LEMON JUICE HELPS PREVENT GOUT & KIDNEY STONES

"lemon juice . . . prevent[s] . . . uric acid crystals, . . . the precursor for gout and kidney stones."

Start here.

How Do Your Kidneys Work?  

The answer is, constantly! 24 hours a day, your two kidneys filter your blood somewhat like an aquarium filter filters the water in a fish tank. The functional unit of the kidney is the nephron, a tissue unit that not only filters, but also recycles and excretes. 

The nephron filters blood (except red blood cells and protein); maintains the body's acid-base ion balance; recycles needed substances (water, minerals); and excretes wastes in a concentrated urine. In a manner of speaking, urine is filtered blood, or more exactly, blood is filtered urine.

Kidney Diseases and Problems: Inflammation and Infection
The role of massive doses of vitamin C is profound in this case, providing prevention and treatment at saturation levels. Since vitamin C is filtered and "wasted" through the kidneys, it is a virtually custom-made therapy.

Degeneration (resulting from inflammation, etc.) A chronic excess of dietary protein almost certainly taxes the kidneys and leads to gradual degeneration. (Williams, SR  Nutrition and DietTherapy, page 856, "The Aging Western Kidney"). Vegetarianism is a virtually automatic solution to our nation-wide pattern of protein abuse. Protein restriction is generally considered to be an important treatment for progressed glomerulonephritis. Reducing protein intake is obviously an ideal way to prevent a protein-breakdown induced nitrogenous overload in the first place.

Increasing carbohydrates is recommended. “Carbohydrates should be given liberally. This will also reduce the catabolism of proteins and prevent ... ketosis." (Williams)  Again, a regular vegetarian diet, which is high in complex carbohydrates, will assure just this.

from Susan Kaye at Livestrong . . . 

The kidneys play a pivotal role in clearing the body of toxins and waste matter as well as helping to regulate blood pressure. According to the National Kidney and Urologic Disease Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) website, healthy kidney or renal function can be compromised when the kidneys suffer an injury, are damaged by disease such as diabetes or hypertension or polluted through poisoning from various ingested chemicals. You can include some of the best supplements and foods in your daily routine to restore and maintain kidney health.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C supports the kidneys and helps keep them clear of kidney stones, especially urate stones which form as a result of uric acid crystal deposits, says DoctorYourself.com. It recommends consuming oranges, grapes and carrots as well as their juices, all high in vitamin C. Buffered vitamin C ascorbate supplements, available in health food stores, are also helpful in maintaining kidney health.

On Vitamin C, Linus Pauling wrote

I started using vitamin C in massive doses in-patients in 1969. By the time I read that ascorbate should cause kidney stones, I had clinical evidence that it did not cause kidney stones, so I continued prescribing massive doses to patients. To this day (2006) I estimate that I have put 25,000 patients on massive doses of vitamin C and none have developed kidney stones.

Vitamin B

Adding a vitamin B complex supplement to your diet, one that especially has B6, is important to prevent kidney stones, points out the DoctorYourself website. B6 deficiency has been shown to contribute to the development of kidney stones.

Lemon Juice

High in potassium, lemon juice may be added to the diet to prevent the formation of uric acid crystals, which contribute to the formation of uric acid, the precursor for gout and urate kidney stones, according to Health911.com. The potassium in lemon juice helps create calcium carbonate, a chemical that alkalizes the body causing the system to neutralize acids. Potassium is a mineral and one of the electrolytes needed to help the kidneys balance blood pressure, heart function and electrical impulses in the body according to the University of Maryland 

Medical Center (UMMC).

Apple Cider Vinegar

Organic apple cider vinegar is recommended by Dr. Theodore A. Baroody in his book, Alkalize or Die, as a method to help keep the body in a slightly alkaline state. Baroody explains, although an acid, it has the ability to create an alkaline-forming state in the system by neutralizing acids in the digestive process. He goes on to explain that the body is able to maintain good health when it is slightly alkaline. This applies to the kidneys because when the urine is alkaline, they are protected from damage formed by uric acid.

L-Carnitine

L-carnitine also referred to as Carnitine is an amino acid and a nutrient that helps the body and convert fat, especially in the liver and kidneys to energy. Sometime the body needs supplementation with L-carnitine according to the UMMC, because it is produced by the kidneys. If there is kidney malfunction, L-carnitine supplies may be greatly diminished. Speak to your doctor before starting this supplement.   

As to the worst foods for your kidneys, I would watch out for coffee and caffeine.   This site also cites dairy products.  But I would add a caveat of completely doing without dairy.  Yogurt is a healthy dairy food for many of your organs, including your intestines.  

The movie, Behind Closed Doors, 1948, starring Lucille Bremer and Richard Carlson is an excellent drama that shows behind the scenes of how institutional bureaucracies exert diabolical control upon their hired staff.  What did Hannah Arendt say about Nazis?  "The banality of evil." As a friend of mine says of managers overseeing other employees, "people with $.69 power are used to control and degrade their underlings."  The movie is a rare, brilliant piece.  Steven Torrey in the comments below the show notes writes "A taut drama in sixty-one minutes." It is an excellent look into the ghoulish jailers who control patients with drugs, bullying violence, and locked wards.  Wow, that almost describes to a tee the kind of control that local administrators exert on high school students in your own backyard.  Schools enjoy the unique privilege of being appointed the purported centers for higher education.  They are not.  That "higher education" has always been a joke, at least an inside joke.  But it is Salman Khan and the home-school movement who are undoing the liberal control on schools.  This is revolutionary, a peaceful regeneration of society toward peace, prosperity, and individual freedom.  It's happening now.

The movie was released in 1948, three years after WWII.  So the audience for sure was primed by stories of Nazi atrocities while told how virtuous the communist state of the Soviet Union was.   I particularly enjoyed hearing, in the movie, the doctors offended by having their reputation impugned as if it were gold.  Fool's gold maybe.

Some folks might be incredulous. But recall the classic books in the field of psychiatry, a "science" that has effectively been declared a farce by some of the most brilliant minds in psychiatry, like Dr. Thomas Szasz.  See also this list of his articles.

There is Mass Murderers in White Coats: Psychiatric Genocide in Nazi Germany and the United States by Lenny Lapon, 1986.

There is Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl, 1942.

Dr. Ray Sahelian seems like a health-conscious, ethically-centered physician who does a pretty good job of assessing the true effects of supplements.  I like his site because his language is thoughtfully circumspect.  If he doesn't know the benefits of a particular supplement, he'll state as much.  And his recommendations seem cautious or at least contingent upon specifics.  That is rare for the internet.  Below is a sample question and answer on the supplement Benfotiamine.

QUESTION

Vitamin Supplement Little More Than 'Snake Oil,' Researcher Claims. Science Daily (2008)  — A popular vitamin supplement is being advertised with claims that are demonstrably untrue, as revealed by research published in the open access journal BMC Pharmacology. Benfotiamine is a synthetic derivative of thiamine (vitamin B1). It is marketed heavily as a dietary supplement using a selection of unsubstantiated, 'not-quite-medical' claims that tend to characterize this field. A large part of this campaign has been built around the belief that benfotiamine is lipid-soluble and, therefore, more physiologically active. Scientific research led by Dr Lucien Bettendorff of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology at the University of Liège, Belgium, has entirely disproved these claims. According to Lucien Bettendorff, "We suspect that those companies selling benfotiamine have poisoned much of the recent literature in an attempt to bestow it with properties that it does not have". Benfotiamine has been previously shown to prevent several diabetic complications in experimental animal models. The researchers carried out experiments in mice in which it was administered using several different techniques and the resulting levels of thiamine were measured in various parts of the body. Contrary to other claims about its solubility, the results show that it is only sparingly soluble in water under physiological conditions and cannot be dissolved in octanol or oils. As Lucien Bettendorff explains, "Benfotiamine is very often considered a 'lipid-soluble' thiamine precursor from the disulfide derivative family though it is neither lipid-soluble, nor a disulfide. Sometimes, it is considered to have more biological activity than thiamine disulfides, but our study shows that it does not even penetrate cell membranes, except in those cells containing an ecto-alkaline phosphatase. There is no evidence that benfotiamine would be more effective than other precursors as a therapeutic agent for complications of diabetes." Journal reference: Marie-Laure Volvert, Sandrine Seyen, Marie Piette, Brigitte Evrard, Marjorie Gangolf, Jean-Christophe Plumier and Lucien Bettendorff. Benfotiamine, a synthetic S-acyl thiamine derivative, has different mechanisms of action and a different pharmacological profile than lipid-soluble thiamine disulfide derivatives. BMC Pharmacology, 2008.     

ANSWER

As with many supplements or medications, it often takes many years of research from various centers to finally have a good understanding of whether the supplement or medication works or whether is is ineffective. We happen to be in the early stages in terms of benfotiamine research and it is not easy for me to predict the outcome.

Reverse Fatty Liver

The liver has 500 functions?  Never heard that before. 

It makes protein.  Controls blood sugars.  Controls detoxification.  It stores fat-soluble vitamins.  It makes certain hormones, growth hormone and Igf, and others.  It's a hub of health.  Thyroid uses the liver to convert T3 to convert to T4.

Folks with protruding guts have a fatty liver.  

How to heal it?  Consume bitter vegetables. You like spinach? That's bitter: eat spinach.

You like parsley? That's bitter: eat parsley too.

By the way, the same approach to reversing a fatty liver is the same for cleansing the liver--eat bitter green vegetables.  Radishes are good too.  I used to eat a lot of these as a kid.  Didn't like them so much then, but we'd add salt and that would make us happier.  

Ketone Bodies Protect the Brain

Fascinating interview on the value of living in high altitudes. Denver and Reno are two cities with high altitude. What are the benefits? Weight loss. Better recovery from injury.

Show notes:

Sustained exposure to hypobaric hypoxia results in cachexia. Muscle breakdown releases amino acids, whilst hepatic ketogenesis converts fatty acids and some amino acids into ketone bodies. These act as metabolic substrates, but also as metabolic modulators eliciting protective effects against hypoxic injury. In this video, Andrew J. Murray and Hugh E. Montgomery explain their hypothesis and propose that hypoxia-induced cachexia is protective.

Read the article here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10...

" . . . 95% of all tooth extractions result in a pathologic [bone] cavitation."

So, one, don't have your wisdom teeth extracted.  And two, don't get braces: orthodontists extract perfectly good teeth!!  Don't let them.  You need them for overall health. 

from Dr. Paul Genung's Holistic Dentistry in Seattle.

A cavitation is an unhealed hole in the jawbone caused by an extracted tooth. Since wisdom teeth are the most commonly extracted teeth, cavitations are most frequently found in the wisdom tooth sites. Please see the graphic and photo at the right to get a glimpse of what may be in your mouth and the effects it is having. The photo and diagram demonstrate the destructive and pathologic consequence of a routine tooth extraction. Dentists are taught in dental school that once they pull a tooth, the patient’s body heals the resulting hole in the jawbone. However, approximately 95% of all tooth extractions result in a pathologic defect called a cavitation. The tooth is attached to the jawbone by a periodontal ligament which is comprised of “jillions” of microscopic fibers. One end of each fiber is attached to the jawbone and the other end of the fiber is attached to the tooth root. When a tooth is extracted, the fibers break midway between the root and the bone. This leaves the socket (the area where the root was anchored in the bone) coated with periodontal ligament fibers. There are specialized cells in the bone called osteoblasts. Osteoblasts make new bone. The word “osteoblast” means bone former. They are active during growth, repair and maintenance. However, the periodontal ligament prevents the osteoblasts from filling in the tooth socket with bone since the periodontal ligament fibers lining the socket act as a barrier beyond which the osteoblasts cannot form bone. In other words, an osteoblast “sees” a tooth when it “sees” periodontal ligament fibers. Since there are billions of bacteria in the mouth, they easily get into the open tooth socket. Since the bone is unable to fill in the defect of the socket, the newly formed “cavitation” is now infected. Since there is no blood supply to the “cavitation” it is called “ischemic” or “avascular” (without a blood supply). This results in necrosis (tissue death). Hence we call a cavitation an unhealed, chronically infected, avascular, necrotic hole in the bone. The defect acts to an acupuncture meridian the same way a dead tooth (or root canal tooth) acts. It causes an interference field on the meridian which can impair the function and health of other tissues, organs and structures on the meridian. Significantly, the bacteria in the cavitation also produce the same deadly toxins that are produced by the bacteria in root canals (see Root Canals). These toxins are thio-ethers (most toxic organic substance known to man), thio-ethanols, and mercaptans. They have been found in the tumors in women with breast cancer.

VITAMIN C: YOUR INVISIBLE TOOTHBRUSH

Dr. Emmanuel Cheraskin presents evidence that serum vitamin C levels are just as important as brushing for the prevention of tooth decay.

NATURAL VERSUS SYNTHETIC VITAMIN C

By Thomas Cowan, MD

This is remarkable:

It is common these days to use the terms vitamin C interchangeably with ascorbic acid. In fact, there are numerous differences between these two very distinct biological entities. Vitamin C, found in numerous plant and animal foods, is a necessary nutrient for humans in that we make none of our own vitamin C. Natural vitamin C is a complex mixture of at least 9 or 10 distinct molecular entities. These include ascorbic acid (the preservative part of the complex), tyrosinase (an enzyme), rutin, bioflavenoids, copper, manganese, and other enzymes and minerals. Each of these compounds has a synergistic effect with the other substances, the end result being a potent and complicated compound that has far-reaching biological effects. Some of these effects include reducing capillary fragility (thus reducing the tendency to bruising or bleeding), improving the integrity of the collagen fibers, binding and thereby neutralizing histamine (lessening allergies), and many other vital functions. Ascorbic acid has only one effect, that is anti-oxidation. While many nutritionists and physicians sing the praises of anti-oxidants in our diet, the fact is that excessive anti-oxidation inhibits our cellular mechanisms from digesting and disposing of unwanted tissue. This is perhaps why the latest studies on excessive use of ascorbic acid show that it may contribute to the development of coronary artery disease. This situation would never arise from the use of the whole vitamin C complex as found in natural foods.  

 You might find this list fascinating.

"LEPTIN EVEN FREES UP TESTOTERONE, IMPROVING MUSCLE TO FAT RATIO"

"Leptin even frees up testosterone, improving muscle to fat ratio . . ."

By Kat James via Lew Rockwell titled there as "Harnessing the Power of Leptin to Transform Your Body, Your Brain, and Your Life."

Ready or not, the science is in: The largest dietary studies in history, such as Stanford’s A to Z study and the Swedish Council on Health and Technology Assessment review of 16,000 dietary studies, have clearly shown that low-carb diets reign supreme for both weight loss and health. Sweden has declared “LCHF” (Low Carb High Fat) as their official diet. Norway followed. The USDA won’t “go there” yet, but they did strike cholesterol from their list of things to avoid for the first time since 1980. Ivy league cardiologists are admitting being wrong for forty years. Time put a pat of butter on the cover last year and reported that fat-phobia (in both culture and the medical world) was based on… um… flawed science.

What next, you say? Are they going to tell us lard is healthy? Well… yeah. Lard recently won out over other common “healthy” oils for promoting the most longevity in calorie-restricted rodents. Low carb was the diet that allowed cancer-fighting herbs like turmeric to actually work (they could not in the presence of sugar). Very low carb diets are being used as cancer treatment. Will this “craziness” stop? I hope not. I’ve been waiting for this truth to come out for twenty-five years.

Maybe you’re hip and have already adopted some incarnation of a low-carb, low-glycemic, grain-less, or even Paleo (the little black dress of semi-low carb diets) eating style. If so, you’ve probably reaped many rewards. But what if you could feel even better? Even freer of cravings, stubborn “soft spots”, sleep, joint, or mood problems or things you’ve chalked up to just getting older. And if you still have “issues” with food, you really need to know this: You’re about to learn about the granddaddy of “weird tricks” that every human has in their genetic toolbox, yet few of us utilize, even in our advanced pursuits of health. It’s a mechanism you can turn on or off for the rest of your longer, more vibrant life. Here’s how 

I know…

FUMBLING TOWARD BIOCHEMICAL ECSTASY

Way back in 1990 I woke up from my own fat-phobic trance as a twelve-year eating disorder digressed into autoimmune thyroid and skin syndromes, then near liver failure. With no internet I researched the notorious immunosuppressant drug I was supposed to take, finding that there was not much hope for healing my liver unless I looked at alternatives. I was skeptical about herbs but wound up surprising both my doctor and myself by bringing my sky-high liver enzymes back to normal over a few months by taking them.  But my bingeing, even on organic “health foods”  continued hopelessly, in spite of “white knuckling” my way through each day, determined not to succumb… Then several months later, on two occasions, while traveling, I experienced strange, fleeting periods of respite from the usual cravings, energy slumps, and moodiness. These two, distinctive “incidents” were so bizarre to me that I became obsessed with replicating that unforgettable feeling for more than a year, writing down any food combination, omission, or addition that preceded the phenomenon, but unable to sustain it continually. The one food that always preceded that elusive, deeply-sated, calm state, was the last food I would have imagined would soon become my go-to “sanity” food: Fat. I had not been eating much fat but had noticed that feeling throughout midday when I ate fat instead of grains at breakfast. I added fat to my quinoa or sprouted bread at lunch with my salad and with my stir-fry at night.  I’d been vegetarian for seven years. I was amazed at how each time I decreased grains and upped the fat I felt better and sustained that “freedom feeling” longer and longer. I did not imagine ever cutting them out altogether, though. And more unimaginable than that would be cutting out dozens of other health foods I would learn could yank me out of this new way of feeling.

My weight loss and skin changes had become significant just from these changes, but nothing prepared me for what would happen when I finally got up the nerve to cut out not only all my grains, even at lunch and dinner, but also anything else that I’d been eating prior to any energy lulls. About two days into this drastic experiment, several truly shocking things happened: 1) My appetite suddenly dropped by about half. I found myself staring at the remainder of my mouthwatering lunch and could not eat another bite. It was surreal. 2) My energy suddenly became so steady that I forgot about the time of day or when the next meal was. 10am felt the same as 3pm and 9pm. 3) A sudden loss of facial and body-wide swelling—previously unmoved by years of intense exercise—visibly reduced overnight. My rings spun in the morning. Clothes were immediately loose, and finally: 4) My body suddenly demanded much more fat. This was not premeditated or learned, but an unexpected, “primal” physical demand that stunned me. My body no longer “saw” most of what was in my refrigerator as food.  I was bewildered by this new urge. No meal was complete without ample fat anymore. A week or so later, I was compelled to eat meat again. Not long after that, I remember washing off my makeup and seeing a different person looking back at me in the mirror.

And so began my “incredible shrinking woman” phase, which continued, uninterrupted, for two more years until I’d lost 10 dress sizes. I became literally unrecognizable, even to a high school friend at a reunion, who wouldn’t believe it was me standing two feet in front of him, even after a conversation. In addition, virtually every chronic head-to-toe condition I’d accepted as my fate fell away during this phase, including the painful canker sores, bladder infections, bloating, black moods, sniffling, flaking, red-eye and chin rashes and dry skin, dizziness upon standing, and blurry vision. Last but not least, the bingeing demon that had controlled me for more than a decade vanished, never to return, not even for a day in the twenty-five years since. Family and colleagues assumed it was willpower. It wasn’t. It was a profound, permanent, mind-blowing biochemical peace.

MEDIA INTOLERANCE for TRUTH

During this metamorphosis, I was working as a celebrity makeup artist with top magazines. The photo crews became extremely inquisitive about my weight loss, interrogating me for my peculiar food selections.  Cosmetic company spokesperson contracts and offers came in for me to “talk beauty” on camera (the superficial kind, of course) and flash my “before and afters” for spectacle. I was to be interviewed on the top morning show by one of America’s favorite anchors….as long as I didn’t get specific about diet. I was specifically warned not to talk about supplements. A major magazine ran a vanillafied version of my story with my photos and some Stuart Smalley-type stuff, but they “didn’t need” any dietary details, which they found mildly disturbing. An “extreme makeover” reality show wanted me to play the “lead motivator” role. The show would be about calorie counting (and low fat), shaming weigh-ins and plastic surgery. I passed, knowing that no reality show was interested in something that would make all the suffering, shame, and drama obsolete.

DISCOVERY of the HORMONE I'D ALREADY HARNESSED

At a function in 1994, I met scientist Jeffrey Friedman, who’d just discovered a hormone called leptin [Greek word for "thin"]. When I heard about its effects in rodent studies, which had the pharmaceutical world salivating for a blockbuster weight loss drug, I did not make the connection between leptin and the countless way in which it had transformed me. Those vast capabilities of leptin—beyond its weight and satiety-regulating affects—were yet to be discovered.

As years passed I kept waking up to the same secret dream of physical freedom and healing, I read many health books no dietary information resonated. And with the new explosion of fat-free fanaticism, I felt an increasing sense of urgency to share my experience, as I knew that widespread biochemical (and thus, psychological) enslavement would come of it (beyond “diabesity,” fat phobia spawned the psyche drug epidemic too). I watched my savior, fat, become demonized more than ever, and watched healthy people coerced to eat rice cakes and Snackwells, bringing on the same food obsession and weight struggle in the average person that I’d so narrowly escaped when it was still rare.

MY REAL LIFE LAB

Publishers were interested in a conventional “beauty book” from me. But I finally found one who would let me write The Truth About Beauty. Seven years of research included conducting “transformation cruises” for men and women where I quickly confirmed that what I’d done for myself could work for others. After years of calibrating and eliminating surprising foods that hindered success or threw off peoples’ glucometer readings—such as juices (even vegetable), coffee and even most coffee substitutes, nut flours and milks, most protein powders and even alcohol in flavorings and tinctures—I could predictably help others achieve the same set of sudden changes I’d had, consistently on the third or fourth day. I’d come to call that set of sudden changes, the “flip.”

SCIENTIFIC VINDICATION: THE MASTER HORMONE WHOSE TIME HAS COME

I was describing this phenomenon to a group at a book signing in 2004 when the foremost expert on the hormone, leptin, Dr. Ron Rosedale—whose book signing coincidentally followed mine—heard me talking about shocking appetite and weight drop-offs, bizarre calmness… the end of portion control, “as long as carbs were radically cut, and you eat a lot of fat.” At that, his jaw dropped. I figured a heated debate would follow, but instead, he said: “You’re resensitizing people to the hormone leptin. You’re one of the only ones.” He’d been doing it, too at his clinics all those years.

From that day, knowing about this “master hormone” secreted by every human’s white fat cells, gave me a new perspective on each area of health recovery I continued to witness, whether it was thyroid, mental clarity, weight, ADHD, fertility, energy, digestive, mood, skin, allergies, or other issues, the emerging science on leptin (as a quick Pubmed search on it will show you) explains it all. More than 8000 studies show leptin’s functions to date, confirming its hormone-regulating, tissue-healing, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Not surprising to me was it’s impact on eating disorders and all addictions, via its balancing effects on dopamine pathways and ability to grow the cerebral cortex (our self-control center). Or its ability to balance the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems, explaining why most people who resensitize to it describe a sudden clear-headedness and calmness. And its immune-modulating effects explained why my autoimmune thyroid and skin problems cleared up and why so many quickly lose their food sensitivities—even to dairy. Leptin even frees up testosterone, improving muscle to fat ratio independent of exercise as well as libido, in both men and women. For me, the mystery was over. And you wonder why no one hears of this hormone whose recovered function—achieved only by dietary avoidance of blood sugar and insulin spikes and plenty of fat— could make every blockbuster drug obsolete.

Kat James [send her mail] is an award-winning author, health journalist, and syndicated radio host and has been called a master of self-transformation by SELF magazine. Her controversial and pioneering dietary method —now recommended at top neurologic, fertility, functional medicine, bariatric, and metabolic clinics— has left countless dramatic success stories in its wake and been featured at top spas and institutions as well as on Today, Fox, and, PBS among others. To learn more about her original Total Transformation® Programs, a radio show on XM/SIRIUS, or her Silver Nautilus award-winning bestseller, The Truth About Beauty, visit her website since 1998, www.InformedBeauty.com.

Magical Chocolate Milk Erases Concussion Effects

Via Jason Kottke

This is America in a nutshell. Instead of banning kids from playing football, as the world's leading expert on the football-related head injuries urges, a school district is having their football players drink a brand of chocolate milk that has been shown in a preliminary study to "improve their cognitive and motor function over the course of a season, even after experiencing concussions."

Experimental groups drank Fifth Quarter Fresh after each practice and game, sometimes six days a week, while control groups did not consume the chocolate milk. Analysis was performed on two separate groups: athletes who experienced concussions during the season and those who did not. Both non-concussed and concussed groups showed positive effects from the chocolate milk.

Non-concussed athletes who drank Maryland-produced Fifth Quarter Fresh showed better cognitive and motor scores over nine test measures after the season as compared to the control group.

Concussed athletes drinking the milk improved cognitive and motor scores in four measures after the season as compared to those who did not.

Vice Sports has a quick look at what's wrong with this study.

See also these new helmets designed to "prevent" concussions. The problem is not poorly designed helmets or lack of magic chocolate milk. Those things only make matters worse by implicitly condoning poor behavior, e.g. if helmets prevent concussions, it'll gradually result in harder hitting, which will result in more injuries.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REGENERATE THE LIVER?

Regenerating the Liver: What Does That Mean?

In spite of how confusing and all over the map information found on the internet is, you can always find some shining lights.  This video by Nutritionist and Registered Pharmacist, Barbara Mendez [here is her YouTube channel], is one such example.  She does a very nice presentation of 7 foods that help regenerate your liver.  And by regenerate, she doesn't mean that you regrow an entire organ inside your body the way women ingest a baby over 9 months.  What she means is revive a liver that is besieged by a host of toxins.  She starts first by explaining what the liver is responsible for.  The liver is responsible for 1) your metabolism, 2) maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol, 3) hormone balance; 4) it's the main detoxification organ, and 5) and help synthesize proteins; 6) depression and anxiety are indicted by the liver.  

Then she talks about what kinds of foods compromise the liver.  And she starts with the obvious one.  What compromises the liver?  Alcohol. Prescription medication.  Acetaminophen, found in over-the-counter drugs, like Tylenol.  Viruses.  Pollution.  Pesticides.  Herbicides.  "Do not fear," she says "The liver regenerates itself."  

Give a listen:



Her list of 7 foods that regenerate the liver is here:
1)  Lemon upon rising in the morning. 
2)  Garlic, 3-4 cloves, raw or sauteed.
3)  Bitter greens.  Okay, this is smart and a lot more specific than Edward Group's list below.  These help to stimulate the release of bile, so have a side of arugula or dandelion greens.  Just so you know, bile is the main detoxification product of the liver.  It's what gives your feces its brown color.  If your feces is pale, yellow, or white, then that means that your liver is not producing enough bile.  Tom Cowan explains that "bile turns the stool brown and bile is the main detoxification 'product' of the liver."

4)  Artichokes are part of the milk thistle family.  
5)  Avocados stimulates production of glutathione. 
6)  Beets have lots of vitamins and minerals, essential for liver health.  Thin bile and detoxify your liver.  Mix them with walnuts and olive oil.
7)  Cabbage.  Anything in the cruciferous family would be great. Sulforaphane helps produce glutathione.  Red cabbage is better than the white cabbage.  

Though I like her list and am reluctant to post anymore information beyond what she includes in her message, I also feel duty bound to include at least one conflicting opinion to hers.  Maybe not conflicting, maybe comparative and certainly alternative.  You could stop reading here, for what she offers is the best I've heard so far.  Before her video, I did find Dr. Edward F. Group's video on the same subject.  His video has over 2 million views (I don't know how he does it).  Barbara's video has only 50,520 views as of January 15, 2016.  Before Edward Group's video, I found Tom Cowan's article at Weston A. Price Foundation.  His recommendation does not stray too far from Mendez's or Group's. 

Tom Cowan at the Weston A. Price Foundation explains:  

The treatment of the liver always starts with the diet. As well as doing the obvious things like removing as much toxicity as possible by eating only organic or biodynamic foods, the emphasis in the diet should be on greens, the bitter and sour tastes, and the healthy consumption of saturated fats. Protein intake should be low to moderate but healthy raised animal fats should be consumed as tolerated. I tell patients to start every morning with a glass of water with a half of lemon squeezed into the water and then eat some animal fat (especially grass-fed butter or ghee) and greens (such as dandelion greens or the more bitter greens) at every meal. The green color is the most pure reflection of plant life and this stimulates the detoxification processes in the liver. The fats are used by the liver to help make the enzymes that do this detoxification work. The mixture of cod liver oil and butter oil helps to make sure a supply of healthy fats and fatsoluble vitamins is available to nourish your liver.

The difference, and perhaps it was taken for granted by the other two, was to, one, make sure protein consumption is low.  Start with that--if you need an immediate or urgent liver detox.  Next, he recommends consuming lemons.  Aha!  There it is--the ubiquitous lemon.  Better get some today.  This should be a daily regimin.  If it's too strong cut it with grassfed, pasteured butter or olive oil as suggested by the Corrihers. Whereas Dr. Group recommends "olive oil, flax seed oil, and hemp oil," Cowan recommends animal fat instead of plant fat.  Cowan also recommends green [leafy] vegetables, the bitter the better.  So here he is in alignment with Mendez.  He explains that "The green color is the most pure reflection of plant life and this stimulates the detoxification processes in the liver. The fats are used by the liver to help make the enzymes that do this detoxification work. The mixture of cod liver oil and butter oil helps to make sure a supply of healthy fats and fat soluble vitamins is available to nourish your liver."

Interesting.  So not too divergent from the other two.  Simply a little bit of this, a little bit of that to round out the picture on how to regenerate the liver.  

WHAT ABOUT MEDICINALS FOR THE LIVER?

We've all heard of sillymarin.  But have you ever heard of Schizandra? Neither had I until today.  Cowan continues:

For medicines, the liver is nourished mostly by plants with a bitter taste, and by therapeutic oils. The best studied plants for liver nourishment include milk thistle and schisandra. These two herbs come together in the Mediherb product called Livco, which has been shown to promote healthy liver function. In fact, milk thistle extract (called silymarin) is used as an intravenous medicine in European hospitals to treat acute poisonings, as with Tylenol overdose. The dose of Livco is one tablet three times per day.

The therapeutic oil to use is the castor oil packs described by Edgar Cayce in many of his readings. Given under a heating pad applied to the liver for two hours, from one to seven times per week, the castor oil stimulates both phases of liver detoxification and is a tried and true medicine for helping all parts of liver function.

There are many other medicines, and bitters and other products that help liver and bile function properly, including coffee enemas which are a proven medicine used by cancer patients all over the world for stimulating liver detoxification.

These suggestions will point you to the way to regain a healthy liver and the vitality that this confers.

On Schizandra, Life Extension writer,Kirk Stokel, makes this point:

Purified extract from a non-GMO Cucumis melo melon has been found to be rich in superoxide dismutase(SOD), the first enzyme in your body's mitochondrial oxidant protection system.19,20 Melon-derived SOD quickly converts primary free oxygen radicals into hydrogen peroxide.

That hydrogen peroxide must be rapidly converted into water to complete the mitochondrial oxidant detoxification process. That task is handled by a second liver-protective agent, an extract of the Chinese vine Schisandra chinensis.
Schisandra extract complements the melon extract by stimulating the liver mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme, glutathione peroxidase, that converts hydrogen peroxide to water.

In the presence ofboth adequate SOD and enhanced glutathione peroxidase activity, mitochondria can readily convert deadly reactive oxygen species first to hydrogen peroxide and then to harmless water.

Now let's examine the data on just how well each component works to protect your body from the punishing effects of NAFLD.

I don't know about Schizandra, so I can't really comment on it.  So far I really like Mendez's recommendations.

Here is Dr. Edward F. Group's recommendation [Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM.], and I think that you will find that they are quite similar to Mendez's with a few excdeptions.

1)  Garlic.  Barbara Mendez says to take 3-4 cloves a day.  Wow!
2)  Grapefruit and grapefruit juice helps flush out carcinogens and other toxins.  Hmm. 
3)  Beets and carrots help stimulate overall liver function.
4)  Green tea, liver-loving beverage full of plants known to assist the liver's overall function.
5)  Leafy green vegetables are one of the most powerful allies in liver detoxification.  Raw, cooked, or juiced, these green vegetables are high in plant chlorophylls suck up environmental toxins from the blood stream.
6)  Avocados, a nutrient superfood helps the body produce glutathione which is necessary for the liver to cleanse harmful toxins. 
7)  Apples, high in pectin and quercetin and helps release toxins from the digestive tract which makes it easier for your liver to handle the toxic load during the cleansing process.  
8)  Olive oil, flax seed oil, and hemp oil are all great for the liver.  When used in moderation, they help the body produce a lipid base that can suck up harmful toxins, thereby taking some of the burden off of the liver.  Good to know.  
9)  Whole Grains.  Brown rice, which is rich in B Vitamins improve the overall fat metabolization and liver function and relieve liver congestion.  
10)  Cruciferous vegetables as opposed to green leafy vegetables add necessary liver enzymes to the liver and support it.  These enzymes will help flush out carcinogens and other toxins from the body.
11)  Lemons and limes.  The Vitamin C and citrus content help synthesize toxic material into substances that can be absorbed by water.  Oh, I see, so you want both fat soluble and water soluble substances that break down toxins, creating a cleaner or clearer path for other nutrients to be absorbed.  Drinking fresh-squeezed lemon in the morning will help stimulate your liver.  
12)  Walnuts, high in the amino acid, arginine, help to detox ammonia from the liver.  Oh, this is good!  Walnuts also supports glutathione in the liver.  
13)  Cabbage, much like broccoli and cauliflower, activates two crucial detoxifying enzymes that also help the liver flush out toxins.  
14)  Turmeric, the liver's favorite spice, assists the enzymes that actively flush out known dietary toxins.  
Artichokes, Asparagus, Kale, Brussel Sprouts are other vegetables that serve your liver.  Eat these foods and they will help your liver function properly.  

Still, he recommends a liver cleanse two to three times a year will help to expunge harmful toxins trapped inside your liver.  At the end, he states that to find liver/gall bladder detox programs, go to his site, globalhealingcenter.com.  

EDEMA: ITS CAUSES & ITS REMEDIES

After the holidays, either due to unusually cold weather and sickness or general lack of movement to preserve energy, people may find themselves host to a few extra pounds.  It's one thing if those few extra pounds are just fat and not swelling from any underlying condition or habit.  Fat can be got rid of.  Swelling stemming from a food allergy or some overindulgence requires another, more focused remedy to alleviate.

In most cases, it is your liver that is implicated in the swelling of your lower leg, feet, and ankle.  The liver is an amazing organ that performs some very complex functions.  Take a look at what it does . . . 

1)  Filters your blood

2)  Makes proteins, including blood-clotting factors (needed to help you heal)

3)  Stores vitamins, sugars, fats, and other nutrients

4)  Helps regulate hormones

5)  Releases chemicals and nutrients into the body when needed

6)  Makes bile needed for digesting fats and much more.

So when you get swelling in your lower extremities, your liver continues to function just not at optimal levels and so one or more of the above functions is impaired and causes edema.  This description of the liver's ducts was interesting:

Tubes, called "bile ducts," connect the liver and another organ, the gallbladder, to the small intestine. The bile that is made by the liver helps to digest fats in the small intestine.

I did not know that the bile ducts had that structural function.  Good to know. 

WHAT IS EDEMA?
It's water retention.  

MedicineNet explains that 

Edema is a swelling, usually of the legs and feet due to the accumulation of excessive fluid in the tissues. The edema that occurs in diseases of the heart, liver, and kidneys is mainly caused by salt retention, which holds the excess fluid in the body.

This doesn't explain much.  It describes edema but doesn't explain its causes or agents and only points to certain organs that might be implicated in swelling.  And by swelling let me be clear, we're talking here about feet and leg swelling.  Both will involve ankle swelling.  Swelling of your lower extremities is serious business.  You don't want to get this. Now not all edema is created equally.  Some edema is light and goes away after a few hours or a few days.  Then there is serious edema that is persistent with red blotches like those you might find in chilblains.  

If you do, treat it seriously--and by that I mean you'll need to incorporate a liver-friendly diet immediately for the short term, say, a week or two.   More than likely swelling in the lower leg has to do with the liver, so the liver is what I will focus on in this article.  Tom Cowan explains that 

[the liver--to which he calls the "inner plant] controls how the fluids circulate in the body, preventing fluid congestions, swelling or dryness. This role is evident in cases of severe pathology of the liver, such as liver cancer or cirrhosis, in which one common sign is edema, especially in the legs, or a[s]cites which is fluid collection in the abdomen. This happens because the liver is not able to maintain a healthy fluid organism, hence stagnant fluid begins to collect, showing up as edema.

CAUSES of EDEMA
MedicineNet says that it's "the accumulation of excessive fluid in the tissues."  Okay, so treatment then should consist of purging or eliminating those excessive fluids, perhaps by diuretics.  Makes sense to me.  But is all swelling the result of excessive fluids?  And why do these fluids tend to collect in the lower extremities?  Cowan points to a couple of agents that cause the liver to dysfunction and produce excessive fluid in the lower extremities.

Statin drugs and Tylenol are two prominent and frequently used drugs that are directly toxic to the liver enzymes responsible for detoxification. 

Tylenol and statins are not the only causes of liver dysfunction.  These are popular demons.  More insidious and less talked-about causes are these 37 causes of ankle swelling.  Remember, I'm talking here about liver dysfunctions.  Swelling, whether in the ankle, feet, or leg, is only the symptom of liver dysfunction. 

Do you recognize any of these possible agents in your life?  Congestives heart failure [very serious], Cirrhosis [again, serious], kidney failure [scary], hypertension [yikes], hypothyroidism [ugh!], peripheral vascular disease [when does it end!], ascites [again, yikes!], lymphatic obstruction.  Whew. Hopefully, most will not contract these conditions.  But even the common ones, like viral infections, are scary.  The H1N1 virus is particularly lethal nowadays given the prevalence of vaccines.  Whether you think vaccines are helpful or not, know that at least initially they make the recipient more infectious.  For that reason alone, I'd stay away from them.  One insightful note from that list of 37 is the remarks about Cirrhosis of the liver:

Cirrhosis is the severe scarring and poor function of the liver caused by long-term exposure to toxins such as alcohol or viral infections.  

When was the last time your doctor stigmatized viral infections the way that the pharmaceutical industry demonizes cirrhosis by alcohol consumption?  That's what I thought.  There are viruses that target exclusively the liver.  Hepatitis, literally, "inflammation of the liver," is of major concern.   but what about other viral infections, sexually transmitted diseases?

When people are looking for remedies, particularly remedies for chronic conditions, they can often grow desperate and try almost anything. And that's fine as long as it works without side effects that are worse than the condition you're trying to treat.  For those who prefer less invasive remedies, and I am assuming that most of you who find this site since prefer. 

So, find the best remedy for edema. And preferably we want to not only treat the symptom but if the swelling is due to some underlying cause and not so much due to salt intake or coffee consumption, then you'd want to know and then find a way to repair that as well. Things like kidney or liver dysfunction are often cited as underlying conditions. Exercise does go a long way in relieving many symptoms and conditions. You may want to make exercise your new food remedy.  That was my attempt at being clever.  Sorry.

RELIEVING FOOT EDEMA WITH FOOD REMEDIES

For me, it is not enough to relieve the symptom of a condition, like swelling.  The above video directs your attention to the affected areas. But perhaps overlooked the liver as a main source of the swelling.  My suggestion is that you treat both the affected or symptomatic area, like the feet and the liver, the cause of the swelling.  Sounds good, no?  

TOPICAL FOOD REMEDIES

Here's the word on parsley I can guarantee you that no one, or surely few folks, in the United States had ever thought of using parsley as a topical cure for edema.  This sounds more like an Ayurvedic treatment, which I like.  

Parsley is not only a tasty condiment, but has gentle diuretic properties and may help relieve periodic swelling in the legs and feet due to fluid retention. It stimulates urine production and acts as a kidney tonic, according to the "Magic and Medicine of Plants." Eat it raw in salads or as a condiment; or, you can buy parsley dried in capsules or as a dried herb and make herbal tea. It is considered safe as long as you follow label directions. Speak to your health practitioner before using parsley if you take diuretics.  

Besides parsely, that article also recommendsd celery seed.  And without telling you why or how, this video from SearchHerbalRemedy.com suggests mustard oil and flax seed.  What I want to know is how these two food remedies reduce the swelling.  What part of the swelling do they act on--excess fluids, interstitial pressure, what?  It also recommends apple cider vinegar.  Perhaps.  I have experienced benefits of this myself following a large protein infusion if you know what I mean.  And Coriander.  So this is the second recommendation I've read/heard on coriander's ability to reduce swelling.  And barley water.  Put feet and legs under running, cold water for 15 minutes.  Okay.  I myself tried this years ago following a basketball injury.  That video also says to drink warm beverages, and its picture looks a lot like hot chocolate.  Probably not what you want to consume if you want to shrink a swollen foot or ankle.  Hot ginger tea, yes.  Hot ginseng tea, perhaps.  Hot green tea, which is a diuretic, yes.  Application of tree tea oil.  Not convinced on this one.  Tea tree oil has really been oversold as a cure-all for different conditions from herniated discs to toothaches. Not convinced.  "Dietary and Lifestyle Changes"?  Well, that is pretty broad.  Although the screen indicts smoking, I am sure that other adjustments in one's daily habit would improve things, like less beer and wine.  Those two beverages have enjoyed a kind of Cadillac infallible status in terms of generating health, wine more so than beer.

FOOD REMEDIES YOU CAN EAT
1)  Cherries uncooked.  Compare the nutritional value of both the sweet and the sour (or tart) cherries here.  Tart cherries are the red cherries. Sweet cherries are the dark ones.
  

There is a pretty good frozen brand from Maine, called Wyman's, that sells a mixture of both tart and sweet cherries.

Cherries are famous amongst naturopathic practitioners for their ability to relieve the pains of arthritis and gout. Researchers from the Michigan State University found that anthocyanins, the same chemicals that give cherries their color, have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. The study showed that these anthocyanins inhibit COX-2 enzymes, which play a key role in the body's production of prostaglandins -- natural chemicals involved in inflammation. Another study affirmed that tart cherries have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that are comparable with prescription drugs.

2)  Turmeric.  This woman says that turmeric stopped her pitting edema in its tracks.  She cites curcumin as "the active ingredient in the spice turmeric that is responsible for the ease of inflammation."  She adds that 

When taking turmeric for anti-inflammation purposes you need a higher dosage than you would get when eating it in food. The extract is a stronger more suitable form for this reason. It is best to get it with Peperine/Bioperine (black pepper) for maximum absorption (also remember to add pepper when cooking with turmeric.  

And then unfortunately she backtracks and retracts her initial claims which are too bad.  

So Turmeric heals edema? I wouldn’t go as far as to say that, but I will say Turmeric is great at reducing inflammation caused by edema and perhaps other factors. There are studies attesting to its anti-inflammatory properties, so it is definitely worth trying right?   

Don't worry.  Turmeric is a kind of wonder drug even without her conditional endorsement.

This video recommends the following 16 food and topical remedies:

1)  Cucumber
2)  Ice
3)  Soak feet in boiled coriander seeds.
4)  Apple cider soaks are also good.  
5)  Warm water.  Hmm.  This would seem to only exacerbate the swelling in my opinion along with the bursting capillaries.  
6)  Mustard oil on the foot.
7)  Place gently heated cabbage leaves on the affected area--feet, ankle, knee, etc.
8)  Boiled corn cob hairs?  Really?
9)  Vitamin E rich foods.  Or Vitamin E capsules. 
10)  Sandalwood oil.
11)  Lemon juice.  I recommend the suggestion by the Corrihers of lemon juice with olive oil.  
12)  Avoid salty and spicy foods.  Can't argue with this.  Remember, only if you're suffering from a condition.  
13)  Garlic.  This would be my first treatment of choice.  Eating raw garlic, chased by a swig of olive oil.  Powerful medicine. 
14)  Drink the water from boiled fennel seeds.  Hmm.  I like fennel. Sounds like it could work.
15)  Walking and swimming.  Absolutely.
16)  Foot massage.

VITAMIN REMEDIES  
1)  Vitamin B6
2)

SUPPLEMENTAL REMEDIES
1)  Schizandra benefits the liver.  You'll need a healthy liver to get rid of edema.  Schizandra is an adaptogen, like ginseng.  That link states that Schizandra "is in the same 'superior' class as other well-known tonic herbs such as Ginseng, Reishi, and Goji berry."  That same article states that Schizandra is the safest way to cleanse the liver.  Oh, really.  Here is what it says . . . 

The unique thing about schizandra is that it not only has the ability to clean the liver of toxins, it also has the ability to cleanse the blood of the waste that has been removed, transporting it safely out of the body. Schizandra is one of the only herbs known to have this dual capability, known as Phase I and Phase II detoxification.

2)  MSM is organic sulfur found in all plants.  It is a compound found in plants.  Can't find it under vitamin, herb, supplement, or any other nutritional classification.  
3)  Horsetail.  I have read and heard about Horsetail before.  This article states that Horsetail removes excess fluids from the body through urination. Exercise helps to remove the excess fluids through perspiration. 

Horsetail is used as a diuretic to remove excess fluids from the body and increase urination. It is also used to help dissolve uric acid kidney stones by increasing the amount of urine produced, keeping uric acid from developing into crystals, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Horsetail may also be helpful in alleviating swelling in the feet and ankles for gout patients, by preventing the deposit of uric acid crystals in the joints. In addition, horsetail may assist in the treatment of urinary tract infections and improving kidney function, which in turn enables the body to better release excess fluids. Horsetail is available as a standardized extract and dried, to make herbal tea. UMMC notes that the recommended dose is 300 mg, 3 times daily. The only form of horsetail that is considered safe for humans is called Equisetum arvense. Check with the herbal expert at the store to ensure you are receiving the best product for your needs. Because horsetail may cause your body to have a decrease in vitamin B-1, you should take a vitamin B supplement along with horsetail. Consult your practitioner if you take diuretics before using horsetail.  

 Sounds like whatever you take for edema, that it must have some sort of diuretic capability, something that will make you eliminate the trapped fluids through urination.