The nutritional principles (a health model) of the supplements I recommend come from a company called New Earth and they address the following nutritional needs with their line of supplements: better digestion and assimilation of foods through the use of probiotics and enzyme supplements; better nutrition through nutrient rich food supplements and; increased protection against free radical damage (oxidative stress) through whole food antioxidant supplements.
I used this health model to heal myself from many chronic degenerative conditions I suffered from, ailments such as ulcers, bronchitis and eczema for the past 20+ years. I knew it worked for me and has worked for thousands of other people. From the studies and research I’ve personally done to learn about how to become healthy and how to stay healthy as I age, I learned about a new discipline of medicine called Functional or Nutritional Medicine. Many of the studies and books written by Functional and Nutritional medical doctors gave me the scientific reasons behind why the health model and the supplements used in this health model worked for almost all degenerative conditions.
Today there is a very large number of alternative, allopathic and naturopathic doctors practicing a Nutritional Medicine approach to health.
What Is Functional or Nutritional Medicine
Functional or Nutritional Medical physicians believe that most degenerative diseases have their origin in the malfunction of the digestive and liver detoxification processes. In other words, illness can be directly related to problems of the digestive and liver detoxification systems and their related influence on immune, nervous and endocrine function. Therefore, if we address the health of the digestive and liver detoxification systems, the body is given the opportunity to reverse almost all degenerative conditions. If the degenerative condition is labeled lupus, diabetes, or arthritis, etc., a Functional/Nutritional Medical doctor will first recommend addressing the health of the gastrointestinal tract. Once the GI tract is clear, then the liver detoxification system should be supported and strengthened.
Today, through the efforts of Functional/Nutritional Medicine, we have hundreds of clinical studies and pieces of scientific research that confirm what I heard so often as I was growing up surrounded by the folk medicine practices of the Middle East: “Stomach problems are the cause of all ills” or “Death begins in the colon.”
Jeffrey Anderson, M.D., wrote an article called “How Problems with Digestion Can Cause Illness Anywhere”, and in this article he explains why you should address the health of the gastrointestinal tract first, no matter what the name of the degenerative disease. He explains that new information on the dynamics of the body make it clear that conditions in the digestive tract affect the entire system. The degradation of the gastrointestinal environment is one of the primary points at which health is lost. What we now know is that the same toxins associated with GI dysfunction are frequently absorbed and distributed to other parts of the body. First they place a burden on the liver and the immune system. If liver overload occurs, there will be spill over, and some of the toxins will be passed on to other organs or tissues.
Often, it’s a weak link in the system that will be hit by the damage – an organ that can be anywhere in the body that is most likely to be vulnerable. The vulnerability may be inherited, caused by physical injury, toxic exposure, or poor diet. For example, if the sensitive system is the lungs, toxins that originate in the gut and circulate in the bloodstream may manifest as asthma or allergies.
Len Saputo, M.D., in his article, “Harmful Flora”, also believes that if the gastrointestinal tract becomes out of balance and the liver detoxification system breaks down, our entire immune system can malfunction in three ways. First, it can be weakened and the result called immune suppression disease, such as cancer and AIDS. Second, it can overreact and become hyper-responsive to normal stimuli; this occurs in asthma, migraine, and food allergies. Third, a malfunctioning immune system can cause auto immune reactions, where antibodies target our own tissues, as in rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
Dr. Saputo explains that the gastrointestinal tract is the largest immune organ in our body. 80 percent of all our protective immune globulins are produced in the digestive tract. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that when this large, strategically placed immune system member isn’t working well, our defenses are lowered and once our barriers are down, it becomes more difficult to defend against invaders.
Functional/Nutritional Medicine Strategies To Reverse Degenerative Conditions
Functional/Nutritional Medical doctors including the two above mentioned, Dr. Jeffrey Anderson and Dr. Len Saputo, believe that cleansing and supporting the GI tract and the liver can and will clear the body of any and all degenerative conditions.
- First you detox the GI tract.
- Then get the liver detox systems working.
- And finally clean up the downstream consequences, which includes the toxins in the tissues and cells.
Functional/Nutritional Medical doctors believe that you can’t deal with the downstream conditions (symptoms in the body such as lupus, cancer, arthritis…. etc.), until you’ve treated the upstream problem(s) in the gut and liver. When you clean up the upstream issues and the liver, then the downstream consequences tend to go away.
The Functional/Nutritional Medicine Solution for All Degenerative Conditions: The 4Rs Solution
1) Remove: Abnormal kinds/amounts of intestinal microorganisms (parasites, bacterial pathogens, small intestinal overgrowth such as yeast, and food antigens. This can be done by repairing “leaky” intestinal membranes with friendly bacteria (acidophilus, bifidus, fructose oligosaccharides…. etc.) and food based supplements high in minerals and vitamins.
2) Replace: Hydrochloric acid, enzymes, and fiber deficiency can be replaced and enhanced with friendly bacteria, digestive enzymes and fiber supplements.
3) Restore: Symbiotic bacteria and GI bacteria fuel sources to support metabolic activity through the use of full spectrum friendly bacteria (L. acidophilus, B. bifidus, L. planetarium, L. salivarius, L. bulgaricus, etc.).
4) Repair: Replace or augment with nutrients necessary to support healing of intestinal lining, plus adequacy of calories, and adequacy of fiber. Support liver detoxification system through the use of antioxidants and food based nutritional supplements.
The Difference Is In The Quality Of The Nutritional Supplements
There are a multitude of allopathic and naturopathic doctors practicing Functional/ Nutritional Medicine today, and as shown in the previous paragraphs they support the health model that New Earth has been advocating for many years now: Better digestion, better nutrition, and better protection against oxidative stress. Unfortunately, when it comes to supplements, most Functional Medicine doctors recommend the standard man made supplements in their isolated, single, separated or chemically-manufactured form, such as zinc, copper, vitamins B, C, E and beta carotene to reverse degenerative conditions. The supplements we recommend in our health model are far superior in their quality and effectiveness for reversing the degenerative processes in the human body because they are based on the whole food concept as found in their natural and complex configurations.
The superior quality of these products comes from their philosophy in manufacturing these supplements. The philosophy is: The human body is a marvelously designed living organism with the ability to grow, regulate, repair, and defend itself when given natural, high quality, full spectrum nutrients. The result is a remarkable line of food based products from natural, wild-crafted and organically grown foods to enhance the quality of human body performances (physical, mental, and emotional).
Not only is our health model backed up by scientific research and clinical studies from Functional/Nutritional Medicine, but the supplements we recommend in this health model are some of the best whole food based supplements available in the marketplace today.
So, if you are addressing any health challenges and you want to support your body as it works to reverse the degenerative condition, consider adding food-based supplements to your diet that will enhance the following body functions, no matter what the degenerative condition is:
1. Better digestion and assimilation of foods through the use of probiotics and enzyme supplements.
2. Better nutrition through food based supplements (consuming nutrient rich foods such as wheat grass, bee pollen, blue green algae…etc.).
3. Better protection against free radical damage (oxidative stress) through whole food supplements (wheat sprouts, red algae, wheat grass, etc.).
With the use of these supplements you can support the GI tract environment, and help the liver deal with stress by decreasing the burden of toxins. Then, there is less need for a constant high-level defense effort and everything in the body just starts to work better. Dr. Jeffrey Anderson summarizes the whole concept of healing so beautifully when he said: “you can’t deal with the downstream problems (symptoms in the body) until you have treated the upstream problem (malfunctions in the gut).”
References:
Optimal Digestion, by Trent Nichols, M.D.
The 20-Day Rejuvenation Diet Program, by Jeffrey Bland.
