Immune System

• Pink Day Blues

  In 1985, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) was created by the American Cancer Society. Funding was provided by Zeneca (later AstraZenca) , a British pharmaceutical company. AstraZenca is still (as at 2018) associated with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. AstraZenca produces Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is an estrogen antagonist or anti-estrogen drug which works by blocking the effects of estrogen.

  Pink Day is one day in October which is designated to create awareness of breast cancer and to raise money for research.

  Lifetime exposure to estrogen is 2.5-3 times higher in Western women than rural Chinese women in the 1980s. China women reach menarche later, menopause earlier and have reduced levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone during their reproductive years.

  There is much evidence that increased levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are associated with a significant increase in breast cancer as well as evidence that low-fat, high carbohydrate diet reduces the level of these hormones.

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  27 January 2019

• Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibrin

  Chronic inflammation is associated with many diseases and conditions. There are many inflammatory markers that can be measured. Researchers are continually looking to add to the list of makers to use to identifying diseases. C-Reactive Protein is one common but non-specific maker. Fibrinogen is another that some researchers have added to their inflammatory marker list.

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  20 September 2018

• Multiple Sclerosis and Roy Swank

  Roy Swank discovered a dietary connection with multiple sclerosis in the late 1940s following studies in Norway. He instigated a study that followed a group of multiple sclerosis patients for 34 years. He wrote a book, The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book: A Low-Fat Diet for the Treatment of M.S.

  No other treatment plan has come close to achieving the results that Swank achieved.

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  21 June 2018

• Wheat and the Distorted Views of William Davis

  William Davis, a cardiologist, author of Wheat Belly, claims that “modern wheat is a perfect chronic poison”. He claims that modern wheat causes diabetes, inflammation, heart disease and high blood pressure and that eliminating wheat will cure these problems.

  Davis recommends the avoidance of foods such as corn, rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, beans and potatoes, even though they do not contain wheat or gluten.

  Davis's inconsistencies would be amusing if they did not have such serious health consequences.

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  18 June 2018

• The Gluten Lie: And Other Myths About What We Eat – A Review

  Alan Levinovitz is an assistant professor of Religious Studies at James Madison University, Virginia.

  His book, The Gluten Lie: And Other Myths About What We Eat, “takes on bestselling physicians and dietitians, exposing the myths behind how we come to believe which foods are good and which are bad—and pointing the way to a truly healthful life, free from the anxiety of what we eat.”

  Whilst the book was fascinating in describing how easily it is for society to be deluded about food issues, the book adds several misconceptions of its own.

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  16 February 2018

• Rheumatoid arthritis – an autoimmune condition

  Autoimmune diseases are a group of sinister diseases where the immune system attacks the body that it was designed to protect.

  Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the smaller joints, such as those in the hands, feet and wrists, although larger joints such as the hips and knees can also be affected. According to the Health Direct website, the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known.

  You may be surprised to know how much is known about the causes of rheumatoid arthritis.

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  6 February 2018

• Dairy, Gluten and Autism

  Autism is defined by a set of behaviours. Key symptoms are: an extreme introversion; social indifference; stereotyped repetitive behaviours; language problems; problems with hygiene; temper tantrums; in some cases hyperactivity; irrational fears; decreased but fluctuating insensitivity to pain.

  At 2010, the rate of autism at age 8 was 14.7 per 1,000 which is 1 in 68. Boys are 4.5 times more likely to be affected than girls—rate for boys is 1 in 42 compared with 1 in 189 for girls.

  Rates of autism have been rising dramatically. The 2010 rate is: 29% higher than the preceding estimate of 1 in 88 children in 2008;  64% higher than the 2006 estimate of 1 in 110 children; 123% higher than the 2002 estimate of 1 in 150 children.

  Black children are affected at a rate 14% higher than Hispanic children and white children affected 45% more than Hispanic children.

  The association of autism with severe gastrointestinal problems has been documented since the 1990s.

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  29 December 2017

• The A2 Milk Story

  The hypothesis that A2 milk was protective of type 1 diabetes originated with a paper published in 1992. Robert Elliott observed much lower rates of type 1 diabetes amongst Polynesian children that were raised on the Polynesian islands compared with those raised in Auckland. This was attributed to the differences in the β-casein profile.

  Elliott was the lead author of a conference paper that examined the effects of feeding casein to non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. The conclusion was that “the induction of diabetes by casein in the NOD mouse appears to be restricted to casein containing the A1 variant of beta-casein”.

  The marketing potential of such a discovery could be enormous.

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  27 December 2017

• The Problem With Cow’s Milk

  Skin and intestinal reactions to cow’s milk was described by Hippocrates (460-370 B.C.) and Galen of Pergamum (130-210 AD), both Greek physicians so there has been an awareness of problems with cow’s milk for a considerable period of time.

  Cow’s milk is the most common cause of allergic reactions, although the actual prevalence is disputed.

  Mammals have evolved over millions of years to provide nutrition for their infants in the first stage of life. There are significant difference between species depending upon factors such as rates of growth.

  A bull reaches maturity at 9-10 months, so the rate of growth is markedly different to humans. Consequently, the composition of bovine milk is very different to that of humans. The consequences of cow’s milk consumption are potentially harmful.

  Contrary to popular belief, the more calcium and animal protein consumption, the greater the rate of hip and pelvic fractures.

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  23 December 2017

• The Nature of Food Allergies

  Food allergies have become a major concern with parents, health practitioners and school administrators. However, the estimates of prevalence of allergies varies widely.

  A commonly accepted definition is an “adverse immune response that occurs reproducibly on exposure to a given food and is distinct from other adverse responses to food, such as food intolerance, pharmacologic reactions, and toxin-mediated reactions.”

  However, most people are not going to make such a fine distinction between food allergy and food intolerance. Non-celiac gluten-sensitivity (NCGS) does not cause an IgE response so with this definition it not classed as a food allergy.

  Dairy, in particular, cow’s milk and gluten, wheat and grains are commonly avoided as a result of concerns about food allergies.

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  15 December 2017