Maybe you’ve been asked why grains are bad when people from other countries (usually Asia and Italy are mentioned here) are able to eat them regularly and still stay thin. [Side note: I'll be addressing both of these misconceptions soon, but the short answer is that besides the big difference is genetics, there are some other huge dietary difference that make up for this, and Italy is seeing rapidly rising rates of obesity and heart disease.]

Even in the health community, there is a split between WAPF (Weston A. Price Foundation) followers and the Paleo/Primal/Low Carb group on the health and necessity of grains and if they should be eaten at all.

You might have read my stance on how grains are killing you slowly, but as there are claims that these traditional preparation methods reduce the dangerous properties of grains, it is worth another look.

What are Soaked, Sprouted or Fermented Grains?

All grains have various properties that protect them in the plant world and allow them to survive to produce seed. In animals, these protective features are often claws, teeth, sharp spines, venomous fangs, etc, or the ability to run away and escape enemies, but plants protective features tend to be a lot more subtle.

Since plants aren’t able to fight or evade, their protective mechanisms are less noticeable. Plants like poison ivy or poison oak have obvious protective mechanisms like the itch-inducing oils on their leaves.

The protective mechanisms of those amber waves of grains are harder to identify externally. These crops are often eaten by animals, so their protection lies in the ability of their seeds (the “grain” itself) to pass through the animal and emerge on the other side as a pre-fertilized seed, ready to grow.

Plants accomplish this through the presence of gluten, other lectins, enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid which allow the grains to pass through the digestive system without harm to the plant. (note: Phytic acid is especially damaging to bone and tooth health and has been linked to tooth decay) These indigestible compounds are great for ensuring the plants continued fertility, but they can be very harmful to humans.

From a previous article:

Gluten is a sticky, water soluble protein that is found in your favorite grains (wheat, rye, barley, etc). Grains like corn, rice and oats have similar proteins that cause problems over time. Gluten and similar grain-based proteins work to break down the microvilli in your small intestine, eventually letting particles of your food leech into your blood stream (a lovely term called “leaky gut syndrome”) causing allergies, digestive disturbances or autoimmune problems.

and

Lectins, are mild toxins the inhibit the repair of the GI track. Lectins are not broken down in the digestive process and bind to receptors in the intestine, allowing them and other food particles to leech into your bloodstream. Nothing like pre-digested food circulating the blood stream! The body views these lectins and the food they bring with them as dangerous invaders and initiates an immune response to get rid of them. This immune response to particles of common foods explains the allergy creating potential of grains.

Soaking, Sprouting and Fermenting

Traditional cultures where grains were consumed regularly or in large amounts found ways to reduce the harmful components of grains through methods like soaking, sprouting and fermenting.

These methods are designed to do what our body can’t and break down the anti-nutrients (gluten, lectin, phytic acid, etc) in grains so that they are more digestible to humans. Evidence shows that these methods do indeed make the nutrients in grains much more bioavailable and reduce the anti-nutrient properties.

These methods rely on using an acidic medium in liquid to soak the grains, a constructive environment to soak them and let them sprout, or a process like sourdough fermentation to alter the chemical make-up of the grain.

Certainly, most grains consumed these days are not prepared in any of these ways, but from a health perspective, are sprouted, soaked or fermented grains healthy?

Are Soaked, Sprouted and Fermented Grains Healthy?

From a nutrient perspective, grains prepared in these ways do have much higher nutrient levels and lower anti-nutrient levels than grains that are just ground into flour and baked, but should they be eaten?

The question remains, do these methods reduce the harmful properties enough to make these grains safe to consume. Mark Sisson sums it up well in his article about traditionally prepared grains:

Soaking and Sprouting:

Effect on phytate: If the grain contains phytase, some of the mineral-binding phytic acid will be deactivated, but not much. And if the grain has been heat-treated, which destroys phytase, or it contains very little phytase to begin with, the phytic acid will remain completely intact. Overall, neither soaking nor sprouting deactivates a significant amount of phytate.

Effect on enzyme inhibitors: Well, since the seed has been placed in a wet medium and allowed to sprout, the enzyme inhibitors are obviously mostly deactivated. Digestion is much improved (cooking will improve it further).

Effect on lectins: The evidence is mixed, and it seems to depend on the grain. Sprouted wheat, for example, is extremely high in WGA, the infamous wheat lectin. As the wheat grain germinates, the WGA is retained in the sprout and is dispersed throughout the finished plant. In other grains, sprouting seems more beneficial, but there’s always some residual lectins that may need further processing to deactivate.

Effect on gluten: Sprouting reduces gluten to some extent, but not by very much. Don’t count on it. A little bit goes a long way.

Adding fermentation to the mix reduces the harmful properties even more, but does not completely render them harmless.

The presence of these anti-nutrients in all grains also explains why people who avoid wheat for health reasons but still consume “gluten-free” foods may still have health problems. Wheat is definitely at the more dangerous end of the grain spectrum, but the others aren’t harmless by a long shot, and many of them are higher in simple starches than wheat.

So, Should We Eat Them?

Certainly, these methods of preparation do improve the nutrient profile of what is otherwise a harmful food to consume, but this still doesn’t mean that sprouted, soaked or fermented grains are healthy or that we need to consume them.

If you are going to consume any grains, it would definitely be better to prepare them in one of these ways (or all three!) to make them less harmful to your body, but I stand by my assertion that there is no need for grain consumption at all.

There are no nutrients in grains, even traditionally prepared ones, that are not found in other foods, and many other foods are higher sources of nutrients than traditionally prepared grains.

It should be noted that all plant substances have properties that can make them harmful to humans in some way, but that it is much easier to reduce these harmful properties in other plants (cooking cruciferous vegetables like Broccoli and cauliflower, peeling and cooking sweet potatoes, etc). This is also why I recommend limiting beans, nuts, etc or soaking and dehydrating the nuts to remove the anti-nutrient properties. (More on this soon)

So, in short, I don’t recommend grain consumption at all, even if they are properly prepared, as they aren’t an exceptional nutrient source and they do have harmful properties. If you suffer from an autoimmune condition or leaky gut, even these types of grains should be carefully avoided as they can make the condition worse.

For the small percentage of the population that doesn’t have any food related problems and that have excellent gut health, some of these grains might be ok occasionally in moderation, but other than taste, there is no reason to eat them.

There is also a definite difference between grains high in anti-nutrients like wheat, barley, etc and ones like white rice (not brown rice) which are naturally free of the more potent anti-nutrients like gluten) and which seem to be somewhat less harmful.

The other point worth mentioning is that even sprouted, soaked and fermented grains cause a spike in insulin and can inhibit weight loss and lead to other health problems if eaten in large amounts.

Summary

• Yes, these methods do reduce the harmful properties but do not eliminate them. As grains still aren’t a stellar source of nutrition, even with all these elaborate preparation methods, and they can be/are harmful to many people.
• For the little bit of nutrition they might provide, the benefit is still overshadowed by the harmful properties that still exist in small amounts (gluten, lectin, phytic acid, etc) and they take an extreme amount of preparation time and energy for this small amount of nutrition.
• If you have a strong, healthy gut, eat an otherwise nutrient rich diet and go to these great lengths to properly prepare grains, you might be able to tolerate them occasionally, but why go through all the trouble when we live in a time where there is access to healthier foods (vegetables, meat, good fats, etc).
• In an age where we are bombarded by toxins in our air, water and food supply, removing grains (even traditionally prepared ones) is an easy step we can take to improve our health and to make room for other, more nutritious foods in our diets.
• If a substance (in this case, grains) might be harmful for you to consume, and there are no negative effects of removing it, logically, it would be wise to avoid it.

What do you think? Do you consume sprouted, soaked or fermented grains? Totally disagree with me? Let me know below!  

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The “Jello” Gelatin you can buy in stores is packed with sugar or chemical sugar substitutes, along with Gelatin from conventional animals fed a poor diet. I certainly wasn’t going to make that for my kids!

Then I found out about how healthy gelatin from grass fed animals can be a good protein source and can improve skin and hair quality and help the digestive system. I’d been drinking unflavored Gelatin in my tea and in smoothies, but it dawned on my that I could use the healthy kind of jello with natural fruits and fresh juices to make a “Jello” that my kids would like and that I would be ok with them eating.

Certainly, this still isn’t an everyday snack, but if it is made from fresh fruit and juices with quality Gelatin, it can be a healthy treat that kids will enjoy!

Healthy Gelatin Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of organic or freshly juiced fruit juice of choice (grape, pineapple, orange or a mix of orange and pineapple are all good!)
• 1/4 cup cool water
• 1/4 cup hot (almost boiling) water
• 1 tablespoon of Kosher Gelatin Powder 
• 1-2 cups of fresh fruit (optional) – Pineapple, strawberries, blueberries and orange slices are all really good

Note: Can double recipe.

How to make healthy Jello:

1. Pour the cool water in a large mixing cup or quart sized mason jar and add the gelatin powder.
2. Stir briskly until mixed- it will start to thicken a lot.
3. Add the 1/4 cup of really hot water and stir to mix- it should be thinner now.
4. Combine this with the juice and mix well.
5. Put the fruit into the container that you are going to make the jello in. 8×8 baking dishes work well.
6. Pour the jello mixture over the fruit and stir lightly to make sure it has coated the fruit too.
7. Put in the fridge, covered, for at least 2-3 hours or overnight and serve.
8. Can cut into cubes or scoop out with a melon spoon to make cute shapes.
9. Enjoy.

Variations: Can use Water kefir in place of part of the juice for a probiotic boost. You can make it entirely with Kombucha for a less-sweet but more healthy version. For a grow up treat, you can even do this with Champagne for a fun party treat. If you want individual sizes, make it in ice-cube trays with a single strawberry or piece of fruit in each cube.

Ever made Jello? Like the chemical laden stuff at the grocery store? Will you try this one? Let me know! 

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In fact, the low-sodium industry is booming!

Thank goodness that this sodium reduction, along with a low-fat diet and eating more whole grains has so greatly increased the health of Americans over the last few decades…

What’s that? It hasn’t?

Well maybe you can see the importance of eating good fats, or why grains are unhealthy, but you agree that too much salt isn’t healthy at all.

And you’d be right… if we are talking about the chemically produced table salt that is added to most processed foods, meats and snacks.

Table Salt = BAD!

Table salt, which is 97% Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is chemically produced, bleached and devoid of most other nutrients. It also contains Aluminum in many cases, which has been linked to Alzheimers disease and other problems in the body.

This type of salt is not naturally occurring and in fact, when salt-water fish are placed in salt water made with table salt… they die.

This type of salt is also devoid of the many trace minerals that the body needs… so it is a wise decision to avoid it.

The problem is, that when companies reduce table salt in their foods to make it low-sodium, they don’t replace it with trace minerals and healthier options, they often replace it with MSG and other chemical additives to achieve the flavor without the salt.

Unfortunately, many of the studies done on sodium consumption use table salt, not real salt, in the research, so there is now a body of evidence showing that salt consumption is harmful, when in reality, no distinction has been made between chemically created table salt and real salt containing trace minerals.

If you have any of this type of table salt around your house, I’d recommend that you stop using it immediately. Don’t throw it out though… you can use it in natural cleaning and stain treatment. (Just don’t eat it!)

Real Salt = Good!

To the degree that table salt is bad, real salt is healthy, necessary and good.

While the research linking regular table salt to disease and health disorders is correct, we’ve thrown out the baby with the (salt) water.

Consider this: the body contains high concentrations of many minerals and nutrients, and while it needs water, it also must have the proper concentration of these nutrients in bones, blood and organs to function properly.

A person can’t be given an IV of plain water- it must contain a careful balance of minerals, including salt!

Salt, in its natural form is not only necessary for the body to function, but it is extremely important in the right concentration for optimal health.

While many accept the common belief that high salt intake leads to hypertension:

“In a study of 60,000 nurses followed by Harvard researchers, those whose diet was very low in calcium or magnesium had a 23 percent greater chance of developing high blood pressure over four-years.”(source)

Other studies have shown that it is actually proper calcium, magnesium and other mineral balance, not sodium reduction, that improves blood pressure, hypertension and other problems.

In fact,

“The notion that salt intake and blood pressure were intimately related emerged early in this century when doctors discovered that they could lower the high blood pressure of people with kidney failure by feeding them a rice-based diet extraordinarily low in salt.”

Unconvinced, this eventually led to more comprehensive research on worldwide salt intake, which found that:

“And in 1989, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine decided to re-evaluate the link between salt and blood pressure through a study of more than 10,000 people in 52 cultures around the world. Participants ranged from Yanomamo Indians in Brazil, whose diet is almost salt free, to residents of northern China, who eat as much salt in a day as a Yanomamo eats in three years.

Instead of merely estimating salt consumption, the researchers calculated precise values based on urine samples. They took into consideration obesity and alcohol consumption.

Among their findings were that except in a few places with extremely low salt consumption, the amount of sodium in the diet was unrelated to the prevalence of hypertension in a society or to its average blood pressure. Moreover, although the high rates of hypertension in the United States had long been considered a function of this country’s love for salty processed food, the study placed Americans right in the middle of the world’s salt intake curve.”

Additionally:

“A decade ago, when researchers at the University of Indiana put patients on a low-salt diet, they found that blood pressure went down in about a third of patients, but that in an equal number it actually rose. Dr. Pavel Hamet of the University of Montreal recently studied 200 Canadians with widely varying salt intakes and found that the saltiness of the diet bore no relation to whether a person was hypertensive, as long as the subject had adequate calcium in the diet and was not a heavy drinker.”

Many of the studies done on the supposed link between salt intake and hypertension are used to justify a low-sodium diet, especially in cardiac patients. Unfortunately, these studies fail to take into account the difference between real salt and chemical table salt, and the importance of proper salt consumption in the reduction of risk of other health problems like osteoporosis, cancer, arthritis, skin conditions, hormone balance and nerve function.

If you’ve been limiting salt for health reasons, you must differentiate between chemical table salt and healthy nutrient-dense salt.

Do you experience:

• Cellulite
• High Blood Pressure
• Kidney Stones
• Gall Bladder Problems
• Sore or Swollen Joints
• Gout
• Fatigue
• Brain Fog
• Poor Sleep
• Asthma or Respiratory Illness
• Irregular heart beat
• Poor adrenal health
• Diabetes or blood sugar issues
• Poor muscle tone or lack of coordination
• Water retention, edema or swelling (actually result from too little salt… not too much!)

These are all conditions that can result from too little salt and the resulting mineral imbalance.

It is important to note that regular table salt will actually make these conditions worse because it will create more mineral imbalance by delivering too much sodium and chloride and not enough of the other necessary minerals.

Through our efforts to remove processed table salt with the low-sodium craze (a good thing to remove) we have created a deficiency of the minerals found in natural salt.

What does Salt do?

The negatively charged ions in real salt, especially when combined with water, support a host of hormonal, chemical and electrical processes in the body.

The trace mineral concentration in real salt makes it especially supportive of nerve and heart health. (Scary, since cardiac patients are often told to reduce sodium). Some doctors have even had success in improving irregular heart beat and lessening neurological disorders with proper doses of real salt.

Some other health-related processes that salt can support are:

• Food absorption: Proper mineral balance in food and water (from salt/trace minerals) helps the body absorb and assimilate food and water better.
• Cell Cleansing- The negatively charged ions in real salt and the trace mineral concentration let it cross into cells and pull toxins from them.
• Blood Pressure- Real salt actually helps regulate blood pressure (not raise it) when taken in the correct amounts.
• Heart Health- The negative ions in real salt help stabilize an irregular heart beat and support electro-chemical reactions in the body.
• pH Balance- The alkalizing effects of real salt help balance the body’s pH.
• Blood Sugar- Proper mineral balance from real salt helps increase insulin sensitivity and has even been shown helpful in patients with diabetes. (Note: It is especially helpful with type II diabetes, and while Type I diabetes cannot be reversed, it helps nutrient assimilation and other health factors in patients with Type I diabetes as well)
• Allergies- Some evidence shows that real salt dissolved in warm water is an effective natural antihistamine.
• Asthma and Sinus Trouble- Some patients experience asthma and sinus relief from taking salt internally and from using a salt inhaler. Salt can also be helpful in clearing up excess mucous and phlegm.
• Improved sleep- Balancing the trace minerals in the body is supportive of hormone processes and can improve sleep quality and duration.
• Reproductive Health- By supporting natural hormone function, real salt is also supportive of natural fertility  and can improve reproductive health in both men and women.
• Cellulite- There is some evidence that cellulite is lessened by proper intake of regular salt. (I’ve seen this personally)
• Cell Communication- Its pH and ion concentration help improve chemical communication between cells.
• Muscle Cramps/Tension- The trace minerals and pH in real salt help alleviate muscle cramps (magnesium is also important here). This is one reason that you often see athletes soak in salt water/epsom salt baths.
• Bone Health- Over 1/4 of the body’s salt is in the bones. When sodium and trace mineral stores are not high enough in the body, it can pull salt from the bones to keep the rest of the body functioning. This can be a tremendous factor in osteoporosis. (Magnesium is important here as well)
• Adrenal and Thyroid Health- the pH and trace minerals in salt are extremely important for proper adrenal and thyroid function. If you suffer from problems with either of these glands, increasing salt consumption can greatly help improve symptoms.
• Nerve function- The electrical properties in real salt help support proper nerve function and communication throughout the body.
• Water Content of Body- Just as an IV must be in the proper electrolyte concentration to be absorbed, the trace mineral in real salt help the body naturally regulate the amount of water and trace minerals it needs.
• Sexual Health- The same hormone-supporting properties of salt make it supportive of healthy libido and sexual function
• Digestive Health- When consumed with water, real salt can help optimize the environment in the digestive system and increase stomach acid. This makes it helpful in dealing with digestive disorders, heartburn and other digestive problems.
• Though not scientifically studied, there are cases of doctors helping or eliminating conditions in their patients with the use of real salt and water, including: arthritis, lyme disease, hypertension, neurological disorders, skin issues.
• Eczema and Psoriasis- The same helpful properties in real salt make it helpful both internally and externally for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
• Oral Health- the trace minerals in salt can be helpful for oral health and for remineralizing teeth. Swishing with a salt water mixture daily can help improve oral health.

What Kind of Salt?

At our house, we have several different types of natural salt (black lava, Celtic sea salt, etc) but our favorite BY FAR is Himalayan Salt.

This type of salt is found deep in the Himalayan mountains and contains all 84 trace minerals needed by the body.

Unlike chemical salt, it is naturally pink or red and has a much milder flavor.

In my opinion, this is the highest quality salt available, as it is from the mineral rich Himalayan mountains and is not affected by the chemicals and toxins that are increasing in quantity even in natural sea salt.

I add this type of salt to almost all of our foods, and even take it plain in water at times.

Other real salts like Celtic Sea Salt and Black Lava Salt (contains activated charcoal) are also beneficial.

How To Consume Enough Salt

If you aren’t used to consuming salt, it may be difficult to make a transition back to healthy salt consumption (though many people find that their bodies crave it and respond very well immediately).

If you aren’t used to eating enough salt, there are some easy ways you can increase your intake:

• Add real salt to your foods and avoid processed foods or eating out, since you will consume large amounts of processed table salt. Salt to taste and don’t worry about eating too much.
• Drink 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of quality salt in a quart of water daily to help raise your electrolyte and trace mineral levels.
• Soak in a relaxing bath with added magnesium (epsom salts) and Himalayan or Celtic Salt (2 tablespoons of each).
• For skin issues: Make a poultice of real salt and water (or honey) and apply to areas with eczema or psoriasis.
• Make a salt scrub with finely powdered sea salt and natural oil (like coconut or olive) to use as an exfoliant in the shower.
• Use a salt board for cooking and curing foods
• If you suffer from asthma or allergies, try a sea salt inhaler to help alleviate symptoms
• Use a Himalayan Salt Bar “Soap” in the shower to sooth and heal skin (some say this is very anti-aging) and is very gentle for children with eczema
• Use a Salt Deodorant Bar if you are sensitive to even natural deodorants
• Swish daily with a salt water mixture in the mouth for 30-60 seconds. The trace minerals in the salt will help remineralize teeth and the pH of the salt will help improve the pH of the mouth.
• Make sure you are also consuming enough magnesium and other minerals, as most people are also deficient in magnesium. Magnesium will help absorption of other minerals and vice versa.
• Though it won’t help sodium levels in the body, there is some evidence that a Himalayan salt lamp can ionize and cleanse the air. Either way, they are pretty!

We get our Himalayan salt from Mountain Rose Herbs in 5-pound bags, which is the cheapest and highest quality source I’ve found. Himalayan Salt is also available on Amazon (though this one doesn’t seem to be as high of quality) and in most health food stores.

If you are limiting your salt or consuming regular sea salt, I highly recommend that you make the switch to high quality salt as soon as you can.

Real salt is necessary for so many things within the body and this is one health change that is easy (and tasty) to make.

Our bodies naturally crave salty foods, and many people even crave the beach (real salt plus vitamin D!). Make sure you are consuming enough!

Important Note: As with many other healthy substances, the FDA is proposing measures that would force companies to limit the amount of sodium in foods (regardless of the type of salt) and could potentially limit access to quality salt. Go take a second and share your support!

What are your thoughts on salt? Scared of it? Unsure? Avid salt eater? Weigh in below! 

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Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearlyambiguous/

I’ve gotten several emails lately, asking about various forms of soy and if it can be healthy or not.

If you don’t feel like reading the rest of this post, the answer can be summarized in one sentence: Soy is not healthy, it can cause health problems and it’s widespread use is destructive to the planet… don’t eat it! 

Want to know why? Read on…

Soy is a legume, and as such, has the same harmful components that other beans do, but there is more. Some other harmful properties of soybeans are:

• Soybeans contain phytoestrogens, which mimic the body’s natural estrogen hormones. For men, this can lead to a testosterone imbalance, infertility, low sperm count, and increased risk of cancers. For women, it can cause estrogen dominance, which has been linked to infertility, menstrual troubles and cancer…
• These phytoestrogens are so strong that a baby consuming only soy formula is consuming the equivalent hormones of 4 birth control pills a day!
• The high levels of phytic acid in soy inhibit the body’s ability to absorb important minerals, including zinc, calcium, copper, iron and magnesium (which many people are dangerously deficient in already).
• Soy also contains protease inhibitors, which can block the enzymes that are necessary for the digestion of certain proteins.
• The goitrogens in soy are potent anti-thyroid compounds that can lead to  endocrine disruption and thyroid disorders. Infants on soy formula have a much higher risk of autoimmune thyroid disease. (note: cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage have these properties as well, though they are lessened greatly by cooking. Cooking does not remove these compounds from soy based foods!)
• Soy is often promoted as an alternative food for celiac and gluten intolerant people, but its lectins can be harmful to the intestines and prevent healing even when gluten is removed.
• Many studies have found even more harmful properties of soy: This link has a summary of many studies done about the harmful effects of soy.
• Consumption of soy foods increases the body’s need for Vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, calcium and magnesium.

In addition to being harmful to our bodies, soy production is harmful to the planet and to livestock who eat it as well. Almost all soybeans grown today are genetically modified and “Round-up ready.” They contain a gene that allows them to be directly sprayed with pesticides without dying. There is some evidence that this gene can mutate and create a pesticide-like toxin in the body.

This mutation means that soybeans can be (and are) sprayed with large amounts of pesticides and herbicides during their cultivation. In addition, soybeans strip the soil of many nutrients, leaving soil depleted. (On a personal note, I live in an area where soybeans are grown, and have witnessed first hand how much the soybeans are sprayed during their growth and how harmful these chemicals are to other plants and vegetation)

Animals who are fed soy can suffer many of the same health consequences as people who consume too much soy, and these harmful properties are then passed on in their meat.

What about Asian Countries Where Soy is Consumed In Large Amounts?

I often get this question when I talk about the negative properties in soy. It is assumed that people in Asian countries consume a lot of soy, and since they are thin, soy must be healthy.

It is important to note that people in these countries do not consume as much soy as we assume they do. In fact, in most places, soy based foods are served as a condiment, not a main course and not as a replacement for animal protein. In addition, these foods are fermented or traditionally prepared, which minimizes the harmful factors.

In many countries, soy based foods are consumed with seaweed containing foods or traditionally made broths, which both have high nutrient concentration and can help mitigate the harmful effects of the soy.

An Inferior Protein Source

Besides the lectin and phytic acid in soybeans, they aren’t the complete protein source they are touted to be. Like all beans, they lack the amino acids Methionine and Cystine. While they are often promoted for being able to provide Vitamin B-12 to those eating a vegetarian diet, the Vitamin B-12 in soybeans can not be used by the body and actually cause the body to need more B-12.

As I often say about grains a beans: there are no nutrients in these foods that can’t be found in higher amounts in meats, vegetables and healthy fats, so stick to those and avoid the lectins and phytic acid!

A Note on Fermented Soy

If you are going to consume soy, it is least harmful in its fermented state. Foods like Tempeh and Miso have some health promoting properties and many of the harmful anti-nutrients are fermented out. These are fine in moderation. Just look for ones that have been traditionally fermented.

Soy is Everywhere!

If you stay away from tofu and soymilk, you might still be consuming much more soy than you think!

Practically all processed foods contain some form of soy. Even some canned tuna contains a soy protein as part of the broth! Check the foods you buy for these ingredients: Soy lecithin, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, texturized vegetable protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein or any other phrase containing the word “soy.”

Foods containing any of these ingredients contain soy and all the harmful components that go along with it!

What are your thoughts? Do you consume soy? Have you in the past? Tell me below!

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Last week, after a facebook comment sparked a lot of interest, I figured it was time to write a more detailed explanation of the actual “how-to” of tooth remineralization. (Just a note: I am not a dentist, nor am I recommending that you do not visit and consult with your dentist… just sharing some information that was very valuable to me)

 Can Teeth Heal and Regenerate?

I used to think that the answer to this question was a resounding “NO” as this is what I had always been told by my dentist. I never questioned this until I saw research from Dr. Weston A. Price and Drs. Mellanby (more in this post) showing that diet had a tremendous impact on oral health (even more so than brushing in some cases) and that there had even been cases of cavities reversing.

As I thought about this, it made sense…

Why would bones and other tissue be able to heal and regenerate, but not teeth?

How did other populations throughout the world have great oral health, no cavities and no need for braces when they didn’t even have access to modern dentistry?

As I noted in a previous post:

Also enter Dr. Weston A Price, a dentist who traveled and studied isolated populations around the world and their native diets. Dr. Price was surprised to discover that many of these native peoples eating a diet devoid of modern foods had perfect teeth structure and little tooth decay. Their teeth were well spaced with plenty of room, and were white and healthy. Lest we think this is just genetics, Dr. Price studied people all over the world with widely different genes and found the same common factor. (An interesting note: when these people are removed from their native environment and switch to a western diet, they get tooth decay, bone loss and other health problems at the same rate as people in western industrialized countries)

These doctors all reached the same conclusion after years of research, mainly that tooth structure and health is largely determined by diet, especially three main factors:

1. The presence of enough minerals in the diet.
2. The presence of enough fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) in the diet.
3. How bio-available these nutrients are and how well the body is absorbing them. They found that this is largely influenced by the presence of Phytic Acid in the diet.

What do you think? Would you try remineralizing your own teeth? Do you already do these things? Weigh in below!

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The answer is likely “Yes” that you are deficient in Magnesium.

Magnesium is the eighth most abundant mineral on earth, and the third most abundant in sea water. More importantly, it is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body and it is necessary in over 300 reactions within the body.

Magnesium isn’t just abundant in the body, but vitally important too. As this article explains:

Every single cell in the human body demands adequate magnesium to function, or it will perish. Strong bones and teeth, balanced hormones, a healthy nervous and cardiovascular system, wellfunctioning detoxification pathways and much more depend upon cellular magnesium sufficiency. Soft tissue containing the highest concentrations of magnesium in the body include the brain and the heart—two organs that produce a large amount of electrical activity, and which can be especially vulnerable to magnesium insufficiency.

Proper magnesium ratios are important for the body to correctly use calcium in the cells. Even a small deficiency can lead to a dangerous calcium imbalance and lead to problems like calcification and cell death. This manifests itself with symptoms like heart trouble, migraine headaches, muscle cramps and premenstrual cramping.

Where Has All The Magnesium Gone?

Unfortunately, most modern farming processes tax the soil, depleting it of its natural magnesium. On top of that, many hybrids are selectively bred to survive low levels of magnesium and most conventional fertilizers use nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, and do nothing to replenish magnesium levels.

Water was once a good source of magnesium, but now:

Fluoride in drinking water binds with magnesium, creating a nearly insoluble mineral compound that ends up deposited in the bones, where its brittleness increases the risk of fractures. Water, in fact, could be an excellent source of magnesium—if it comes from deep wells that have magnesium at their source, or from mineral-rich glacial runoff. Urban sources of drinking water are usually from surface water, such as rivers and streams, which are low in magnesium. Even many bottled mineral waters are quite low in magnesium, or have a very high concentration of calcium, or both.

These additional dietary factors can also deplete magnesium:

• Consumption of caffeine
• Consumption of sugar (It takes 287 molecules of magnesium to metabolize a single glucose molecule! source)
• Consumption of processed food
• Consumption of alcohol
• Consumption of produce from depleted soil
• Consumption of foods high in phytic acid

Additionally, drugs like birth control pills, hypertension medicine, diuretics, insulin, and certain antibiotics (among others) deplete magnesium levels. Sweating often from exercise or other causes can also deplete magnesium.

What Does Magnesium DO?

Magnesium is necessary for hundreds of functions within the body, but is especially important for:

• Gives rigidity AND flexibility to your bones (more important than Calcium in many cases)
• Increases bioavailability of calcium
• Regulates and normalizes blood pressure
• Prevents and reverses kidney stone formation
• Promotes restful sleep
• Helps prevent congestive heart failure
• Eases muscle cramps and spasms
• Lowers serum cholesterol levels and triglycerides
• Decreases insulin resistance
• Can prevent artherosclerosis and stroke
• End cluster and migraine headaches
• Enhances circulation
• Relieves fibromyalgia and chronic pain
• Treats asthma and emphysema
• Helps make proteins
• Encourages proper elimination
• Prevents osteoporosis
• Proper Vitamin D absorption
• protection from radiation
• To aid weight loss
• Lessen or remove ADD or ADHD in children
• in proper carbohydrate digestion
• emerging evidence is showing a preventative role in many cancers
• (source)

Even though magnesium deficiency is rarely addressed in medical settings, the National Institutes of Health website states that:

Some observational surveys have associated higher blood levels of magnesium with lower risk of coronary heart disease [50-51]. In addition, some dietary surveys have suggested that a higher magnesium intake may reduce the risk of having a stroke [52]. There is also evidence that low body stores of magnesium increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, which may increase the risk of complications after a heart attack [4]. These studies suggest that consuming recommended amounts of magnesium may be beneficial to the cardiovascular system.

Are You Deficient?

As I said above, the answer is likely yes in today’s world, as over 80% of tested adults are. Unfortunately, blood tests are relatively ineffective in gauging magnesium levels as less than 1% of magnesium is in the blood.

Low magnesium levels are often diagnosed by symptoms alone, and the following symptoms can point to low magnesium levels:

• Inability to sleep or insomnia
• irritability
• sensitivity to noise
• mental disturbances
• anxiety, depression or restlessness
• muscle soreness or spasms
• infertility or PMS
• high levels of stress
• Headaches
• Heart “flutters” or palpitations
• fatigue or unusual tiredness
• coldness in extremities
• fuzzy brain or difficulty concentrating
• allergies and sensitivities
• lack of appetite
• back pain
• body odor
• bad short term memory
• poor coordination
• insulin resistance
• carbohydrate cravings
• constipation
• frequent cavities or poor dental health
• gut disorders
• kidney stones
• thyroid problems

If you have more than one of the above symptoms and especially if you have more than five, it is highly likely that you could benefit from magnesium supplementation.

How To Get Enough Magnesium

Unfortunately, magnesium is often not well absorbed by the digestive track, and is even more difficult to absorb if you are deficient or are low in vitamin D, have poor gut bacteria or suffer from a number of other conditions.

On top of that, most foods are depleted of their natural magnesium levels and the water supply is lacking also. For this reason, I often recommend magnesium supplementation to clients who struggle with the above symptoms.

There are several ways to supplement, and a mixture of more than one type of magnesium supplementation seems to be most effective. It is important to start slow and work up, as high doses will not be completely absorbed at first and most will be wasted.

Leafy green vegetables, sea vegetables, kelp and especially nettle (in herb form available here) are good dietary sources of magnesium, though if you have a deficiency, it will be difficult to raise your levels enough through diet alone.

The best ways to supplement with magnesium are:

• In powder form with a product like Natural Calm so that you can vary your dose and work up slowly.
• In ionic liquid form so that it can be added to food and drinks and dose can be worked up slowly.
• In transdermal form by using Magnesium oil applied to skin. This is often the most effective option for those with damaged digestive tract or severe deficiency.

I’d actually advice at least two of the above forms, including transdermal supplementation, especially if you show multiple symptoms. The easiest way to gauge your dose is to start at half of the recommended dose and work up (even above it) until you experience loose stools and then back off slightly. From this dose, you should be able to gradually increase your dose until your symptoms disappear.

Personally, I use all three of the above options and the most noticeable effects I’ve seen since using it (and notice when I forget to take it) are: my body odor has gone away, I have great mental clarity most of the time, and my sleep is greatly improved. I’ve also seen great improvements in my dental health, though this is also in part because of my dental regimen (full post on that coming soon).

If you experience any of the symptoms above, or if you are on a no grain diet or consume any processed or conventionally produced food, I’d definitely encourage at least trying magnesium supplementation to see if it can improve your symptoms.  If you’d like to learn more about the importance of magnesium and its various actions in the body, I’d suggest the book The Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean.

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2011 was a great year and I feel truly blessed to have “met” you all through this blog! To recap all the great memories of 2011, here are the top ten posts of last year (according to my stats)

How Grains Are Killing You Slowly

How to Make Natural Deodorant- Beating the “B.O.” With Natural Deo

Homemade Remineralizing Toothpaste Recipe

Lose Weight Fast – Guide to Easy Weight Loss

Meal Plan With Recipes and Shopping List!

Coconut Flour Biscuits

Why You Should NEVER Eat Vegetable Oil or Margarine!

Do You Have a Wheat Belly? Interview with Dr. Davis!

35 Easy On-The-Go Lunch and Snack Ideas

Homemade Natural Bug Spray Recipes That Work!

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We welcomed a new baby, took a 16 hour (each way) roadtrip with four kids when the baby was a month old, started a business, adopted a dog and two cats, homeschooled the two older kids, and began work on some even bigger projects (coming next year).

Somewhere in the midst of that, I managed to squeeze in time to read a few books. When I saw that Sean at Underground Wellness had posted his reading list from the year, I thought it would be a fun idea. Please weigh in below with your reading list!

The list below is a list of all the books (that I can remember) that I read this year… not counting kids books. Some I had read before and just re-read this year.

Health and Wellness Related:

Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find Your Bath Back To Health by William Davis (Dr. Davis is a great guy and even agreed to do an interview with me!)

Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso – This is a great book full of great recipes and fun workouts. Sarah is an inspirational woman and I was also honored to guest post at Everyday Paleo, Sarah’s Blog. Check it out if you haven’t already!

Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It by Gary Taubes – A well researched critique of conventional wisdom on diet and nutrition. (Pssssttt… just noticed that on Amazon, it is only $7.99 for the new version and is part of the 4 for 3 promotion for a limited time!)

Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes- A more in-depth version of “Why We Get Fat.” It was actually written first, and then simplified in “Why We Get Fat” but it is a great read and it will indulge the inner scientist in you

Lights Out by T.S. Wiley- Though I don’t agree with everything in this book, it cites some good studies about the importance of sleep and is good encouragement to start getting enough!

The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith- A great read, especially for anyone on the fence about vegetarianism.

Perfect Health Diet by Paul Jaminet- Don’t agree with all of his ideas (like safe starches) but he makes some good points.

Protein Power by The Drs. Eades- A great read by a great husband and wife team.

Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Dr. Weston Price- A little dense at times but I highly recommend this book! He was one of the first to suggest many health ideas that are becoming mainstream today and this book is often referenced within the health community.

Cure Tooth Decay  by Ramiel Nagel- An informative book that follows many of the ideas of Weston Price. It was influential in my own reversal of several cavities and in my tooth remineralization.

Gut and Psychology Syndrome  by Dr. Campbell-McBride-The book behind the GAPS diet and a good read. Especially important if you struggle with any kind of mood disorders, mental health difficulties or autism.

The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife- As if you needed more reasons to consume coconut oil… if you do, check this book out!

Power to the People by Pavel- A fitness book about kettlebells from the master himself.

The 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss- I loved some of the strength protocols in this book and the promotion and way the book were written are as fascinating as the content!

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell –  I won’t link to this one because I don’t recommend it, but I read because I disagreed with the premise and wanted to be able to cite specific problems with the book and the original study. If you are interested, check out Denise Minger and the China Study on Google…

Food and Cookbooks:

Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie and Charles Mayfield- Some fun and easy recipes.

Make It Paleo by Bill Stanley and Hayley Mason- More good recipes!

 The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam- The definitive guide to almond flour baking! Not all are low-carb, and I wouldn’t suggest using the agave (use honey or omit) but some great recipes overall.

Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals by Mark Sisson- The quality of the recipes in his original cookbooks but in much less time.

Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz – An interesting read and some fun recipes and ideas for natural fermentation.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon- A highly comprehensive cookbook of traditional foods. I just ignore the sprouted grains part…

Other:

The Surrendered Wife by Laura Doyle- A book I read every few months that is a great reminder to be loving and respectful to the amazing many I was blessed to marry!

A Mother’s Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot- Another book I re-read every few months. I occasionally get asked how I am able to keep up with blog, kids, etc and this book is a large part of it. It is definitely geared toward at-home moms but is a great encouragement to keeping structure and order in your schedule and life.

The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss- While motherhood can never be a four hour a week job (and who would want it to!) this book helped me keep business work in its proper place and keep deadlines from taking over family time!

The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk- A guy who made his name in the wine industry reminds of the importance of giving back and offering quality product and service.

I also read a lot of parenting and natural childbirth books, but will list that reading list in a separate post soon!

Your turn! What books did I miss? What do your recommend and what did your read this year? Let me know in the comments!

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Here’s a link to part 1 in case you missed it.

How we can improve the health of the whole body by improving our oral health?

We approach improving oral health from two perspectives.  The first perspective focuses on tools and techniques we can all apply to raise our immunological health.  By applying the ‘create health’ cellular theory first, we see that increasing the health of our immune system is the primary tool we have to create greater oral health.

If we are able to do what it takes to bring our immunity above 90% of its potential, we can bring our state of health high enough to become an unsuitable host for the ‘bad bugs’ that cause gum disease.

Improving our immunological health improves our oral health.

We all know many steps we can take to create greater immunological health.  If you are reading this blog, you already have access to quality information for creating greater health.

Here is a list of some of our top points:

• Laugh and smile often!
• Eat a mineral rich diet.
• Eat plenty of quality fats.
• Drastically reduce sugars from the diet.
• Eliminate vegetable oils from the diet.
• Get the right amount of quality sleep for you.
• Feel grateful.

By taking the necessary steps each day, we can raise our health up to be truly optimal.

The second perspective focuses on what we can do in the mouth to create greater oral health as well as whole being wellness.  We call this the ‘in the mouth’ approach to greater health.

The focus of the ‘in the mouth’ approach:

1. Reduce bad bug colonization in the mouth
2. Help restore healthy mouth ecology

In order to create greater oral health, we must reduce ‘bad bug’ populations in our mouths while we encourage a healthier mouth ecological environment.  Key to creating greater oral health over time is to understand how the bad bugs responsible for gum disease function.  You can read more about gum disease here.

There are several ways to reduce the populations of ‘bad bugs’ in the mouth.  Here are some ideas to get you on the right track to creating optimal oral health.

Get to know your mouth!  

We cannot emphasize this simple technique enough.  This one step will do more to empower greater oral health than any other technique.  While brushing and flossing for example are important, unless we know, rather than hope or believe, where we are with our oral health, how can we create optimal oral health?  Here’s a link to a free download to help you with getting to know your mouth. 

Floss consciously

Conscious flossing goes hand in hand with getting to know your mouth above.  Paying attention to what our flossing uncovers is a huge step toward creating greater oral health in our lives.   Here’s a link to an article detailing how to floss consciously. 

Learn how to brush your teeth to reduce gum disease.

Just like other notable doctors and researchers from history like Weston A Price and Edward and May Mellanby, we have Dr. Charles Bass to shed some light on a technique proven to reduce the population of bad bugs in the mouth.  Here is a video that details the Bass brushing technique.

Clean the mouth with safe (aka nontoxic) oral health products

One crucial factor when addressing products for oral health is to be sure that we aren’t putting any toxins into the system in the process.  If we introduce toxins into the system while we intend to create greater health, we are really taking one step forward and two steps back.

In other words, if we introduce toxins into the system that will lower and limit our immune health we are going the wrong way.  Like we established earlier, our immune health must be our primary focus when looking to create optimal health.  So, using oral health products that contain toxic ingredients which impair our immune function is short sighted at best if not downright injurious to our overall health.

Learn about oil pulling

Oil pulling is a technique out of ancient Indian (ayurvedic) medicine.  This excellent technique not only cleanses the mouth well, it also helps to detoxify the whole system.  Here is a link to an article that details the benefits, science, and technique of oil pulling.

Learn free techniques to improve mouth ecology

There is a direct link between the amount of saliva we produce and our ability to maintain a healthy, disease free mouth environment.  The unfortunate fact is saliva production declines as we age.  It is no surprise that the risks of gum disease as we age increases in step with the decline in saliva production.

We have been studying the Chinese longevity arts for over 25 years.  In our studies we have come across various qigong techniques to increase saliva production.  We share one of the many health building techniques we learned from studying qigong in this video, called Mouth Probiotics.  Here’s the link…

Although all the above suggestions will drastically help create greater oral health, we have saved the most fundamental, perhaps the most important, aspect to create greater oral health for last.

What comes out of our mouths is at least as important…

Let us all remember that the words we choose to speak to others and to ourselves have a huge impact on whether we experience wellness or disease.

What positive, supportive words have you spoken to the important people in your life today?  Have you complimented yourself on something?  How many times have you spoken about how fat, unhealthy, [fill in the blank] you are this week?

Remember, our culture very often doesn’t have our best interest in mind.  Be willing to be a positive deviant!  Speak only words of health, wellness and kindness and watch your immunity soar!!!  By being aware of the goodness that we encourage to come out of our mouths, we not only create greater wellness in our lives, we support greater wellness in all those whom we bless with our words.

To your health!

Will and Susan Revak

founders of OraWellness

[Note from Katie: I've been happy to get to know Will and Susan of OraWellness and now use their brushing blend as part of my oral health routine, and as the "flavor" in my Remineralizing Toothpaste. I'll be posting my oral health story soon, but my most recent visit to the dentist confirmed that my teeth were much healthier, my beginning stages of gingivitis were gone, and a cavity had actually remineralized itself!]

Between now and Christmas, you can also get a free Bass toothbrush for every bottle of Brushing Blend that you buy. Just enter “Holiday Brush Offer” in the notes at checkout and they’ll send you the free brushes. You can also get free shipping with the codes  shipfreeto50 if your order is less than $50 or shipfreeto100 if the order is greater than $50!

Check out more video tutorials about oral and holistic health here.

About the authors: 

Will and Susan Revak are the founders of OraWellness. They began their journey to creating greater oral health in their own lives over 15 years ago. Check out Susan’s story of how she reversed the damage of advanced gum disease. 

OraWellness offers tools and educational products to help you take control of your oral health using organic ingredients and inexpensive natural solutions. Chronic bad breath, bleeding gums, and other signs of oral imbalance can be a thing of the past. Whether you are looking for gentle, effective daily care or a complete solution to effectively address oral imbalances (even advanced gum disease!), OraWellness can help. Learn more atwww.OraWellness.com

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“As much as 50% in the reversal of cancer is in the mouth.”  

Burton Goldberg, expert in the field of alternative medicine

How can a two time cancer survivor and expert in alternative cancer treatments make such a statement?  In this article we will explore the relationship between mouth health and the health of the whole body and see the clear links how what’s going on in the mouth impacts the health of the whole body.

In this first section of this article we will explore how the health of our mouth affects the health of the whole body.  While this is a very large subject that could no doubt be a book itself, we will focus on one aspect of how our oral health impacts the entire body.  The title of this article, How Oral Health Impacts the Health of the Whole Body, describes what we will discuss in this first section.

The second section of this article will explore what we can do to improve our overall wellbeing by improving our oral health.  Here we will explore techniques and strategies of what we can do to create greater oral health and thereby create greater health for the whole being.  It is our hope and intent that reading this article will assist you to create greater oral health in your life and the lives of your loved ones.  If there were a title for this second section, it would be, How we can improve the health of the whole body by improving our oral health.

While many of us are aware of the negative impact of the bacteria that cause gum disease and tooth decay on our oral health, the impact that these same ‘bad bugs’ in the mouth have on our general health is less well known.  In order to effectively discuss the subject, let’s start by establishing a baseline of foundational principles.

Stop putting toxins into the system…

Fundamental to any attempt at creating greater oral health as well as whole being wellness is to stop putting toxins into the system.  Within the scope of this article, we want to draw attention to two main sources of toxins into the system.

1. the toxins that the ‘bad bugs’ that cause gum disease dump or trigger in our system.
2. the toxins that are inadvertently introduced to prevent disease through the use of oral hygiene products.

Prevent disease or create health… Which comes first?

These two concepts, to prevent disease and to create health, are central to the discussion of this article.  We can see this debate most clearly in history with the example of Louis Pasteur, the ‘father’ of modern medicine and germ theory and Antoine Beauchamp, a contemporary of Pasteur’s who promoted a related theory but with a different focus called cellular (or terrain) theory.

Studying these two theories has led me to the realization that if we want to create optimal health, our primary focus must be to create health, then to secondarily address disease prevention.  So, our primary intent must be on wellness protocols of creating health.

Therefore, we must be aware of introducing any toxins into our system as toxins are going to impair our immunological efforts to create health.  This especially applies if the toxins we introduce to the system are under the guise of preventing disease.  For, if we introduce toxins into the system by applying germ theory (prevent disease) approach, we are not addressing the primary focus, to create health.

(If you want more information on this interesting subject, here’s a video discussing this subject.)

With these foundations in place, let’s take a quick look why this information is crucial to our health.

Sobering Stats…

According to David Kennedy, DDS and past president of the International Association for Oral Medicine and Toxicology, here are the facts:

• over 9 out of 10 adults over 30 years of age have some stage of active gum disease.
• 65% of 15 year olds already have active gum disease (yikes!)

The reason the negative impact of gum disease goes beyond the mouth is gum disease is an active bacterial infection that has access to the whole body via the bloodstream!  The ‘bad bugs’ involved with gum disease are very mobile.  They can and do swim upstream and colonize other areas of the body.  In face, the plaque deposits from bad bugs in the mouth are the same types of plaque found in arterial walls in heart disease sufferers!  Given the understanding that these ‘bad bugs’ in the mouth swim through the bloodstream, it makes complete sense.

Here is the official word on the increased risk of the main killers in our society if a person has active gum disease.  My guess is the real numbers are probably much higher than the official word…

So these bad bugs colonize the mouth as their base, they are then able to access the rest of the body via the bloodstream.  We view this situation most folks have with active gum disease similarly to having an enemy inside your gates slowly but surely eroding one’s health by poisoning the system.

The known risks of this common situation are two fold.  First, these ‘bad bugs’ destroy flesh and bone tissue.  They have even been caught under a microscope ganging up and killing white blood cells!  They also dump toxins into the system.  So, the first risk factor is the actual damage the bad bugs do to the body.

The second risk is how the body responds to this chronic bacterial attack.

How does the body respond to bacterial infection?

Our immune system recognizes the gum disease as the rampant bacterial infection it is.  One way the body defeats an infection is to increase the inflammation in the local area of the infection in an effort to increase blood flow thus increase the number of white blood cells to fight the infections.  Swollen, painful gums, bleeding when brushing or flossing are clear signs of an active bacterial infection in the mouth.

The problem arises when the infection is a chronic one, like with gum disease.  In the case of chronic infection, the body’s infection fighting reaction becomes habit, thus creating a state of chronic inflammation.

Chronic infection = chronic inflammation

What about when the ‘bad bugs’ have traveled through the whole body?  It is this system wide chronic inflammation that contributes to and sets the stage for all the diseases of modern society from arthritis and diabetes to heart disease and cancer.

An interesting correlation we have found from our studies of the Chinese longevity arts is as follows.  According to Chinese medical theory, if you distill it all down, the only cause of disease is stagnation.  Of course, the type of stagnation, where the stagnation is located, etc all contribute to how the stagnation shows up (what disease the person has).  Chronic inflammation literally causes stagnation.  Stagnation causes disease.

Thus, gum disease really is one of the main pathways, like a gateway disease, that helps support the conditions that allow system wide diseases to establish and flourish.

Now that we have rung the alarm about the risks of gum disease for the health of the whole body,  we can discuss some solutions.

Read Part 2 here. 

[Note from Katie: I've been happy to get to know Will and Susan of OraWellness and now use their brushing blend as part of my oral health routine, and as the "flavor" in my Remineralizing Toothpaste. I'll be posting my oral health story soon, but my most recent visit to the dentist confirmed that my teeth were much healthier, my beginning stages of gingivitis were gone, and a cavity had actually remineralized itself!]

Between now and Christmas, you can also get a free Bass toothbrush for every bottle of Brushing Blend that you buy. Just enter “Holiday Brush Offer” in the notes at checkout and they’ll send you the free brushes. You can also get free shipping with the codes  shipfreeto50 if your order is less than $50 or shipfreeto100 if the order is greater than $50!

About the authors: 

Will and Susan Revak are the founders of OraWellness. They began their journey to creating greater oral health in their own lives over 15 years ago. Check out Susan’s story of how she reversed the damage of advanced gum disease. 

OraWellness offers tools and educational products to help you take control of your oral health using organic ingredients and inexpensive natural solutions. Chronic bad breath, bleeding gums, and other signs of oral imbalance can be a thing of the past. Whether you are looking for gentle, effective daily care or a complete solution to effectively address oral imbalances (even advanced gum disease!), OraWellness can help. Learn more at www.OraWellness.com

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