Gardasil, a vaccine designed to prevent cervical cancer in women, has recently been the target of debate about its safety and efficacy. While young girls have been dying and key researchers are saying the vaccine doesn’t work, there are dozens of studies using natural compounds in broccoli that DO work to not only PREVENT but possibly TREAT cervical cancer as well.

Cervical cancer is very slow growing and is generally treatable with minor interventions when caught early, hence pap smears have been recommended as a routine part of an annual physical exam for decades. But a paradigm shift in cervical cancer thought occurred in 1984 when it was discovered that the Human Papilloma Virus causes cervical cancer. Drug researchers immediately went to work on a vaccine and their dream came true when Gardasil, the first cervical cancer vaccine, was released in 2006. A disease mostly controlled with routine screenings became the new public health threat that immediately required mandatory vaccinations for every young woman in the US, whether at risk or not.

But while new evidence is coming to light that young women are suffering serious health effects and even death from a vaccine that may not even do what it is intended to do, readily available strategies for prevention of cervical cancer are being completely overlooked. Broccoli and other ‘Brassicas’ like cabbage and Brussels sprouts have long been touted as health foods- and with good reason. Antioxidants and anticancer agents are continually being isolated from this family of vegetables, making them some of the biggest health powerhouses available. One particular compound in broccoli called Indole-3-Carbinol, also called I3C, has been isolated and studied for over 2 decades for its anti-cancer properties.

 

“Studies increasingly indicate that dietary
indole-3-carbinol (I3C) prevents the development of
estrogen-enhanced cancers including breast,
endometrial and cervical cancers”
‘Indole-3-Carbinol Is a Negative Regulator of Estrogen’

 

I3C’s chemoprotective properties are unquestioned in the many animal and laboratory studies that have been done. And with only two adverse reactions having ever been reported, human studies have proven it to have an astonishingly good safety profile. The research using I3C against cervical cancer is extremely promising as well. In one double-blind placebo controlled trial, a full one-half of women with biopsy-proven early stage cervical cancer had COMPLETE REGRESSION of their cancer where NONE in the control group did. That means that simply by supplementing once daily with Indole-3-Carbinol Supplements50% of these womens’ cancers were completely reversed. In addition, animal studies not ONLY show that supplementation with I3C can prevent cervical cancer in the animals taking it, but it ALSO prevents cervical cancer in their offspring!

 

 

 

“Addition of chemoprotective agents
to the maternal diet during pregnancy
and nursing may be an effective new
approach in reducing the incidence of cancers
in children and young adults.”
‘Indole-3-carbinol in the maternal
diet provides chemoprotection
for the fetus against transplacental carcinogenesis’

 

 

 

The benefits of I3C don’t stop there, though, other studies have shown that it can help to prevent and treat breast, endometrial, vulvar, skin and prostate cancers as well. But even while I3C is being ignored as a natural supplement, drug researchers are feverishly attempting to reproduce its properties in the lab in order to create a patentable synthetic anticancer agent. In the study ‘A potent indole-3-carbinol-derived Antitumor agent’ , the researchers called its anticancer effects “weak” and therefore they are “…exploiting indole-3-carbinol to develop potent antitumor agents”. But “weak” is not the first word that comes to mind when discussing this natural substance that reduces cancer by:

Lowering ‘bad’ estrogen levels
Killing cancer cells directly
Inhibiting the viruses associated with these cancers and
Strengthening the immune system.

 

This estrogen-lowering effect is actually a powerful tool in the prevention of these cancers as well. The ratio of ‘bad’ to ‘good’ estrogen is an important marker of estrogen dependent cancers like cervical cancer, and can be MEASURED directly with an Estrogen Level Test for Breast Cancer Risk

Like most natural substances, doctors offices and medical centers are ignoring this research and, instead, are having teenage girls line up for a shot with a nebulous safety profile that may not even be effective. Yet, it would be far safer, less expensive and likely more effective if public health campaigns were directed at teaching women the benefits of Vitamin D in Cancer Risk and eating foods like broccoli and cabbage that are naturally rich in anticancer compounds like I3C.

 

Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C), 200mg / 60 Vcaps Description: Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) is a naturally occurring phytochemical found in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, and kale. NOW® I3C provides powerful antioxidant protection, helping to prevent cellular damage caused by free radicals. In addition, I3C can help to maintain healthy normal hormonal balance, for both men and women. The Inside Scoop: Free of: sugar, salt, yeast, wheat, gluten, corn, soy, milk, egg or preservatives.Nutrition Facts: Serving Size (Vcap®) 1 Servings Per 60 Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) 200mg LinumLife™ Complex (Flax Seed Lignan Extract) Linum usitatissimum) 200mg (Seed Coat) Ingredients: Cellulose , Rice Bran, Magnesium Stearate and Silica. Suggested Use: As a dietary supplement, take 1 Vcap® 1-3 times daily. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

 

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Health Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Easy Immune Health.com

 

 

The common wisdom is that those who don’t get the Swine Flu Shot put us all at risk for the disease. But what if those who have poor nutrition put us at risk even MORE? Well, it could very well be true. Those who have poor nutrition not only put themselves at risk for swine flu because of their decreased immunity, but their decreased immunity actually allows the flu virus to change into an even MORE deadly disease.

 

The research to back this started with a surprising finding in children with heart disease in the province of Keshan in China. It has been found that an ‘epidemic’ of heart failure in children was due to a deficiency of selenium in the soils of the area. Prompt supplementation of the inhabitants curbed this heart failure epidemic. But small numbers of people continued to get heart failure and researchers found that those who died from this Heart Failure From Selenium Deficiency- now called Keshan disease- actually had a viral infection that had attacked their heart.

When researchers studied those who died of natural causes, they were found to ALSO have the virus in their hearts but it did not affect them. Studies on mice exposed to the same virus found that selenium deficient mice exposed to the NON VIRULENT virus, died of heart failure too. The surprise came when it was found that the VIRUS actually CHANGED into a killer when selenium was deficient!

 

The Implications of this are Huge

This important finding has since been repeated with the Selenium and Influenza as well. And the findings were the same. A non-virulent flu virus, when exposed to a host with different varied nutritional deficiencies, will mutate and change into a more virulent virus. Not only that, but the NEW more virulent virus was able to sicken those who were previously IMMUNE to the old virus!

 

“This work… shows that specific nutritional deficiencies
can have a profound impact on the genome of RNA viruses.
Poor nutritional status in the host may contribute to the
emergence of new viral strains.”

Host nutritional selenium status
as a driving force for influenza virus mutations

 

While the research that proved the genetic mutations was done on mice, there is no reason to believe that these findings don’t apply to humans. And we have several examples of this in nature. The first is the example of Keshan Disease that was mentioned earlier; another example was an ‘epidemic’ of a virus that caused optic and peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathy is a nervous system disorder that causes pain and decreased sensation in the affected areas. This virus was one of the Causes of Peripheral Neuropathy that affected over 50,000 people in Cuba between the years 1991 to 1993.

 

 

Interestingly, the CURE for both Keshan disease and this neuropathy in Cuba is NOT antiviral medications or vaccinations… but VITAMINS. Keshan disease is not only PREVENTED, but CURED by the administration of selenium. And the viral neuropathy in Cuba was, likewise, cured by MULTIVITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS- and it was prevented in the majority of the population of Cuba simply be handing out High Quality Multivitamin Supplements to the population!

 

 

This information should be trumpeted around the world. Poor nutrition allows viruses to mutate and change and puts us all at risk of diseases and epidemics. But this information has quietly been ignored in favor of ‘herd immunity’ through an attempt at vaccination of the total population. Those who refuse vaccinations are vilified as a threat to the rest of us. But these findings suggest that the REAL threat comes from those who have poor nutrition and allow these illnesses to mutate and change in their bodies, bringing a worse form of the disease to the rest of the population. While the nutritional deficiencies affect the immune system, a weakened immune system ALSO makes pathogens more virulent- allowing them to spread back to a population who was previously immune to them. There is no way that ‘Herd Immunity’ from any Swine Flu Shot program will be able to keep up with that, as much as the pharmaceutical companies may try.

 

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Health Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Easy Immune Health.com

 

 

Thanks to public health campaigns, it seems like everyone is aware that sufficient Folic Acid Prevents Neural Tube Defects.  As such, most governments have made folic acid supplementation of many foods mandatory to prevent these permanent birth defects. A lesser known fact, however, is that sufficient Vitamin B 12 is just as important as folic acid in the fetal development of the brain and spinal cord- yet a handful of researchers seem to be the only ones concerned about this equally important public health issue.

Supplementation of the food supply with nutrients not found naturally in those foods is so commonplace that most of us would point to milk as a good source of Vitamin D, yet in nature there is no vitamin D in milk whatsoever. Most recently, governments in several western countries have chosen to fortify bakery products with folic acid in order to prevent the spinal cord malformations that occur in infants during development when this vitamin is lacking. Fortunately, supplementation and education HAS worked to reduce the incidence of the spinal cord defects known as Neural Tube Defects- or NTD’s.

Yet the same research that led to the conclusion that lack of Folic Acid caused neural tube defects ALSO led to the conclusion that insufficient Vitamin B12, a condition known medically as Cobalamin Deficiency, is a SEPARATE and Independent risk factor for neural tube defects. But astoundingly, this information was ignored when the decision was made to begin widespread folic acid fortification.

 

“We found a 3-fold increase in the risk
of NTDs in mothers who had vitamin B-12 status
in the lower quartile, regardless of FA
[folic acid] fortification.”
Vitamin B-12 and neural tube defects: the Canadian experience

 

 

 

Obviously, those responsible for this fortification did not read the science about the relationship between folic acid and vitamin B12 because it is well-known that supplementation with folic acid alone can actually prevent the only clinical sign of vitamin B12 deficiency that doctors look for. This condition, called macrocytic anemia, is easily detected on routine blood tests, but folate Effectively Prevents this sign without preventing the ACTUAL B12 deficiency.

 

“Folic acid fortification of the diet in North America
and elsewhere is giving rise to the potential risk of
undetected cobalamin deficiency, through “masking” by folate.”
Ralph Green, MD, PhD- University of California Davis

 

There are two other aspects of this problem that are important to note. First of all, the ‘official’ stance of most medical groups is that Vitamin B12 deficiency is ‘rare’, but studies have shown that it is actually quite common. Since vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal products, those in the lowest socioeconomic classes who are unable to afford higher priced animal products are at an increased risk. And women who have chosen, for religious or health reasons, to eat fewer meat and meat products often unknowingly put themselves at risk as well. With huge numbers of women that fit into these categories, research points to the fact that Vitamin B12 Deficiency in women of childbearing age is hardly the rare phenomenon that medical groups have made it out to be.

The second aspect of this problem that is less understood is that the levels of Vitamin B12 found in the mothers of children with NTD’s were low, but would NOT have been low enough to be considered a true deficiency. Therefore, even if their doctors had been on alert for this problem and had actually done Testing for Vitamin B12 Deficiency, it still would not have been likely to be found anyway. These unique circumstances have led research groups, including teams from The University Medical Center of Nijmegen in The Netherlands and The Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology at the University of Chile in Santiago to urge consideration of vitamin B12 fortification of foods. In addition, American researchers Victor Herbert and Jean Bigaouette unsuccessfully petitioned the US Food and Drug Administration in 1997 for the vitamin B12 fortification of foods already fortified with folic acid.

That governments chose to fortify foods with folic acid without the consideration that it may very well mask the Vitamin B12 deficiency that ALSO contributes to neural tube defects is obviously not based on science. In true governmental fashion, the decision was likely based more on outcries from bakery groups that Vitamin B12 would discolor their pure white products than it was based on the welfare of unborn children. Vitamin B12, however, plays just as important a role in the brain and spinal cord health of the next generation as folic acid does. But without public health campaigns teaching us of its importance, it is up to concerned individuals to get this information out to as many women as possible in order to decrease the incidence of these devastating yet entirely preventable birth defects.

 

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Health Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Easy Immune Health.com

 

 

If you have ever attempted a SAFE detoxification regimen, you know that it includes DECREASING the amount of toxins coming INTO your body while INCREASING the amount of toxins going OUT of your body. But unless you are aware of the concepts of Phase I and Phase II detoxification, you could not only NOT be detoxifying, but you could actually be INCREASING toxic damage to your body.

The concepts of Phase I and Phase II detoxification are absolutely CRITICAL in detoxification, yet they are almost COMPLETELY unknown to the average person who is interested in eliminating toxins. Most toxins start out as FAT-SOLUBLE substances, but the body is only able to excrete WATER-SOLUBLE substances, so these toxins must be transformed before being able to be eliminated. The first part of this process, known as Phase I detoxification, transforms these toxins into ‘Intermediary Metabolites’ that need to be changed even further before elimination. Phase I detoxification is relatively ‘easy’ and doesn’t require any intense energy expenditures or nutrients, however, the intermediary metabolites that it produces can be very dangerous. In fact, the free radicals and carcinogens produced in this phase can be even MORE harmful than the ORIGINAL toxins!

Under ideal conditions, Phase II begins immediately after Phase I and these harmful metabolites are neutralized and excreted fairly rapidly. But in some cases, Phase II does not begin right away or it can’t keep up with the incoming metabolites produced so efficiently in Phase I. Because Phase II IS energy and nutrient intensive, in someone who has fewer nutrients and enzymes than is required for Phase II needs, detoxification CAN become an overall DAMAGING experience! Situations that can cause high Phase I activity and slowed Phase II activity occur when someone is either sick or malnourished and simply does not have the nutritional stores in order to support Phase II nutrient demands. Other situations are when fat is lost so quickly that the sheer amount of toxins released into the bloodstream overwhelms Phase II systems. Those who water fast, too, should be cautious. Water fasting is so efficient and there are so few nutrients being ingested, that the amount of toxins produced can overwhelm Phase II nutrient requirements and allow free radical damage to occur.

 

These phases or detoxification are not to be taken lightly, either. The intermediate substances can be SO harmful that Phase II detoxification problems have been linked to cancer, liver failure and the permanent neurologic damage that occurs in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Fortunately, increasing Phase II activity can be assisted with the right nutrients: the amino acids glycine, taurine, glutamine, cysteine and methionine are critical in this reaction.

 

 

Antioxidants that specifically aid Phase II pathways, like those from green tea, turmeric and red raspberries, can provide specific substances that not only help to neutralize free radicals and INCREASE Phase II activity, but slow down Phase I activity at the same time. This can allow the body adequate time to transform these free radicals into their harmless counterparts. Dietary fiber, too, not only binds to the water soluble compounds created, but specific types of fiber have been shown to actually improve Phase II activity.

Because we live in such a contaminated environment, detoxification is a nearly Essential pursuit in order to stay healthy, but it is vital to understand the concepts of Phase I and Phase II detoxification before embarking on any cleansing regimen. Providing the body with substances that specifically improve Phase II reactions can not only help you to have a safer cleansing experience, but a more EFFECTIVE one as well.

 

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Health Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Easy Immune Health.com

 

 

The Mayo Clinic is stating the Importance of Genetic Testing for Long QT Syndrome, a problem with the heart where an electrical disturbance causes sudden cardiac death- and is most well known for the sudden death that occurs in athletes. And the BBC is reporting that Doctors Want to Take Tissue Samples of Sudden Death Victims for research- whether their family wants the tissue samples taken or not! All of this in order to find out the ‘genetic causes’ of this sudden cardiac death that occurs most frequently from Long QT Syndrome.

But even the Mayo Clinic states “Our research shows that genetic testing is just one piece of the information a physician needs to look at,” What this means is that they are going to pour a ton of money into finding out what the genetics are of Prolonged QT Interval and, like most of these other genetic studies, find out that a certain number of people WITH the genetics to have a particular disease get it, while a certain number DON’T and that environmental factors have more to do with getting whatever disease they happen to be studying than their $200 million genetic studies are showing.

But what neither of these studies mentioned is the connection between sudden cardiac death, Long QT Syndrome and Magnesium Deficiency. Magnesium is an electrolyte that is vitally important in the electrical activity of the heart and there is a HUGE connection between sudden cardiac death and magnesium deficiency. In fact, The American Heart Association states that Sudden Death From Congestive Heart Failure “…may be entirely the result of potassium and magnesium depletion…”, yet the conclusion of the AMA was that these patients needed SURGERY to correct their tendency towards the electrical disturbance!

 

Surgery to correct problems caused by Magnesium Deficiency!?

 

Interestingly, ER Doctors are WELL aware of this connection between Sudden Cardiac Death and Long QT Syndrome. When someone comes into the ER with Prolonged QT Interval and is in cardiac arrest- the answer is to give them an Intravenous Infusion of Magnesium. In many cases, this is the ONLY treatment that will bring these patients back from the verge of death. But while magnesium’s use is VITAL to bring these people back from death, virtually no cardiologists are suggesting that this Sudden Cardiac Death could be PREVENTED with the same magnesium that is used for its treatment in an emergency.

Back in 2001, the study Magnesium: Its Proven and Potential Clinical Significance, however, lamented the lack of studies using Magnesium as prevention for these heart problems. The few studies that HAVE been done on the subject DO show value in the use of Magnesium to prevent Long QT Syndrome.

 

 

The 1981 Study, The effect of slow releasing oral magnesium chloride on the qtc interval.. studied people who were PRETREATED with oral magnesium before open heart surgery. Those who took magnesium had NO electrical disturbance and a shorter qt interval (that’s a good thing) after surgery than those who didn’t.

The 1978 study The Effect of Oral Magnesium Chloride Therapy on the
QTc and QUc Intervals. states,

 

“Findings included (i) a statistically significant decrease in
QTc and QUc intervals; (ii) a progressive shor.ening of
QTc and QUc intervals with continuing therapy; (iii) reversion
to normal of ECG abnormalities…”

 

So the people in the above study showed COMPLETELY NORMAL electrical activity in their heart after daily supplementation with magnesium.

One of the problems with using magnesium for the prevention and treatment of these problems is that Magnesium Levels in the Blood do not accurately reflect the NEED for magnesium, and people can be severely magnesium deficient and have NORMAL magnesium levels. But the doctors who rely on these tests for treatment, see these normal levels and believe that these patients who go on to die later, had normal magnesium levels.

But cardiologists are simply not paying attention to these studies and even though magnesium has few Magnesium Side Effects and has absolutely been shown to be the ONLY treatment of sudden cardiac death from Long QT Syndrome, because studies haven’t “Conclusively Proven” that magnesium will help to prevent this problem, it is ignored entirely. And when people’s lives are on the line, in my opinion, this is just irresponsible.

 

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Health Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Easy Immune Health.com

 

 

In western countries, cavities are an almost universal human condition. With almost 98% of people with at least one cavity, the person without them is a cause for comment. But the condition of dental caries is NOT a normal condition and is entirely preventable; not with good oral hygiene, as we have been taught, but with good nutrition. While good Oral Health and Hygiene is certainly a PART of preventing cavities, and is vital for social reasons, brushing and flossing pales in importance to good nutrition in the fight against dental caries.

In the 1930′s, a dentist by the name of Weston A. Price traveled around the world observing the oral condition and dental health of those people who had been untouched by processed foods. What he found should have made waves in the medical and dental communities then and now. But most of Dr. Price’s detailed studies, described in painstaking detail in his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, have been largely ignored except by a few vocal minorities such as those who run Weston A Price Foundation . Yet the conclusion that he drew from his many observations with people of different races that ate different foods in different climates on different continents were remarkably similar. People who ate no processed foods had virtually zero cavities.

 

Dr. Price does have his critics, and there are those that claim that cavities come strictly from exposure to cavity causing bacteria and that these people who had minimal contact with modern people simply did not have exposure to the bacteria that cause cavities; therefore they were unable to contract them. While this is an interesting theory, if it were true then cavity rates should have increased to the same rate as the outlying areas once the bacteria was introduced- but this is not the case at all.

 

 

One island community was a particularly interesting case that disproves this theory. The incidence of cavities, as shown in the elders of the island, was essentially zero before traders came to buy the dried coconut product called copra. Along with the traders came white sugar and white flour in trade; as well an increase in cavities among the young that reached the equivalent incidence of modern day. But some years later, the demand for copra disappeared and traders no longer came to the remote island, removing the ability for the islanders to have sugar and flour. Along with the traders and their processed food went cavities as well. The next generation on the island, who often had parents and siblings with cavities, again returned to a natural cavity-free state, despite the fact that toothbrushes and the concept of oral hygiene was virtually unknown.

More evidence that cavities are due more to exposure to processed foods than oral hygiene can be seen from animals. Whether wild animals or pets, animals have no oral hygiene practices- ‘dog breath’ didn’t get its name because your pet keeps his teeth and gums sparkly clean. But pets eat almost no processed foods and have virtually no cavities. With the amount of pets in the US exceeding the number of children, if cavities were prevalent in pets, then pet dentistry would have become a common profession rivaling that of dentistry for children. Yet a quick look at any phone book in any major city will show that there are far more pet spas and pet hotels than pet dentists. While many pet owners do get their companions’ teeth cleaned regularly, few pet owners agonize over whether Spot should get an amalgam or a ceramic filling.

 

If oral hygiene were the answer to eradicating cavities, the enormous increase in sales of toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss over the past 70 years, should have paralleled a concurrent decrease in cavities. Yet by any statistics, almost 99% of the population of industrialized societies have cavities with 4 to 5 cavities per person not an uncommon figure. But if anything, the incidence of cavities has INCREASED right along with the increase in sales of dental hygiene products. A correlation that Colgate is not likely to splash in their next full page ad. So, while the answer to fewer cavities doesn’t lie in stopping oral hygiene, it does lie in eliminating processed foods, especially in the young who have growing teeth and jaws and who will be responsible for the nutritional status of the as yet unborn generation to come.

 

Oral Health Resources

Can Cavities and Periodontal Disease be Reversed? One dentist says that they can. Take a look at Money by the Mouthful to learn how Dr. Nara does it.
Fresh Mouth- The Healthy mouthwash with Coenzyme Q10 and Colloidal Silver.

 

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Health Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Easy Immune Health.com