Without probiotics present in the digestive tract to metabolize sugars and dominate pathogenic organisms, acid tolerant yeast such as candida may propagate. (Please also see “Powerful probiotics, vegan cheese”.) Yeast are “sac fungi”, ascomycota. They reproduce by budding every two hours. Nevertheless, within minutes of being exposed to sugar after deprivation, the newly budded as well as yeast at all growth stages resume growing or reproducing. Despite the reproduction period of two hours for yeast to bud off new yeast, within minutes after sugar gets mixed with yeast the mixture begins to bubble. Throughout the population of yeast, buds of various sizes begin growing and mature yeast reproducing, generating toxins and gas.
A highly acidic diet can lead to candida fermentation and even yeast poisoning (mycosis). (Please see “Acid-alkali balance”.)
Strict food combination wisdom holds that sweeter foods or starches need to be eaten at least 30 minutes before protein and fat. Otherwise the latter foods inhibit the passage of the carbohydrates into the intestines where they can be digested, inhibition resulting in fermentation by toxic yeast (candida) or fungi, and gas.
Fatty meals or a high fat diet (more than say 15% of calories) can cause yeast fermentation not only in the stomach, but also the intestines, with the toxins and alcohol produced by the yeast irritating and inflaming the linings of the entire digestive tract. In addition, fat in the blood due to a high fat diet can coat cells, occupying insulin receptor sites, worsening insulin resistance, increasing the dwell time of excessive glucose in the blood, increasing the possibility of yeast fermentation in the blood, with consequent irritation of the circulatory system and organs. A high fat diet increases the risk of candida. Many authorities recommend reducing to about 20% of calories from fats (www.DrFuhrman.com, www.FoodnSport.com).
Overeating slows the digestion, increasing the possibility of fermentation by yeast, with consequent formation of toxins, possibly resulting in yeast infections (candida). In the case of overeating, a probiotic supplement may help quell yeast and fungi. (Please see “It’s a gas! -Fermentation during digestion-”.)
Candida yeast thrives on alcohol. Candida also thrives on sugar. Oral contraceptives or pregnancy can change hormone levels, increasing the amount of sugar in the vagina and risk of candida.
Yeast fermentation generates hydrogen sulfide, the source of the unpleasant odor that may occur upon defecation, whereas probiotics do not. Partially digested animal products tend to rot in our long digestive tract that evolved mainly for veggies. With the high content of sulfur-containing amino acids in animal products, they cause odiferous defecation that vegans rarely experience.
The dietary transitions for improved health described in this book apply to candida. An excellent section with many very worthwhile tips regarding candida can be found in Balch (Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch MD, ISBN 1-58333-077-1, available at many large health stores).
Chronic fatigue syndrome, HIV/AIDS, and fibromyalgia
An anecdotal success story of regaining full health after six years battling fibromyalgia is told in Dying to Get Well by Shelly Keck-Borsits (www.DyingtoGetWell.com). Adopting an optimal diet such as that referenced in “Reversing advanced clinical disorders” played a large role in Shelly’s journey to health.
It may seem counterintuitive, but exercise may help break the pain cycle of fibromyalgia. Pain causes muscle spasm. Spasm interferes with oxygen flow to the muscle. Low levels of oxygen lead to lactic acid accumulation in muscle, causing more pain. Some doctors advise fibromyalgia patients to perform regular cardiovascular activities -walking, swimming or cycling- to enhance muscle oxygen supply and stretch their muscles to diminish spasm. Strength training in addition may cause a longer-lasting improvement in overall symptoms greater than the improvements from stretching alone. Exercise has also been shown to improve quality of sleep and decrease depression, two problems sometimes associated with fibromyalgia. Physical activity also improves levels of hormones associated with the central nervous system, which could play a role in fibromyalgia.
An audio recording of Sylvester’s “10-Minute Contemplation for Releasing Pain” is available for free download linked from SylvesterJohnson.com.
Many people believe fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) are related. With fibromyalgia, muscle pain dominates, with CFS, fatigue dominates.
A retrovirus is a member of a family of RNA viruses that have the characteristic of producing an enzyme (reverse transcriptase) that copies its RNA genetic information from its RNA template into a DNA intermediate that integrates into the DNA of the host cell’s chromosomes (the inverse of what normally takes place when DNA and RNA get used to instruct and guide the biosynthesis of proteins). The most widely recognized of these viruses is HIV, the causative agent in AIDS. Another virus from this family (HTLV-1) has been associated with T cell leukemia.
CFS may be triggered by an infectious or flu-like illness such as mononucleosis, whereas minor injury or trauma may trigger fibromyalgia, perhaps in combination with an underlying infection by a “slow” virus. The most common initiating cause of either may be the Epstein-Barr virus, Cytomegalovirus or HHV6 (Human Herpes Virus 6). One of these viruses is found in the majority of CFSand fibromyalgia patients (www.immunesupport.com/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-treatment.htm). Initial reports of an association of an HTLV-II-like retrovirus with CFS could not be confirmed in subsequent studies. CFS probably is not caused exclusively by Epstein-Barr virus or by any single recognized infectious disease agent. CFS may well represent a common endpoint of disorders resulting from multiple precipitating causes; viruses or other infectious agents might have a contributory role.
Nevertheless, both CFS and fibromyalgia are believed by many to be caused by a viral infection. Therefore, if I had one of these disorders or HIV I’d take care to maintain my body as a medium in which viruses do not thrive by keeping it slightly more alkaline. (Please see “Acid-alkali balance”.)
It may well be that reproduction of any virus including HIV can be slowed by that and other dietary means. For example the content of the amino acid L-arginine in the herpes simplex virus, and possibly in many other types of virus including HIV, is substantially higher than that of L-lysine (PDR for Nutritional Supplements, L-lysine). Less amino acid for the viral coat is provided by reducing a high arginine intake. If this approach worked, one could possibly reduce usage of anti-HIV medications with their debilitating and dangerous side-effects, or improve the odds of success with medications. (Please see “What viruses like to eat”.)
Furthermore the amino acid L-arginine has been found to increase viral reproduction rate. Specifically, arginine is the “natural substrate” of a compound that when added to a culture of human monocyte-derived macrophages along with arginine, results in a significant increase in HIV replication. Reduction of arginine bioavailability significantly reduced the HIV replication rate (J Virol. 2000 October; 74 (19): 8904–8912 “Nitric Oxide Synthesis Enhances Human Immunodeficiency Virus Replication in Primary Human Macrophages” by Donatienne Blond, Hervé Raoul, Roger Le Grand, Service de Neurovirologie, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France). In addition, proteins that activate HIV viral transcription contain arginine-rich RNA-binding domains. This result shown in the lab may well imply that the virus needs more arginine than may cells of the immune system, and that reductions in arginine-rich foods may incrementally deprive the virus of this amino acid, without negatively affecting the immune system (J Virol. 2003 February; 77 (3): 1984–1991 “Replication of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses Engineered with Heterologous Tat-Transactivation Response Element Interactions” by Baode Xie,1,2 Mark A. Wainberg,2 and Alan D. Frankel1, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco). In other words, if I had HIV I’d sure reduce L-arginine by limiting a lot of arginine-rich foods, such as many nuts, seeds, and grains (gluten, seitan).
L-lysine is used at least topically to fight herpes simplex (“cold” sores). Our immune cells need lysine to develop fully. I speculate that perhaps lysine would help stimulate and feed the immune system against HIV. If I had HIV I’d get a little extra lysine in my diet via nutritional yeast or a 500 mg supplement of L-lysine. The reason for hesitation to supplement more pure L-lysine is that in excess it may feed not only immune cells but cancer cells, according to research on casein consumption by rats (www.pcrm.org). Casein is a dairy protein that contains a high level of lysine. Perhaps this approach of reducing arginine and getting a little extra lysine might help against any viral infection. I’d only try it if I got a deadly viral disease, because of the possibility of extra lysine promoting cancer.
To a certain extent the body discards amino acids that get consumed in excess. However, arginine does compete with lysine for assimilation pathways. Excess arginine elbows aside lysine. In other words, if an excess of arginine-rich foods gets eaten over a long period of time, arginine may well build up in substantialexcess in the body.
People battling AIDS may get antibiotics prescribed. During the process of elimination of disorders by which CFS is established, antibiotics may have been taken. Antibiotics, chlorine, and pesticides can destroy bacteria beneficial to digestion, for example acidophilus. One could take vegan probiotic supplements containing such bacteria, improving digestion. (Please see “Powerful probiotics, vegan cheese”.)
Since the symptoms of CFS resemble those of metabolic disorders of energy generation, and the mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, a combination of supplements known as a “mito” cocktail is sometimes used to treat the disorder. This “cocktail” consists of L-carnitine and CoQ10, and possibly D-ribose, vitamin B12, biotin, choline, inositol, and several other nutrients (www.webstercc.com/encyclopedia/en/wikipedia/c/ch/chronic_fatigue_syndrome_1.html).
Omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, can reduce pain by decreasing inflammation. (Please see “Outstanding Omegas”.) For those whose adrenals have been found to under-produce required hormones, supplements may help (“Adrenal Support Tonic” www.herb-pharm.com).
These dietary alterations and the dietary information in “Back Sore?” apply to CFS, fibromyalgia and HIV/AIDS.
The body usually makes proteolytic enzymes (protease) to aid in the digestion of proteins, and to break apart debris in the body. Such enzymes may also remove part of the protein portion of the viral coat before they enter cells, or even deactivate viruses (http://fast-weight-loss.infinity2.info/research/pdf/1913.pdf). For cases where the body may not be making enough protease, supplements are available.
Eating foods on average a little more alkaline may help revitalize the immune system to better combat infections. (Please see “Acid-alkali balance”.) Of course, it’s especially important in the case of HIV to strengthen the immune system as much as possible, since the body needs to destroy and replace infected immune cells. Due to the immune-regulating action of human-biosynthesized metabolic enzymes and nutrient-supported bodily hormones, cells infected by viruses including HIV, that are recognized as being infected, may get destroyed more readily by immune cells whose activity levels may well have been increased many fold by improvements in diet.
The flavonoid compounds found in many whole, unrefined plant foods help fight viruses as well as inflammation, allergies, and toxins. Flavonoids may even reduce the viral reproduction rate.
Retrovirus proteins are not made as individual units, but rather as complexes which then have to be cut up by a protease. Raw pumpkin and squash seeds contain trypsin protease inhibitors. One could experiment with eating a small amount of such dry seeds to complement pharmaceutical HIV protease inhibitors. In large quantities the seeds’ fat content may not digest well. Moderation is advised when eating dry seeds since trypsin inhibitors reduce protein digestibility in general. Germination reduces such dry seed growth inhibitors. (Please see “Appendices: Sprouting”.)
L-carnitine supplementation may help slow or prevent HIV-induced lymphocyte apoptosis (http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/carnitine/).
The polyphenols in green tea are extremely potent antioxidants that may act especially effectively as a cancer preventative (Dr. Gaynor’s Cancer Prevention Program, by Mitchell L. Gaynor, MD, ISBN 1-57566-526-3, pg 232). These polyphenols have been found to inhibit the replication system of the HIV. Black tea contains only one sixth the polyphenols of green tea.
Alpha lipoic acid may also repress viral reproduction.
Preliminary research suggests that supplementation with L-carnitine may slow lymphocyte apoptosis (cell death), which in turn may slow the progression of HIV infection (http://ods.od.nih.gov/News/Carnitine_Conference_Summary.aspx). (Please see “Appendices: L-carnitine hypothesis regarding young sunflower sprouts”.)
Supplemental vitamin C not only makes one more acidotic, but also chelates copper, depleting the body’s supply. Vitamin C in whole foods is often organically bound to copper, supplying it in a form the body can assimilate and use. Although I don’t take any C, feeling that I get enough via my greens, researchers have reported success in reducing the duration of illness and toxic load with short-term administration of mega-doses of C (Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins by Dr. Thomas Levy). Acutely ill people may become deficient in C without a source of it through fruits, vegetables or supplements. Perhaps mega-doses of C would help decrease viral load, however mega-doses of anything would be the last approach that I’d try, especially of vitamin C due to its acidity. When using mega-dose therapy, it’s necessary to drink lots of water.
Those with HIV but deficient in selenium may be more susceptible to fully blown AIDS in the form of a disorder such as encephalopathy, liver cirrhosis, or cardiomyopathy, disorders that possibly can be caused or aggravated by deficiencies of vitamins and trace minerals such as selenium (pg. 266 Dead Doctors Don’t Lie by Drs. Joel Wallach and Ma Lan ISBN 1-880692-40-6). The HIV virus uses precious selenium for viral reproduction at the expense of one’s body. One could try supplementing trace minerals including selenium to ameliorate deficiency disorders or as a preventative (“Vegetarian Mega Minerals” by Nature’s Life, and “Colloida Life Trace Minerals” by Source Naturals).
Antiretroviral agents (nucleoside analogues) used to treat HIV-infection may cause a secondary L-carnitine deficiency that leads to toxic side effects such as peripheral neuropathy resulting from insufficient nerve concentrations of acetyl-L-carnitine. Acetyl-L-carnitine is available as a nutritional supplement without a prescription. (Please see “Conditionally essential supplements to the vegan diet”.) In addition to providing L-carnitine, it provides acetyl groups, which may be used in the formation of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. L-carnitine supplementation may also help slow or prevent HIV-induced lymphocyte apoptosis (lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/carnitine/). Treatment with L-carnitine may protect heart cells against the toxic side effects of treatment with AZT, a medication used to treat HIV/AIDS (www.ivillagehealth.com/library/onemed/content/0,,241012_248570,00.html).
If I were challenged with HIV/AIDS, CFS or fibromyalgia, I’d probably try grapefruit seed extract (GSE). GSE is reputed to be effective against viruses including herpes and measles. (Please see “Curing the common cold and other acute infections, flu”.) Caution: long term usage of grapefruit seed products may prove problematic for the liver. Usage of grapefruit products needs discussion with a health professional, especially in conjunction with pharmaceuticals that inhibit protease, since such pharmaceuticals alone may prove harmful to the liver (www.apla.org/apla/nutrition/factsheets/HIV%20Medications%20&%20Food%20Interactions.pdf).
Often bloating (edema or dropsy) is associated with CFS. With this disorder, the body has more difficulty eliminating toxins such as excessive NaCl salt. Accumulation of NaCl causes edema, since salt attracts water. Therefore one could avoid NaCl entirely. Please see “Saltingthe wound” and, for cases when a little NaCl may be necessary, “Diuretic disorders”.
Chlorella nutritional algae are reputed to ease the inflammation and pain of fibromyalgia and to increase energy. (Please see “Super nutritional algae”.)
The polysaccharides in Maitake mushroom extract have been found to be active against AIDS/HIV, helping stop the virus from killing T-cells (Dr. Gaynor’s Cancer Prevention Program, by Mitchell L. Gaynor, MD, ISBN 1-57566-526-3, pg 145).
The compounds in Red Marine Algae such as dulse may act to trigger a specific cellular response sequence that interrupts the replication of viruses. Sulfated polysaccharide compounds in the algae may suppress retroviral replication and/or inhibit viral reverse transcriptase. They may also aid the body's ability to inhibit the division of infected cells (www.rawfood.com). Dulse can be soaked, pressed and rinsed until it tastes bland to remove the sea salt for greater consumption. Otherwise one might get too much inorganic iodine, impacting the thyroid. Microorganisms such as chlorella have developed neat tricks battling viruses over billions of years, tricks that can benefit us.
Physicians’ comments on supplements such as L-carnitine and CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10) for boosting energy metabolism can be found on websites (www.immunesupport.com/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-treatment.htm, www.fact-index.com/c/ch/chronic_fatigue_syndrome_1.html). Emulsified CoQ10 may get absorbed better than plain. My comments on the benefits of L-carnitine are in “Conditionally essential supplements to the vegan diet”.
Allergies to dairy may manifest as chronic fatigue. Other disorders that may produce CFS-like symptoms are Lyme disease, gluten intolerance (Celiac disease), and vitamin B12 deficiency.
Excellent sections on CFS, HIV/AIDS, and fibromyalgia with many very worthwhile tips can be found in Balch (Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch MD, ISBN 1-58333-077-1, available at many large health stores).
