Many of these conditions or diseases are often caused to a large degree by lifestyle, with the biggest single factor being diet. Others may be partly genetic, but we all carry genes for specific diseases, and whether a gene is turned on or off tends to depend on how we choose to live.
The good news is that in many of these conditions there is a common factor: the body is not being fed properly with the right nutrients. As a result it then gets itself into a state where certain biochemical pathways (for example in nerve transmission, energy production or pain control) start to work less well, causing severe and/or disabling symptoms.
In nearly all cases, there is an element of inflammation associated with damage to cells caused by excess free radicals, unhealthy cells which damage healthy cells in a chain reaction. The process often starts with poor digestion creating a build-up of toxins, which then cross the gut wall into the bloodstream and overload the body’s detoxification systems. This then creates even more free radicals in a vicious cycle where the body is constantly inflaming itself. (In rheumatoid arthritis, this vicious cycle can even be perpetuated by the drugs used to control the pain).
With any chronic condition, you need to be under medical supervision. However, many people have found that a nutritional assessment can identify – sometimes by using clinical tests – the factors that are making things worse or may even have kickstarted the process, such as specific nutrient deficiencies, leaky gut, disturbed gut bacteria, or an imbalance between the two phases of the liver’s detoxification process.
A clean diet and use of the right supplements to correct the identified problems can often reduce people’s symptoms dramatically and enable them to have a better quality of life. For most conditions, there is a specific nutritional protocol, and in many cases specific supplements for that condition, for example for angina or emphysema or asthma.
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