who commit suicide do this under influence of antidepressants.
  3. You cannot simply stop a treatment. Antidepressant have to be reduced slowly, otherwise you will feel even worse afterwards. This is why many patients are addicted to them.

Moreover, people nowadays are diagnosed with a depression rather quickly. If you do not feel too well for some time, doctors sometimes immediately call it a depression. But there is a vital difference between feeling out of sorts and a real depression. Mourning is also often confused with a depression, whereas it is a perfectly normal process that you have to get through if you lost someone. Mourning may, of course, lead to a depression at a certain point.

Vitamin D is a powerful tool that helps counteract the feelings of psychological unease. A deficiency may even be the cause of your symptoms. Moreover, many depressed people benefit greatly from lysine supplements. They function specifically against your anxieties. You can read more about the effect of this essential amino acid in part 3.

Symptoms of depression, anxiety and traumas are connected. They feed one another, as it were. Look at it as a three headed dragon, which you can only beat by chopping off all three heads. Lysine mainly focuses on anxiety. Vitamin D counters symptoms of depression. Do you also suffer from unprocessed traumas from the past? Then vitamin D (see part 2) and lysine (see part 3) are powerful tools as well, but it is absolutely vital to process these traumas to get rid of all the symptoms. This is what I developed my Stress Reset method for. In my book Stress Reset, you will discover all there is to know about this efficient combination of two natural supplements that have to be combined according to a certain proportion for an optimal result. This also works fine for people who suffer from conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, which often gets worse under influence of stress.

The Stress Reset method has even proven efficient in processing unresolved traumas. Currently, they do not really have a therapy or medicine that can help with this. There are obviously certain heavy medicines that help clear out your brain and in this way help process traumas and stress, but these have severe side effects such as depressions, psychosis and paranoid thoughts. The harmless natural remedy of the Stress Reset method provides a good alternative.

Situations that cause severe stress or anxiety can linger for years. Your body remains in a sort of stress and fear mode with all that this implies for your health. We are not always aware that certain events from the past can have an effect on our body for years to come. By combining vitamin D and lysine together with the Stress Reset pills, you will reach a Total Reset and will finally be able to let go of all the traumas from your past.

Do you think of committing suicide or have need of a conversation, you can always reach the suicide hotline. In Belgium, this can be done by dialing the number 1813 or by surfing to www.zelfmoord1813.be.

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Other publications of this author

_Stress Reset_ , Beefcake Publishing, 2016

CFS, fibromyalgia, burnout, depression, ... People who suffer from these vague conditions often face a fruitless search for a solution that may take years. Their symptoms, such as headaches, stomach aches, fatigue, muscle aches or food sensitivities, often have a psychosomatic cause: they are caused by stress. Traditional medicines and supplements do not truly bring relief and, at best, they deal with the external symptoms.

In _Stress Reset_ , Carine Green, who suffered from chronic fatigue for years, reveals the formula with which she did not only significantly improve her own life, but also that of her friends.

The Stress Reset method has proven to be very efficient at helping people process traumas.
eBook 2019

© Carine Green and Beefcake Publishing

_Cover Design_ Studio Beefcake

ISBN 9789493111035 – NUR 860

Beefcake Publishing

E. Seghersplein 21, B-9000 Gent

www.beefcakepublishing.be

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