You Don't Have to Choose between Microbes and Chemicals!

[Guest guest]

Blankhttp://healthy.net/asp/templates/column.asp?PageType=Column & id=60

Eating Safely in a Polluted World: Part I - You Don't Have to Choose between

Microbes and Chemicals!

Leo Galland M.D., F.A.C.N.

Director, Foundation for Integrated Medicine

(Author of Power Healing: Use The New Integrated Medicine to Heal Yourself,

Random House, 1997)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----

Epidemics of parasitic infection from contaminated water and of bacterial

food poisoning from chicken or hamburger serve notice that the U.S. food and

water supply is not safe. Pesticides and preservatives provide no protection

from the current crop of microbes and pose health hazards of their own.

There are several simple, effective measures you can follow to protect

yourself and those you love from the effects of eating contaminated food and

water, avoiding both microbial and chemical contaminants in food and drink

and building resistance to them if you are exposed.

Part One: Resisting Food or Water-Borne Infection

(1) Avoid Antacids and Acid Lowering Drugs. The body's first line of defense

against intestinal infection is the acid produced by a healthy stomach.

Stomach acid kills most of the bacteria and parasites that are swallowed

along with meals. Strong suppression of stomach acid increases the risk of

intestinal infection. If you are troubled with frequent heartburn, gastritis

or ulcers, there are potent alternatives to acid lowering therapies which

are described in my book, The Four Pillars of Healing.

(2) Avoid Unnecessary Antibiotics. The second line of defense against

intestinal infection is the normal intestinal bacteria, especially

Lactobacilli residing in the small intestine. Antibiotics decimate

Lactobacilli. In so doing, they increase the risk of subsequent intestinal

infection. Strategies for avoiding or reducing antibiotic use are also

described in The Four Pillars of Healing and will form the basis for a

future column.

(3) Supplement your diet with friendly bacteria, especially if you must take

antibiotics. A large body of research over the past ninety years has

demonstrated the preventive value of eating foods fermented with

Lactobacilli (like the well known Lactobacillus acidophilus) or their

cousins, the Bifidobacteria. Eating these friendly bacteria helps to prevent

antibiotic-induced diarrhea and travelers diarrhea. The daily dose should be

between one billion and ten billion viable bacteria. More may cause

gastrointestinal irritation. Lactobacillus plantarum, a species of bacteria

that grows on plants, is the only Lactobacillus not harmed by antibiotics

and can be taken simultaneously with them. Lactobacillus plantarum grows

naturally in fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and is also available in

pill form.

(4) Eat a diet high in fiber. Fiber is the term that describes remnants of

plant cells that are resistant to human digestion. The usual sources are

vegetables (especially beans, peas and winter squash), whole grain cereals

and breads (made from whole wheat, brown rice or whole oats), nuts, and

seeds. Among fruits, one gets the most fiber per serving from apples and

berries. High fiber diets support the growth of Lactobacilli and other

friendly flora in the large intestine and inhibit the ability of disease

causing bacteria and parasites to attach themselves to the intestinal wall.

Carrots, carob, blueberries and raspberries contain complex sugars

(oligosaccharides) which interfere with the binding of pathogenic bacteria

to the intestinal lining. Juices made from these plants have been used in

Europe for centuries for the treatment or prevention of diarrhea.

(5) Use antimicrobial herbs and spices. Before they were used as seasoning,

culinary herbs and spices were most likely used for food preservation.

Antimicrobial activity of garlic has been repeatedly demonstrated against

many species of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. The dose of garlic

needed to obtain significant benefit is at least ten grams (about three

small cloves) per day. Onion lacks the potency of garlic but can be consumed

it much larger quantity, so that its antimicrobial benefits may be equal to

those of garlic if consumed regularly. Turmeric relieves intestinal gas by

lowering the numbers of gas forming bacteria; it also has anti-fungal

activity and has been traditionally used for relieving inflammation. The

effective dose is about one gram per day. Ginger, which contains over four

hundred chemically active ingredients, has long been used for the treatment

of digestive complaints. It protects the intestinal lining against

ulceration and has a wide range of actions against intestinal parasites.

Sage and rosemary contain the essential oil, eucalyptol, which kills Candida

albicans, bacteria, and worms. Oregano contains over thirty biologically

active ingredients of which twelve have antibiotic, antiviral, antiparasitic

or antifungal effects. Heating at 200 degrees (Fahrenheit) for twenty

minutes destroys the antibacterial activity of most of these spices. They

should be added to food at the end of cooking, just before being eaten.