Our white blood cells are responsible for fighting infection in our body and antibiotics are not what the body normally uses to fight disease. No disease-producing organism can resist destruction by properly functioning white blood cells, but these organisms can easily build up a resistance to antibiotics and vaccines. The white blood cells in our bodies fail to destroy diseaseproducing organisms because the white blood cells do not have sufficient access to vitamin C. Vitamin C is the fuel that white blood cells use to destroy organisms and diseased cells. The more severe the infection, the larger amount of vitamin C needed, as much as 10,000 milligrams of vitamin C is required for life-threatening infections. Our bodies cannot make vitamin C, so we must get it from our diet or by supplementation.
Glucose also destroys the white blood cell's ability to fight disease, which is why people who consume a lot of carbohydrates and sugar have weak immune systems. As humans, one of the greatest hindrances to our immune systems is our excess sugar intake. White sugar looks innocent and tastes great, and can really satisfy our sweet tooth, but the price is much too high. White sugar can cause diabetes, depress the immune system, even make you look older (anything but that!).
In this chapter, we will teach you how to become immune from infectious disease by the use of a simple nutrient. This nutrient occurs in fruit, berries and vegetables. It is all-natural, fights infection, and removes foreign substances from the body. Curious? Keep reading!
In previous chapters, we taught you the natural way to overcome the biggest diseases of civilization, namely: heart disease, cancer and arthritis. By merely reverting our diet back to the way Nature intended, we can become healthier. However, we have yet to talk about one serious health factor — infectious disease.
Infectious diseases are pneumonia, flu (regular and pandemic), tuberculosis, colds, tooth abscesses, bleeding gums, boils, blood poisoning, hepatitis, meningitis, polio and any viral or bacterial disease. Even though each of these diseases are very different from each other, we group them together as they all are infectious. We do this simply because the body uses the same procedure to rid itself from all of these infections.
Medical science is limited to the use of antibiotics and vaccines that can be ineffective and do very little, if anything, to help the natural infection-fighting process in the body. Because of the constant mutation of infections, new antibiotics and vaccines have to be continually developed to deal with pathogens that have become resistant to the antibiotics already in use. In addition, antibiotics are not effective for curing viruses, although some doctors still prescribe them even though they will not cure or stop the virus.
Why would a doctor prescribe a medication that will not cure what ails you? Because taking antibiotics will not hurt you and antibiotics are a big source of revenue. Pharmaceutical companies love antibiotics and vaccines because manufacturing them is very cheap and they are sold in mass quantities — big profit earners for drug companies.
Time for the good news! No antibiotic or vaccine can compete with the most powerful infection fighter that exists — your body.
In each of our bodies we have things called “phagocytes.” You probably are more familiar with their common name, white blood cells. As opposed to antibiotics, which are only good for fighting one particular pathogen, white blood cells don't discriminate. Whatever pathogen they find (if it is foreign to the body), the white blood cells destroy. The cells do this by surrounding the germ like an envelope and digesting it, thereby eradicating it. White blood cells are so strong they can even seek out and destroy tumor cells and debris inhaled into your lungs.
If white blood cells are so good at destroying infections, why do we still get them? The answers are very simple. Our white blood cells are starved of nutrition because of our unnatural diets. Because they are starving, they are not able to work at optimum capacity. Just like we are not going to function at full capacity if we have a sleepless night and then don't eat breakfast in the morning. Also a detriment is excessive sugar and carbohydrate intake, which poison and paralyze the white blood cells.
The most critical nutrient the white bloods cell needs in order to function properly is vitamin C, and the more work the white blood cells need to do, the more vitamin C they need. Think of vitamin C as the gasoline that fuels the white blood cells. If we have only a few bacteria in our body to destroy, the white blood cells are quite happy to use a small amount of vitamin C. However, if we have a massive and/or life-threatening infection, the white blood cells need massive amounts of vitamin C. If we have insufficient vitamin C in our bodies, the white blood cells are overcome and too weak to deal with the threat. With an unlimited supply of vitamin C, the white blood cells become like an army of super heroes, destroying all the germs and, in effect, saving our lives. This is a pretty miraculous process and it happens every single day of our lives.
All animals can make vitamin C from the sugar contained in their livers. The more vitamin C the body needs, the more the animal can make. However, we humans have a genetic defect that prevents us from making our own vitamin C. The mechanism is there, it just doesn't work like it does in animals. The liver cannot make the enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase that is responsible for making vitamin C. This means we are responsible for getting enough vitamin C to support our bodies exclusively from food or supplements.
Unfortunately, vitamin C is very unstable and is easily lost from our foods. The simple act of cooking destroys most of the vitamin C contained in our foods and, if our diet is lacking in raw fruit and vegetables, we hardly get any vitamin C. Sadly, it is pretty safe to say that all of us are vitamin C deficient.
The insulin in our bodies causes vitamin C to move into our cells, including white blood cells. As much as 80 times more vitamin C has been found in white blood cells than in blood plasma. Once the vitamin C enters the white blood cells, it stimulates the production of something called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphateoxidase (NADPH). NADPH is made from niacin (vitamin B3). The NADPH then has the ability to make hydrogen peroxide, the same material that is sold over the counter as a germ killer or to bleach your hair. The hydrogen peroxide kills, digests and destroys all bacteria, even tumor cells, that are engulfed by the white blood cells.
Each and every person has a different level of need for vitamin C, so it virtually is impossible to tell how much vitamin C per day is needed on a person by person basis. One person may need only 100 milligrams per day whereas another person with a serious health challenge may need 15 grams. The person who needs only a dose of 100 milligrams per day on a regular basis, may need a dose of 4 grams if they start coming down with the flu. The body also may accept a lot of vitamin C if the bones and ligaments have been weakened by a history of vitamin C deficiency. This is because vitamin C is also needed to make collagen, which strengthens the bones (and fights wrinkles). Dr. Schep took two grams a day for two years at the age of 56 to get his bones strong in preparation for playing rugby. Only after two years did he begin to get overdose symptoms (diarrhea).
Generally speaking, most young, healthy people should be okay with a daily vitamin C intake of anywhere from 60 to 100 milligrams a day. In the following circumstances, a person would need the noted vitamin C amounts. Using these guidelines, most minor to moderate infections will disappear within 24 to 48 hours.
Common cold: 2 to 4 grams every four hours until cold lessens.
Flu: 4 grams every four hours until fever disappears.
Tooth abscess: 4 grams every four hours until pain and swelling are gone.
Hepatitis: 4 grams every four hours until cured (usually within one to two days).
Cancer: 10 to 15 grams per day or as much as the body will tolerate.
To determine your daily vitamin C requirement, keep increasing your vitamin C intake. When your body has enough vitamin C it will reject the excess by causing diarrhea. At that point you can cut back, confident that you are healthy and have sufficient C (and a clean colon!).
Although we can boost our immune system tremendously with supplements such as vitamin C powders, tablets and pills, thereby enhancing a natural process, the most natural form of vitamin C is that which we can get from our food. The foods that we consume (or should be consuming) have vitamin C occurring simultaneously with other anti-oxidants like polyphenols and bioflavonoids. Together with vitamin C, these antioxidants fight disease, give you energy and keep you strong and healthy.
|
FOOD NAME |
SERVING SIZE |
VITAMIN C CONTENT |
|
Blackcurrant |
100 grams |
155 milligrams |
|
Kiwi fruit |
100 grams |
100 milligrams |
|
Redcurrant |
100 grams |
58 to 80 milligrams |
|
Papaya |
100 grams |
62 milligrams |
|
Strawberry |
100 grams |
57 milligrams |
|
Orange |
100 grams |
53 milligrams |
The richest vitamin C food is Rose hips. Rose hips can be eaten raw or you can purchase dried hips from a health store and use them to make tea. Rose hips contain anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams, depending on variety.
Barbados cherries, also known as acerola, contains approximately 1,700 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams. You can purchase acerola powder from a health food store or you can grow your own if you live in a climate similar to that of Florida or Hawaii (or if you have a large hot house).
The table below lists other foods that are rich in vitamin C.
Insulin causes cells not only to absorb ascorbic acid, but also glucose. Unfortunately, when glucose enters the white blood cells, it lessens the ability of the white blood cells to make NADPH. That means less hydrogen peroxide is produced, which makes the body's immune system performance tank. It's estimated that the average person's immune system is reduced to half of its effectiveness due to daily sugar intake. Half! No wonder the average person's immunity to diseases is so poor. Our high sugar intake and low vitamin C intake are allowing rampant cancer and infectious diseases, as the white blood cells are unable to destroy cancer cells or bacteria if they're overloaded with glucose. And it's not just sugar; carbohydrates produce blood glucose too (A. Sanchez63).
It is almost impossible to purchase any kind of processed food without sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Due to our unhealthy diets and the addition of high-fructose corn syrup (which is 50 percent glucose!), it is estimated that sugar consumption per citizen in the United States has gone up from a few pounds a year to 155 pounds per person — per year. Next time you are at the grocery store, swing by the baking aisle and take a look at the shelf of one-pound sugar cartons or bags. Envision how eating 155 of those cartons per year would make you feel. Awful, right? But this is exactly what we are doing each and every year and, by doing so, we are slowly killing ourselves.
Dr. Nancy Appleton has done much research on the effects of sugar in the body. In her research, she has found information from hundreds of scientific papers64 supporting the following facts about sugar:
Suppresses the immune system.
Upsets mineral deficiencies.
Interferes with absorption of calcium.
Causes anxiety.
Causes hyperactivity.
Causes difficulty concentrating and moodiness in children (causes a rapid rise in adrenaline).
Promotes the loss of tissue elasticity and function.
Feeds cancer cells.
Increases fasting levels of glucose.
Weakens eyesight.
Speeds up premature aging.
Interferes with protein digestion.
Enlarges the liver.
Enlarges kidneys.
Increases fluid retention.
Makes tendons brittle.
Reduces learning capacity.
Lessens circulation.
Slows down adrenals.
Increases polio risk.
In addition, hundreds of papers showed moderate to high sugar consumption promotes the following diseases:
Bowel disease
Alcoholism
Periodontal disease
Cavities
Obesity
Arthritis
Asthma
Multiple sclerosis
Yeast infections
Gallstones
Appendicitis
Hemorrhoids
Varicose veins
Osteoporosis
Diabetes
Blood pressure
Food allergies
Toxemia during pregnancy
Eczema
Emphysema
Cataracts and nearsightedness
Migraines
Depression
Gout
Dizziness
Epileptic seizures
Gum disease
The best alternative to sugar is no sugar at all. Easier said than done, right? If you just have to have real sugar, it must only be a very small amount — less than two teaspoons per day.
The good news is you don't have to give up sweets! Mother Nature has provided us some delicious, healthy alternatives to highly refined white sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. The absolute best alternative is blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses actually is a super food, as it contains all the minerals (copper, iron, manganese and selenium) that fight serious diseases such cancer, arthritis, obesity and heart disease. These minerals are highly concentrated due to the process that is used to remove them from the sugar cane juice. Our second preference is dark maple syrup, which can easily be found in the health food section of your supermarket or in your local natural foods store. We recommend using dark maple syrup to sweeten your coffee or tea and using blackstrap molasses to sweeten your cereal or oatmeal.
Another delicious and natural way to sweeten teas, water (flat and sparkling), baked goods, syrups and more is to use fresh fruit juice (unpasteurized wherever possible). Not only do the juices taste good and add new dimensions, they also contain antioxidants such as carotene and vitamin C.
For baking, we recommend using stevia in the place of sugar as it is a completely natural plant material. The stevia plant actually has a history of use as a medicinal plant amongst tribal people. For centuries, South American tribes used it as sweetener in yerba mate (a popular stimulant drink that is similar to tea) and it is used in medicinal teas for treating heartburn and other ailments. More recent medical research has even shown promise in treating obesity and hypertension with stevia. In addition, stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, even enhancing glucose tolerance. It's an attractive natural sweetener for diabetics and others on carbohydrate-controlled diets.
The following are sweeteners to replace unhealthy white sugar.
Use the darkest syrup you can find; it is more concentrated and has more minerals. Use three-fourths cup of maple syrup for one cup sugar and decrease the total amount of liquid in the recipe by three tablespoons for each cup of syrup that you use.
Stevia goes a long way, so use moderately. One-half teaspoon stevia extract is the same sweetness as one cup of sugar. It does not work with yeast-risen breads, so use with quick-rising recipes. Stevia powder also works well with citrus flavors so it's good in lemonade, etc.
Date sugar simply is finely ground dates so it does not have the melting quality of sugar. It goes through minimal processing which makes it more healthy. Baking with it will cause the color of your baked goods to become darker. It is suggested that you use two-thirds cup date sugar to substitute one cup of sugar. We suggest you use date sugar to sprinkle on yogurt or on cinnamon toast.
An exceptionally delicious molasses, it is a good source of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium with lots of other minerals. Try tahini and grape molasses; one-half the amount of molasses to tahini and mix until well blended. Spread on bread instead of using peanut butter and jelly. Use grape molasses to sweeten a vinaigrette pour over raw spinach and pine nuts. Grape molasses can be found in Greek or Mediterranean stores or possibly your local health food store.
This molasses has a very strong flavor. We suggest you use it as recommended in a recipe calling for blackstrap molasses. To substitute for one cup of sugar, try using one-half cup blackstrap molasses and one-half cup maple syrup. Reduce the liquid content by three tablespoons (some say five table-spoons). You'll have to experiment since there are not many recipes available without white flour when it comes to baking and using alternative sweeteners. Try two table-spoons blackstrap molasses in your coffee. It is a powerful source of the critical minerals, copper and manganese, missing in our diets.