How 3 Nutrients Can Heal Most Ailments

Posted on August 5, 2014 4 Comments

Three of the Most Common Nutritional

Deficiencies
When not toiling at research and development for NutriStart Vitamin Company, I also work as a
nutritional consultant in a vitamin store, which I have done (one place or another) for almost 30
years now. As my time in the field accumulated, and my knowledge and feedback from
customers grew, I developed a unifying theory of illness. It is not a totally unique theory, as you
will hear more and more about the leaky- gut aspect of it now, but what you wont hear so
often is my approach to it. I have come to believe that a wide-spread deficiency in three key
nutrients has caused an underlying problem that is the link to many different illnesses, and leaky
gut is only one component of this problem.

What Causes Leaky Gut?

Leaky gut is just what it sounds like: a porous intestinal tract that is no longer fully intact.
Leaky gut is caused by a number of modern problems, the main one being candida yeast
overgrowth. Candida yeast overgrowth is caused by frequent antibiotic use, excessive sugars in
the diet for long periods, mercury toxicity (usually from fillings in the teeth, or introduced into
the body from vaccines), and from birth control pills (via excessively high estrogen levels).

Another modern cause of leaky gut is consuming genetically modified corn and/or soy beans.
The pesticide used on these two crops (Roundup), is particularly damaging to the lining of the
gut. Genetic modification made these two crops resistant to pesticides, so they now can take up,
and retain, more pesticide than the plants used to be able to withstand, before dying. This means
the consumer now ingests more of that pesticide than would have been possible before the
genetic modification of these plants.
Ironically, many of those with celiac disease and gluten-sensitivity are consuming high amounts
of corn and soy products, which, if not non-gmo, are actually contributing to worsening the
underlying cause of their condition: damaged intestinal tract and villi.

Why is Leaky Gut so Dangerous?

Leaky gut is linked to a wide range of health problems because it allows invasive compounds to
enter the bloodstream, before they can be neutralized by the liver, or excreted through the normal
channels of evacuation (feces, sweat, and urine). These compounds can be allergens, toxins, or
just large protein particles, all of which wreak havoc in the body by triggering allergic responses,
inflammation, and even auto- immune conditions.

It is important to note here that inflammation alone is linked to many modern ailments, including
heart disease, cancer, arthritis and diabetes. And neurological problems, ranging from autism and
anxiety, through depression, up to schizophrenia, have all been linked to protein particles, mostly
from gluten and casein, getting into the blood stream and making their way to the brain.

Standard Approach to Healing Leaky Gut

Conventionally, natural health practitioners work to heal a leaky gut by restricting the diet, and
eliminating the foods that trigger a negative response, as well as eliminating those foods that feed
candida. Those offensive foods include wheat and/or grains containing gluten, cow milk products
(especially casein) and sugars (including tropical fruits and all fruit juices).

The patient is then recommended to take nutrients and supplements that help to heal the gut
lining, including L-glutamine, licorice extracts in lozenge form (or DGL licorice for those with
high blood pressure), and N-acetyl- glucosamine. As well, a few others things are recommended,
like Aloe Vera juice, to reduce inflammation in the gut, and marshmallow and slippery elm,
which soothes the irritated digestive tract, calming and coating it, in order to allow healing to
occur. The patient is also usually put on supplements designed to kill off the candida overgrowth,
to forbid further damage from occurring, and given probiotics to counteract some of the dama ge
done by the candida (and the antibiotics).

In the case of auto- immune conditions it is also important that the patient follow the Blood Type
Diet (Eat Right 4 Your Type, by Dr. Peter DAdamo; www.dadamo.com). In this case, particular
protein particles called lectins are causing an anti-body response that is interpreted by the
medical profession as an auto- immune condition. The Blood Type Diet basically tells you your
genetic heritage, and which foods you are not genetically adapted to eating.

I also recommend to anyone with a pre-diabetic or inflammatory condition, that they also follow
the blood type diet closely, at least until their health improves. This is because certain foods
contain lectins that can cause an insulin spike and/or inflammation, in specific blood types.
However, once the gut lining has thickened up, the lectins are much less likely to get into the
blood stream, and one can broaden the diet again.

What is Leaky Gut Really About?

What is over- looked by this approach, is the underlying nutritional deficiencies that lead to the
leaky gut in the first place. And the fact that leaky gut is only one symptom of erosion of the
mucous membranes in the body.

We are essentially a worm with appendages, and when the lining of that tube that separates us
from the outside world is eroded, the outside world then has direct access to our blood stream,
without our filters being in place to selectively allow in what is useful, and keep out what is
detrimental.

My belief is that this issue is the root cause of a wide range of ailments. I believe this so strongly
that I have a photocopy of the dosages that I will later recommend to you, and we (me and other
staff members) hand it out to anyone with any condition that relates to an erosion of their tube.
And we receive amazing positive feedback from those who follow this regimen, as they often
reverse long standing symptoms that no medical professional could help them with.
Mucous Membrane Erosion
So, for example, when the sinuses lose their lining, one is prone to allergies (cant filter out the
dander, dust, pollen, etc), post-nasal drip, nasal dryness, and eventually, sinus infections.

When the respiratory system loses its lining, we can be subject to bronchitis, lung infections,
asthma, emphysema, and even throat problems that are unexplainable.

When the stomach loses lining we get ulcers, and when the intestinal tract loses lining we get
leaky gut, and all the aforementioned problems associated with that, as well as celiac disease,
and food allergies.

When the genitourinary tract loses lining we are likely to get re-occurring bladder infections,
kidney problems, interstitial cystitis, or vaginal dryness. The lining of the prostate thins and it
becomes prone to infection, while thinning of the uterus can lead to endometriosis.

Also, part of the mucosal lining in many cases (sinuses, lungs, and intestinal tract) includes the
fine hairs (villi, cilia) that keep those systems trapping and expelling foreign particles, again
keeping them out of the blood stream. Loss of villi is the main cause of celiac disease, and cilia
allow the lungs to expel dust particles (and carbon particles in the case of smokers and those who
heat with wood), and mucus (which also carries out toxins and waste).

Three Critical Nutrients

Now to the big three nutritional deficiencies, that have lead to this widespread erosion of our
mucosal lining. All of these nutrients are required by the body to build, maintain and heal the
mucous membranes, and, while a deficiency in any one is bad eno ugh, a chronic deficiency in all
three compounds the problem.
Also, each of these nutrients are necessary for a wide range of critical functions, over and above
serving the mucous membranes, and so justly deserve to be used therapeutically by everyone,
regardless of the status of their mucosal lining.

Vitamin D

85% of all cancers, known as carcinomas, begin in the epithelial tissue that lines the cavities and
surfaces of structures throughout the body, laying just on top of the mucous membranes. When
the scientific literature on vitamin D suggests that sufficient amounts may help to prevent these
types of cancers from occurring, because it helps to regenerate epithelial tissue, and the mucous
membranes, we can see that maintaining a healthy mucosal structure is critical for well being.

The study below alone showed a 77% cancer risk reduction from taking only 1,100 IU of vitamin
D daily.
http://www.creighton.edu/publicrelations/newscenter/news/2007/june2007/june82007/vitamind_
cancer_nr060807/

We are massively deficient in vitamin D since we have been told for the past decades that we
only need 400 IU daily, when in fact, if you are deficient, your body will make up to 10,000 IU,
in just half an hour of proper sunbathing.
In the temperate zones there are only 4 months of the year that you can get enough vitamin D
from the sun, and even then you have to be half naked (50% unclothed), and unwashed (you
need sebum on your skin for the sun to produce vitamin D in your body). These days nearly 80%
of East Indians are believed to be deficient in vitamin D, so even living in a sunny climate is no
indication that you will get sufficient D.

The links between vitamin D deficiency and ailments are so wide that they run from asthma to
schizophrenia, with stops in between for everything from diabetes to multiple sclerosis. So,
vitamin D is perhaps the single most important nutrient that you should take for good health,
even aside from its role in supporting the mucous membranes. (http://nutristart.com/vitamin-d-
deficiency/)

Vitamin A

Those who have read my book (Health Secrets for the 21st Century) and/or who have read my
early blogs, are already familiar with my unpopular pro- vitamin A position, though I am not
alone in this belief. While it is generally believed by conventiona l medicine, and even by many
naturopaths, that vitamin A can be dangerous, and should be taken in only small amounts, this is
blatantly false, and there is much evidence to prove this. (http://nutristart.com/defending-
vitamin-a-part-3/)

We are commonly deficient in vitamin A simply because we dont eat liver any more, the only
appreciable source of vitamin A in the diet. Traditionally, humans ate organ meats, not muscle
meat, which has less nutrients, and is harder to digest. A serving of cow liver (which was eaten
weekly when I was growing up) contains about 40,000 IU of vitamin A. Many cultures still eat
liver from a variety of sources, including chicken, goose, and lamb, but this is not common
among North Americans anymore.

Have a look at your multi- vitamin and see how much vitamin A is in it: maybe 2,500 IU, and
often none, except synthetic beta carotene, which is worthless as a supplement. Natural beta
carotene, whether from food or as a supplement, will convert to vitamin A, but you need to be in
ideal health, and get an awful lot of it, to produce sufficient vitamin A, especially if you are
deficient in it.

Vitamin A deficiency is widespread in the developing world, and linked to night blindness,
severe diarrhea and lack of resistance to infection. I be lieve that the deficiency in the Western
world is far more extensive than we are lead to believe, and one sign of this is the prevalence of
sunglasses (more on this to follow).

Iodine

The third critical nutrient absent from the modern diet is iodine. This deficiency exists because
we generally do not eat seaweed, the only reliable source of iodine in the diet. According to
WHO, 72% of the world population is iodine deficient, and according to one source 96% of the
U.S. population is iodine deficient. (Dr. David Brownstein, Iodine, Why You Need It. Medical
Alternative press, 2009)
Sure, there is iodized table salt (which has fallen out of favor with health- minded people), but the
fact is that it is fortified with potassium iodide, not true iodine. Potassium iodide, a synthetic
form of iodine, only serves the thyroid gland, whereas iodine, the nutrient, has receptor sites all
over the body (breasts, prostate, ovaries, to name a few). And, while potassium iodide supports
thyroid function, and protects the thyroid against radiation, true iodine does that and as well
helps to remove heavy metals from the body, and kills off bad bacteria and fungus (like candida).

Iodine deficiency is linked to cognitive impairment, fibrocystic breast disease, heart disease,
obesity, psychiatric disorders, and various forms of cancer. In fact the healing benefits of iodine
are so broad that it would take a book to cover the subject (more info:
http://nutristart.com/iodine- madness/) but, for our purposes, iodine is present because it is also
necessary for healing and maintaining mucous membranes. A good example of this is that I had
two individuals tell me they avoided surgery for post-nasal drip, simply by adding a moderate
amount of iodine to their nutritional regimen.

So, those are the big three commonly deficient, critically required nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin
D and Iodine. And most ailments stem from long term (even generational) deficiencies of these
three nutrients, not only because of their necessity for maintaining our mucous membranes, but
also because of the wide range of bodily functions that they are required for.

Other Nutrients That Help Rebuild Mucous Membranes

To a lesser degree, a fourth nutrient is also necessary for repairing mucous membranes, in some
cases, and that is vitamin B-12. This tends to be a deficiency mostly in the elderly, in strict
vegetarian, in those with blood type A or AB (as they hit middle age or older), and those with
severe intestinal disorders (IBS, celiac disease, Crohns disease, and colitis). In all those cases
there can be digestive malfunctions that impede absorption of B-12 from the diet. Chronic B-12
deficiency is linked to pernicious anemia, mood disorders, and neurological problems ranging
from dementia to Parkinsons disease. In cases of B-12 deficiency, the supplement should be
taken sublingually (under the tongue) or by injection.

Other nutrients required for maintaining and repairing mucous membranes include vitamin B2
and zinc, and vitamin C, which is required for collagen production (collagen being the glue that
holds everything together). But, most people I deal with, either as a consultant, or those who read
my blogs, are already aware that they need some basic nutritional support outside of food, and
are usually taking a multi- vitamin (which would include B2 and zinc), and also some vitamin C.
What most people, even those with basic nutritional understanding, are not taking is the big 3,
and if they are, not in adequate amounts for our purposes.

Therapeutic Protocol for Healing Mucous Membranes

My protocol for healing of mucosal membrane tends to the conservative side, and can take a few
months to work fully. Doses of these nutrients can be higher, and perhaps results may occur
faster, but this should be done with the help of a natural health professional. Nutrients may be
much safer than drugs, but they are not without their own potential side effects (mostly due to
depleting other nutritional co- factors).
All recommendations are for 5 days a week. By taking a break we accomplish 2 things: we allow
the body to use up any excess of a nutrient that we might have taken (especially in the case of
non-water soluble nutrients, like minerals and fat-soluble vitamins), and we remind the body to
store nutrients, since we wont be ingesting them consistently. Constantly taking a nutrient in
high amounts, suggests to the body that your environment is so rich in these nutrients that it no
longer needs to be conservative with them.

Dosing with Vitamin A

Take 50,000 IU of vitamin A daily (with a meal containing fat) for 5 days, then 30,000 IU daily
until one does not squint on a sunny day. Squinting in the sunlight (outside of staring into the
sun) is a feedback mechanism indicating vitamin A deficiency; this deficiency is worse when one
is sensitive to all bright lights, unless there is a medical condition with this symptom. Poor night
vision and dry eyes are other symptoms.

After no longer squinting on sunny days, one can take 10,000 IU daily, and even miss a few days
a week. When sensitivity to light returns, I will generally go back to taking 3 or 4 pills (10,000
IU each), until the problem recedes, and then roll back my dosage. I prefer natural sourced
vitamin A (from fish liver oil), but it appears that synthetic vitamin A will also do the job (unlike
synthetic beta carotene), for our vegan friends.

Dosing with Vitamin D

Take 10,000 IU of vitamin D, as drops, or soft gels with a meal containing fat, for 5 days, then
5,000 IU daily, until the health issue alleviates, and then take 3 to 5,000 IU daily. Unless
sunbathing properly (50% undressed, un-bathed, and with no sun block, for at least 20 minutes if
you are Caucasian), in which case you can forgo ingesting vitamin D as a supplement on that
day. (for more information on how to get tested, and ideal blood levels, see blog at
http://nutristart.com/vitamin-d-test/).

Dosing with Iodine

The Japanese intake of iodine, from daily seaweed consumption, is between 1 to 3 mg daily
(there is a mistaken belief still circulating on- line, that the Japanese ingested between 12 and 18
mg daily; this is based on out-dated and miscalculated information). Though, when I first found
out about Lugols Solution, an old iodine remedy, my experiments took me up to 60mg of iodine
per day, with no obvious adverse effects.

Nonetheless, for the purposes of rebuilding mucosal membrane, I recommend between 1 and 2
mg of iodine, ideally from Nascent Iodine, (or from a mix of iodine and potassium iodide, as is
found in cheaper iodine supplements, which will still do this job). Iodine also requires selenium
as a co-factor, so if you are not already taking it alone, or in a multi- vitamin, it is a good idea to
incorporate selenium into your nutritional regimen.

Doctors Used to Know This

Recently, I was reading through a booklet written in 1928 by pharmacists, for doctors who
purchased their products. Here a pharmacist was waxing enthusiastic about the new golden age
of medicine that was to replace the ignorant superstitions of times previous. What I found
fascinating was that his enthusiasm was about the new discoveries of vitamins, and how critical
they were for growth, healing and maintenance of good health.

Those golden nutrients that foretold a new age of healing were, interestingly enough, vitamins A
and D, from cod liver oil, and iodine (as well as vitamins C, E and the B vitamins). In fact, to
quote from this tract: Dr. Douglas Harvey, at the Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen, has
reported that cod liver oil favourably influences the metabolism of iodine.

If only they had followed their ethical instincts instead of selling out to the pharmaceutical
industry, and violating their own Hippocratic oath (I will prescribe regimens for the good of my
patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.), what a
different world we would be living in now.
Instead what we have is: 70% of Americans take prescription drugs, and total number of
deaths caused by conventional medicine is an astounding 783,936 per year. It is now evident that
the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the US.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm

So everything I am talking about is not new, it is just being rediscovered by me and others today,
a knowledge our ancestors had intuitively (see www.westonaprice.org), even before the advent
of modern science, and the first rediscovery of it by the aforementioned medical professionals
from 1928.