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7 Foods and Nutrients Proven to Cut Macular Degeneration Risk

© 20th September 2019 GreenMedInfo LLC. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of GreenMedInfo LLC. Want to learn more from GreenMedInfo? Sign up for the newsletter here www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/newsletter
Reproduced from original article:
www.greenmedinfo.health/blog/7-foods-and-nutrients-proven-cut-macular-degeneration-risk
Posted on:  Wednesday, October 30th 2019 at 4:15 pm
Written By:  GreenMedInfo Research Group
This article is copyrighted by GreenMedInfo LLC, 2019

As the baby-boomers age, blindness from age-related macular degeneration is on the rise. More than 3 million more people will become victims in the next five years. Eating right can lower your risk

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss among people 50 and older. It affects more than 1.75 million people in the U.S. and is expected to strike as many as 3 million in the next five years.

The macula is the small spot near the center of the retina. The eye needs it for central vision to see objects straight ahead. When the macula becomes damaged, it severely limits your ability to see things in your central line of vision.

As AMD progresses, a blurred area develops near the center of your vision. Objects may not appear as sharp or bright as they used to. Colors seem faded. That loss of central vision can interfere with daily activities like recognizing faces, reading, driving, working, cooking, or watching TV.

Besides age, the biggest risk factor for AMD is smoking. Other risk factors include sun exposure, high blood pressure and obesity.

Studies have found certain nutrients protect against the progression of AMD. Researchers at the National Eye Institute conducted two Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS and AREDS2).[i]

The first AREDS study showed that a combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper reduce the risk of late-stage AMD by 25%.

The AREDS2 study found that a combination of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin in place of beta-carotene was just as effective. [ii] Carotenoids were also believed to be safer than beta-carotene for smokers at higher risk of lung cancer.

The AREDS2 nutrient combination is widely available in supplement form. But in addition to those nutrients studies show other foods and compounds are effective to reduce the risk and progression of AMD and improve vision.

Multiple studies show that supplementing with carotenoids and antioxidants improves AMD. In one randomized, double-blind placebo controlled study from a Veterans Administration Hospital 90 patients were assigned to receive 10 mg of lutein alone, or 10 mg of lutein plus a combination of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, or a placebo. After 12 months they found that either alone or in combination with other nutrients, lutein improved visual function.

But it’s not just supplements. Eating more foods high in lutein and zeaxanthin reduces AMD risk. In a prospective cohort study published in JAMA, Harvard researchers followed more than 100,000 people from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study in the United States. Based on diet reports the researchers found that those eating the most foods containing lutein and zeaxanthin had a 40 percent reduction in AMD risk compared to those eating the least. Other carotenoids including beta-cryptoxanthin, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene, were linked with a 25 to 35 percent lower risk.

Here are seven foods and nutrients proven to support eye health and reduce your risk of AMD.

1. Olive Oil

In an Australian study of 6,734 people aged 58 to 69 years, researchers collected dietary information over five years. Ten years later they measured the participants’ macula for signs of early or late AMD. They found that eating 100 ml of olive oil every week cut AMD rates by 52 percent compared to lower olive oil intakes. That’s just about seven tablespoons, or less than a half cup of olive oil a week.

2. Goji Berries

Swiss researchers found that goji berries may reduce the risk of AMD. They conducted a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of 150 people aged 65 to 70 years. Half the subjects received 13.7 grams per day of a milk-based formulation containing goji berry – also called wolfberry – or a placebo for 90 days. Goji berries are high in antioxidants and zeaxanthin.

The subjects were tested for blood levels of zeaxanthin and antioxidants. They were also examined for the appearance of drusen in the macula. Drusen are yellow deposits under the retina. They are made up of lipids, a fatty protein, and their presence indicates an increased risk of AMD. In the study, drusen increased in the placebo group but remained stable in the goji berry group.

In addition, zeaxanthin blood levels increased by 26 percent in the goji group and antioxidant capacity increased 57 percent. Those measures did not change in the placebo group.

3. Rosemary

A study from Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute found rosemary may protect against macular degeneration. Researchers discovered that carnosic acid, a component of rosemary, protects your retina from degeneration and toxicity. They treated retinal cells with carnosic acid found in rosemary and found it triggered the production of antioxidant enzymes in the cells. That in turn lowered cell-damaging free radicals. They also tested carnosic acid in animals, finding that mice treated with it suffered less vision damage when exposed to light.

4. Saffron

Australian and Italian researchers proved the Mediterranean spice saffron helps slow progression of AMD and improve vision. They conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of people with early stage AMD. One group in the study supplemented with 20 mg per day of saffron. After just 90 days the researchers saw significant improvement in the saffron group.[iii]

Then the researchers tested a group of 29 patients aged 55 to 85 with early-stage AMD. The patients received 20 mg per day of saffron as a supplement for about 14 months. All of the patients reported an improvement in their quality of vision. They experienced improvements in contrast and color perception, reading ability, and vision in low lighting. All of that added up to a substantial improvement in the patients’ quality of life.[iv]

The researchers noted that saffron from the crocus flower contains chemical compounds called crocin and crocetin. These are antioxidant derivatives of carotenoids. Crocin protects photoreceptors from light-induced death. Crocetin increases the availability of oxygen to the cells.

5. Ginkgo Biloba

French researchers tested ginkgo biloba against a placebo on 10 out-patients with senile macular degeneration. In spite of the small group, the researchers concluded that ginkgo biloba extract led to a statistically significant improvement in long distance visual acuity.

6. B Vitamins

A Harvard study found that daily supplementation with B vitamins may reduce the risk of AMD. Researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 5,442 female health care professionals 40 years or older. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a daily combination of 2.5 mg of folic acid (vitamin B9), 50 mg of pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), and 1 mg of cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), or placebo. After an average of 7.3 years of treatment and follow-up, the vitamin B group had a 34 percent lower risk of AMD. For visually significant AMD the risk dropped 41 percent. The researchers indicated that B vitamins may reduce high homocysteine levels which have been linked to AMD.

7. Egg Yolks

Studies show that egg yolks have the highest percentage levels of lutein and zeaxanthin.[v] Other sources containing both of these carotenoids are corn and honeydew melon, as well as dark leafy greens such as kale, turnip greens, collard greens, and romaine lettuce.

Foods highest in just lutein include kiwi, red seedless grapes, zucchini, yellow squash, pumpkin, cucumber, spinach, peas, green peppers, butternut squash, celery, Brussels sprouts, scallions, and broccoli.

Other foods high in zeaxanthin include orange peppers, oranges, and mango.

For more information visit GreenMed Info’s page on macular degeneration.

Originally published: 2016-04-14

Article Updated: 2019-10-30


References

[i] Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group, “A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of high-dose supplementation with vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and zinc for age-related macular degeneration and vision loss: AREDS report no. 8,” Archives of Ophthalmology, vol. 119, pp. 1417-1436, 2001.

[ii] The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) Research Group. Lutein + Zeaxanthin and Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2013;309(19):2005-2015. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.4997.

[iii] Benedetto Falsini et al, “Influence of saffron supplementation on retinal flicker sensitivity in early age-related macular degeneration.” Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010;51(12):6118-24. Epub 2010 Aug 4. PMID: 20688744

[iv] M. Piccardi et al, “A Longitudinal Follow-Up Study of Saffron Supplementation in Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Sustained Benefits to Central Retinal Function.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 429124, 9 pages https://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/429124

[v] O. Sommerburg, J. Keunen, A. Bird, and F. J G M van Kuijk. “Fruits and vegetables that are sources for lutein and zeaxanthin: the macular pigment in human eyes.” 1998 Aug; 82(8): 907-910.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.

Cancer is Now the Leading Cause of Death

© 5th November 2019 GreenMedInfo LLC. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of GreenMedInfo LLC. Want to learn more from GreenMedInfo? Sign up for the newsletter here www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/newsletter
Reproduced from original article:
www.greenmedinfo.health/blog/cancer-now-leading-cause-death

Posted on: Tuesday, November 5th 2019 at 1:15 pm

Cancer has surpassed heart disease as the No. 1 cause of death in high-income countries, highlighting the urgent need to change the way this disease is prevented and treated. Rather than being a random result of DNA mutations, it’s possible that cancer could have much deeper roots that would be better targeted with natural therapies than toxicity

Cancer has dethroned heart disease to earn the nefarious title of leading cause of death in high-income and certain middle-income countries.[i] While heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death globally among adults aged 35 to 70, in high-income countries, which included Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Canada and Sweden, cancer caused twice as many deaths as heart disease.[ii]

Some middle-income countries, which included the Philippines, Iran, South Africa, Colombia, China, Brazil, Malaysia, Turkey, Poland, Argentina and Chile, also saw cancer become the leading cause of death.

While the U.S. was not included in the new analysis, research published in 2018 suggested, “the United States is in the midst of an epidemiologic transition in the leading cause of death,” moving from heart disease to cancer.[iii]

That study, too, found that cancer was quickly outpacing heart disease as the top killer, with high-income counties transitioning first. In fact, while only 21% of U.S. counties had cancer as the leading cause of death in 2003, this rose to 41% in 2015.

“The shift to cancer as the leading cause of death was greatest in the highest-income counties,” the researchers explained,[iv] echoing the current study, which also cited “a transition in the predominant causes of deaths in middle-age” in high-income countries.[v]

“The world is witnessing a new epidemiologic transition among the different categories of noncommunicable diseases, with CVD [cardiovascular disease] no longer the leading cause of death in HIC [high-income countries],” lead author Dr. Gilles Dagenais, professor emeritus, Laval University, Quebec, Canada, said in a statement.[vi]

Why is Cancer a Top Killer?

The study suggested cancer is rising to the top because heart disease is better treated in high-income countries, saving more lives from heart disease and paving the way for cancer deaths to flourish. But perhaps a better question is why cancer continues to kill so many.

Even globally, cancer still comes in as the second leading cause of death behind heart disease, responsible for 26% of deaths worldwide.[vii] In the U.S., Americans have a 1 in 3 risk of developing cancer at some point in their lifetimes, along with a 1 in 5 risk of dying from the disease.[viii]

In early 2019, it was announced that cancer death rates in the U.S. declined 27% since 1991,[ix] a statistic that makes it seem as though we’re winning the “war on cancer.” But most of these declines can be attributed to reductions in smoking — and perhaps a limited measure of increased early detection and treatment — and are not a sign that conventional medicine’s model of surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation to treat cancer is, on the whole, working.

While death rates from certain cancer have declined, others have increased. Overall, cancer deaths in the U.S. in 2016 were similar to those in 1930[x] — despite all the “advances” in detection and treatment.

Changing the Way We Think About Cancer

It’s becoming increasingly clear that in order to conquer cancer, it’s necessary to change the way we think about it. Cancer is found in virtually all animals, suggesting it has evolutionary significance.[xi] It’s possible that cancer is an ancient survival program unmasked — even a process the body undergoes in order to survive nutrient deprivation and exposure to toxins.

Rather than being the result of an accumulation of DNA mutations that create rogue cells that multiply out of control, cancer could be cells that have flipped an epigenetic switch into survival mode in the form of a tumor. In the journal Physical Biology, researchers theorized:[xii]

“[C]ancer is an atavistic [primitive] condition that occurs when genetic or epigenetic malfunction unlocks an ancient ‘toolkit’ of pre-existing adaptations, re-establishing the dominance of an earlier layer of genes that controlled loose-knit colonies of only partially differentiated cells, similar to tumors.”

If this is true, it makes sense that conventional cancer treatments aimed to poison or “kill” the cancerous cells may only make the problem worse by creating an even more toxic environment, which could trigger the cancer to reach back into its “ancient toolkit” to find additional means of survival.

This explanation may be overly simplistic, as there are many factors that contribute to cancer, but there is evidence to suggest that natural substances and therapies that support the body’s overall health can be useful in the fight against cancer.

Nearly 1,000 Natural Substances Have Anti-Cancer Potential

GreenMedInfo has a database of 986 substances that have been researched as potential cancer prevention and treatment strategies. There are undoubtedly many more out there that have yet to be discovered. At the top of the list is curcumin, the active ingredient in the curry spice turmeric, which targets cancer stem cells while leaving normal stem cells unharmed.[xiii]

Another top contender is vitamin D, which you can get for free from adequate sun exposure. Higher vitamin D levels are not only known to lower your cancer risk but also to improve outcomes if you’ve already been diagnosed.[xiv] Fiber, resveratrol, sulforaphane and vitamin E — all substances you can get from your diet — also show anti-cancer promise, as does coffee, perhaps because it improves the body’s ability to efficiently repair DNA damage.[xv]

So if there was one silver lining to the news that cancer is now the leading cause of death in some countries, it would be that it’s a condition that has many promising natural avenues for prevention and treatment. Current conventional cancer treatments are failing, but that doesn’t mean cancer is unstoppable — it means it’s time to broaden our research into and usage of traditional therapies.

Many natural substances, like noni leaf,[xvi] have even been shown to work better than chemotherapy, highlighting why, if we’re going to win the war against cancer, we’re going to need to do it with nature on our side.

For more on how to naturally fight Cancer, visit the GreenMedInfo database on the subject.

Originally published: 2019-09-14

Article Updated: 2019-11-05


References

[i] The Lancet September 3, 2019

[ii] CNN September 3, 2019

[iii] Annals of Internal Medicine December 18, 2018

[iv] Annals of Internal Medicine December 18, 2018

[v] The Lancet September 3, 2019

[vi] Medscape September 3, 2019

[vii] Medscape September 3, 2019

[viii] American Cancer Society, Lifetime Risk of Developing or Dying From Cancer

[ix] CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians January 8, 2019

[x] CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians January 8, 2019

[xi] Front. Oncol., 10 January 2019

[xii] Physical Biology February 7, 2011

[xiii] Anticancer Res. 2015 Feb ;35(2):599-614.

[xiv] Br J Cancer. 2017 Mar 16. Epub 2017 Mar 16.

[xv] J Nutrigenet Nutrigenomics. 2015 ;8(4-6):174-84.

[xvi] Mol Cell Biochem. 2016 Apr 22. Epub 2016 Apr 22.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.

Healthy sunlight exposure boosts gut health in vitamin D deficient people

Reproduced from original article: www.naturalhealth365.com/sunlight-exposure-gut-health-3180.html

sunlight-exposure

(NaturalHealth365) Vitamin D, known as the “sunshine vitamin,” is incredibly important for your body. Unfortunately, research shows more than 41% of Americans are deficient in this essential nutrient, mainly because they don’t get enough sunlight exposure.

This obviously puts millions of people at an increased risk for issues like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and … impaired gut health?

A new study published in Frontiers in Microbiology discovered that “healthy” exposure to UV radiation can boost vitamin D levels and improve the diversity of friendly bacteria living in the gut in certain individuals. The implication of this is huge, because we know now that gut health is closely linked to immune health and overall well-being and longevity.

Modest sunlight exposure boosts vitamin D and can improve gut health, study reveals

In this article’s featured study, researchers exposed 21 women to three full body sessions of ultraviolet (UV) radiation – specifically, UVB, the type of UV radiation normally associated with sunburn and skin cancer (the researchers used a special type of UVB lamp that doesn’t cause burning).  9 of these women took vitamin D supplements for three months prior to the UV sessions.

What happened next?

After the UV radiation sessions, all women saw improvements in their serum vitamin D levels. But the women who were deficient in vitamin D prior to the sessions also developed better balance and diversity in their gut microbiomes.  In fact, their gut health improved to match the women who had been supplementing with the gut-healthy vitamin for three months!

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This evidence, the authors conclude, “[suggests] the existence of a novel skin-gut axis that could be used to promote intestinal homeostasis and health.”

This research is consistent with past evidence that reveals a link between living at higher latitudes (where exposure to UV radiation is lower) and a higher risk of certain immune-related diseases including inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis.

Overall, this latest study supports the consensus that sunlight is really the best source of vitamin D (which your skin cells produce from cholesterol after exposure to UVB radiation). The study also offers a possible reason as to why sunlight is so good for you, given the way it can boost gut health.

Fun in the sun: 4 ways to enjoy healthy sun exposure

There’s  no debate about it – excessive UV radiation from the sun can be damaging to your health, and you should avoid overdoing it or getting a sunburn at all costs.

As an example, one 2014 study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention showed that getting five or more blistering sunburns before age 20 increased a woman’s risk of skin cancer by as much as 80%!

However, we now know that healthy exposure to the sun helps our body produce vitamin D which is good not only for gut health but also bone and brain health.  Vitamin D deficiencies are linked with dire health consequences such as cancer, osteoporosis, dementia, and even depression.

Since UV radiation exposure seems to be the most effective way to boost vitamin D levels in your body (especially if you’re already deficient in the nutrient), how can you get out in the sun safely while minimizing your risk of sunburns, cancer, wrinkles, and so on?

  1. Seek the high noon sun. Evidence suggests the body is most efficient at making vitamin D when exposed to midday sun. Because of this, you don’t need to spend as much time in the sun, which can mitigate the effects of excessive UV radiation exposure.
  2. Go without sunscreen – at least for the first 10 to 30 minutes.  If you slather yourself in sunscreen your body won’t be able to use UV radiation to convert cholesterol into vitamin D. So go sunscreen-free for up to the first half hour in the sun, depending on how sensitive your skin is – remember, we DON’T want to burn!
  3. Expose as much skin as your modesty allows. Since your head and face are smaller areas, the skin there won’t produce as much vitamin D in response to sunlight. So go ahead and wear your polarized glasses and a wide-brimmed hat to avoid chronic eye problems and wrinkles – but wear a T-shirt and shorts to expose your limbs whenever possible.
  4. Supplement your sun exposure with a vitamin D rich diet. Sunlight is the best way to get more vitamin D in your body. But to boost your body’s supply (especially if you live in higher latitudes or have darker skin), consider taking a high quality vitamin D supplement (like cod liver oil) and eat vitamin D rich foods like fatty fish, beef liver, and eggs.

Sources for this article include:

AACR.org
Healthline.com
Healthline.com
Medicalnewstoday.com
NIH.gov

Trans Fats Linked to Increased Risk for Alzheimer’s


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/11/07/trans-fats-and-alzheimers.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph MercolaFact Checked

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Three dietary components shown to promote dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are sugar (especially processed fructose), grains and trans fats
  • Research published in the October 2019 issue of Neurology found a strong link between trans fat consumption and incidence of dementia and its various subtypes, including Alzheimer’s disease
  • People in the highest quartile of trans fat levels were 74% more likely to develop dementia. Those in the second-highest quartile had a 52% higher risk
  • Diets rich in carbohydrates are associated with an 89% increased risk for dementia while diets high in healthy fats are associated with a 44% reduced risk
  • Up to half of all Alzheimer’s cases could also be prevented by addressing other modifiable lifestyle contributors such as physical inactivity, depression, smoking, high blood pressure, midlife obesity and diabetes

As noted by neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter, author of “Grain Brain” and “Brain Maker,” your diet and other lifestyle factors have major implications for your Alzheimer’s risk.

Indeed, according to research1,2 published in the journal Lancet Neurology in 2011, up to half of all Alzheimer’s cases could be prevented by addressing modifiable lifestyle contributors such as physical inactivity, depression, smoking, high blood pressure, midlife obesity and diabetes.

Three dietary components shown to promote this neurological degeneration are sugar (especially processed fructose), grains and trans fats. Research3,4 from the Mayo Clinic, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2012, found diets rich in carbohydrates are associated with an 89% increased risk for dementia while diets high in healthy fats are associated with a 44% reduced risk.

As noted by the authors,5 “A dietary pattern with relatively high caloric intake from carbohydrates and low caloric intake from fat and proteins may increase the risk of MCI [mild cognitive impairment] or dementia in elderly persons.” Similarly, a 2013 study6 in the journal BioMed Research International reported that:

“Increasing epidemiological studies suggest that diet and nutrition might be important modifiable risk factors for AD [Alzheimer’s disease].

Dietary supplementation of antioxidants, B vitamins, polyphenols, and polyunsaturated fatty acids are beneficial to AD, and consumptions of fish, fruits, vegetables, coffee, and light-to-moderate alcohol reduce the risk of AD … Adherence to a healthy diet, the Japanese diet, and the Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk of AD.”

Trans Fat Consumption Increases Your Dementia Risk

Most recently, research7 published in the October 2019 issue of Neurology found a strong link between trans fat consumption and incidence of dementia and its various subtypes, which includes Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

The study included 1,628 Japanese seniors aged 60 and older. None had dementia at the outset of the study, which went on for 10 years. Levels of elaidic acid — a biomarker for industrial trans fat — in the participants’ blood were measured using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Based on those levels, the hazard ratios for all-cause dementia, AD and vascular dementia were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model. As reported by the authors:8

“Higher serum elaidic acid levels were significantly associated with greater risk of developing all-cause dementia and AD after adjustment for traditional risk factors. These associations remained significant after adjustment for dietary factors, including total energy intake and intakes of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.”

This increase in risk was not slight. As reported by CNN,9 people in the highest quartile of elaidic acid levels were 74% more likely to develop dementia. Those in the second-highest quartile had a 52% higher risk. No association between trans fat and vascular dementia was found.

Of the various processed foods found to contribute to elevated elaidic acid levels, pastries were the biggest contributors, followed by margarine, candy, caramels, croissants, nondairy creamers, ice cream and rice cakes.10

Dr. Richard Isaacson, a neurologist and director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, who was not involved in the study, commented on the findings to CNN:11

“The study used blood marker levels of trans fats, rather than more traditionally used dietary questionnaires, which increases the scientific validity of the results. This study is important as it builds upon prior evidence that dietary intake of trans fats can increase risk of Alzheimer’s dementia.”

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What Is Trans Fat?

As explained by CNN:12

“… artificial trans fats are created by an industrialized process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid (think of semi-soft margarine and shortening).

The food industry loves trans fats because they are cheap to produce, last a long time and give foods a great taste and texture. Besides fried foods, trans fats are found in coffee creamer, cakes, pie crusts, frozen pizza, cookies, crackers, biscuits and dozens of other processed foods.”

Trans fats are different from an unsaturated fat by a single hydrogen molecule on the opposite side of a carbon bond.13 This one positional change is responsible for the difference in characteristics of the fat, and the increased danger to your health.

Aside from dementia, strong evidence also links trans fats with inflammation and the development of insulin resistance and heart disease (all of which also happen to be risk factors for Alzheimer’s).

Faced with overwhelming evidence of harm, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed partially hydrogenated oils (a primary source of trans fat) from the list of “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) list of food ingredients in 2015, and as of June 18, 2019, food manufacturers are no longer allowed to use partially hydrogenated oils in foods14 due to their health risks.

Processed foods manufactured before this date, however, are allowed to remain on the market until January 1, 2021.15 (Compliance dates vary depending on whether manufacturers had “limited use” permissions for partially hydrogenated oils, but these are the final dates where all use must cease.)

However, that doesn’t mean that trans fats have been entirely eliminated and are of no further concern. What’s more, as long as a food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, food manufacturers are allowed to label it as trans fat free.

The problem with this is that many experts agree there is no safe threshold below which trans fats are safe.16 To determine whether a product might still contain trans fats, carefully read the ingredients list.

Any item containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is bound to contain trans fat, even if the label says “0 Trans Fat.” Fried food and baked goods in general are also suspect.17,18 As lead study author Dr. Toshiharu Ninomiya, a professor at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, noted in a press release:19

“In the United States, the small amounts still allowed in foods can really add up if people eat multiple servings of these foods, and trans fats are still allowed in many other countries.”

Trans Fat Has Killed Millions

The rise of trans fat can be directly attributed to the wrongful vilification of saturated fats and cholesterol. We now have decades’ worth of data showing saturated fat and dietary cholesterol have no impact on heart disease and mortality. Meanwhile, studies have revealed the switch from saturated fat to trans fat-rich partially hydrogenated vegetable oils have led to the premature death of millions.

When New York severely limited the amount of trans fat allowed to be served at restaurants, it offered a unique opportunity for researchers to study20 the effects on residents and compare rates of heart attack and stroke before and after the restriction.

Three or more years after the restrictions were imposed on specific counties in New York City, researchers found a 6.2% reduction in heart attacks and stroke in those counties compared to areas of the city where the restrictions on trans fat were not imposed.

Considering trans fat has proliferated in the American diet since the late 1950s, the unnecessary death toll attributable to trans fat likely numbers in the millions each year, nationwide. Similar findings have been reported by Danish researchers. Denmark was the first country to act on research demonstrating the dangerous health effects of trans fat.

The study,21 published in 2016, found that in the three years after trans fats were regulated, which nearly eliminated it from the Danish food supply, the annual mean death toll from cardiovascular disease was reduced by an average of 14.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year.

We’ve Known Trans Fat Takes a Toll on Cognition for Years

One can only guess how many people have lost their minds thanks to trans fat over these past decades. The 2019 Neurology study certainly wasn’t the first to demonstrate a clear link between trans fat consumption and dementia risk.

For example, in a 2012 study,22 Dr. Gene Bowman, assistant professor of neurology at Oregon Health and Science University, reported a strong correlation between trans fat and cognitive performance.

People with high levels of trans fat in their blood performed significantly worse in cognitive testing and had reduced brain volume. Bowman commented on the results to HuffPost:23

“It’s clear that trans fats are bad — both for your heart and now, we see, for your brain. So I would recommend that people stay away from all trans fats.

If you aren’t sure whether something has them, just look at the ingredients … if there’s vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated anything … just put it down. That’s the big message here.”

Similarly, a 2015 study24 led by Dr. Beatrice Golomb found trans fat intake was linked to memory impairment in people under the age of 45. Each gram of trans fat consumed per day was linked to a 0.76 word decrease in word recall.

In the highest trans fat group, participants could recall on average 11 fewer words than those with the lowest trans fat intake, who had an average word recall of 86 words. The research, while unable to establish cause and effect, suggests trans fats may act as a pro-oxidant, contributing to oxidative stress that causes cellular damage.

Oxidized Omega-6 — Another Harmful Fat to Beware Of

It is clearly important to avoid trans fat, but as you will find out next year in an interview I am doing with Dr. Chris Knobbe about his Ancestral Health Symposium presentation, it is processed oils that are the primary culprit for nearly all Western diseases. Assiduously avoiding them is the key to staying healthy.

This is largely related to the oxidized omega-6 fat found in many processed foods, which may actually be even worse than trans fat. Now, omega-6 fat (linolenic acid) in and of itself is not the problem. Linoleic acid is also found in foods such as nuts, seeds and eggs, and is important for health.

The problem is oxidized omega-6 fat, and the fact that most people eat far too much of it. Intakes of omega 6 fat more than century ago were typically below 5 to 10 grams a day, and most of us now eat FAR more than that. For years, I’ve stressed the importance of balancing your omega-3 to omega-6 intake to protect your health.

Eating too much damaged omega-6 fat (found in abundance in processed vegetable oils) and too little marine-based omega-3 sets the stage not just for Alzheimer’s but also for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and depression — and that’s the short list.

It is very easy to overeat omega-6 fats. I recently switched from macadamia nuts to pecans, which are also low in carbs and protein, but I did not realize pecans are loaded with omega-6 fats, relative to macadamia nuts. I only discovered this by using the terrific nutrient tracker Cronometer.com. I have since realized that is not wise to eat more than a handful of nuts and not every day.

I discuss some of the most significant hazards of omega-6-rich vegetable oils in “This Fat Is Actually Worse Than Trans Fat.”

The ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats ranges from 1-to-1 to 1-to-5, but the typical Western diet tends to be between 1-to-20 and 1-to-50. Most people, especially Americans, are guilty of this lopsided omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, and to correct it, you typically need to do two things:

1.Significantly decrease intake of damaged omega-6 by avoiding processed foods and foods cooked in vegetable oil at high temperatures. A number of studies25,26 have found that people who regularly eat deep-fried foods have a significantly increased risk of stroke and death.

Common sources of harmful omega-6 to avoid include corn oil, canola oil, soy oil, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats, margarine and shortening.

2.Increase your intake of animal-based omega-3 fats. Ideal sources include small fatty fish such as sardines, anchovies and herring, along with wild-caught Alaskan salmon, or a supplement such as krill oil.

Examples of Healthy Fats to Eat More Of

When it comes to dietary fats, remember this simple ground rule: Natural is best. The tips that follow can help ensure you’re eating the right fats for your health:

•Use organic butter (preferably made from organic grass fed raw milk) instead of margarines and vegetable oil spreads — Butter is a healthy whole food that has received an unwarranted bad rap.

•Ghee is even better, as you remove the milk solids that many have problems with. Ghee is pure fat with no carbs and is what I personally use. The best way to make it is to place it in a glass container in a dehydrator and don’t heat it higher than 100 degrees F. to preserve the quality.

You can suck off the milk solids with a glass baster. Once you have the ghee you don’t even need to refrigerate it as it is stable at room temperature for many weeks.

•Use organic pastured pork lard for cooking and baking — A 2015 analysis27 of more than 1,000 raw foods ranked raw separated pork fat, also known as pork lard, as the eighth healthiest food on a list of 100.28 Valuable nutrients found in lard include:

◦Vitamin D29

◦Omega-3 fats30

◦Monounsaturated fats31 (the same fats found in avocados and olive oil32)

◦Saturated fats33

◦Choline34

•Coconut oil is another excellent cooking oil that is loaded with health benefits.

•To round out your healthy fat intake, be sure to eat raw fats, such as those from avocados, raw nuts, raw dairy products and olive oil. Also increase your animal-based omega-3 fat intake by eating more sardines, anchovies, mackerel, herring or wild-caught Alaskan salmon, or take a supplement such as krill oil.

Following my nutrition plan will automatically reduce your modified fat intake, as it will teach you to focus on healthy whole foods instead of processed junk food. You can also learn more in my interview with Dr. Cate Shanahan, author of “Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food.”

In it, she delves deep into the pros and cons of various fats. The following chart was also created by her, which gives you a quick overview of the good, the bad and the ugly.

good fats oils- versus bad

Eating Right Can Help Prevent Dementia

In closing, remember that, by and large, it is your everyday lifestyle choices that will determine whether your brain will maintain its function throughout your lifetime, or degenerate with age into a potentially deadly neurological disease like Alzheimer’s.

With regard to diet specifically, key factors that will promote lifelong brain health include the following. For a list that also includes other suggested lifestyle modifications, see “How Excess Iron Raises Your Risk for Alzheimer’s.”

Eat real food, ideally organic — Avoid processed foods of all kinds, as they contain a number of ingredients harmful to your brain, including refined sugar, processed fructose, grains (particularly gluten), vegetable oils, trans fats, genetically engineered ingredients and pesticides.

Ideally, keep your added sugar to a minimum and your total fructose below 25 grams per day, or as low as 15 grams per day if you already have insulin/leptin resistance or any related disorders.

Opting for organic produce will help you avoid synthetic pesticides and herbicides. Most will also benefit from a gluten-free diet, as gluten makes your gut more permeable, which allows proteins to get into your bloodstream where they sensitize your immune system and promote inflammation and autoimmunity, both of which play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s.

Replace refined carbs with healthy fats — It’s important to realize that your brain actually does not need carbs and sugars; healthy fats such as saturated animal fats and animal-based omega-3 are far more critical for optimal brain function.

A cyclical ketogenic diet has the double advantage of both improving your insulin sensitivity and lowering your Alzheimer’s risk. When your body burns fat as its primary fuel, ketones are created, which not only burn very efficiently and are a superior fuel for your brain, but also generate fewer reactive oxygen species and less free radical damage.

Pay close attention to the kinds of fats you eat — avoid all trans fats or hydrogenated fats that have been modified in such a way to extend their shelf life. This includes margarine, vegetable oils and various butter-like spreads. For examples of healthy fats to add to your diet, see the section above.

Time-restricted eating in a six- to eight-hour window — Intermittent fasting is a powerful tool to jump-start your body into remembering how to burn fat and repair the insulin/leptin resistance that is a primary contributing factor for Alzheimer’s.
Keep your fasting insulin levels below 3 — If your insulin is high, you’re likely consuming too much sugar and need to cut back.
Optimize your omega-3 level — High intake of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA help prevent cell damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease, thereby slowing its progression and lowering your risk of developing the disorder.

Ideally, get an omega-3 index test done once a year to make sure you’re in a healthy range. Your omega-3 index should be above 8% and your omega 6-to-3 ratio between 1-to-1 to 5-to-1.

Optimize your vitamin D level — Sufficient vitamin D is imperative for proper functioning of your immune system to combat inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s and, indeed, research shows people living in northern latitudes have higher rates of death from dementia and Alzheimer’s than those living in sunnier areas, suggesting vitamin D and/or sun exposure are important factors.

If you are unable to get sufficient amounts of sun exposure, take daily supplemental vitamin D3 to reach and maintain a blood level of 60 to 80 ng/mL. That said, it’s important to recognize that sun exposure is important for reasons unrelated to vitamin D.

Your brain responds to the near-infrared light in sunlight in a process called photobiomodulation. Research shows near-infrared stimulation of the brain boosts cognition and reduces symptoms of Alzheimer’s, including more advanced stages of the disease.

Delivering near-infrared light to the compromised mitochondria synthesizes gene transcription factors that trigger cellular repair, and your brain is one of the most mitochondrial-dense organs in your body.

Optimize your magnesium levels — Preliminary research strongly suggests a decrease in Alzheimer symptoms with increased levels of magnesium in the brain. Keep in mind that the only magnesium supplement that appears to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier is magnesium threonate.
Vitamin B12 — According to a 2010 study published in the journal Neurology,35,36 people who consume foods rich in B12 may reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s in their later years. Very high doses of B vitamins have also been found to reduce memory loss by preventing brain shrinkage.37
Eat plenty of nitrate-rich foods — Beets and other nitrate-rich foods such as arugula provide powerful benefits for your brain and may be a powerful ally in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.38

Your body transforms plant-based nitrates into nitric oxide,39 which enhances oxygenation, has beneficial impacts on your circulatory and immune systems, and serves as a signaling or messenger molecule in every cell of your body.

The betanin in beets also helps prevent oxidation, particularly oxidation caused when the beta-amyloid is bound to copper, which may help prevent the misfolding and aggregation of amyloid beta.40

Previous research41 has also shown raw beet juice helps improve neuroplasticity, primarily by increasing blood flow and tissue oxygenation. Nitric oxide, in its capacity as a signaling molecule, allows your brain cells to communicate with each other better. Importantly, the beets boosted oxygenation of the somatomotor cortex, a brain area that is often affected in the early stages of dementia.

Optimize your gut flora — To do this, avoid processed foods, antibiotics and antibacterial products, fluoridated and chlorinated water, and be sure to eat traditionally fermented and cultured foods, along with a high-quality probiotic if needed.

Remember that eating factory farmed meats will provide you with traces of antibiotics in each bite. Factory farmed meats are also a suspected route of prions, which are yet another culprit in Alzheimer’s. You can learn more about this in “Study Claims Alzheimer’s Disease Is a Double-Prion Disorder.”

Novel Treatments Are Being Explored

Diagnostic guidance and core treatment strategies are detailed in my interview with Dr. Dale Bredesen, featured in “ReCODE: The Reversal of Cognitive Decline.” (You can also download Bredesen’s full-text case paper,42 which details his ReCODE treatment program.)

On a side note, two promising treatment alternatives for Alzheimer’s include photobiomodulation, discussed in “Healing the Body With Photobiomodulation,” and a novel treatment developed at MIT using flickering lights and low frequency sound to stimulate gamma frequencies in the brain,43 which appears to reduce plaque formation.44

MIT neuroscientist Li-Huei Tsai discussed the experiments at a recent Society for Neuroscience meeting, saying the therapy appears to improve survival and health of neurons, improving neuronal connectivity and dilating blood vessels in the brain. His team is now investigating whether it might in fact slow Alzheimer’s disease in humans.45

Over the years, as more and more drug trials have failed to find an answer to Alzheimer’s, researchers are increasingly starting to realize that to be able to address this disease with any measure of success, we have to go back to basics.

There’s a wealth of data showing diet and lifestyle factors are where it’s at when it comes to Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment, and this puts the power right into your own hands. There’s a lot you can do to minimize your risk, and cleaning up your diet is the best place to start.

– Sources and References

Night Terrors and Nightmares in Children

Written by Brenton Wight, Health Researcher
Copyright [c] 1999-[y] Brenton Wight. All Rights Reserved.
Updated 18th September 2020

Night Terrors can be a very emotional event for parents, especially if they become more common.
The good news is that there are things that will help, and most children “grow out of it” eventually. The average age for Night Terrors is from 3 to 12 years, although some start sooner and finish later.
Nightmares can happen at any age, often recurring in children at a particular age.

Difference between night terrors and nightmares

Children can have both, which makes things confusing, however, dealing with nightmares may be similar to the guidelines below for night terrors.

Night Terrors

Night terrors frighten the parents, and the children have little or no recollection in the morning. During the event, they are still in a very deep stage of sleep. Children appear to be awake, but are in fact still in deep sleep as they scream or run around violently. They may not recognise their parents and usually refuse any offer of help.
Because the child is so active and seems awake but distressed, parents attempt to calm the child, but as the child does not hear the parents because of the deep sleep, they usually do not respond.
Any calming attempts fail, and trying to awaken the child may cause even more stress.
Night Terrors may last from a minute to an hour, and if they wake up during the event, they are often confused, and have no memory of the Terror.
The best approach seems to be to carefully restrain them, ensure their safety where they sleep, allowing an eventual return to natural sleep.

Nightmares

Nightmares (scary dreams) can and do frighten children.
Often they remember their nightmares, which happen during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep rather than Deep Sleep. During REM sleep, the child may more readily awaken during a nightmare.
This is the time for reassurance, and the child will respond to a hug and soft words.

What causes Night Terrors?

Night terrors can be caused by many things, including:

  • Junk food
  • Processed food
  • Dairy or Grain-based foods
  • Vitamin B group and or Niacin deficiency
  • Bad sleep quality
  • Sleep patterns out of routine
  • Sleep deprivation – bed time too late
  • Too hot or cold in bed
  • Noisy sleep environment
  • Stressful events – perhaps starting a new school, new teacher, new baby-sitter, bullying, etc
  • Listening to parents arguing
  • Watching violent TV (even the News)
  • Playing violent video games
  • Medication, especially antihistamines, decongestants, over-the-counter and prescription medication
  • Vaccinations
  • Genetics – children of Night-Terror parents are more likely to suffer
  • Fever
  • Central nervous system problems or immaturity

What causes Nightmares?

Somewhat similar to night terrors.

Remedies for both conditions

Calm the child before bed. Read a story (not Ghostbusters or Friday 13th!)
A heavy blanket has a “hugging” effect which improves the sense of security. In warm weather, a light blanket with weights sewn into the corners may be helpful.
Discourage TV for an hour before bed.
Try to maintain a consistent routine and bed time each night.
Make bed time early, as children and adults tend to wake up when the sun comes up, so late bed time means less sleep.
Avoid junk food, improve nutrition
Avoid all processed food, especially those with a chemical number in the ingredients list.
Avoid all grain foods, especially wheat or wheat flour, as gluten sensitivity may be a problem. Even if the doctor says the child does not have coeliac disease, they may still have gluten sensitivity and/or Leaky Gut Syndrome.
Avoid dairy products as lactose or casein intolerance may be a problem.
Get the child to place all worries into an imaginary (or real) garbage bag, tie it up and place it in the bin (real or imagined).
Place a “Dream Catcher” over the bed – generally a wire loop decorated with string, beads, etc with “magic dream-catching” properties. The child may feel better if something in the room is their friend.
Lavender or other calming oils – a few drops on or under the pillow, or a sprig of real lavender.
Snack before bed – this may help children who have unstable blood sugar during the night (usually caused by a bad diet with too much sugar).
St.John’s Wort is a natural antidepressant (children’s dose only). Not to be used with any prescription medication as many meds use the same pathway in the body.
B Complex vitamins may help, also Niacin (Prolonged Release) if there is a deficiency.
GABA supplements have a calming effect and may help, especially if combined with 5-HTP.
Vitamin D3 supplements may help, especially if the child does not get adequate direct sunshine in the middle of the day. This is a high dose, so once or twice a week is normally enough as this is a fat-soluble vitamin, not easily flushed away like the water-soluble vitamins.
White noise – such as recording of ocean waves gently rolling onto the beach can have a calming effect. Even subtle noise from running a fan or ioniser may help.
Classical music softly played during the night may help.

Copyright © 1999-[y] Brenton Wight and BJ & HJ Wight trading as Lean Machine abn 55293601285

Vitamin D3

Written by Brenton Wight, Health Researcher
Copyright [c] 1999-[y] Brenton Wight. All Rights Reserved
Updated 9th March 2022

Health Facts on Vitamin D3 – the Natural Cure for all disease!

Why we need Vitamin D3
First, to help absorb calcium and other minerals to build strong bones with the help of Vitamin K2 that keeps calcium in bones instead of in blood where calcium plaques form.
Second, to build the immune system, in conjunction with gut bacteria – the other half of the immune system story.
Depending on which study we believe, optimal vitamin D3 can prevent between 50% and 90% of all cancers, as well as Multiple Sclerosis, and reduce the intensity or even cure almost every other disease.
If a drug company developed something that would do this, it would make headlines around the world and win a Nobel prize, and many billions of dollars would be saved in the health care budgets of countries everywhere.
If the entire population had optimal Vitamin D3 combined with a healthy diet, countless lives would be saved from cancer, many illnesses would disappear, most artificial replacements of hips and knees would not be required, thousands of people clogging up the nursing homes in their wheelchairs would be out playing tennis and leading active, productive lives.
Have I convinced you yet that just a few dollars for a year’s supply of super-strength 5000 IU Vitamin D3 would be a good investment in your future?
If not, then perhaps you should go and reserve that spot in the nursing home, and pick out the burial plot while you’re at it!

Watch this video with the famous Dr Mercola interviewing Carolew Baggerly:

Statistics on Vitamin D3 Deficiency

90% of the population have less than OPTIMAL levels of vitamin D: blood levels below 50 ng/ml (125 mmol/L)

70% of the population have inadequate levels of vitamin D: blood levels below 30 ng/ml (75 mmol/L)

50% of the population is vitamin D deficient: blood levels below 25 ng/ml (62.5mmol/L)

60% of all hospital patients are vitamin D deficient

76% of pregnant mothers are severely vitamin D deficient

80% of nursing home patients are vitamin D deficient

Benefits of Vitamin D3

Studies show that Vitamin D3 has cancer inhibiting properties, especially breast, prostate, pancreas, colon, skin cancer and leukaemia.
While millions are spent trying to find a cure for cancer, Vitamin D3 could be used to prevent cancer in the first place, at a cost equivalent to a drop in the ocean.
Vitamin D3 deficiencies can cause the following:
Colds, Flu and COVID-19
Vitamin D3 helps prevent or reduce severity of colds, flu, COVID-19 and almost every other infection.
LeanMachine is living proof.
After 12 years of taking Vitamin D3, no colds, no flu, no COVID-19, no infections of any kind, not even a headache!
When we look at studies funded by drug companies who manufacture vaccinations, which are always biased in favour of the flu shot, the NNT (Number Needed to Treat) for the flu vaccine is 40, meaning that to protect one person from getting the flu, 40 people must receive the Flu shot.

Compare this with Vitamin D3: The NNT is 33 in the average population, and in those people with D3 deficiency, the NNT drops to 4.
In other words, for the average person, D3 is significantly better than the flu shot, and for those with low Vitamin D3, D3 supplements work 10 times better than the flu shot!

Most infections are naturally destroyed by our own immune system, mainly by our T-cells, but T-cells need Vitamin D3 to operate correctly.
Studies funded privately, without the influence of the drug companies, have found the flu shot to be even less effective, with those over the age of 65, or under the age of 2, or those on statin medications, all receiving NO statistically discernible benefit from the flu shot, and everyone else receiving a very marginal benefit such as a reduction in duration of illness of about 1 day. Of course, a glass of lemon juice every day will also reduce the duration and intensity of all varieties of cold or flu by at least 1 day!
On the downside, those taking the flu shot every year received less benefit (less protection), and actually INCREASED risk of coming down with a different strain of the flu!
The Flu shot increases COVID-19 mortality!
A further downside of the flu shot: During the Coronavirus pandemic, those who have the flu shot are 4 times more likely to contract COVID-19 AND to be hospitalised AND to die!
More on vaccinations under the heading below.

OA (Osteoarthritis)
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common disease in people over age 50, more common than the common cold, and especially in women.
OA is directly linked to Vitamin D3 deficiency, and higher Vitamin D3 levels lower the risk.
Studies show that hip fractures in high risk population groups can be reduced by up to 40% by supplementing with Vitamin D3.
Partly because bones are stronger, and partly because people with good Vitamin D3 levels have much better balance, stronger muscles and less body fat, so don’t fall over as much.

RA (rheumatoid arthritis) and MS (Multiple Sclerosis)
Low Vitamin D increases risk of rheumatoid arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis.

Obesity
Most Australians (two thirds) and others in Western society are overweight or obese.
Two thirds of people in Western society are also deficient in Vitamin D3, and this is no coincidence. There is a direct link between Vitamin D3 deficiency and obesity.
On average, the more Vitamin D3 deficient a person is, the more obese they are.
Healthy levels of Vitamin D3 are seen mainly in lean, healthy people.

Chronic pain
Chronic pain from any source can be reduced with Vitamin D3, even a simple headache, migraine, back pain, fibromyalgia, etc.
Many people with osteoporosis have chronic pain, typically lower back pain, often a sign of D3 deficiency.
Those people usually exercise less because of the pain, and insufficient exercise causes depression, worsens their osteoporosis, increases obesity, and their condition only gets worse.

Before 2010, LeanMachine suffered from headaches back pain and other pain, but no more. If I hit my thumb with a hammer, of course it hurts, and if I strain my back or another muscle, I feel stiffness that goes away in a day or two. But no other pain, no painkillers required, and in fact no painkillers of any kind kept in the house.

Cancer
Cancer is a devastating condition, but high levels of Vitamin D3 offer up to 80% or more protection, especially childhood cancers, breast, prostate, pancreas, skin and colon cancer.
A recent study confirmed that women with high levels of Vitamin D3 had about 85% reduced risk of breast cancer compared to those with the lowest levels of Vitamin D3.
Vitamin D3 is critical to the body’s production of GcMAF, a cancer-fighting protein that inhibits cancer metastasis, and is capable of reversing the devastating effects of cancer on the body.
Vitamin D3 supports GcMAF synthesis, helping to shut down pro-cancer receptors and enzymes that encourage metastasis (spreading of cancer).
DBP-maf (Vitamin D3 binding protein-macrophage activating factor) is another protein reducing cancerous activity, which directly stimulates the immune response by suppressing angiogenesis (blood vessel growth) required for cancer cell migration and tumor growth. DBP-maf requires Vitamin D3 for transport in the bloodstream.

Depression
There are links between low levels of Vitamin D3 and depression.
For depression sufferers, LeanMachine recommends extra Vitamin D3 from sunlight because getting outside in the sun always lifts our mood.
If we cannot get out in the sun, supplementation is a must.

Hearing Loss
Vitamin D3 deficiency weakens our bones, but when the three tiny bones (hammer, anvil and stirrup) in the ear become weak and spongy, attenuation of sound transmission results in hearing loss.

Allergies
Recent studies show that children with allergies have a high chance of being deficient in Vitamin D3, and those with the worst allergies, are over 80% likely to be deficient in vitamin D3.

Heart disease
The number one killer of Western society people is still cardiac disease.
Vitamin D3 deficiencies bring on high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack.
Number two is cancer, so we can alleviate both killers easily by eating a healthy diet and getting enough Vitamin D3 from sunlight and/or supplements.

Type 1 Diabetes
Pregnant women who are deficient in Vitamin D3 are far more likely to produce offspring with Type 1 diabetes.
Any child deprived of sunlight in the first few years of life also has a far higher risk of type 1 Diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes
Studies show that vitamin D improves our body’s ability to use insulin, and vitamin D is essential for stimulation of the pancreas beta cells to produce insulin.
Vitamin D receptors are in almost every cell in the body, triggering in all the target tissues for insulin, including organs, muscle and fat tissue.

A recent study involving nearly 500 patients found that 58% of those with a vitamin D deficiency also had insulin resistance.
The lower their vitamin D, the greater their occurrence of insulin resistance.

In another study of 10,000 Americans over the age of 45, researchers found that boosting vitamin D levels reduced the incidence of diabetes, thanks to improvement in insulin function.
Vitamin D also repairs damage to the heart and blood vessels caused by high blood pressure.

How do we get Vitamin D3?

We get Vitamin D3 from the sun, but we need the basic building-blocks in the body first.
The normal process of Vitamin D3 metabolism can be stopped by the deficiency of one single nutrient, so a healthy, nutrient-rich diet is essential.
In particular, we need cholesterol, which has been unfairly demonised for decades. More on this later.

Vitamin K2 – No Bones without it
Some people say we need Calcium for strong bones, but we get plenty of calcium from the diet, and we can absorb calcium with no problems as long as we have enough Vitamin D3.
Poor vitamin D3 means poor calcium absorption, so adding more calcium to the diet without vitamin D3 means potential for calcium to form as plaque in our arteries, kidneys or other places where it will only damage the body.
Vitamin K2, which comes from animal products such as chicken, cheese, butter, eggs, etc, can help build bones by directing calcium to bones and teeth where it belongs, and helps keep our arteries, kidneys and other organs free from calcium.
The only vegetable source of Vitamin K2 is Natto (fermented soy), which explains why Japanese post-menopausal women have much stronger bones than Western women, as Natto is part of the traditional Japanese diet.
Vitamin K2 is not to be confused with Vitamin K (or K1), which is required for effective blood clotting, but not as effective as Vitamin K2 for bones, but still desirable in the diet.
K1 comes from intestinal bacteria as well as from green leafy vegetables like kale, spring onions, brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, basil, asparagus, also prunes.
For vegetarians or vegans, supplementation of Vitamin K2 is essential as well as vitamin D3 for healthy bones. Vitamin D3 metabolism is complex, where each essential and critical nutrient provides the path to the next step, and one missing link in the chain will stop the entire process.
So it is no surprise that a third of our population is deficient in Vitamin D3, and around 90% are less than optimal. Unfortunately, these are the people who are at the highest risk of cancer.

Importance of Diet

Vitamin D3 cannot form without basic nutrients for the multi-stage process and this explains why so many people are deficient.

D3 – A Vitamin or a Hormone?

The answer is both.
It is a hormone (a chemical messenger) because it controls cells, organs, muscle and bone in everyday function, and because the body can manufacture it with sunlight exposure on skin.
It is a vitamin because it binds calcium so we can absorb it, as we humans cannot digest calcium without Vitamin D3, which maintains calcium and phosphate concentrations in the blood, providing minerals for bones, nerves, muscles, immune function, and lowers inflammation.
Many cell functions are controlled in part by vitamin D3, aiding in weight loss, blood glucose regulation, metabolism, and essential fatty acids (Omega-3) processing.
There is no point taking calcium or omega-3 foods or supplements without a good supply of Vitamin D3.
Almost every cell in the body has Vitamin D3 receptors, so Vitamin D3 is a crucial nutrient.

Vitamin D, D2 or D3?
The terms Vitamin D and vitamin D3 are used interchangeably here. D3 is the correct and natural Vitamin D.
D3 exists in the body as the storage form 25(OH) and the active form 1,25 2(OH). Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is an artificial version of Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), or vitamin D coming from some foods.
D2 has very low affinity for DBP (vitamin D binding protein) so it cannot be easily stored and should never be used.
Firstly, D2 has nowhere near the healthy properties of D3 (cholecalciferol), and secondly, D2 tends to block absorption of the real D3.
Many foods come “fortified with vitamin D” but this is invariably an artificial D2 with poor benefits.
Some early medical studies on vitamin D used inferior synthetic D2 which is toxic at much lower doses, and unfairly discredited the real D3 which was not even being used in the studies.

How is Vitamin D3 made in the body?

We get vitamin D3 from sunlight, food or supplements.
D3 from sunlight
Most people know we get Vitamin D3 from sunlight, but there is a multi-stage process involved.
Production starts in the liver, which makes 7-dehydrocholesterol, which then migrates to the skin to be altered by UVB (ultra-violet light in the B range) to become pre-vitamin D3.
This is carried back to the liver to be mediated by an enzyme (25-hydroxylase) to become 25-hydroxyvitamin D, where a hydroxy (OH) molecule is added to build the storage form 25(OH).
This is then transported to the kidneys to be mediated by yet another enzyme (1-alpha-hydroxylase) to finally become calcitriol, where a second hydroxy (OH) is added. This is the active form of vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol or 1,25 dihydroxyvitaminD3 or the active form 1,25 2(OH). Dihydroxy means that the D3 molecule has two OH molecules added, one from the liver and a second from the kidneys.
Vitamin D3 is carried in the blood by DBP (vitamin D-binding protein).
This entire process takes around 15 days, so if we shower every day, we “wash off” much of the pre-vitamin D, so morning showers are best, allowing the pre-vitamin D to start the migration back to the liver before the next shower.
And a day at the beach won’t help our vitamin D3 if we go for a swim, and worse if we get sunburnt!

Statins rob our Vitamin D3
As we age, we lose the ability to synthesise vitamin D from sunlight, and those on statin medication (half the aged population) cannot make 7-dehydrocholesterol, co-enzyme Q10, Cholesterol Sulfate and other important requirements for the body, because when statins slow the liver production of cholesterol, all of the above are affected.
No one should ever take a statin drug (Lipitor, Crestor, Simvastatin and others) other than exceptional circumstances, as they generally do much more harm than good.
Independent studies show that while some deaths from heart disease are reduced, deaths from ALL OTHER CAUSES is INCREASED by STATIN MEDICATION!
Taking statins, we will generally not live one day longer, and will have a poorer quality of life.
Also as we age, we generate less stomach acid, losing the ability to take in vitamin Methyl B12, Methyl Folate (never Folic Acid!), Vitamin K2 and other nutrients that vitamin D requires to do it’s job. If we get reflux or heartburn, doctors normally prescribe Nexium or antacids, which may relieve symptoms short-term, but only make the problem worse. The best way to cure heartburn is to eat less, and eat an alkaline-forming diet, but that is another story in my Alkaline Diet article.
Those who dress fully covered for cultural reasons or those with dark skin always need more vitamin D.
Annual blood tests for vitamin D3 are advisable if taken at very high doses as excess levels can become toxic.
For adults, toxic levels for vitamin D3 are generally not seen unless we take in some 40,000 IU daily for many weeks.
Vitamin A can also be toxic in high levels, but if vitamin A and vitamin D are taken together, the toxic levels are some 5 times higher for both A and D, giving a huge margin of safety, so old “toxic levels” should really be called “imbalance levels”.
Another factor is Vitamin K2, discussed later.

Other things that Steal our Vitamin D3
 – Being overweight – the more overweight we are, the less bioavailable Vitamin D3 becomes. But if we take Vitamin D3 supplements and/or get more sunshine, this will assist our weight-loss efforts!
 – Being old – as we age, our ability to absorb D3 from sunlight and from food reduces, so supplementation becomes more essential.
 – BPA (Bisphenol A) – BPA (Bisphenol-A) and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals reduce our Vitamin D3 levels. Avoid foods in plastic or cans and use glass containers.
– Liver problems – a poor liver produces less bile, which reduces absorption of Vitamin D3. Look after the liver – avoid excess alcohol and eat a healthy diet of quality fats, few carbohydrates, and low to moderate protein.
– Kidney problems – as kidney disease gets worse, so do Vitamin D3 levels. Look after kidneys by drinking plenty of clean water and eating a healthy diet.
– Gut bacteria – these 100 trillion organisms are a major component of our immune system, and also aid in absorption and processing of minerals and vitamins, including Vitamin D3. People with celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or Crohn’s disease, or those taking antibiotics, will all have reduced D3, so essential supplements are Vitamin D3 and probiotics.
– Slip, Slop, Slap in the face campaign – this disastrous campaign has been running for over 30 years in Australia, costing the taxpayer many millions of dollars, and has caused many more millions in extra health care, more disease, and many more lives lost.
True, reduced sunlight has reduced the number of mostly harmless skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma which are easily treated, and rarely turn into something more serious (less than 1% of cases).
But the number of MELANOMA cancers – the real, deadly kind, has DOUBLED, but this fact has been hidden by the Australian Cancer Council who are behind the Slip, Slop, Slap campaign! The primary reason, of course, is lack of Vitamin D3 due to reduced sunlight, reducing immunity.
Melanomas also appear on the soles of feet, in armpits and other places where sunlight is very limited, but so-called “specialists” still blame the sun!
The science cannot be denied. The closer one lives to the Equator, the less chance of any type of cancer, a proven fact.
Vitamin D3 deficiency is common because many of us spend most days indoors, or are covered up with clothes or sunscreen when outside.
If we live a long way from the equator, we receive less sun exposure, so we have less Vitamin D3.
Seniors get less Vitamin D3 from sunlight because of  older skin (less responsive to sunlight).
Darker skin contains more melanin that reduces effects of  UVB ultraviolet rays on the skin.
Obesity, liver disorders, and type 2 diabetes  all reduce the conversion of D3 to the more active 25-OH-D3 by the liver.

Too much sunlight?
If we get D3 from sunlight, then surely if we spend all day in the sun, like construction workers and other outdoor activities, we should get plenty?
Wrong. After we spend around 10 to 20 minutes in the sun in the middle of the day (90 minutes for dark-skinned people), we reach a point where the body will no longer synthesise any more vitamin D3.
This is the way the body is designed to prevent toxic levels from building up, and also the reason why we get a tan – to prevent too much vitamin D3 from the sun.
If our skin starts to get the slightest shade of pink, it is time to cover up or seek some shade, as more sun will only then cause damage, with no extra vitamin D3 past that point.
And if we get a healthy dose of sunlight one day, we can happily work inside the next day, as it may take 2 days to build new skin resources for more absorption.

The Morning Myth
The cancer society and other “health” organisations all say the we should avoid the sun in the middle of the day, and only go out in the morning or the evening when the sun is low in the sky. Wrong again!
This is actually the complete reverse of the truth!
The sun produces ultra-violet rays in three bandwidths, named UV-A, UV-B and UV-C, each with different properties.
UV-A
We get UV-A from all sunlight, no matter what time of day, and it passes through cloud and glass, and this kind travels deeper into the skin, causes skin damage and ZERO vitamin D production.
We can sit by a window or in a car with windows up, on a hot sunny day and never get any vitamin D.
We can be outside all day when there is cloud cover, but we will never get any vitamin D.
All we get from UV-A is skin damage, although we still get NO (Nitric Oxide) formed in blood vessels that keep our cardiovascular system healthy.
UV-B
We get UV-B ONLY from a clear blue sky, and ONLY when the sun is HIGH in the sky. This is the “good” sunlight, as this is the ONLY kind that gives us vitamin D.
When the sun is lower in the sky, most UV-B is absorbed in the atmosphere leaving little or none for our benefit.
We need 10 minutes a day (fair-skinned) to 20 minutes a day (tanned) with the sun high in the sky, no clouds, and no glass. This can give us all of the vitamin D we need, but for many, this is impossible.
For those living a long way from the equator, or out of the tropic areas in winter, those working shifts or indoors, those who cover their entire bodies for religious reasons, or slap on sunscreen, those who have very dark skin, those on statin medication, those on a poor diet, those confined to hospitals or nursing homes and others who mistakenly believe the sun is evil, will never get enough vitamin D.
Vitamin D is fat-soluble, meaning that if we get plenty one day and miss the sun for a few days, we will still be able to call on our vitamin D reserves stored in fat cells.
Of course, UV-B will still damage our skin if we stay out in the sun too long.
UV-C
UV-C rarely gets to Earth as it is almost completely absorbed in the atmosphere, so is of little concern unless you are an astronaut.

Why we NEED sunlight, more than just for Vitamin D3
The human body is designed to thrive in sunlight, and it is not only the Vitamin D3 benefit.
A 20-year study of over 29,000 people found that those avoiding sun exposure had double the death rate from all causes!
This study did not measure D3 levels, but results from other D3 studies show that the high death rate from insufficient sun exposure can not be accounted for only by low Vitamin D3.

We also get Cholesterol Sulfate from sunlight on the skin.
Cholesterol sulfate protects red blood cells from breaking up. Without enough cholesterol sulfate, we get a condition called hemolysis, where the red blood cells die prematurely, spilling their contents into the blood.
Without sulfur, and without the sun, we cannot make cholesterol sulfate, a molecule which is both fat-soluble and water soluble, which is essential for the body to distribute cholesterol and sulfur throughout the body.
All artery walls have an endothelial lining, and these endothelial cells cannot work correctly when depleted in sulfate. They cannot control what gets into and out of cells, which promotes cardiovascular plaque.
Cholesterol Sulfate, in conjunction with it’s nitric sister, eNOS, determines how thick or thin or blood becomes. Sulfate makes it thicker, nitric makes it thinner, and this automatic regulatory system works very well as long as we have supplies of both, for which we need sunlight.
Interestingly, one thing that messes up these molecules is glyphosate (“Roundup” and other weedkiller trade names) so this is a good reason to avoid all GM (Genetically Modified) foods, which are all heavily sprayed with glyphosate.
Sulfur is incredibly important for health. Cholesterol sulfate protects against bacterial and virus infections and strengthens the immune system.
Cholesterol sulfate is essential for babies. Women normally have about 1.5 units of cholesterol sulfate in the blood, but in pregnancy, levels rise in the villi of the placenta to around 24 units!
Foods high in sulfur include eggs, beef, garlic, onions, sprouts, asparagus, kale, coconut oil, olive oil, but only where they are grown or raised in sulfur-rich soil (think organic).

Vitamin D sulfate is also made from sunlight, and is both water and fat soluble, so it can go anywhere in the body, distinct from the regular fat-soluble Vitamin D3 I have been talking about.
Same with cholesterol sulfate. Not only is it both water and fat soluble, it can travel through the body on it’s own, where many other substances need to be “carried” by cholesterol wherever they need to go.
If we want healthy blood, we MUST have sunlight!
Humans make several other important peptide and hormone “photoproducts” when skin is exposed to UVB sunlight:

  • β-Endorphins are natural opiates that induce relaxation and increase pain tolerance
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptides are vasodilators (expand blood vessels) that protect us from hypertension (blood pressure), vascular inflammation, and oxidative stress
  • Substance P is a neuropeptide that increases blood flow and also regulates immune system response to acute stressors
  • Adrenocorticotropic Hormone is a polypeptide hormone, controlling cortisol (stress hormone) released by the adrenal glands, regulating immune system and inflammation
  • Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone is a polypeptide hormone, reducing appetite, increasing libido, and increasing skin pigmentation

Sunlight contains a beneficial EMF (electromagnetic frequency) that is essential for health.
40% of sunlight is infrared, and the red and near-infrared frequencies interact with CCO (Cytochrome C Oxidase). CCO is a protein in the inner mitochondrial membrane, also part of the electron transport chain. CCO is a chromophore (a molecule that attracts and absorbs light), so sunlight improves ATP (the generation of energy). The optimal wavelengths for CCO are red at 630 nm to 660 nm (nanometers) and near-infrared at 810 nm to 850 nm.
LeanMachine gets sun exposure as often as possible. Others afraid of the sun may consider photobiomodulation therapy (use of near-infrared light treatment).
UVA exposure is generally considered harmful, as this is the most damaging kind of exposure for skin with no ability to generate Vitamin D, however there are benefits such as releasing NO (Nitric Oxide), discussed above. An important cellular signaling molecule that dilates blood vessels and reduces blood pressure.
This is closely tied to another molecule, eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) which regulates the “thickness” of blood. When blood becomes too thick, eNOS makes more nitric oxide which expands blood vessels and thins the blood. When blood is too thin, eNOS makes more sulfate. Sulfate is essential for the endothelial lining of all blood vessel walls. If we are low in sulfate, the wall can start breaking down and clots start to form to repair the damage. We can get more sulfur in the diet from onions, garlic, broccoli, egg yolks and other foods, or by supplements such as MSM (MethylSulfonoyl Methane) but we still need sunlight to make cholesterol sulfate which can be distributed through the body to keep us alive!

Apart from photoproducts, nitric oxide and cholesterol sulfate production, sunlight is essential for our circadian rhythm (body clock).
Sunshine activates neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus, sending signals to the pineal gland which regulates production of the hormone melatonin. When the circadian rhythm is upset, melatonin and other hormone production is disrupted, leading to mood problems, poor cognition (thinking), metabolic syndrome (leads to diabetes) and increased risk of cancer.

Tanning Beds
Tanning beds are famous for increasing risk of melanomas, the most deadly form of skin cancer.
Tanning beds have been outlawed in all States of Australia, except in the Northern Territory, where they are still legal, but there are no commercial solariums there because the tropical climate makes sunlight tanning easy. However, this is seen by some as a knee-jerk reaction by politicians to win votes.
Most tanning beds produce UV-A and UV-B radiation, but some better units are available which produce only UV-B, which are much safer if used correctly.
Staying too long in even a quality tanning bed will cause skin damage, a precursor to many forms of skin cancer. Tanning beds that emit high levels of UV-A should be avoided completely.

Vitamin D3 from food
We get some vitamin D from the diet. Eggs, fish, cod liver oil are all good sources, and also come naturally with Vitamin A, but it is almost impossible to get enough D3 from the diet, so we must top up our D3 from sunlight or supplements or both.
One exception is sun-dried mushrooms. When shitake mushrooms are placed in the sun for six hours, their vitamin D levels skyrocket – from 110 IU per 100 grams to 46,000 IU. Even regular button mushrooms increase their vitamin D dramatically when sun-dried.
Milk contains some vitamin D, but calcium and vitamin D in milk are very poorly absorbed. Asian women are more likely than white women to be diagnosed with osteoporosis, so doctors claim this is caused by low milk consumption, but Asian women are much less likely to have a hip fracture (the worst kind), indicating that traditional DEXA scans (bone density tests) do not mean much, as dense bones are often not as strong as less dense but more flexible bones.
Africans generally have stronger bones than caucasians, even though they get less vitamin D3 from sunlight. They appear to be much more sensitive to the sunlight they do receive.

VitaminD3 from supplements
Most Vitamin D3 sold in Australia from chemist shops or supermarkets contain 1000 IU which may be enough to prevent rickets in young people, but is nowhere near optimum for immunity and bone strength, especially in older people, and not enough for anyone except small children to have an optimal immune system.
LeanMachine recommends Vitamin D3 5000 IU daily for almost a year’s supply, and this is the cheapest health insurance anyone can buy!
Vitamin K2 is also essential. Because Vitamin D3 increases calcium absorption, and Calcium can form part of blood clots, we need Vitamin K2 that has the ability to put calcium where it belongs, in bones and teeth, and reduces calcium buildup in blood vessels (arterial plaque).
Magnesium is also strongly recommended, because Magnesium and Vitamin K2 both work together with Vitamin D3 to increase the effectiveness of Vitamin D3 by about double.
Vitamin A is also recommended for health benefits as well to improve immunity and to eliminate any chance of toxicity.

No Cholesterol means no Vitamin D3
As explained above, cholesterol is the building-block for vitamin D3, also for every hormone in the body and many other functions.
About half the adult population over 60 in Australia and the USA is taking statin medication.
Sold under many names including Simvastatin, Lipitor, Advicor, Lovastatin, Mevacor, Vytorin, Zocor, Lipex, Simcor, Crestor, Pitavastatin, Pravastatin, Rosuvastatin, Fluvastatin, and Cerivastatin (withdrawn 2001).

The Lies about Cholesterol
Statins do lower cholesterol, but we NEED cholesterol, it is NOT the enemy it is made out to be.
Yes, cholesterol is found in a badly inflamed body, but this is because the liver makes more cholesterol to repair damage caused by the inflammation, which is the REAL cause of poor health.
Statins reduce cholesterol by preventing the liver from producing as much cholesterol, but the job of the liver is to make cholesterol as required.
If we eat cholesterol foods (such as meat or eggs) the liver makes less, if we eat no cholesterol (such as a vegan diet), the liver makes more, which is the way it should be.
When statins are used, they attempt to shut down this natural process, and in so doing, also shuts down co-enzyme Q10 which is vital for healthy muscles.
And the heart is the most important muscle in the body – why clobber it with statins?
Statins also stop production of 7-dehydrocholesterol, so then we get almost zero vitamin D3 from sunlight.
Statins have shown no benefit to women whatsoever in many studies.
For men who have had a heart attack, statins have shown a slight reduction in deaths from future heart attacks, but in all patients, statins cause an INCREASE in deaths from all other causes!
Because statins knock out our Co-enzyme Q10 (often called the spark-plug for the heart), the patient can suffer extensive muscle damage, causing pain, reduced mobility and even death.
Drug companies say they have no idea what causes this increase in death from statins, but the answer is obvious to me – low vitamin D3!
Studies show that treatment with one fish oil capsule daily prevented 9% of deaths in cardiac patients over 4 years, while those given the Crestor statin drug had an INCREASED death rate of 1% over the same period.
The Framingham study, the biggest and longest study ever, showed that those with the lowest cholesterol died first, and those with the highest cholesteol lived longest!
But the drug companies continue to perpetuate these cholesterol lies to maximise profits from their biggest-selling drug.

How much D3 do we need?
The older we get, the more vitamin Vitamin D3 we need.
The only way to know how much we have is by a blood test, because ethnic background, skin colour, amount of tan, food, medication, supplements, geographic location, sun exposure, clothing, sunscreen, exercise, BMI and many other factors determine how much Vitamin D3 we absorb and retain.
Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin, so daily levels do not vary much, as every fat cell in the body can store D3.
Always ask the doctor for a printed copy of your results so you can compare with any previous test and also get a true reading.
Unfortunately, most Australian labs say we need 60 to 160 nmol/L of D3, which is inadequate. Better labs say 75 nmol/L is the minimum, but we need more.
Values above 60 will prevent us from getting rickets, but will not give us good immunity.
For optimal immune system function, we should aim for the high end of the range of 125 to 175 nmol/L.
If we are battling cancer or some other serious disease, we should aim for 175 to 250 nmol/L but this requires careful monitoring and extra Vitamin K2 and Vitamin A to prevent toxicity.
Supplement values vary, and the RDA (recommended Daily Allowance) of 60 IU was alarmingly too low, and changed to 400 IU, originally determined as the minimum amount to prevent rickets.
Even the 400 IU allowance typically gives a blood test of 40 to 60 nmol/L which may barely stop rickets but will not provide a strong immune system.
Conservative studies determine that infants less than one year old need 400 IU daily, 1 year to adolescents need 400-600 IU daily, adults need 400-600 IU daily, and adults aged over 70 years need 400-800 IU daily.
More modern studies recommend babies take 400 IU, children 1000 IU, adults 4000 IU, and those over 70 may need 8000 IU daily.
Small doses are fine for strong bones, but for a strong immune system to ward off all disease, high doses are a must.
LeanMachine has taken 5000 IU daily for over 12 years, and has zero colds, flu or any other illness, not even a headache!

But don’t I get my Vitamin D3 from Milk?
Sorry, but you do not!
I was told to drink milk as a youngster, some 7 decades ago, and milk does indeed contain vitamin D and calcium, but these and other nutrients in milk are poorly absorbed in the gut.
Worse, pasteurised milk has most of the nutrients heated out of it, and homogenisation is very BAD for our health.
Homogenisation is a process making each fat globule 10 times smaller than normal, to save us the trouble of shaking the milk container to disperse the cream.
The problem with these tiny fat globules is that they enter the bloodstream through imperfections in the gut lining, often referred to as “leaky gut syndrome”.
When raw milk fat enters the blood directly like this, the immune system detects this as a foreign substance, and begins attacking these fat globules, and marks them as invaders.
Now when we consume milk the regular way, and absorb it naturally through a healthy intestine, the immune system starts attacking this as well, as it has already been recognised as a foreign invader. The result: Allergies to Lactose, one of the main ingredients in milk, has reached epidemic proportions in the last few decades where homogenisation has become standard practice.
Vitamin D3 can help moderate an over-reactive immune system, but the only safe way to drink milk is to only use NON-HOMOGENISED milk.
Most supermarkets have it, but you have to look past the big-name brands to find it.
Arnold Schwarzenegger famously said “Milk is for babies” and he was right.
Humans are designed to drink breast milk until age two, then lose the capacity to use it correctly in the body.
In many countries it is against the law to buy non-pasteurised milk, but we can at least buy non-homogenised milk if we feel we must have milk (and we do not need milk).
Some Asian countries have diets where milk is non-existent, and their bones are stronger, and broken bones are rare.
We get more useful Vitamin D3 from broccoli and other fresh vegetables than from milk!
Milk is also BAD for our bones, as it is acid-forming in the body, and all acids in the blood cause an immediate reaction in the body to neutralise the blood acid (otherwise we die!).
This reaction, controlled by the parathyroid glands, leaches potassium, calcium and magnesium from bones, teeth and organs, the fastest way the body can neutralise the acid.
If we must drink milk (and we do not have to for a healthy diet) then the ONLY milk to buy is FULL CREAM, UNHOMOGENISED milk, which you can find at good supermarkets if you look hard enough.
The only better product is the milk straight from the cow, or better still straight from mother’s breast (most mothers will not be impressed if you ask for milk this way!)

Getting enough of the right Vitamin D3
Sunlight is still the best way to get enough Vitamin D3 and Cholesterol Sulfate, but for many, this can be difficult or impossible.
Supplements are the next best choice, but the supplements we buy at Chemist shops or supermarkets in Australia have only around 1000 IU of Vitamin D3.
They are also often combined with Calcium, which LeanMachine does NOT recommend, but that is another story.
While this is better than nothing, most people require 5 to 10 times this much to bring their levels to “optimum”.
For most health specialists, “optimum” means over 60 or 75 nmol/l (30 ng/ml), and if your results come in at over this threshold, the doctor will say you are fine.
However, true experts in this field say that truly optimum for a normal healthy person for immunity to disease, is between 125 and 175 nmol/L (50 – 70 ng/ml).
For those recovering from a serious disease, optimum should be 175 to 250 nmol/L (70 – 100 ng/ml).
Vitamin D3 can be toxic at high doses for extended periods, so continuous levels over 250 nmol/L (100 ng/ml) should be avoided.
Blood tests are advised for all very high-dosage patients.
People most at risk of deficiency are the elderly, those with with dark skin, those who cover their body with clothing or sun screen, or work night shifts or underground and never see the light of day, and those who live furthest from the equator or in cloudy climates.
Those at risk may need 10,000IU daily supplements, the rest of us can usually get plenty with 5000IU, and the very young who get plenty of sunlight on a regular basis may not require any.
Remember that we only get Vitamin D3 from sun in a blue sky when the sun is high, from the UVB (Ultra-Violet light in the “B” range”).
When the sun is low in the sky, or when there is cloud, or when the light comes through a glass window, UVB is blocked and we only receive UV-A which is the damaging, cancer-causing radiation with Zero Vitamin D3 benefits.
Other tests: Depending on the condition, the doctor may order other tests to check for liver and kidney disease as well as a full blood count.
A full blood test for Vitamin D3 is:
25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25-D or D2/D3) or 25(OH)D or simply 25-D
1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D3, or 1,25(OH)2 D3, or 1,25 2(OH), or simply 1,25-D
Most doctors will only test for 25(OH)D which is the storage form, which is fine for most people.
For those suspected of having Sarcoidosis (a rare condition) then both must be tested, and vitamin D supplementation and sunlight should be avoided altogether unless the active form 1,25(OH)2 is tested low.

Vaccinations
There are many reports of children suffering from Autism and other serious conditions after vaccinations.
Vitamin D3 supplements should be taken for at least 1 week before any vaccination to reduce risk of unfortunate reactions.
Panadol, Panadeine, Paracetamol, Tylenol, Acetaminophen, Atasol, etc must NEVER be taken before or after any vaccination, even though doctors incorrectly recommend it to reduce pain and fever.
Autism rates in the USA are 1 in 45, while Autism rates in Cuba are 1 in 12,000.
A few decades ago, Austism rates were only around 1 in 200, before Panadol (Tylenol, Acetaminophen in the USA)
Cuba has a high vaccination rate of 97%, but the difference:
These over-the counter pain medications are prescription-only items in Cuba.
Of course, no drug company is interested in conducting a study where the result may be that their “safe and effective” product causes Autism, but as far as LeanMachine is concerned, Vitamin D3 reduces the risk of sickness from almost any disease.
Besides Autism, Paracetamol can destroy liver function (most patients on the liver transplant waiting list are there because of Paracetamol), and Paracetamol is also acted upon by enzymes which then destroy the body’s reserves of L-Glutathione, the natural “Master Antioxidant” in the body.
If you want your child vaccinated anyway, DO give them vitamin D3 and DO NOT give them any pain or fever medication.
A little fever is the body’s way to fight the toxins in the vaccination and the best way to deal with it is to let it run it’s course.
However, a very high fever can lead to convulsions, especially in small children.
The best way to bring down a very high fever is to place the child in a cool to lukewarm bath and keep water over the skin using a sponge or cloth.
No drugs required, and much safer and more effective than any drug.
Better still, vaccinations can be avoided altogether for those with a strong immune system.
For more information on vaccinations, see this article: Vaccinations.

Autoimmune conditions
Allergies, hives, arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, multiple sclerosis, etc, are all autoimmune conditions.
Little help is available from medications which merely help to ease symptoms.
Vitamin D3 builds the immune system and protects us from colds, flu and other diseases, but Vitamin D3 is also an Immune Moderator, helping to dampen the effect of the immune system over-reacting, the cause of auto-immune disease.
Vitamin D3 can also help treat the cause of the symptoms, often Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), found in over 70% of autoimmune patients.
H. pylori can invade the gut via contaminated water or food, or from contact with infected people or animals, causing gut inflammation, disrupting the immune system.
Vitamin D3 effectively destroys H. pylori and restores the immune system, often reducing allergy symptoms by 30% in seven days, and another 40% in 12 weeks.
H. pylori infects around 30% of adults in the western world, more if we are over 60 with low Vitamin D3 levels.
A blood test can give your D3 levels, but the lab will say 60 to 75 nmol/L is OK, but we need 125 nmol/L minimum to destroy H. pylori.
Mushrooms, eggs, wild-caught salmon, etc have natural Vitamin D3 but the modern Western diet is lacking in these. Mushrooms grown in the dark will have no vitamin D3, but 30 minutes of exposure to direct sunlight can generate significant D3 levels.

Vitamin D3
The latest science Says: “It’s not just about bones, it’s about your total well-being!”
Professor Michael Holick:
“We now think that maintaining adequate Vitamin D3 levels are important for decreasing the risk of prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer.
There is some evidence that in young children if they are fortified with vitamin D3 from 12 months old it can reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes by 80%“.
Professor Philip Sambrook:
“We have always thought it could not happen in Australia – it is too sunny a country. However, people do not get sunlight for various reasons and if you do not get some sunlight you do not make vitamin D3. We do not get it much in food any more so for that reason, deficiency is quite common. And the vitamin protects healthy cells while also killing cancer cells.”

Disclaimer

LeanMachine is not a doctor, and everyone should consult with their own health professional before taking any product to ensure there is no conflict with existing prescription medication.
LeanMachine has been researching nutrition and health since 2010 and has completed many relevant studies including:

  • Open2Study, Australia – Food, Nutrition and Your Health
  • RMIT University, Australia – Foundations of Psychology
  • Swinburne University of Technology, Australia – Chemistry – Building Blocks of the
  • World
  • University of Washington, USA – Energy, Diet and Weight
  • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – Health Issues for Aging
  • Populations
  • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – International Nutrition
  • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – Methods in Biostatistics I
  • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – Methods in Biostatistics II
  • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – Principles of Human Nutrition
  • TUFTS University, USA – Nutrition and Medicine
  • TUFTS University, USA – Lipids/Cardiovascular Disease I and Lipids/Cardiovascular Disease II
  • Technical Learning College, USA – Western Herbology, Identification, Formulas
  • Bath University, England – Inside Cancer
  • WebMD Education – The Link Between Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation
  • WebMD Education – High Potassium: Causes and Reasons to Treat
  • Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands – Anatomy of the Abdomen and Pelvis
  • MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) – A Clinical Approach to the Human Brain

LeanMachine has now examined thousands of studies, journals and reports related to health and nutrition and this research is ongoing.

Copyright [c] 1999-[y] Brenton Wight and BJ&HJ Wight trading as Lean Machine abn 55293601285

Do we need vaccinations?

Written by Brenton Wight, Health Researcher
Copyright [c] 1999-[y] Brenton Wight. Some content by others, edited and revised. All Rights Reserved.
Updated 5th March 2026

Please note:
All COVID-related vaccine info is covered in my main COVID article:
www.leanmachine.com.au/coronavirus-protection

Do not beleive the WHO (World Health Organisation)

Since the USA quit funding the WHO, the main funding now comes from the big Pharmaceutical companies.

To discover how the vaccinations not only do not work, they increase risk of getting disease!

Read the whole story: https://www.leanmachine.com.au/whos-latest-prescription-for-failure/

I have not had a vaccination in over 20 years prior to writing this article, and probably never will.
I have also not had a flu, cold or anything else in 20 years.
There may be some vaccines that may help in some situations for some people, while others can be dangerous or deadly. (Yes, vaccines can kill people.)
However I am not aware of any vaccination that is proven to work by an independent organisation.
Vaccine makers claim that more people are saved by vaccines than are killed by vaccines “for the greater good”.
Of course they make these claims as they want to sell more vaccines, invariably the “studies” are fraudulent.
Some studies are so bad that even with the fraudulent methods to make a bad study look good, they are so bad that no amount of “rigging” is enough, so the entire study is trashed, never to see the light of day.
Everyone has the right to full disclosure of the risks versus benefits of anything they allow into their body.
We cannot tolerate being lied to about these risks and benefits, and lies from the Drug Industry is becoming normal in our modern world to protect their enormous profits.
We all have a choice of what food we eat, but it seems as time goes on, we are dictated to by Governments, operating on advice from money-driven drug companies, what is injected into us.
We often do not have a choice in refusing vaccinations. If we refuse such injections, it can deny us the right to the job we want, or the school we can go to. We cannot even sue the drug companies or doctors in the USA as Government legislation protects them when they make us sick or even kill us.
When the Government takes away our right to decide what goes into our bodies, the Government owns us, as they own real estate, cash and cattle. In a “free” society, this cannot be tolerated.
And there are ZERO follow-ups after vaccinations to determine what effect vaccinations have on our general health.

Retracted NZ Study Proved HPV Vaccine “Reduced Preterm Births” – By INVERTING THE DATA
When statistical sleuths questioned the data, the study was retracted, as it turned out that the findings were inverted. The story of the retraction is quite scandalous and is worth exploring!
Read more: https://www.igor-chudov.com/p/retracted-nz-study-proved-hpv-vaccine

How safe are vaccines?

One would assume that when vaccines are tested, comparisons would be made between the health of vaccinated vs non-vaccinated people. No, drug companies perform no such studies. The typical study simply looks at whether antibodies appear in the vaccinated person within 2 to 3 weeks. If they do, then the FDA gives that vaccine the green light.
I more stringent studies, vaccinated people are compared with those vaccinated with all of the dangerous adjuncts, preservatives, etc without the “main ingredient
They call this a placebo when it is full of toxic ingredients that cause all sorts of problems.
Some studies determine that the placebo kills more people than the vaccine, so the vaccine manufacturer can claim “safe and effective when compared to a placebo”.
Of course, all test subjects are healthy adults. No babies or toddlers, no seniors, no people with obesity, cardiovascular disease, etc even though once approved, everyone is supposed to get the vaccine.
Let’s look at Infant mortality figures to start with, where the USA ranks 47th in the world in infant mortality rates:
One would assume that infants who were vaccinated would be healthier than those who were un-vaccinated, but the reverse is true.
A baby born in the USA has a 76% greater chance of dying before their first birthday than a baby born in any of the other top 20 wealthiest countries, in spite of the USA having the most expensive health system on the planet!
Example:
In Iceland, 1.25 per 1,000 children will die before their 5th birthday.
Infants in Iceland receive no vaccinations before 3 months from birth, and receive 9 vaccinations before their 1st birthday.
In the USA, 5.82 per 1,000 children will die before their 5th birthday.
Infants in the USA receive 26 vaccinations starting at birth, before their 1st birthday.
In Australia, I have not found accurate figures in the 0 to 5 year group, but looking at the 0 to 4 group, it would appear close to or better than the Iceland figures, with a vaccination rate somewhere in-between.
Australia, being a much sunnier country than Iceland, has people with a higher rate of Vitamin D3 levels than Iceland, which protects health much better than most vaccinations.

The Vax schedule in the USA
As of November 2023, children following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended schedule will receive between 79 to 84 doses of vaccines by age 18.
79 doses of vaccines recommended by the CDC includes the new COVID-19 vaccines and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccines.

Note: The RSV propaganda is infuriating–monoclonal antibodies for newborns is another massive experiment, and the RSV vaccines in pregnancy cause preemies, killing more babies than they save!
Watch this presentation on Childrens Health Defense with Meryl Nass:
https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/chd-tv/shows/doctors-and-scientists-with-brian-hooker-phd/rsv-fact-fiction-with-meryl-nass-m-d-duplicate

Eighty-four doses of vaccines include five doses the CDC recommends for when a baby is in utero.

By age six, a child could receive 67 or more vaccine doses.
Triple shots, like the MMR, DTaP and Tdap, are each three vaccine doses
Today’s CDC childhood vaccine schedule has more than tripled from what it was in 1983 when children received 24 doses by age 18.
It has more than doubled from what it was in the year 2000.
In fact, if you are over 35 years of age, you’ve received less vaccines in your lifetime than a six month old baby does today.

The Nuremberg Code

Vaccinations are technically illegal in Australia.
Australia is a signatory to the Nuremberg Code, which was developed before, during and after the Second World War, when Nazi doctors were using humans as guinea-pigs for all sorts of bizarre experiments without the consent of the subject.
The code states:

  1. Required is the voluntary, well-informed, understanding consent of the human subject in a full legal capacity.
  2. The experiment should aim at positive results for society that cannot be procured in some other way.
  3. It should be based on previous knowledge (e.g., an expectation derived from animal experiments) that justifies the experiment.
  4. The experiment should be set up in a way that avoids unnecessary physical and mental suffering and injuries.
  5. It should not be conducted when there is any reason to believe that it implies a risk of death or disabling injury.
  6. The risks of the experiment should be in proportion to (that is, not exceed) the expected humanitarian benefits.
  7. Preparations and facilities must be provided that adequately protect the subjects against the experiment’s risks.
  8. The staff who conduct or take part in the experiment must be fully trained and scientifically qualified.
  9. The human subjects must be free to immediately quit the experiment at any point when they feel physically or mentally unable to go on.
  10. Likewise, the medical staff must stop the experiment at any point when they observe that continuation would be dangerous.

Of course, ALL vaccinations are in violation of this code. There has been no vaccination produced in decades where a large, double-blind, placebo-controlled independent study has been carried out scientifically to prove the benefit and seek possible side-effects.
Governments who legislate that the refusal of a vaccination means no job, no unemployement benefit, no school, no child care, etc, are in direct violation of the code.
Many vaccinations have killed or maimed for life, many innocent babies, children and adults.
The Flu Shot Hoax
The NNT value (Number needed to treat to prevent 1 person from getting the flu is 76. Yes, if 76 people are given the flu shot, only one will be prevented from getting the flu.
Compare this with Vitamin D3, where the NNT is only 3.5, and Vitamin K2 where the NNT number is only 2.
Why is it that Governments fail to give us this information, and insist on everyone having the flu shot?
Why is it that flu shots are compulsory for all staff and residents and visitors in Nursing Homes, yet flu outbreaks are common?

Read more bout how unvaccinated children are healthier in every respect than vaccinated children…
https://www.leanmachine.com.au/big-study-finds-non-vaccinated-are-healthier-than-vaccinated

The Australian Vaccine Schedule

The link below points to the vaccination schedule in 2017. Doctors, hospitals, nurses and others are obliged to carry out vaccinations according to the schedule.
Australian Government Vaccine Schedule
Problems with this schedule:
At birth, babies must be given a Hepatitis B vaccination, but why?
We can get Hepatitis B from a dirty needle when using street drugs, or having casual, unprotected sex with multiple partners of unknown health.
How many babies, just hours old, fit this criteria?
And why give a baby, with an underdeveloped immune system, a toxic injection?
This is outrageous and criminal, and parents must refuse, before the birth, as this often happens without the knowledge or the consent of the parents, or the baby!

Lies from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

The CDC in the USA is supposed to protect us from disease, or so you may think. Australia generally uses the guidelines from the USA, so we should get the same protection?
Nothing could be further from the truth, with profit greed by the big drug companies overtaking the truth.
For decades, studies have shown that there is a correlation between Autism and vaccinations, but the big drug companies and Governments have always denied any relationship. Advice from Governments has always been that vaccinations do not cause autism.
However, in May 2016, after over a hundred FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests, the CDC was forced to release the proof they have known for years: That a vaccine preservative CAUSES AUTISM!
The preservative is Thimerosal, which was banned for use in children in 1999, but still used in more than 60 vaccines, and proven to cause autism.
Scientists have been attempting to alert the public, but their statements have been dismissed, or even made appear foolish by the corrupt pharmaceutical industry.
Every vaccination has an adjuvant, which has dual properties: Fist as a preservative, second to cause inflammation.
Inflammation is deemed necessary, because the fever forces the body to view this injected foreign material as an invader, and build immune system antibodies to the invaders.
While this can work in the majority of cases, it often fails in cases where:

  • The patient has a compromised immune system
  • The patient has an abnormal allergy response
  • The patient has been taking Panadol (Paracetamol, or in the USA, Acetaminophen, Tylenol and others)

Vaccine Adjuvants

Why are aluminium salts effective as adjuvants and why do we use them? The latter is easily answered. They are extremely cheap, essentially they cost nothing relative to other vaccine constituents, and there are absolutely no regulations as to the use of aluminium salts, either as adjuvants or otherwise. Adjuvants, including aluminium-based, are effective because of their toxicity at the vaccine injection site. One of the most effective adjuvants is Freund’s Complete Adjuvant (a preparation of dried and inactivated mycobacteria) but this adjuvant is too toxic to be used in human vaccinations. Aluminium salts are the most widely used adjuvants because their toxicity at the injection site is deemed acceptable in the light of the advantage gained from vaccination against the particular antigen. The toxicity induced by aluminium adjuvants at injection sites is almost certainly due to the free aluminium cation, Al3+, which is released from the injected aluminium salt. The cell death which is a consequence of the toxicity results in an inflammatory response and this is the origin of the swollen red tissue at the injection site almost immediately following vaccination. The toxicity of an aluminium adjuvant depends upon the aluminium salt with aluminium hydroxyphosphate (known commercially as AdjuPhos™) being more toxic at the injection site than aluminium oxyhydroxide (known commercially as AlHydrogel™). The aluminium adjuvant used in the Gardasil HPV vaccine is a sulphated version of aluminium hydroxyphosphate and is likely, based upon what we know about aluminium chemistry, to be even more toxic. Unfortunately, Merck, the manufacturers of this adjuvant have not made it available for any independent analyses, never mind safety testing. The visual evidence of the toxicity of aluminium adjuvants at the injection site is limited by their intramuscular administration (the adjuvant is hidden away in the muscle tissue) while their actual injection site toxicity is experienced by many as significant muscular pain, and associated events, in the receiving limb which can last for hours and even days. However, the role of the injection site toxicity is to attract a variety of immune-responsive cells and these cells proceed to load up their cell cytoplasm with particles of aluminium adjuvant as well as antigen, the latter may or may not be associated with the adjuvant material. Thereafter, dogma dictates that the delivery of antigen to lymph nodes initiates antigen-specific adaptive immunity. We have recently learned that the migratory cells which populate the injection site following vaccination are capable of loading up their cell cytoplasm with particles of aluminium adjuvant without these particles having any immediate effect upon cell viability . These immune-responsive cells are subsequently found in lymph nodes but they are also capable of transporting their cargo of aluminium throughout the body including gaining access to the brain. These aluminium-loaded migratory cells remain viable in the shorter term because the particulate aluminium salt in their cytoplasm is enclosed in membrane-bound vesicles. However, these vesicles undergo a progressive acidification which in turn dissolves the enclosed aluminium salt to release biologically reactive Al3+ which will eventually cause the membrane-bound vesicle to rupture and consequently release large amounts of biologically available aluminium into the cell cytoplasm. The inevitable consequence of this is cell death and where this cell death occurs will simply depend upon the trajectory of the cells upon leaving the vaccine injection site. Theoretically at least this is a mechanism whereby a significant, indeed acute, amount of aluminium could be released into areas distant from the injection site such as brain tissue. It is undeniable that a small proportion of individuals receiving vaccines which include aluminium adjuvants experience what have been called severe adverse events and such ‘events’ include brain encephalopathies. These severe adverse events are almost certainly caused by aluminium adjuvants and recent research showing how immune-responsive cells load up their cytoplasm with particulates of aluminium now offers mechanistic insight into how aluminium adjuvants are not only always toxic at the vaccine injection site but how they can occasionally be toxic at distant sites in the body too. Why some individuals are more susceptible to toxicity due to aluminium adjuvants is the subject of ongoing research.

Dangers of Adjuvants

Adjuvants are added to vaccines to supposedly make them more effective.
Adjuvants are mixed with an antigen from a virus or bacteria to deliberately create a greater inflammatory immune response, theoretically providing a higher response of protective antibodies.

Thimerosal Adjuvant

Thimerosal is a vaccine adjuvant that contains mercury, which is a human carcinogen and:

  • Causes Autism and many other conditions affecting the brain
  • Causes Cancer
  • Is a mutagen (interferes with DNA)
  • Is a teratogen (causes birth defects)
  • Reduces immunity
  • Causes Alzheimer’s Disease and other brain issues

Thimerosal metabolises into toxic, dangerous methylmercury, then converted to inorganic mercury which is even more harmful and very hard for the body to excrete.
For those with a compromised immune system already, this destroys much of an already weakened immune system, leading to many diseases.

Aluminium Adjuvant

Most, if not all inactivated vaccines use aluminium (aluminum in the USA) as an adjuvant.
The problem with aluminium is that it is toxic to the human body, believed to cause Autism,  Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. If aluminium is swallowed, less than 1.5% is absorbed by the body. But if injected into muscle tissue, as happens in a regular vaccination, then 100% is absorbed into the body. The high number of vaccinations given to children, plus extra aluminium from food and drink containers, antacids, antiperspirants, cooking utensils, foil food wraps, etc, causes aluminium overload.
The CDC and vaccine manufacturers continually deny the dangers of Aluminium, but evidence shows that Aluminium in vaccines passed through the blood-brain barrier.
Aluminium adjuvants are supposed to “aggravate the immune system” by causing white blood cells to rush to the injection site to pick up viral cells, mounting a response that is supposed to create immunity to the disease by producing antibodies.
In reality, the white cells pick up the aluminium and pass it throughout the body, including the brain.
Aluminium toxicity in the brain increases risk of Alzheimer’s disease. From 2000 to 2018, deaths from Alzheimer’s increased by 146% and the rates continue to rise. A 2020 study showed the link between Alzheimer’s and aluminium, exposing a genetic trait that caused aluminium to build up in the brains of familial Alzheimer’s patients.
A 2018 study examined the brains of autistic people who had donated their bodies to science.
Every autistic brain examined contained aluminum levels substantially greater than any previously recorded!
Apart from the extremely high aluminum level, the location of the aluminum was also important, found in inflammatory and non-neuronal cells, which reached the brain through blood and lymph, proving that the aluminium contaminated the brain from injections rather than ingestion.
A 15 year old autistic person had the same high aluminum levels as a 45-year-old man who died from Alzheimer’s disease.
The CDC says that in the USA, 1 in 54 children are autistic, and 1 in 3 adults will die from Alzheimer’s or other brain disease, so why are aluminium-containing vaccinations not only allowed, but enforced?

Dangers of Paracetamol

Doctors still mistakenly advise parents to give their child paracetamol (Paracetamol, Panadol) before any vaccination, which is a BIG MISTAKE.
Paracetamol reduces the fever, in turn reducing the body’s natural immune response to the vaccination, reducing the effectiveness of the production of antibodies.
Even worse, a natural enzyme in the body in combination with Paracetamol, destroys Glutathione, the body’s MASTER ANTIOXIDANT.
Destruction of Glutathione compromises our immune system makes us much more susceptible to almost any disease.
When Glutathione levels drop to around 30% of normal, liver cell death starts, and other conditions start also because of low Glutathione.
Poisoning can occur with an accidental or deliberate overdose, or even continued use at the recommended dose.
Paracetamol poisoning requires urgent hospital treatment. Symptoms often do not appear before 24 hours after ingestion, and NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine) is administered. NAC is available as a supplement, but do not try to treat any poisoning at home!

Cuba

In Cuba, where there is over 99% vaccination rate for children, more than most of the USA, there is an Autism rate of around 1 in 12,000 to 1 in 60,000. The data reporting in Cuba may influence the numbers, but when we compare the USA rate of 1 in 45, then clearly there is a problem in the USA. A few decades ago, Autism was almost unknown in the USA and Australia.
What is the difference? Why are USA children over a thousand times more likely to get Autism than Cuban children? Part of the answer is:
In Cuba, Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is prescription-only, where in Australia and the USA anyone can buy it almost anywhere with no prescription.
Apart from apparently causing Autism, Paracetamol also causes liver damage. Because this dangerous drug is marketed as “Safe and Effective” there is a public perception that a small overdose would not be harmful, but in fact a single pill causes harm by depleting Glutathione, and it is true to say that most of the people on the liver transplant waiting list are there because of a paracetamol overdose!
The second part of the answer:
In Cuba, there is a high vaccination rate, but the difference is that Cuba makes it’s own vaccines, there are no large drug companies seeking dollar profit only, so the quality of vaccines is higher, and the vaccine schedule is much less aggressive, with Cuban children under 5 receiving some 11 vaccinations, compared with 40 in the USA.
So with so many vaccinations in the USA, the children must be healthier, we would think?
Not so. In fact, the USA has the highest death rate of children under five, than all other developed countries in the world!

How are vaccines made?

Depends on the type of vaccine.

The Standard Flu Shot

The standard process uses 500,000 fertilized chicken eggs every day for about eight months, so hundreds of millions of fertilised eggs are used every year, “mini incubators” for cultured viruses. When the chick embryos are eleven days old, the egg white (the amniotic fluid) is injected with a drop of solution containing the virus. After a few days, the viral suspension is then centrifuged, which removes much, but not all, chicken tissue and blood. Whatever remaining egg protein and blood is included in the final vaccine. This is why those with an allergy to eggs are advised not to receive a flu shot.
Given the very large numbers of eggs required, do you think they would select only the most expensive pasture-raised free range eggs? I think not. They would buy the cheapest eggs possible – factory farmed cage eggs, where the chickens are invariably sick, never see the light of day, are loaded up with cheap antibiotics to keep them alive long enough for them to produce the eggs, and would undoubtedly be full of unknown viruses. Salmonella is rampant among factory-farmed eggs, and the different strains of Salmonella cause illnesses such as typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and food poisoning.
The antibiotics destroy some bacteria, but this tends to help proliferate the antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the chickens are then even more susceptible to viruses, because antibiotics destroy beneficial gut bacteria which provide immunity in chickens as well as humans.

Cell Line Technologies

This is another vaccine manufacturing method, using cells and tissues for growing vaccine viruses, used since the 1950’s.
In June 2014, the all-clear was given to use cells from the kidney of a Cocker Spaniel dog which died in 1958 to make the Flu and other vaccines.
Cells from animals used in vaccines includes:

  • Calf lymph for Smallpox vaccines
  • Mouse brain cells for Japanese Encephalitis vaccines
  • MRC-5 and WI-38 cells from aborted human fetal tissue were developed in the 1960’s and still used for Rubella, Chickenpox, Hepatitis A and Shingles vaccines
  • African green monkey cells (AGMK cells) for polio vaccines – see below

Still want to get a flu shot?

African green monkey cells (AGMK cells) for polio vaccines caused the HIV/AIDS virus

More Lies from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control)

New science which almost certainly proves that the HIV/AIDS virus was NOT caused by Africans eating infected monkeys, but from a Polio vaccine made from African green monkey cells injected into more than one million Africans, giving them HIV/AIDS directly, which has then spread to the rest of the world via blood transfusions, anal sex, dirty needles and other methods similar to vaccinations.
These monkeys were already infected with the SIR virus which transmuted into the HIV/AIDS virus in humans.
Of course, the medical profession denied this, and published many documents claiming why this was impossible, but modern science has blown major holes in this “evidence” as an obvious cover-up.
As the drug industry changes from egg-incubation methods to animal cell incubation, how do we know the effects on humans and how the virus will transmutate and spread?
Obviously, no one knows. No one cares. All the drug companies are concerned about is making money, not healing people. If people get sick from their vaccines, the drug companies get paid to make yet more vaccines. Even in cases where they can protect people from a certain disease, who knows what other diseases they are infecting people with?

Truth about Polio

India introduced an Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV) in the routine immunisation programme for all children under 5 years old, claiming it “will be an important step in the Polio Endgame Strategy”, This appeared to work: India has not reported a single case of polio caused by the wild polio virus (WPV) since January 2012.
FAKE NEWS – There has been around 50,000 cases of flaccid paralysis, which is exactly like polio!
It is now called “Vaccine Derived Polio Virus (VDPV)” in medical literature.
Yes, the polio vaccine causes polio, but to protect the drug manufacturers and the politicians, they call this condition “Acute Flaccid Paralysis” or AFP.
Symptoms of AFP include fever, sudden muscle weakness in one or more limbs, just like polio. Many things cause AFP, but one cause is the polio vaccine!
AFP is less common in Western countries, because of two things; better sanitation and cleaner drinking water.
According to the American journal Pediatrics, there is an undeniable link between the increase in incidence of NPAFP (non-polio AFP) and the number of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) doses delivered in any region. OPV contains an attenuated (weakened) vaccine-virus. The weak form of the polio virus is used to activate an immune response in the body, which then protects the child when challenged by WPV. But when a child is immunised with OPV, the weakened vaccine-virus replicates in the intestine. During this time, the vaccine-virus is also excreted. In areas of inadequate sanitation, this excreted vaccine-virus can quickly spread in the community and infect children with low immunity. This excreted vaccine undergoes genetic changes as it circulates in the community and causes VDPV.
The government states that VDPV is still comparatively rare, as it has to circulate for a long time in the community of under-immunised or poor-immune children before it can infect and cause paralysis in someone.
The government’s only strategy is the addition of Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)
A 2005 study in the Indian Journal of Medical Research on NPAFP found that a fifth of cases of NPAFP were reported from Uttar Pradesh. Researchers found that 35.2% of children with AFP had paralysis and 8.5 per cent died, about double the rate of paralysis and death if the child had the original Polio!
The government is still basking in the glory of one of its rare public health achievements for eradicating polio, while cases of flaccid paralysis have seen a huge resurgence.
Nearly 50,000 children fall prey to polio-like flaccid paralysis every year, with over 15,000 paralysed and over 4,000 die!

Reported side effects from vaccinations

Most side effects go unreported.
If a patient sees a doctor for an illness after a vaccination, the patient usually does not make the connection, and if they do, the doctor often refuses to admit there may be a connection. Even though laws in the USA prevent doctors from being sued because of injury or death from a vaccination, they are naturally always reluctant to admit that their action caused the injury or death.
If we view studies on reported side effects, then it is likely that unreported side effects may range from double to hundreds of times the reported side effects, especially mild side-effects like a fever, rash, feeling unwell, etc which the doctor will say is “probably just a virus” or “a coincidence”.
Guillian-Barre Syndrome is a devastating condition, shown to be caused by 5 in every million vaccinations. Perhaps only a small number, but devastating if we are one of those 5.
Article here: www.greenmedinfo.com/article/risk-guillain-barr-syndrome-after-2010-2011-influenza-vaccination

The Flu vaccine causes six times more respiratory infections

We are told by Government health “experts” that: “The flu vaccine protects the very young and the very old, the groups most likely to suffer serious respiratory complications from the flu.”
And they say: “It is important everyone else get the flu vaccine to further protect these vulnerable segments of the population.”
But these statements are FALSE.
If the flu vaccine really works, then a non-vaccinated person should not be able to infect any vaccinated person, young or old.
Of course, the vaccine does NOT work.
Governments force everyone working in haspitals, schools, child care, prisons, welfare, etc to have the flu shot, but the results speak for themselves. They still get the flu just like the rest of the population, but they get it WORSE than the un-vaccinated group, who get the flu, recover, and have then a natural immunity to help prevent future attacks when the flu virus develops into a different strain, and reduce severity of future attacks.
Evidence proves the flu vaccine is a failure, ESPECIALLY in the very old, and the 2014-2015 annual flu vaccine in the USA does not cover half of the flu viruses in circulation. Even in years when the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) does get it better, vaccination does not protect the elderly against serious flu complications. The typical success rate for seniors is claimed to be 30% (which I call a 70% failure rate), even if we can believe them. Children now do not get the flu shot because of an alarming number of cases of severe health issues after the shot.
Governments also claim that if anyone still gets the flu after being vaccinated, then their symptoms will be milder, and they will recover around one day earlier. Of course, they omit to tell us that if we have a glass of lemon juice and water every day and forget the flu shot, we are less likely to get the flu at all, and if we do, the symptoms will be milder, and we will recover at least a day earlier, and our risk of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease will be substantially reduced! And if we add vitamin C, vitamin D3, vitamin A, probiotics, and stick to a healthy diet and avoid antibiotics, we will probably NOT get the flu at all!
LeanMachine changed his lifestyle completely at age 63, and 8 years later at age 71, has not had a cold, flu, any other illness, not even a headache!
There are very few studies on preventing disease without vaccinations, as there is no money in it for the big drug companies, but LeanMachine has embodied all he has learned in 8 years of research in a one-person study, proving to himself, if no one else, that vaccinations are not necessary.

The Flu vaccine causes miscarriages

Recent studies have shown that women who have the flu shot in at least two consecutive years, have increased risk of spontaneious abortions (Miscarriages) compare to women who do not get the shot.
This means that thousands of would-be babies have never been born alive and well, a disaster for the parents involved.
The drug companies put their spin on this situation, but no matter how they manipulate the data, the results come out the same.
This study was carried out by the CDC, who are pawns to the drug industry, so an independent study would have come out even worse.

Are non-vaccinated Children Healthier?

The flu shot effect on children:

The U.S. government still refuses to carry out a single study comparing vaccinated to non-vaccinated children, because “it would be unethical to deprive any child of the vaccine.”
However, nothing can be ethical without scientific validation. It’s a good thing we have all those full-time, non-physician bioethicists guiding the government and the academic medical research complex. Maybe they should all go back to Bioethics 101.
Fortunately, in 2012, scientists in Hong Kong did conduct a scientific test of vaccination on children.
It’s probably one of the few, if not the only, true scientific study on the effectiveness of flu vaccines in children conducted in recent years, and it revealed the absurdity of vaccination “science.”
The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, the same kind designed to study drugs before they are approved.
Of course, mainstream medical researchers insist upon using this methodology to assess natural therapies too, even when it is completely inadequate and inappropriate. But in this case, the design is perfect for demonstrating the effectiveness of a vaccine, or lack thereof, as it turned out.
Researchers divided the children into two groups.
The first group received the trivalent flu vaccine (meaning the vaccine contained three strains of influenza circulating that season).
The second group received a salt solution, a genuinely inactive treatment, as the placebo.
(Curiously, most vaccine trials use active placebos, or substances already found in the vaccines, which makes the results meaningless, but this fact is almost never revealed.)
Then, they followed the children for about nine months.
At the end of the trial period, the researchers said they found no “statistically significant” difference in the risk of influenza infection between the two groups. In other words, they found NO BENEFIT from the vaccine.
But when you look at the actual numbers, it is a different story.
In fact, 116 children in the vaccinated group caught the flu. But only 88 children in the placebo group got it. In other words, nearly 25 percent more children who received the flu vaccine got the flu compared to children who didn’t get the vaccine. I would hardly call that difference “statistically insignificant.”
And another interesting point…
The vaccinated children had evidence in their blood of antibodies against the flu, as you would expect when you inject a vaccine. The study authors suggested that the presence of these antibodies provided benefits to the children. But if the children still had the same or greater risk of actually getting the flu, then what difference did it make?
Clearly, the vaccine did NOT protect the children from getting sick in other ways either. In fact, the vaccinated group ended up getting almost six times more respiratory infections. To be more specific, the vaccinated group experienced 230 cases of rhinovirus (common cold) and the non-vaccinated placebo group experienced only 59 cases. That’s 75 percent fewer cases!
Furthermore, there were 160 cases of Coxsackie/Echovirus (Enterovirus, causing bronchiolitis, bronchitis and exacerbations of asthma) in the vaccinated group, but ZERO cases in the non-vaccinated placebo group.
Among other respiratory viruses, there were 97 in the vaccinated and only 88 in the placebo.
Of course, the common cold is not a life-threatening illness. Coxsackie and Echovirus usually just cause minor respiratory symptoms, although they both can also cause hepatitis, heart disorders, meningitis, and paralysis.
But these infections certainly aren’t enjoyable for children or their parents, and often lead to parents administering dangerous medications, like acetaminophen (also called Panadol, Paracetamol, Tylenol, etc), to alleviate their child’s symptoms. So why increase a child’s chances of coming down with one of these “harmless” viruses? And if viruses are harmless, then why vaccinate in the first place?
The study authors concluded in their report that the trivalent influenza vaccine “could increase influenza immunity” even though their results showed it INCREASED actual flu cases, and clearly reduced the children’s immunity against non-influenza respiratory viruses. They blamed this “unusual” finding of increased risk on some “unknown” biological mechanism.
“Unknown”? It is NOT unknown. In fact, vaccines interfere with normal immune system responses, so interfere with the ability to fight other infections. We have known about this phenomenon in virology for more than half a century.
On the contrary, this study gives us many “known” conclusions!
First, influenza vaccines provide NO BENEFIT.
Second, they carry a huge risk of other respiratory illnesses.
Third, they likely harm the normal immune response.
But the facts are up against the alphabet soup of CDC, FDA and NIH, as well as WHO, all heavily influenced by the big drug companies.
Henri Pasteur, a true pioneer of effective vaccination, would be rolling over in his grave at the current state of affairs. Or, perhaps shouting, “Sacre bleu.”

What is in Vaccines?

Ask the doctor for a copy of the package insert for every vaccine offered to us or our children.
What’s in that vial?
We created a fictional 15-month-old baby and entered the data into Vaxcalc.org that totals the ingredients for every vaccine offered.
For this exercise, our “baby” weighs 6.8kg (15 pounds) and is getting the following shots (recommended by the CDC):

  • Hep-A (Hepatitis A)
  • Hep-B (Hepatitis B)
  • Hib (Haemophilus Influenzae type B)
  • MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella)
  • PCV13 (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, normally offered to adults over 65)
  • Polio
  • Varicella (Chickenpox)

A scary list: 7  shots in one visit?
In contrast, in 1968 our “baby” would have been given only 3.
If our “baby” was in Iceland, there are no vaccinations at 15 months.
At 18 months, there are only 2.
Iceland’s child under 5 mortality rate: 1.25 per 1,000 live births.
USA’s child under 5 mortality rate: 5.82 per 1,000 live births, outrageous for the most expensive health system on Earth!

So, adding up all of those 7 shots, we have:

  • 3,300 mcg of 2-Phenoxyethanol
  • 500 mcg of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG)
  • 200 mcg of Polysorbate 80
  • 158 mcg of Formaldehyde
  • 40 ng of neomycin, plus a second exposure in an unknown amount
  • 25 mcg of pertussis toxin
  • 18.3 ng of casin, plus an unknown amount
  • 12.6 mg of lactose
  • 5 mcg of Polysorbate 20
  • 2 exposures to an unknown amount of Human Fetal Cells
  • 2 exposures (in unknown amounts) of soy peptone
  • 1 exposure to Recombinant (GMO) yeast
  • An unknown amount of fetal bovine serum
  • An unknown amount of Ammonium Sulphate
  • An unknown amount of EDTA
  • An unknown amount of Glutaraldehyde
  • 1,475 mcg of Aluminum

Looking at those ingredients, we have:

Our baby is injected with 1,475 mcg of Aluminium, but the Government’s “possibly safe” amount of Aluminium is just 38 mcg when in actual fact Aluminium is a toxic substance that simply does not belong in the body at all!
This is a total disregard for health and safety.

Our baby being injected with MSG and polysorbate 80 and polysorbate 20.
All are food additives known to be unsafe when eaten, let alone injected!

Formaldehyde is a highly toxic preservative that is known to cause cancer, particularly leukemia. What a start in life for a baby!

Casein, lactose, soy, and GMO yeast are all food allergies that are rising. Could this be because these proteins are being injected into babies?

Unknown amounts of human fetal cells are a cause for concern because these are cells from babies that have died, and who knows why they died, what toxins, viruses, diseases, etc those cells have?


These toxins in a single vaccine may be small enough to be classed as “safe” but when multiplied by the number of toxins a single visit, repeated year after year, of course they can reach very dangerous levels. Most have not been researched for safety when injected, or for safety combined with other toxic ingredients, or for safety when combined with many other vaccines.

Too many vaccinations?

Children in the USA are expected to get 48 doses of 14 vaccines by the time they’re just 6 years old. By age 18, federal public health officials say they should have gotten a total of 69 doses of 16 vaccines from day of birth to age 18. This “prescription” is supposed to keep children healthy and free of disease, but, incredible as it may sound, no scientific study has ever proven this to be the case.
The cost to immunize a child in 1985 when Dr Mercola started practice was about US$80. In 2016, largely because in the increase in the number of vaccines, plus general cost increases, that cost has risen to US$2,200. This is an ENORMOUS increase, and you can begin to imagine the amount of revenue that is being generated from forcing mandatory vaccinations on the entire population.
It seems painfully obvious that in order to justify the expense and the risk of side effects inherent in the U.S. vaccination schedule, it would have to be proven that this series of shots is actually effective, safe and better than receiving no shots at all. The only way to do this would be to compare the health of vaccinated children with that of non-vaccinated children, and see which group fares better.
But such a common-sense study comparing the health of vaccinated vs. non-vaccinated children has never been done in the United States for any vaccination!
That is, until now…

Vaccinated vs. non-vaccinated: Survey Reveals Who’s Healthier

In December 2010, a survey was initiated by www.vaccineinjury.info to compare the health of vaccinated children with non-vaccinated children. To date over 7,850 surveys have been submitted, and the study is ongoing, so if you have a non-vaccinated child (or are non-vaccinated yourself) and would like to submit his or her health data, you can do so here.
Though this is obviously not a double-blind controlled study, and depends on the individuals submitting the data to give accurate information, it is still incredibly revealing.
So far, the results show:

Health Condition Prevalence in Vaccinated Children Prevalence in non-vaccinated Children
Allergies 40% report at least one allergy Less than 10%
Asthma 6% 2.5%
Hayfever 10.7% of German children 2.5%
Neurodermatitis (an autoimmune disorder) 13% of German children 7%
ADHD 8% of German children, and another nearly 6% with borderline cases 1-2%
Middle ear infections 11% of German children Less than 0.5%
Sinusitis Over 32% of German children Less than 1%
Autism Approximately 1 in 100 Only 4 cases out of 7,800+ surveys (one child tested very high for metals, and another’s mother tested very high for mercury)

In the chart below, from www.vaccineinjury.info, we can see a direct comparison of health data from the KiGGs study (The German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents) versus the data from non-vaccinated children taking part in VaccineInjury.info’s survey:
Vaccine Injury Survey

There have been very few studies done on the consequences of vaccinations in the USA, but there was a 2017 study of children ages 6-12 in 4 different USA states that showed the following:

Health Condition Vaccinated Un-vaccinated
ADHD 4.7% 1.0%
Autism 4.7% 1.0%
Ear Infections 19.8% 5.8%
Pneumonia 6.4% 1.2%
Allergies 10.4% 0.4%
Eczema 9.5% 3.6%
Learning Disabilities 5.7% 1.2%
Developmental Disorders 10.5% 3.1%

Vaccines are not making children healthier!
Vaccines are making children sick!
The vaccinated children had lower rates of whooping cough (2.5%  vs 8.4%), rubella (0.3% vs 1.9%) and chickenpox (7.9% vs 25.3%).
However, these are transient diseases that resolved on their own, especially since un-vaccinated children have generally better immune systems than vaccinated children, so are more likely to quickly recover from childhood diseases without serious complications.
But autism, developmental disorders, learning disabilities, allergies etc are life-long problems. These conditions not only affect the lives of the affected children, but have a terrible impact on the parents.
The “dangerous childhood diseases” did occur less often in the vaccinated children, but they still occurred, so vaccinations do NOT “wipe out disease” and in some cases they can SPREAD disease, as in the Polio section of this article, or INCREASE RISK of disease or WORSEN didease.

Who are the “Anti-Vaxxers?

A 2004 study found which parents were refusing vaccinate children. The authors expected most to be uneducated, young, poor, idiots wearing tinfoil hats, etc, but the study found that most were sophisticated, well educated, older, and with a higher income. They had high scientific knowledge, also high level distrust of the medical system.

Vaccine Autism Connection

Although nearly every major vaccine “expert” will vehemently deny the connection between autism and vaccines, there is no question that it exists. They quote seriously flawed and biased research to support their position, and because it is published in scientific journals (which are in large part funded by the drug companies), most health care professionals and the public believe it.
However, objective analysis, like the one featured here, show what nearly every other study shows:
That the incidence of autism has increased to 1 in 100 in those that were vaccinated.
No one disagrees with this. What is fascinating is that the incidence in the non-vaccinated group was about one in 2,000 which is still more than in the past, but TWENTY times lower risk than in the vaccinated group.
Fortunately it appears that we do have a risk factor and a test that you can use that will help you understand if your child is at risk for autism.
After all, 99 kids in 100 did NOT get autism. So wouldn’t it be great to identify the risk factor BEFORE you vaccinate your child and correct it? Remember, we are all about SAFE vaccine policies and radically lowering their risk. It is up to parents to review the evidence and make the choice, but if you decide to vaccinate I could not more strongly recommend listening to the interview Dr Mercola did with Dr. McBride, and follow her screening and treatment recommendations.

Make Sure You Believe in Artificial Immunity Before You Vaccinate

It is quite clear from the data above that vaccinated children are not healthier than their non-vaccinated peers, despite what the public health agencies would like you to believe. What is not clear is why vaccinated children appear to be sicker, and although this survey does not establish cause and effect, it does suggest that the vaccinations themselves are involved.
There are numerous mechanisms by which a vaccine could potentially damage your health:
Contamination, adjuvants, and preservatives like mercury, to name just a few. But an often-overlooked component is the very way in which they are intended to build your immunity, which is artificially. The presumed intent of a vaccination is to help you build immunity to potentially harmful organisms that cause illness and disease. However, your body’s immune system is already designed to do this in response to organisms that invade your body naturally.
Most disease-causing organisms enter your body through the mucous membranes of your nose, mouth, pulmonary system or your digestive tract, NOT through an injection.
These mucous membranes have their own immune system, called the IgA immune system. It is a different system from the one activated when a vaccine is injected into the body. Our IgA immune system is our first line of defence, by fighting off invading organisms at the entry points, reducing or even eliminating the need for activation of the body’s immune system.
However, when a virus is injected into your body in a vaccine, and especially when combined with an immune adjuvant, our IgA immune system is bypassed and our body’s immune system kicks into high gear in response to the vaccination. Adjuvants can trigger unwanted immune responses, as they can cause your immune system to over-react to the introduction of the organism you’re being vaccinated against.
According to Barbara Loe Fisher, president and co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center:
“Vaccines are supposed to fool your body’s immune system into producing antibodies to resist viral and bacterial infection in the same way that actually having the disease usually produces immunity to future infection.
But vaccines atypically introduce into the human body lab-altered live viruses and killed bacteria along with chemicals, metals, drugs and other additives such as formaldehyde, aluminum, mercury, monosodium glutamate, sodium phosphate, phenoxyethanol, gelatin, sulfites, yeast protein, antibiotics as well as unknown amounts of RNA and DNA from animal and human cell tissue cultures.
Whereas natural recovery from many infectious diseases usually stimulates lifetime immunity, vaccines only provide temporary protection and most vaccines require “booster” doses to extend vaccine-induced artificial immunity.
The fact that man-made vaccines cannot replicate the body’s natural experience with the disease is one of the key points of contention between those who insist that mankind cannot live without mass use of multiple vaccines and those who believe that mankind’s biological integrity will be severely compromised by their continued use.”

Why did Australia, Europe, and the U.S. Ban the Flu Vaccine for Children Under 5?

In 2010, Australia temporarily suspended its seasonal flu program for children under the age of five after detecting an abnormal number of side effects within 12 hours of vaccination, compared to previous years.
The vaccine in question was Fluvax, manufactured by CSL Limited. Side effects included high fevers and seizures, and one infant also lapsed into a coma.
After a three-month investigation, the Australian Department of Health resumed seasonal flu vaccinations for young children, stating that “the higher than usual occurrence of fever and febrile convulsions appears to be confined to the vaccine Fluvax” and advised parents to continue vaccinating their children with another brand. The link to this study has now disappeared…
Now, however, it’s being reported that an 18-month investigation by CSL found the reactions appear to have occurred due to the combination of swine flu and seasonal flu strains in the vaccine, a mix that had never before been concocted.
CSL reported:
“Our scientific studies indicate that the interaction between the particular virus strains used in the 2010 … vaccine contributed to the reactions, but we are still working to understand the how and why.”
The Fluvax vaccine has now been banned for children under 5 in Australia, Europe and the United States due to the increased rate of convulsions in children who received the vaccine. Meanwhile, the swine flu vaccine even on its own has been linked to unusual side effects as well. In fact, new data from Sweden, released at the end of June, show the vaccine raises the risk of narcolepsy by nearly 660 percent!
Vaccines do not cause problems for everyone who receives them, but when they do, it can be a disaster. The reaction may be acute, such as fever or swelling, or it may be chronic and show up much later, such as narcolepsy or an increased propensity for allergies and autoimmune diseases. Long-term health outcomes post-vaccination are typically not studied, so surveys like the one noted above are now offering the first real look at the potential long-term health risks of vaccination.
Remember that when you or your child is injured by a vaccine, the risks are 100 percent, and you will be left to deal with the consequences.

FluMist Worthless Against Influenza

The Washington Post wrote about why the FluMist vaccine suddenly stopped working.
This spray form of the flu vaccine was preferred over the injected form for children between 2 and 8 years old. FluMIst is a “live attenuated vaccine”, meaning it contains a live but weakened version of the flu virus.
However, a CDC advisory panel found that the nasal spray “was so ineffective that it should not be used by anyone during the 2016 to 2017 season.”
Data from the 2015 Winter showed FluMist to be only 3% effective in 2 to 17 year old children. Nearly all who received FluMist risked their health for nearly zero benefit!
MedImmune are the makers of FluMist, and have not determined why their product fails.
The Washington Post reported:
“In any given flu season, vaccine effectiveness varies. One factor is how well the vaccines match the virus that is actually prevalent. Other factors include the age and general health of the recipient. In the overall population, the CDC says studies show vaccines can reduce the risk of flu by about 50 to 60 percent when the vaccines are well matched. Now, researchers are trying to find a common factor behind FluMist’s recent incidents of poor performance.”
Researchers will attempt discover if the flu vaccine loses effectiveness when given to a child who has been previously vaccinated against influenza several times.
I consider that the vaccine makers do not know as much about their products as they say, but despite this, they insist that vaccines are beneficial and worth almost any risk to the population to protect society at large.
So – before you decide to get a flu shot, or any vaccination, for yourself or your child, remember that some vaccines can cause serious health problems, and when it comes to pandemic vaccines like the H1N1 swine flu vaccine, these risks may be magnified due to them being fast-tracked.
Further, in many cases there are far safer ways to protect your children and yourself against disease, and you just might wind up being inherently healthier for it in the future.

HPV – Gardasil – The Killer Vaccine

Colton Berrett and his mother Kathleen Berrett share his vaccine injury experience after receiving the Gardasil vaccine.
Interview by Polly Tommey, Produced by Joshua Coleman and Polly Tommey with camera and editing by Joshua Coleman.

Do not let this happen to your children!

In Waukesha, Wisconsin, a 12 year old girl (Meredith Prohaska) suddenly died, only hours after receiving the HPV Gardasil vaccine.
This was an enormous shock to the girl’s family, and local media was asking the questions: How could this happen?
Dr. Geoffrey Swain of the local health department was interviewed to give the standard CDC reply, which is similar to almost every other vaccine, stating that severe reactions like this resulting in death are “very rare,” and about “1 out of a million”.
Assuming that there is some data to back up the claim of only “1 out of a million,” how many doses of the HPV vaccine are administered every year? According to statistics (July 2014) published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 9 million per year. So the government admits that at least 9 girls per year are killed by the HPV vaccine. How many parents know this prior to taking a doctor’s advice to administer this vaccine that is supposedly a protection against cervical cancer caused by the HPV (human papillomavirus), a sexually transmitted disease?
Since the HPV vaccinations began, almost 200 girls have died (up to around 2017), and thousands more physically maimed for life, with many of those perhaps wishing that they were the ones who have died, their injuries so severe they can never have a normal life, never bear children, never get out of a wheel chair.
After the news announcement that Meredith Prohaska had died from receiving the HPV vaccine, at least one other parent contacted a local news station to report that her 17-year-old daughter also had a serious adverse reaction to the HPV vaccine, requiring urgent care at a local hospital. The local news affiliate asked the question: “So what are the odds another local girl had a similar reaction after getting the shot?”
Here is the report:
The local news media, possibly covering the HPV vaccine for the first time, were all quick to interview and provide links to the official CDC view of the vaccine.
But here are some other facts regarding the vaccine that they failed to disclose, probably because they did not take the time to look outside of the standard government response to events like this, or their station managers did not allow them to give any other news outside of what the CDC claims.
1. There are many more reported side effects than just death from the HPV vaccine. Human papilloma virus vaccine has caused primary ovarian failure. Another problem of the autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants.
Australian pediatrician, Dr. Deirdre Little, was the first to sound the alarm over the HPV vaccine causing premature menopause when she observed it in one of her 16 year old patients in 2012. Two sisters from Wisconsin say a cervical cancer vaccine shut down their ovaries and almost certainly left them never able to get pregnant.
The Cochrane Nordic Center reported that the EMA (European Medicines Agency) ignored data showing the severe adverse events associated with the HPV vaccine. Functional disorders were shown to be caused by the vaccine or the adjuvants used in the vaccine.
The EMA’s internal 256-page report contradicts the final 40-page official report. Chochrane said “We find that the EMA’s comments are unprofessional, misleading, inappropriate and pejorative, and that the EMA’s approach involves cherry-picking, which is unscientific.”
The Uppsala centre compared reported adverse events following HPV vaccination with all other vaccines given to women, and found that the HPV vaccine has a FAR greater risk of severe side effects than ANY other vaccine!
And the EMA still claims no conclusions could be drawn from the following official data:

  • POTS reported 82 times for HPV vaccines vs only 1 time for other vaccines
  • CRPS reported 69 times for HPV vaccines vs only 16 times for other vaccines
  • Autonomic nervous system imbalance reported 77 times for HPV vaccines vs 16 times for other vaccines
  • Fibromyalgia reported 62 times for HPV vaccines versus 39 times for other vaccines

Disorders Linked to HPV Vaccine:

  • CFS (Chronic fatigue syndrome)
  • POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)
  • CRPS (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome)
  • Premature menopause
  • Infertility
  • Narcolepsy and/or Cataplexy
  • Autoimmune Disorders
  • Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS)
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Autonomic nervous system issues
  • Stroke
  • Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
  • Appendicitis
  • Seizures
  • Syncope (fainting)
  • Allergic reactions

2. Countries Outside the U.S. Are Halting HPV Vaccines: Lawsuits due to Damages are Mounting.

  • Gardasil Vaccine: Spain Joins Growing List of Countries to File Criminal Complaints
  • Supreme Court in India to Rule on Merck Fraud Regarding HPV Vaccine Deaths
  • Merck’s Former Doctor Predicts that Gardasil will Become the Greatest Medical Scandal of All Time.
  • Japan Halts HPV Vaccine and Begins Full-Scale Probe over Safety Issues.
  • Ten more young women file criminal complaints due to injuries from Gardasil Vaccine in France.
  • Israel Health Ministry considers canceling HPV vaccination due to side effects.

3. We Cannot Sue the Manufacturer of Vaccines in the U.S. because they have total legal immunity!
Most of the U.S. public is unaware that a U.S. citizen, by law, cannot sue a pharmaceutical company for damages resulting from vaccines. Congress gave them total legal immunity in 1986, and that law was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011. There is a special “vaccine court” called the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program that is funded through a tax on vaccines. If you are injured or killed by a vaccine, you must hire an attorney and fight tax-funded government attorneys to seek damages, as you cannot sue the drug manufacturers. It can take 10 years or longer to win your case and be compensated. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services usually publishes a report every couple of months on settlements on their website.
So from 1986, the vaccine manufacturers saw an enormous money-pit, where they started inventing new vaccines for every disease imaginable, and why not? They did not have to advertise to get sales, they just had their puppets and shareholders at the CDC and Government mandate the vaccinations as compulsory.
They could not get sued, so it did not matter if the vaccine did not work, or if it killed or maimed people. They got away scot-free to continue doing it to this day.
4. The U.S. Government Earns Royalties from the sale of the Gardasil HPV Vaccine.
Dr. Eric Suba tried to use the Freedom of Information Act to find out how much money the National Institute of Health (NIH) earned from the sale of Gardasil, but they refused to report the amount of revenue the government earns from this vaccine (although not denying they do earn royalties).
5. Conflict of Interest.
Julie Gerberding was in charge of the CDC (Center for Disease Control) from 2002 to 2009, which includes the years the FDA approved Gardasil as a vaccine. Soon after she took over the CDC, she reportedly completely overhauled the agency’s organizational structure. Many of the CDC’s senior scientists and leaders either left or announced plans to leave. Some have claimed that almost all of the replacements Julie Gerberding appointed had ties to the vaccine industry. Gerberding resigned from the CDC on January 20, 2009, and is now the president of Merck’s Vaccine division, a 5 billion dollar a year operation, and the supplier of the largest number of vaccines the CDC recommends.
6. Black women who are vaccinated with Gardasil are vaccinated against the wrong strains.
Scientists at the Duke University School of Medicine discovered that African American women carry HPV strains not found in the Gardasil vaccine. Moshella Roberts, a 20-year-old African American woman died needlessly from the HPV vaccine.
Although some local news affiliates report deaths and injuries from the Gardasil vaccine, they do not research or present all of the facts, they simply copy what the CDC says. Many fear to raise the issue of the “Gardasil controversy” because it may jeopardize their journalistic careers, and can be forced to apologise for even suggesting the HPV vaccine is not totally safe.
So – conduct your own research before making any decisions on any vaccine, especially the HPV (Gardasil) vaccine!

Vaccine Reaction Symptoms

Symptoms may include any or many of the following, but often viewed by doctors as unrelated to the vaccine:

  • Pronounced swelling, redness, heat or hardness at the injection site
  • Body rash or hives
  • Shock
  • Collapse
  • High pitched screaming or persistent crying for hours
  • Extreme sleepiness or long periods of unresponsiveness
  • Twitching or jerking of the body, arm, leg or head
  • Crossing of eyes
  • Weakness or paralysis of any part of the body
  • Loss of ability to roll over, sit up or stand up
  • Loss of eye contact or awareness, or social withdrawal
  • Head banging or onset of repetitive movements (flapping, rubbing, rocking, spinning)
  • High fever (over 39.5 degrees C or 103 degrees F)
  • Vision or hearing loss
  • Restlessness, hyperactivity or inability to concentrate
  • Sleep disturbances that change wake/sleep pattern
  • Joint pain or muscle weakness
  • Disabling fatigue
  • Loss of memory
  • Chronic ear infections
  • Respiratory infections
  • Violent or persistent diarrhea or chronic constipation
  • Breathing problems (asthma)
  • Excessive bleeding (thrombocytopenia) or anemia

There can be many other symptoms that may indicate that you or your child has suffered a vaccine reaction.
Not all symptoms following vaccination are caused by the vaccine received, but it cannot be automatically concluded that symptoms are NOT related to the vaccine. Unfortunately, adverse reactions to vaccines are under-reported, often because mild symptoms can be vague, and many doctors would rather blame a virus rather than admit their action caused the problem. Some say only 10% are reported, while others say less than 1% are reported. It is very important that the doctor records all health problems occurring after vaccination in the patient’s permanent medical record, also to report any symptoms to the TGA in Australia, or VAERS in the USA. Any re-vaccination MUST be postponed until the issue developed after vaccination has been investigated and found absolutely unrelated to the vaccination.
Continued vaccination after serious health problems may lead to injury or death.

December 2023: Hundreds of lawsuits against Merck for HPV injuries while Merck still advertises “HPV vaccine is Safe and Effective”.
Read the article: https://www.leanmachine.com.au/watch-gardasils-hpv-vaccine-experts-weigh-in-on-risks-deceptive-ad-campaigns-and-lawsuits
Crime: Australian inventor of the HPV vaccine Ian Frazer, has received multiple awards and is claimed a hero by various cancer organisations in Australia and overseas.
A pity that none of these awards appear to have been stripped…

How to Reduce Risk of Disease Without a Vaccine

The best defense against any disease is a strong immune system, but vaccines can compromise immunity rather than build immunity.
Building the immune system naturally is essential for resistance to all disease.
Research proves that vitamin D is essential for optimal health, but Australia’s 30-year “Slip, Slop, Slap” campaign to keep everyone out of the sun has been the biggest disaster of all time, causing countless deaths from cancer and other diseases, all because of sub-optimal Vitamin D.
For more info, read my article vitamin D
Our immune system determines whether we get sick or not when we are exposed to any infectious disease. The main keys to immunity are:

  • Healthy, natural food, not processed food
  • Stress free living
  • Good sleep
  • Regular exercise
  • Sunlight and Vitamin D

For more information, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is a great resource, with objective and unbiased information.
Everyone has the right to the ability to make intelligent, informed decisions about which vaccines you may want for ourselves and our families.

The LeanMachine Experience

LeanMachine always had several bouts of cold and flu every year until the age of 63. Then came a complete change of lifestyle: Sugar, processed foods, dairy, fluoride and other toxins were removed from the diet. Supplements of minerals and vitamins (especially Vitamin D3) were added to the diet. Since then, now almost 14 years down the track at age 77:
Zero colds, flu, not even a headache, allergies disappeared, more energy, obese build now lean with a loss of 25kg.
No vaccinations of any kind.
Same goes for Mrs LeanMachine, no colds or flu and no vaccinations, yet we have both been heavily exposed to all diseases at shopping centres, meetings, etc where everyone around us is coughing, spluttering, sneezing. High blood pressure and diabetes are gone, and now zero medications.

Disclaimer

LeanMachine is not a doctor, and everyone should consult with their own health professional before taking any product or advice to ensure there is no conflict with existing prescription medication.
LeanMachine has been studying nutrition and health since 2010 and has completed many relevant studies including:
Open2Study, Australia – Food, Nutrition and Your Health
RMIT University, Australia – Foundations of Psychology
Swinburne University of Technology, Australia – Chemistry – Building Blocks of the World
University of Washington, USA – Energy, Diet and Weight
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – Health Issues for Aging Populations
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – International Nutrition
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – Methods in Biostatistics I
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – Methods in Biostatistics II
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA – Principles of Human Nutrition
TUFTS University, USA – Nutrition and Medicine
TUFTS University, USA – Lipids/Cardiovascular Disease I and Lipids/Cardiovascular Disease II
Technical Learning College, USA – Western Herbology, Identification, Formulas
Bath University, England – Inside Cancer
WebMD Education – The Link Between Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation
WebMD Education – High Potassium: Causes and Reasons to Treat
Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands – Anatomy of the Abdomen and Pelvis
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) – A Clinical Approach to the Human Brain
LeanMachine has now examined thousands of studies, journals and reports related to health and nutrition and this research is ongoing.

Copyright [c] 1999-[y] Brenton Wight and BJ & HJ Wight trading as Lean Machine abn 55293601285. All Rights Reserved.

Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma


Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/10/27/healing-after-trauma.aspx

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola  – Fact Checked
October 27, 2019

To view video, go to originat article above.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • About 60% of U.S. adults report being significantly abused or neglected as children. Typically, childhood trauma leaves far deeper scars than trauma inflicted later in life
  • When trauma occurs, whether the injury is to your body, mind or spirit, two basic processes are activated. The first to be activated is the fight-or-flight response. If you cannot fight or flee, the freeze response is activated
  • The fight-or-flight response is a lifesaving adaptation that helps you stay safe in dangerous situations. However, it’s designed to be activated and deactivated rapidly. Problems arise when you get stuck in the fight-or-flight response
  • The continued activation of the fight-or-flight and freeze responses are the essence of post-traumatic stress. It keeps you locked in the past, to the traumatic event, which keeps replaying in our body and mind
  • Dr. James Gordon’s book, “The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma” details a program anyone can learn and apply to help heal the effects of traumatic experiences

Dr. James Gordon is a Harvard-educated psychiatrist who uses self-care strategies and group support to help patients heal from psychological trauma. In this interview, he shares some of those strategies, which are also detailed in his book “The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma.”

Gordon is also the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) in Washington, D.C., and is a clinical professor at Georgetown Medical School. During his presidency, President Bill Clinton appointed Gordon chairman of the National Advisory Council to the National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine.

“The basic idea of the book and of the work I’ve been doing now for 50 years is that all of us have the capacity to understand and help ourselves,” Gordon says.

“We have far greater capacity than we ordinarily understand. And then when trauma comes to us … and trauma is going to come to all of us sooner or later in our lives, we can use techniques of self-care.

We can reach out to other people. We can not only bring ourselves back into balance and enhance our resilience, but we can also use trauma as an opportunity to transform our lives as we work through the challenges that trauma brings …

In ‘The Transformation’ … I lay out a comprehensive program so that anybody … can use [it] as a guidebook and map for meeting the challenges that trauma brings; for working through them and coming out the other side and experiencing this transformation.

It’s the same program we’ve been using at the CMBM now for almost 30 years, both here in the United States … working with veterans, working with people in cities and rural communities affected by climate-related disasters and school shootings.

We’re also using it around the world, in countries that have been devastated by war, terrorism, poverty and ongoing violence. It’s a model that’s been tested. We’ve published a great deal of research on it. It works. Best of all, anyone can learn to use it.”

Trauma Is a Virtually Inevitable Part of Life

According to Gordon, a recent U.S. survey found 60% of U.S. adults reported being significantly abused or neglected as children. Even if you had the good fortune to grow up in a loving and supportive family, you’re still likely going to experience some form of trauma at some point.

It could be a challenging separation or divorce, a child’s illness, chronic disease or the sudden death of a loved one. An astounding percentage of women also report having been raped or abused within a primary relationship.

“If we don’t experience trauma in our midlife, we certainly will if we live long enough to grow old,” Gordon says. “When we become frail and deal with the losses of people we love and with our own inevitable death, this understanding that trauma is a part of life is the wise teaching of religious and spiritual traditions.

All aboriginal people all over the planet understand this. I think in the modern Western world, we’ve come up with this idea that everything should be OK all the time.

We tend to believe there’s something really wrong if some misfortune comes to us or if we face a major challenge, and that makes it harder for us to deal with the challenges that inevitably come up.

The skills and tools I teach are ways of dealing with the trauma that comes to us and also ways of equipping ourselves to be more resilient when challenges inevitably do come.”

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The Importance of Healing Childhood Trauma

In his book, Gordon addresses ACES, which is an acronym for “adverse childhood experiences.” He mentions that about a quarter of the adult population that is well-educated and financially secure report such experiences, and resolving the trauma from childhood is vital for health and well-being.

Typically, childhood trauma leaves far deeper scars than trauma inflicted later in life. Gordon explains:

“Childhood trauma, especially when it comes from those people whom we depend on — parents or other caregivers — is often much more severe, because these are the people to whom we look for comfort and care.

When they betray that trust, when they break that bond with us, we’re in a terrible bind because we have to keep on looking to them for care. We look to them for security.

At the same time, they may be betraying us on a daily basis … Even if it seems rather subtle, if you feel continuing disapproval … it goes very deep into the child, and the child has a sense that, ‘I’m not worthy. Maybe I should be treated badly. Maybe I’m not important after all.’ That stays with them through adult life.

One of the challenges and one of the issues that I address early on in ‘The Transformation’ is a need to become aware of these feelings that we carry around with us … Sometimes, for example, people will be mistrustful in their relationships as adults. They may wonder, ‘Well, why am I so mistrustful?’ They can come up with lots of reasons why.

But at a certain point, many people have a sense that, ‘There’s something going on. Maybe it’s not the people I’m meeting right now or the people I’m relating to right now. Maybe it has something to do with what happened back then.’

The trauma of childhood, first of all, needs to be realized. We need to understand that it actually happened. We need to come to accept it, and then we can begin to deal with it. It’s often … a more complicated process [than] dealing with a very major traumatic event that comes to us in our adult life.”

Healing the Trauma of War

Gordon founded CMBM in 1991. From the beginning, it was an educational organization. Initially, they trained clinicians in the U.S. on how to use techniques such as meditation, guided imagery, movement and self-expression through art and writing.

Shortly after the Peace Accords were signed in 1996, Gordon and Dr. Susan Lord, a family physician, traveled to Bosnia to see whether their work might be useful there. Heads of public health, the head of the Islamic University, the monsignor of the Catholic Church all welcomed them.

“We realized that the trauma had set in so deeply. The trauma had disturbed just about everyone’s physiology and their psychology.

What we saw were people in chronic fight-or-flight — anxious, agitated, drinking to subdue their symptoms — people who were withdrawn and unable to connect with each other because not only had the fight-or-flight response persisted, but they had also shut down to protect themselves (the freeze response).”

As soon as the war in Kosovo started, Gordon and Lord knew they needed to go there and start working on trauma support. “This is a lesson for anyone who is watching or listening to us: The time is to start as soon as you realize the trauma is there,” he says. Together with The Center for Mind-Body Medicine faculty, they trained 600 people in Kosovo, including all 240 who staffed the newly established community mental health system.

“Our model became central to all of mental health in Kosovo,” Gordon says. “Kosovo is actually the first country in the world where mind-body medicine is a completely integrated part of the health care system …

Some of the people we trained were teachers in a rural high school. They began to teach our method of self-care to high school students. Eighty percent of these students had had their homes destroyed and 20% had lost one or both parents. They were very severely traumatized kids.

The high school teachers formed small groups and taught the kids these techniques of self-care, the same ones that I present in ‘The Transformation.’

Eighty-five percent of the kids who began those groups with post-traumatic stress disorder, (PTSD) — qualifying for that diagnosis — no longer had it after 11 weeks and those gains held at three months’ follow-up.

We published the research — the first randomized controlled trial of ANY intervention with war-traumatized children — in a major psychiatric journal. This is very important for many reasons. One is that the method works. The second is that you don’t need to be a psychiatrist or a psychologist to teach people these techniques … somebody who’s … learning them from [reading] ‘The Transformation’ can also get the same kind of benefits.”

Gordon was soon invited to come to Gaza by an Israeli and a Palestinian psychologist, both of whom were reporting the same thing: The trauma caused by the ongoing conflict was hurting the children, and they didn’t know what to do about it. Seventeen years later, CMBM is the only organization working on a large-scale with psychological trauma on both sides of that still very big and very painful divide.

Hopelessness to Healing 15 Years Later — An Example

During the 2014 war that killed some 2,000 people in Gaza, including 500 children, the CMBM team fanned out and began teaching in every part of the territory. Gordon tells the story of one 9-year-old girl named Azhaar Jendia:

“In the first of a series of our groups … we ask everybody to draw three pictures … yourself … yourself with your biggest problem, [and] yourself with your problem solved. Usually, the second drawing helps people to focus on what the biggest problem is … There are so many things that are distressing. The drawing helps to focus.

The third drawing is usually very hopeful, because it taps into our imagination to create a solution to the problem.

In Azhaar’s second drawing, the biggest problem, she drew herself as a tiny little stick figure in the corner of the page with her mouth turned down in sadness. Occupying the page was a scene of carnage and destruction. Her home was falling down.

Overhead, there were planes that were bombing her home. On the ground, next to her destroyed home, soaked in red blood was her dead father. Next to him were two uncles … [and] her aunt, who were also killed in the bombing …

It was very distressing to see the second drawing. But the solution she came up with in the third drawing was even more distressing. In the solution, she was lying next to her father in a coffin in the ground. When I asked her what was going on, she said, ‘I am with my father again. He is dead. There is no reason for me to be alive. I want the Israelis to kill me.’

Five months after the war, and other kids in the group had similar kinds of pictures. In nine sessions, once again led by a teacher, Azhaar learned the practice of self-awareness and self-care. She learned different kinds of meditation. She used mental imagery. She moved her body actively to free up the stress and the tension.

Azhaar did written dialogues with some of the symptoms she was having. She drew a genogram, a family tree,. She imagined the sources of support from her family.

In the final, ninth group, she did some drawings again. This time, when she drew who she wanted to be, which is equivalent to the solution to her problem, she drew herself in a white coat with a stethoscope around her neck, the earpieces of the stethoscope in her ears and the resonator on the chest of a person lying on a table in front of her.

I said, ‘What’s going on here?’ She said, ‘I am a heart doctor. This is my patient on my examining table. Since the war in 2014 here in Gaza, so many people have hurt their hearts. I am taking care of them.’

There were five other figures standing next to the examining table. I said, ‘And who are these, Azhaar?’ She said, ‘Oh, those are my other patients. They’re waiting for me. There are many people who need my help.’

This is a very dramatic story of a little girl. Five months after the war, the only solution to her problem, to the destruction, to the loss, was to die, to be killed.

 Coming through this group, learning how to regulate her body, regulate the fight-or-flight response with quiet meditation, how to break up fixed patterns and tension with movement, how to use imaginative techniques to come up with solutions to problems, she herself discovered a way to move forward with her life …

This is what is possible, even for people who have been severely traumatized — not only to recover from the trauma and to build resilience, but to discover possibilities they have never even dreamed of before they were traumatized.”

The Fight-Or-Flight Response

While there are certainly other techniques for healing trauma, Gordon believes his approaches are foundational, as they help rebalance your body and nervous system. This alone can be transformative.

The basic idea is that when trauma occurs, whether the injury is to your body, mind or spirit, two basic processes are activated. The first is the fight-or-flight response, which when activated increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Blood is shunted from digestion into tensing muscles, heart and lungs. Stress hormones are produced to help you fight or run.

While crucial in acute situations of danger, the fight-or-flight response is meant to be turned on and back off quickly. As soon as you’re out of immediate danger, you’re supposed to return back to balance, feeling safe and at ease. Problems arise when we go into fight-or-flight and stay there long after a traumatic event is over.

“Sometimes it’s because the trauma is ongoing. That’s what happens to kids who are in abusive or neglectful situations. But sometimes, we’ve experienced a traumatic event and we’re stuck in that fight-or-flight. It’s like our foot is on the accelerator and we can’t take it off.

So, we become anxious and agitated. We have trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating. We’re impatient with other people, impatient with ourselves. Also, we’re stuck in that past. We replay the images, the images of someone abusing us, someone assaulting us or a boss treating us badly or what happened to us when we were deployed …”

The Freeze Response

The second process activated by trauma is the freeze response. Fight-or-flight is part of the sympathetic nervous system, which is one-half of the autonomic nervous system. The other half of the autonomic nervous system is the parasympathetic nervous system.

“In general, we’re trying to mobilize the parasympathetic nervous system to balance out fight-or-flight,” Gordon explains. “But sometimes, if the situation is so overwhelming and so inescapable, we go into what is called the freeze response, which is mediated and governed by the oldest part of the parasympathetic nervous system, deep in the mid-brain.

We just shut down; we collapse. We put out large amounts of endorphins to protect us against the pain that’s there. We distance ourselves because the trauma is so overwhelming and inescapable. We can’t do anything else except shut down our bodies and close off our minds.

This happens, for example, to children who were abused by their parents, because the abuse is terrible and they can’t get away from it. It happens to people who were assaulted by others who are much more powerful than they are. It happens when we’re raped. It happens in a warzone when we can’t get away and we can’t fight. We’re just overpowered by the situation.”

When these two responses — fight-or-flight and freeze — continue, they are the essence of post-traumatic stress. “One way to look at it is that post-traumatic stress keeps us chained to the past, to the traumatic events, which we keep on replaying in our body and mind,” Gordon explains. “We’re worried it will happen again.”

The essence of healing psychological trauma is to return back into the present moment because, when traumatized, you’re chained to what happened in the past. You worry it will happen again. If you can relax and come into the present, then the trauma starts to dissipate.

Creating a Foundation for Healing

The first technique taught in Gordon’s program is slow, deep, “Soft Belly” breathing for eight to 10 minutes. Simply breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, keeping your belly soft and relaxed. Closing your eyes will help eliminate external stimulation. As you do this, pay attention to your breath and allow your muscles to relax.

“This is technically a concentrative meditation,” Gordon says. “You are focusing on the breath, on the words ‘soft’ as you breathe in, and ‘belly’ as your breathe out, and on the feeling of your belly softening, relaxing. It is the antidote to the fight-or-flight response. It activates the vagus nerve, which slows heartrate, lowers blood pressure, helps us relax the big muscles, improves our digestion.

It quiets centers in the brain, like the amygdala in the emotional brain, that are responsible for fear and anger, and stimulates centers in the frontal part of our cerebral cortex that make us more self-aware, more thoughtful, more capable of decision-making, more able to be compassionate to other people and to ourselves.

This is the place to begin. This becomes a foundation for learning all the other techniques, because if we’re in this relaxed moment-to-moment awareness, then it’s much easier to use the techniques that mobilize our imagination.

It also becomes easier to use the active, physical techniques that can break up the frozen tension that’s in our bodies. It’s important to know that, when we’re dealing with psychological trauma, we need to work with our bodies, as well as our minds and our imagination.”

Other Self-Healing Techniques

“Shaking and Dancing” is one of these active techniques. It is technically an “expressive meditation,” designed to loosen our trauma-tensed bodies and relax and open our preoccupied minds. Here’s how you do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your knees bent, and start shaking from your feet up through your knees and hips to your shoulders, chest and head.

Continue for five to seven minutes. “Shaking begins to break up the fixed patterns that have come into our bodies when we’ve been traumatized,” Gordon explains. The physical shaking also loosens the repeating thoughts that intrude in your mind, and opens you up to emotions that have been suppressed and repressed.

“Sometimes it’s sadness. Sometimes it’s anger. Sometimes it’s fear. Sometimes it’s laughter,” Gordon says. “We do that for five or six minutes. And then stop and stand and relax and be aware, be mindful of the breath and the body.”

After that, Gordon suggests putting on energizing music that you find uplifting, something that raises your spirits. Then allow your body to move to the music in whatever way it wants.

“’Shaking and Dancing’ breaks up patterns that come from both fight-or-flight and freezing. It allows emotions to come up. It gives us a little time for mindfulness to become aware of what came up in our body as we did the shaking. And then it gives us a chance to express ourselves in dance, to feel some freedom,” Gordon says.

These three are basic — the Soft Belly breathing, the drawings and the Shaking and Dancing. Once you’re in a state of increased equilibrium — balancing out the fight-or-flight response and bringing yourself out of the freeze response, you can use all the other techniques I teach.

These include guided imagery, written dialogues, biofeedback and autogenic training (phrases that mobilize the parasympathetic nervous system and help us rest and digest), and many others — walking, meditation, mindful eating, being in nature and with animals, laughter, gratitude, and forgiveness.

The Trauma Healing Diet

When we’re psychologically traumatized, our GI tract, from the mouth to the anus, suffers just as much as our brain. Every aspect of digestion is significantly disrupted. We need to restore functioning. Techniques like Soft Belly, which quiet the fight-or-flight response and allow your digestion to operate more efficiently, are part of the healing process.

“There are also many dietary changes we can make that can make a major difference in how we feel and how quickly and well we recover from trauma … If we eat a basic healthy diet and eliminate food additives and preservatives, that, in itself, is going to help your gut to heal,” Gordon says.

“I also suggest people eliminate gluten-containing foods and stay away from milk products until their gut is restored. Trauma often opens spaces between the cells that line the small intestine and these grain and milk proteins can then enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation everywhere in our body, including our brain.

We need to supplement with probiotics. I would also add … a multivitamin, multi-mineral supplement. There’s an interesting study done in New Zealand after the earthquake there, a very good randomized controlled trial, showing that people who took a high-dose multivitamin and multi-mineral [supplement] had far fewer symptoms of psychological trauma than those who did not.”

More Information

If you or someone you know is struggling with trauma, I urge you to get Gordon’s book, “The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma,” and start working through the program. You have nothing to lose but your pain. The book will also be an invaluable resource for anyone working with traumatized individuals or patients.

“My goal with ‘The Transformation’ is to make this work available to anyone who wants to deal with the trauma that may have come to them and also to help them — to help all of us — discover our own healing path, our own path to becoming who we’re meant to be,” Gordon says.

If you want to take it to the next level and either work with a CMBM facilitator for one-on-one guidance, or if you want to become a facilitator yourself, go to CMBM.org.

There, you’ll find a listing of practitioners trained in the CMBM model, as well as information about CMBM professional training programs, workshops, webinars, conferences and much more. To allow as many people as possible to learn these techniques, CMBM charges on a sliding scale, based on your ability to pay.

“About 40% of the people who come to our trainings here in the United States come on scholarship,” Gordon says. “We want our work to help all those who want to serve and help others to use what we have to offer. We are a community of healers and a healing community … Come and be part of our community. Our community is here to support you in your life and in your work.”

Osteoporosis Is Scurvy of the Bone, Not Calcium Deficiency

© 20th September 2019 GreenMedInfo LLC. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of GreenMedInfo LLC. Want to learn more from GreenMedInfo? Sign up for the newsletter here www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/newsletter
Reproduced from original article:
www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/osteoporosis-scurvy-bone-not-calcium-deficiency

Posted on: Sunday, November 4th 2018, updated March 15th 2021

suzannemdDr. Suzanne Humphries is a conventionally educated medical doctor who has taken the walk into, around, and out of the allopathic paradigm. She fully and successfully participated in the conventional system for 19 years, witnessing first-hand how that approach fails patients and creates new disease time and again. Prior to medical school, she earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Rutgers University.

Dr. Humphries is on the board of directors of the International Medical Council on Vaccination. She lives in Maine, USA.

Visit her website: drsuzanne.net

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.

How to Prevent Osteoporosis

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola  – Fact Checked

September 25, 2019

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Internationally, osteoporosis affects 1 in 10 women aged 60; 2 in 10 women aged 70; 4 in 10 women aged 80; and two-thirds of women aged 90. Across Europe, the rate of prevalence among men ranges between 6.7% and 6.9%
  • An estimated 34 million Americans also have low bone density, known as osteopenia, which raises your risk of fractures and may progress into osteoporosis
  • Bisphosphonate drugs prescribed for osteoporosis have been shown to weaken bone and cause microcracks that heighten your risk for atypical bone fractures
  • Nutrients that are important for healthy bone growth and strength include vitamin D, vitamins K1 and K2, calcium, magnesium, collagen, boron and strontium
  • Most load-bearing exercises fail to produce sufficient osteogenic load to trigger bone growth. Research suggests the load needed to trigger bone growth in the hip is 4.2 times your bodyweight. Blood flow restriction training is an alternative that not only appears to have a beneficial effect on bone health but is also viable for the elderly and those who can’t lift heavy weights

According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation,1 osteoporosis affects approximately 1 in 10 women aged 60; 2 in 10 women aged 70; 4 in 10 women aged 80; and two-thirds of women aged 90. Prevalence in all age groups is far higher in women than in men. Across Europe, the rate of prevalence among men ranges between 6.7% and 6.9%.

With osteoporosis — brittle bone — comes the risk of bone fractures due to a fall, and hip fractures in particular are notorious for raising an older individual’s risk of death.2 An estimated 34 million Americans also have low bone density, known as osteopenia, which raises your risk of fractures and may progress into osteoporosis. As noted in a StatPearls paper on osteopenia:3

“In the United States, 54% of postmenopausal women are osteopenic, and an additional 30% are already considered osteoporotic. By age 80, this relative trend predictably shifts in favor of osteoporosis as 27% of women are osteopenic, and 70% are osteoporotic …

Fragility fractures significantly compromise a patient’s quality of life and financially devastate the healthcare system. Roughly 2 million fragility fractures occur each year in the United States alone, and by 2025 this number is expected to increase to over 3 million …

The overall impact of fragility fractures on the healthcare system is staggering. In 2005, direct costs of care associated with fragility fractures alone tallied $19 billion, and the direct and indirect costs of care are expected to surpass $25 billion by 2025.

In addition, fragility fractures significantly decrease the quality of life, and hip fractures alone are associated with a one-year mortality rate of greater than 20%.”

What’s the Best Way to Prevent Osteoporosis?

In the featured video, Dr. Deborah M. Kado, director of the osteoporosis program at the University of California, gives a lecture on osteoporosis, its treatment and preventive measures you can take to minimize your risk of bone fractures as you age. She points out there are both nonmodifiable and modifiable risk factors for bone fractures.

Nonmodifiable risk factors include age, sex, ethnicity, family history, a history of previous fractures and menopause (among women). Modifiable risk factors include diet, vitamin D deficiency, balance and lifestyle choices such as smoking, lack of exercise and excessive alcohol consumption.4 As noted in StatPearl’s paper on osteopenia,5 medical factors can influence your risk as well.

Medical conditions that raise your risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis include “hyperparathyroidism, anorexia, malabsorption syndromes, hyperthyroidism, chronic renal failure, hypogonadism, amenorrhea/oligomenorrhea, early onset menopause, and chronic conditions resulting in calcium and/or vitamin D deficiencies.”

Drugs that can trigger or worsen bone loss include “excess glucocorticoids/long-term steroid use, valproic acid, proton pump inhibitors, anti-epileptics and chemotherapy agents.” The chemical triclosan has also been shown to increase your risk of osteoporosis. I discuss this in my July 10, 2019, article, “Can Toothpaste Cause Osteoporosis?”

Kado also touches on the primary treatment in conventional medicine, which is the use of bisphosphonate drugs6 such as Fosamax. While she doesn’t advice people to take them or not, she does point out they have their own set of dangers.

These include a higher risk for thighbone fractures — the very thing you’re trying to avoid. Indeed, Fosamax has been warning about atypical femur fractures on its package insert since 2011.7

Bisphosphonate drugs have also been linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw8 (decay of the jawbone), inflammation of the eye,9 liver damage,10 a twofold risk of atrial fibrillation,11 esophageal cancer, 12 kidney toxicity13 and hypocalcemia14 (low blood calcium level).

In my view, these drugs are to be avoided, as they do not address the underlying problem. While bisphosphonates make your bone thicker, they simultaneously make it mechanically weaker.

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Bisphosphonate Drugs Make Your Bone More Prone to Fractures

Evidence for this was presented in a 2017 study,15,16 which used a particle accelerator to generate exceptionally detailed images of the internal structure of bone samples from 10 hip fracture patients treated with bisphosphonates (BP), 14 samples from naïve fractures (bone fractures in patients that were not treated with the drugs), and six non-fractured controls. Results showed:

“BP bone was 28% lower in strength than untreated hip fracture bone, and 48% lower in strength than non-fractured control bone … BP-treated bone had 24% more microcracks than naïve fractured bone and 51% more than non-fractured control …

BP therapy had no detectable mechanical benefit in the specimens examined. Instead, its use was associated with substantially reduced bone strength.

This low strength may be due to the greater accumulation of microcracks and a lack of any discernible improvement in bone volume or microarchitecture. This preliminary study suggests that the clinical impact of BP-induced microcrack accumulation may be significant.”

Another paper17 published that same year in Scientific Reports suggested that “bisphosphonates may oversuppress remodeling resulting in accumulation of microcracks.” The authors further explained:18

“Bisphosphonate-treated bone from fracture patients had the highest density and volume of microcracks compared to bone from the untreated fracture patients and healthy ageing individuals. Correspondingly, bisphosphonate-treated samples also had reduced ultimate tensile strength … compared to the control groups.

Our results, therefore, suggest that the reduced bone strength in the bisphosphonate group is due to the accumulation of microcracks. In this subgroup of bisphosphonate-treated patients that suffered a fracture, the accumulation of microcracks following treatment with bisphosphonates may have compromised the trabecular microstructure. As a result, there may have been weakening of the bone and consequently, an increased risk of fracture.

Bisphosphonate-treated bone also demonstrated a lower density and volume of perforations compared to osteoporotic bone, which may be reflective of the protective effects of bisphosphonates in limiting the development of perforations through osteoclastic inhibition. However, it is the oversuppression of remodelling that has detrimental effects, as this predisposes to microcrack accumulation and propagation.”

Healthy Bones Through Nutrition

Bone is living tissue constantly undergoing the addition of new bone cells and the removal of old ones. New bone is added faster than old bone is removed until your late 20s.19

“Peak bone mass” is a term used to describe how large and strong our bones can get. Reaching peak bone mass typically occurs between the ages of 25 and 30, followed by greater resorption of bone than bone formation.20

A foundational aspect of maintaining healthy bone is therefore to be metabolically fit. Your diet in general is a core consideration, with certain nutrients being required for bone health specifically.

As noted in the paper “Naturopathic Approaches to Preventing and Treating Osteoporosis,”21 published in the Natural Medicine Journal, “The best approach to getting sufficient nutrients to build and maintain strong bones is to consistently make healthy food choices.” Among the most important nutrients for bone health are:22

Vitamin D — Vitamin D plays a regulatory role in the absorption of calcium and phosphorous, which are important for healthy bones. As explained in the Natural Medicine Journal:23

“If vitamin D levels are low, parathyroid hormone (PTH) increases and triggers osteoclasts to release calcium into the blood via bone readsorption. If this process continues over time, it weakens bone and leads to osteoporosis …

Deficiency can create secondary hyperparathyroidism, leading to a loss of collagen matrix and minerals, which increases the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Poor bone remodeling due to higher osteoclast vs. osteoblast activity can occur with low levels of vitamin D …”

Vitamin K1 — Vitamin K1, phylloquinone, is found in plants and green vegetables. Aside from playing a crucial role in blood clotting, research shows it’s also important for bone health. Osteocalcin is a protein produced by your osteoblasts (cells responsible for bone formation), and is utilized within the bone as an integral part of the bone-forming process.

However, osteocalcin must be “carboxylated” before it can be effective. Vitamin K1 functions as a cofactor for the enzyme that catalyzes the carboxylation of osteocalcin.24 As noted in a 2017 paper25 in the journal Metabolism, “it seems to promote the transition of osteoblasts to osteocytes and also limits the process of osteoclastogenesis.”

Vitamin K2 — Vitamin K2, menoquinone, which is synthesized by intestinal bacteria, works synergistically with calcium, magnesium and vitamin D to build strong, healthy bone.

Vitamin K2 directs calcium to your bones and prevents it from being deposited in your soft tissues, organs and joint spaces. Vitamin K2 also activates the protein hormone osteocalcin, produced by osteoblasts, which is needed to bind calcium into the matrix of your bone.

The pooled evidence of seven Japanese trials assessing the ability of vitamin K2 (menoquinone-4) to prevent fracture rates found:26

“When we assessed absolute differences in fracture rates, a significantly reduced rate was found at all fracture sites, with hip fractures reduced by 6%, vertebral fractures reduced by 13%, and all nonvertebral fractures by 9%.”

Calcium — Calcium works synergistically with vitamin K2, magnesium and vitamin D, and needs all three of those to function properly.

Vitamin D aids calcium absorption, while vitamin K2 makes sure the calcium ends up in the right place — your bones and not your arteries. Taking a high-dose calcium supplement while being vitamin K2 deficient can thus lead to hardening of your arteries. The Natural Medicine Journal reports that:27

“To maintain bone health, 1,000–1,500 mg/day of calcium (including food sources and supplements) is recommended (varies with age, weight, sex, etc.) by the National Academy of Sciences.

Sufficient calcium intake is important in preventing osteoporosis, because if the body’s stores of calcium is low, calcium will be leached from bones, which can lead to decreased bone mass and the initiation or worsening of osteoporosis.”

Raw, grass fed yogurt is an excellent calcium source that research has shown can lower your bone loss. Details can be found in “Eat More Yogurt and Avoid Osteoporosis.”

Magnesium — Magnesium works synergistically with calcium, vitamin K2 and vitamin D, and aids calcium absorption. According to the Natural Medicine Journal:28

“Low levels of blood magnesium correlates with low bone density, and several studies have supported the use of oral magnesium supplementation to increase bone density. Even a moderate magnesium deficiency has been documented to cause bone loss in rats.

Magnesium deficiency may impair the production of parathyroid hormone and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, which negatively affects bone mineralization. Supplementing with 250–400 mg a day of magnesium is usually recommended.”

Collagen — Collagen has been shown to strengthen bones29,30 and improve osteoporosis.31
Boron — The highest concentrations of the trace mineral boron are found in bones and tooth enamel. According to the Natural Medicine Journal,32 boron “appears to be indispensable for healthy bone function,” as it reduces excretion of calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. There may also be other, as yet poorly understood, mechanisms by which it benefits bone-building.
Strontium — Another trace mineral that has some similarities to calcium, is also thought to be important for bone formation and bone strength. At present, the only two forms of strontium that have science backing their use are the nonradioactive strontium ranelate (which is not available in supplement form)33 and strontium citrate.

A study34,35 published in 2017 found postmenopausal osteopenic women taking a combination of 5 mg of melatonin, 450 mg of strontium citrate, 60 micrograms of vitamin K2 and 2,000 IUs of vitamin D per day for one year increased their bone density in the lumbar spine by 4.3% compared to placebo. Bone density in the femoral neck increased by 2.2%.

Why Most Resistance Training Is Not Enough

While there’s evidence supporting the notion that moderate- to high-impact resistance training will benefit bone health,36 heavy weightlifting may be unsuitable for the elderly and those with osteoporosis. Low-impact resistance training, aerobic exercise and walking have all been shown to have little or no effect on bone loss.37

The problem with load-bearing exercises is that most simply do not produce sufficient osteogenic load. Research38 suggests the load needed to trigger bone growth in the hip is 4.2 times your bodyweight. Conventional strength training comes nowhere near that.

Just think about that for a moment. If you weigh 150 pounds, that would mean you would have to deadlift more than 600 pounds. Not many 150-pound people I know can deadlift even half that.

Osteogenic Loading — The Key to Strong Bones

However, there is a system called Osteostrong that I am testing that sets up your body in specific positions that allows most to achieve this level of force without risk or injury and has been shown to consistently increase bone density over a year.

Another name for Osteostrong is osteogenic loading therapy,39,40,41 You would need to have access to a training center or clinic that offers it.42 This technology is designed to improve your bone density.

In a 2015 study43 published in the Journal of Osteoporosis & Physical Activity, women diagnosed with osteopenia and osteoporosis (none of whom were on medication for it) who performed osteogenic loading-type resistance training saw a 14.9% increase in the density of the hip bone and a 16.6% increase in the density of the spine after 24 weeks.

Blood Flow Restriction Training May Benefit Your Bones

An alternative that not only appears to have a beneficial effect on bone health, but is also viable for the elderly and those who cannot lift heavy weights is blood flow restriction (BFR) training. BFR is a novel type of biohack that allows you to do strength exercises using just 20% to 30% of the max weight you’d normally be able to lift just once, while still reaping maximum benefits.

It involves performing strength training exercises while restricting venous blood flow return to your heart (but not arterial flow) to the extremity being worked. This is done by wrapping the extremity being worked with a cuff that mildly restricts blood flow.

By forcing blood to remain inside your extremity while it is exercising with light weights, you stimulate metabolic changes in your muscle that result in great improvements in strength with virtually no risk of injury.

While still sparse, some studies also suggest it has an effect on bone metabolism. As noted in a 2018 systematic review of 170 articles looking at BFR’s impact on bone metabolism:44

“… only four studies showed that BFR training increases the expression of bone formation markers (e.g. bone-specific alkaline phosphatase) and decreases bone resorption markers (e.g. the amino-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen) … across several populations.”

A 2012 study, “Blood Flow Restriction: Rationale for Improving Bone,” offered the following hypothesis:45

“The studies completed thus far support the hypothesis that training with blood flow restriction may provide not only a novel modality to induce adaptation in muscle but also bone, which was previously thought to only occur with higher intensity/impact exercise.

We hypothesize that the main mechanism behind the proposed favorable bone responses observed thus far is through increased intramedullary pressure and interstitial fluid flow within the bone caused by venous occlusion.”

For details about how to do BFR, you can review my recently added instructions in our Exercise Guide. You can also review an interview with Jim Stray-Gundersen, a leading proponent and teacher of BFR training in the U.S. I will publish many more interviews, articles, videos and a training guide for BFR in the near future.

Sources and References