Articles by Donna DiMarco

I was on vacation sitting by the pool and watching the obese adults and children enjoy the most awful snacks as they “live it up”.   I was absolutely amazed that people were drinking beer at 10 a.m. as they sat in the sun.  Of course intermittent smoking just topped off the perfect week of relaxation and leisure.

Maybe everyone else’s dietary habits were so obvious because I was fasting for the week.  I try to go away when I fast because it is easier to be away from the familiar places where I cook and eat.  This is a week of relaxation, meditation, cleansing and rejuvenation; it works for me. 

While cooling off in the pool, I overheard 4 women discussing their diabetes and other health problems.

One was bragging that her blood sugar level was over 800 before the doctor made a diagnosis and prescribed medicine.  She was the winner; the other women only had a sugar level of 600.  This was quite a lot to be proud of.

One suggested that the other try Metformin since her husband takes Metformin and eats “whatever he wants”.  That’s an endorsement if ever I heard it!

A bit earlier there were three young people discussing hangovers.  The girl said she doesn’t like the feeling so she drinks a bottle of water with each drink.  The boy stated that he never gets hung over since he was able to “do 22 rounds of Captain Morgan and not get hung over”.   He had a great suggestion for her:  besides drinking the water, she should take some B12 and vitamin C before bedtime.  That would prevent the hangover.  Well, my head turned to see this health conscious young man with real wisdom of preventing hangovers.  He was over 300 pounds with an enormous belly hanging over his swimsuit…he was only 20 years old.

What are we coming to?  Are we so numb to health that an arsenal of drugs is a normal way of life?

Have we accepted the Big Pharma lies that sickness is a deficiency of a drug and what we eat has nothing to do with it?

I start teaching a new nutrition class next week.  I have seventy students enrolled.  I have the privilege of sharing with them information that will hopefully change their lives and as evidenced by my last classes, it is significantly for the better. 

A student from my last class wrote me recently:

Dear Valued Prof, I sincerely believe that (this class) remains the most relevant course not just in US, but (for a few of us not from US) even right up to other countries. It is to me a crusade that whoever has come across should ensure that he/she keeps passing on the good news. I wish you will stay longer on the scene so as to keep the flame ever on. God bless you for all your efforts towards ensuring a healthier society. Thanks.Peter Ugwuozor  

This is why I teach.  This is why I encourage you to pass the information on.  There are too many people who don’t know, don’t believe, or don’t care that they are literally killing themselves.  

Please, just for one day a week, think before you eat!  Ask yourself if the food you will eat will make you healthier.  Let’s change the world into a healthier place.

Donna

It has been said that you are not what you eat, but rather what you digest, absorb and assimilate.  This is true.  Health begins with the food choices, but I frequently find people who make significant dietary changes, yet the issues still remain.  One of the first places I look is in the gut.  Is the food moving along the GI tract at the right speed?  Is digestion occuring?  Are the pathogens interfering?  Is there “leaky gut”?  Is there a significant amount of probiotics?  Are the wastes being eliminated?  Is the immune system in the gut functioning properly? Each of these aspects must be investigated thoroughly and must also work properly in order to restore and/or maintain health.

The stomach needs to be acid in order to break down food which will then trigger the release of bicarb from the pancreas.  If you take a lot of antacids, there won’t be enough acid to trigger the bicarb release.  Bicarb is alkaline.  The small intestines must be alkaline in order to digest food further.  When you upset the stomach, you upset the small intestines.

The GI tract is where 70% on your immune system resides.   If you are someone who gets frequent colds and is susceptible to catch whatever someone else has, you may want to support your gut.  Secretory Immunoglobulin A is a good indicator of gut health. 

 ”Leaky gut” is a term used to describe intestinal permeability.  Tiny junctions between the cells that line the GI tract become separated.  This leaves a pathway for partially digested food or pathogens to enter the body.  If it is partially digested food, it may manifest as a food sensitivity.  If it is a pathogen, it may mean an infection.  Either way, it will stimulate an immune response and send your body into an alarm state.  This causes adrenal stress and could lead to the development of an autoimmune disorder.  Leaky gut is caused by a high refined diet, steroid hormones, birth control pills and some other medications. Unfortunately, it takes a long time to reverse.

Probiotic are the good bacteria that live in your gut and help keep the bad bacteria in check, they help absorb nutrients and help provide vitamins like the B vitamins and vitamin K.  If you take an antibiotic and you get a yeast infection, it means your gut flora (probiotics) is low. A normal, healthy gut can withstan 8-10 days of antibiotic therapy without having the good guys die off enough to cause the yeast to grow.  Everyone should be on a good probiotics formula, always.  Lack of probiotics is often the cause of constipation.  Sometimes I find that food is improperly digested.  This can easily be remedied by supplementing with digestive enzymes.  There are different enzymes produced in different parts of the GI tract.  I suggest a broad spectrum digestive enzyme to skip the guess work.  But ultimately, you need to get your body producing enzymes again.  If you have indigestion and pain after eating, consider enzymes.

This is especially true of  hydrochloric acid (HCl), which is produced in the stomach.  This strong acid keeps pathogens from infecting our bodies; it helps digest food, absorb minerals and triggers the bicarb release from the pancreas.  It can be hindered by poor diet, medications, especially proton pump inhibitors, which are given for acid reflux and heartburn. There is also a bacterium called H. Pylori that can cause low HCl, but I find that the most common cause is a deficiency of niacinamide.  Low HCl sufferers typically have gas and bloating  after a meal and foul smelling stool and flatulence.  They may also have symptoms very similar to too much acid, like reflux and indigestion.  Simple supplementation with niacinamide in a hefty dose helps the body produce enough acid.  I have found that this works when nothing else does.  Be sure to use niacinamide; niacin actually works but it causes a flush and itching response to occur. Fiber is another important part of good GI health.  Fiber bulks up the waste material, which triggers the bowels to expel the stool.  Fiber also absorbs toxins, cholesterol and excess hormones released from the liver to be excreted.  Lack of fiber allows these wastes to be re-absorbed back into the body to further hinder proper function. Pathogens, parasites, yeast and fungus can all be found in the gut.  Parasitic worms are often picked  up from walking barefoot outdoors, from kissing and sleeping with pets, from casual, and of course intimate contact.  Any of these can cause the immune system to respond in an effort to get rid of the offender.  These “bugs” must be identified and destroyed so health can be restored. 

There is only one sure way to check for most of these issues– polymerase chain reaction/DNA stool test.  This state of the art exam can help you identify all these factors at one time, and with considerable accuracy.
If you have some of the symptoms described, consider this GI test for yourself.

Stay Healthy!

Donna