• We all know that immunity begins in our gut. By eating foods that are right for your type, you are taking the most important step to staying healthy. Step up your consumption of beneficial foods and remove any foods to be avoided  from your diet.
• Stress lowers immunity. We can’t completely avoid stress, but take a few moments to slow down – find 10 minutes a day to just sit and close your eyes, do some deep breathing or meditation.
• Exercise boosts immunity! Find an exercise that is right for you and stick with it. I love going for a brisk walk in the cool fall evenings as the sun is setting, it’s a great way to wind down the day and enjoy the beauty of the season.
• Avoid refined sugars and saturated fats. Although you may be eating right for your type, sometimes these find a way of sneaking into our diet – be vigilant.
• Take a quality vitamin and multimineral supplement and a proven immune-enhancing product like ARA or ProBerry.
• Follow good cough/sneeze etiquette. Wash your hands frequently, and avoid touching your face.

Your immune system, when working properly, has a remarkable ability to fight off the flu and colds. Even if an infection does gain a foothold, it’s usually just a matter of time before your immune system mounts an effective counter attack!

Your immune system, when working properly, has a remarkable ability to fight off the flu and colds. Even if an infection does gain a foothold, it’s usually just a matter of time before your immune system mounts an effective counter attack!

• Source: Dr.Ann Quasarano’s October 2010 Newsletter

The word allergy means “altered working.” It was coined at the beginning of the twentieth century, after dogs inoculated with proteins from other animals had severe reactions when they came into contact with those proteins again.

Allergies are responses mounted by the immune system to a particular food, inhalant, or chemical. In a simplified sense, an allergic reaction is an adverse or inappropriately amplified immune system response to something that many other people find harmless.

Most commonly, an allergic reaction expresses itself as a headache or fatigue, and may include

• sneezing,
• watery eyes,
• nasal congestion.

More severe allergic reactions, such as those to certain nuts, fish, and insect stings are known as anaphylaxis and are characterized by:

• the swelling of tissue and
• the inability to breathe.

These reactions may need to be treated as serious medical emergencies. A synthetic epinephrine, a hormone naturally produced by the adrenal gland, may be administered to combat the reaction. People with severe allergies should carry epinephrine pens in case of accidental exposure to the allergen.

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), people with allergies spend more than $5 billion annually on doctors’ visits, allergy shots, and prescription mediations. Many health conditions are related to allergies, including:

• acne,
• asthma,
• attention deficit disorders,
• bladder infections, and
• a host of digestive disorders.

Climate Change and Allergy

Does it feel like those first allergy symptoms are starting earlier? It could be the result of global warming! At a meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in New Orleans, scientists presented information from a study indicating that climate change may be extending pollen seasons.

According to a team at Genoa University in Italy, pollen seasons, as well as the amount of pollen in the air, progressively increased during a 26 year study in Italy. The study group recorded pollen counts, how long pollen seasons lasted and sensitivity to five different types of pollen in the Bordighera region of Italy from 1981 to 2007 (26 years span).

“By studying a well-defined geographical region, we observed that the progressive increase in the average temperature has prolonged the duration of the pollen seasons of some plants and, consequently, the overall pollen load,” Dr. Walter Canonica, who worked on the study, said in a statement.

Christine Rogers, a research associate in Environmental Science and Engineering at Harvard University agrees. In a recent interview in the Live Science newsletter, she is quoted as saying, “There have been significant increases in allergies and asthma in recent decades which cannot be explained by any change in genetics.”

Rogers reviewed the scientific literature on the change in plant flowering times and airborne pollen concentrations over the last few decades. “Plants are flowering significantly earlier over time and advancing the season by approximately 0.8 days per year,” Rogers said.

Allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever, is a reaction to indoor and outdoor airborne allergens, such as pollen. Longer pollen seasons and high levels of pollen certainly can exacerbate symptoms for people with allergies and for those who previously had minimal symptoms.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 25 million Americans suffer from allergies – nearly half of them are children.

Reference:

“D’adamo Personalized Nutrition”, The e-newsletter for people who Eat Right for Your Type, April 2010.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin. Unlike most mammals and other animals, humans do not have the ability to make their own vitamin C. Therefore, we must obtain vitamin C through our diet.

Function

Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone. Vitamin C also plays an important role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, norepinephrine. Neurotransmitters are critical to brain function and are known to affect mood. In addition, vitamin C is required for the synthesis of carnitine, a small molecule that is essential for the transport of fat into cellular organelles called mitochondria, where the fat is converted to energy (1). Research also suggests that vitamin C is involved in the metabolism of cholesterol to bile acids, which may have implications for blood cholesterol levels and the incidence of gallstones (2).

Vitamin C is also a highly effective antioxidant. Even in small amounts vitamin C can protect indispensable molecules in the body, such as proteins, lipids (fats), carbohydrates, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), from damage by free radicals and reactive oxygen species that can be generated during normal metabolism as well as through exposure to toxins and pollutants (e.g., cigarette smoke). Vitamin C may also be able to regenerate other antioxidants such as vitamin E (1). One recent study of cigarette smokers found that vitamin C regenerated vitamin E from its oxidized form (3).

Role in Immunity

Vitamin C affects several components of the human immune system; for example, vitamin C has been shown to stimulate both the production  and function  of leukocytes (white blood cells), especially neutrophils, lymphocytes, and phagocytes. Specific measures of functions stimulated by vitamin C include cellular motility,   chemotaxis , and phagocytosis.  Neutrophils, which attack foreign bacteria and viruses, seem to be the primary cell type stimulated by vitamin C, but lymphocytes and other phagocytes are also affected ). Additionally, several studies have shown that supplemental vitamin C increases serum levels of antibodies  and C1q complement proteins  guinea pigs, which—like humans—cannot synthesize vitamin C and hence depend on dietary vitamin C. However, some studies have reported no beneficial changes in leukocyte production or function with vitamin C treatment. Vitamin C may also protect the integrity of immune cells. Neutrophils, mononuclear phagocytes, and lymphocytes accumulate vitamin C  to high concentrations, which can protect these cell types from oxidative damage.  In response to invading microorganisms, phagocytic leukocytes release non-specific toxins, such as superoxide radicals, hypochlorous acid (“bleach”), and peroxynitrite; these reactive oxygen species kill pathogens and, in the process, can damage the leukocytes themselves. Vitamin C, through its antioxidant functions, has been shown to protect leukocytes from such effects of autooxidation. Phagocytic leukocytes also produce and release cytokines, including interferons, which have antiviral activity. Vitamin C has been shown to increase interferon levels in vitro.

It is widely thought by the general public that vitamin C boosts the function of the immune system, and accordingly, may protect against viral infections and perhaps other diseases. While some studies suggest the biological plausibility of vitamin C as an immune enhancer, human studies published to date are conflicting. Further, controlled clinical trials of appropriate statistical power would be necessary to determine if supplemental vitamin C boosts the immune system.

Food Sources of Vitamin C

As shown in the table below, different fruits and vegetables vary in their vitamin C content, but five servings (2½ cups) of fruits and vegetables should average out to about 200 mg of vitamin C. If you wish to check foods for their nutrient content, search the USDA food composition database.

Food                                     Serving                 Vitamin C (mg)
Orange juice                  ¾ cup (6 ounces)                62-93
Grapefruit juice              ¾ cup (6 ounces)                62-70
Orange                              1 medium                           70
Grapefruit                        ½ medium                             38
Strawberries                   1 cup, whole                          85
Tomato                             1 medium                             16
Sweet red pepper         ½ cup, raw chopped               95
Broccoli                            ½ cup, cooked                       51
Potato                               1 medium, baked                 17

Vitamin C Supplements

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is available in many forms, but there is little scientific evidence that any one form is better absorbed or more effective than another. Most experimental and clinical research uses ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate.

Natural vs. synthetic vitamin C

Natural and synthetic L-ascorbic acid are chemically identical and there are no known differences in their biological activities or bioavailabilities

Kidney Stones

Because oxalate is a metabolite of vitamin C, there is some concern that high vitamin C intake could increase the risk of oxalate kidney stones. Some, but not all, studies have reported that supplemental vitamin C increases urinary oxalate levels. Whether any increase in oxalate levels would translate to an elevation in risk for kidney stones has been examined in epidemiological studies. Two large prospective studies, one following 45,251 men for six years and the other following 85,557 women for 14 years, reported that consumption of ≥1,500 mg of vitamin C daily did not increase the risk of kidney stone formation compared to those consuming <250 mg daily. However, a more recent prospective study that followed 45,619 men for 14 years found that those who consumed ≥1,000 mg/day of vitamin C had a 41% higher risk of kidney stones compared to men consuming <90 mg of vitamin C daily—the current recommended dietary allowance (see RDA). In this study, low intakes (90-249 mg/day) of vitamin C (primarily from the diet) were also associated with a significantly elevated risk. Supplemental vitamin C intake was only weakly associated with increased risk of kidney stones in this study. Despite conflicting results, it may be prudent for individuals predisposed to oxalate kidney stone formation to avoid high-dose vitamin C supplementation.

Linus Pauling Institute Recommendations

For healthy men and women, the Linus Pauling Institute recommends a vitamin C intake of at least 400 mg daily—the amount that has been found to fully saturate plasma and circulating cells with vitamin C in young, healthy nonsmokers. Consuming at least five servings (2½ cups) of fruits and vegetables daily provides about 200 mg of vitamin C. Most multivitamin supplements provide 60 mg of vitamin C. To make sure you meet the Institute’s recommendation, supplemental vitamin C in two separate 250-mg doses taken in the morning and evening is recommended.

Older adults (65 years and older)

Although it is not yet known with certainty whether older adults have higher requirements for vitamin C than younger people, some older populations have been found to have vitamin C intakes considerably below the RDA of 75 and 90 mg/day for women and men, respectively. A vitamin C intake of at least 400 mg daily may be particularly important for older adults who are at higher risk for chronic diseases. In addition, a meta-analysis of 36 publications examining the relationship between vitamin C intake and plasma concentrations of vitamin C concluded that older adults (age 60-96 years) have considerably lower plasma levels of vitamin C following a certain intake of vitamin C compared with younger individuals (age 15-65 years), suggesting that older adults may have higher vitamin C requirements. Studies conducted at the National Institutes of Health indicated that plasma and circulating cells in healthy, young subjects attain maximal concentrations of vitamin C at a dose of about 400 mg/day—a dose much higher than the current RDA. Pharmacokinetic studies in older adults have not yet been conducted, but evidence suggests that the efficiency of one of the molecular mechanisms for the cellular uptake of vitamin C declines with age. Because maximizing blood levels of vitamin C may be important in protection against oxidative damage to cells and biological molecules, a vitamin C intake of at least 400 mg daily is particularly important for older adults who are at higher risk for chronic diseases caused, in part, by oxidative damage, such as heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, and cataract.

References:

1.  Carr AC, Frei B. Toward a new recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C based on antioxidant and health effects in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;69(6):1086-1107.

2.  Simon JA, Hudes ES. Serum ascorbic acid and gallbladder disease prevalence among US adults: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Arch Intern Med. 2000;160(7):931-936.

3.  Bruno RS, Leonard SW, Atkinson J, et al. Faster plasma vitamin E disappearance in smokers is normalized by vitamin C supplementation. Free Radic Biol Med. 2006;40(4):689-697.

4. Kennes B, Dumont I, Brohee D, Hubert C, Neve P. Effect of vitamin C supplements on cell-mediated immunity in old people. Gerontology. 1983;29(5):305-310

5.   U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22. 2009. Available at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/. Accessed 11/7/09.

6.  Michels AJ, Joisher N, Hagen TM. Age-related decline of sodium-dependent ascorbic acid transport in isolated rat hepatocytes. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2003;410(1):112-120

Herbal teas provide most of the blood types with an enormous advantage. Concoctions of herbs have been used for aeons to treat a host of illnesses, real and imagined. Today, they are widely available commercially and have been rightly restored to a place of honor in most homes.

Type O

Herbal teas can be used by type Os to shore up their strength against natural weakness. The primary emphasis for Type Os is on soothing the digestive and immune systems. Liquorice can soothe the stomach irritations that are common to Type Os. A liquorice preparation called DGL can be found in health food stores. It is safe to use because it doesn’t  contain component in raw liquorice that can raise blood pressure. Herbs such as peppermint, parsley, rose hips, and sarsaparilla all have a soothing effect. Alfalfa, aloe, burdock, and corn silk cause non-specific immune stimulation of Type O, which can exacerbate immune diseases.

Type  A

While the Type O system needs to be soothed, the Type A system needs to be revved up. The most outstanding health risk factors for Type As are related to their sluggish immune system. Aloe, alfalfa, burdock, and echinacea are immune system boosters. Green tea has a powerful antioxidant effect on the digestive tract, providing protection against cancer. Hawthorn is a cardiovascular tonic. Slippery elm, gentian, and ginger increase stomach-acid secretion. Chamomile and valerian root are exelent relaxants for the Type A system.

Type B

There are number of herbal teas that are highly beneficial for Type Bs. Ginger warms and peppermint soothes. Ginseng has a positive effect on the nervous system. It has a stimulant effect, so be sure to drink it early in the day. Liquorice is excellent for Type Bs. It contains antiviral properties that work to reduce the Type B susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. Also, many Type Bs experience a drop in blood sugar levels after meals (hypoglycemia), and liquorice helps regulate blood-sugar levels. It is discovered that liquorice is a fairly powerful elixir for those suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. However, a caution applies: since it can raise blood pressure, never consume liquorice in supplements or liquorice root without consultating your doctor.

Type AB

Herbal teas should be employed by Type ABs to rev up the immune system and build protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer. Alfalfa, burdock, chamomile, and echinacea are immune-system boosters. Hawthorn and liquorice are recommended for cardiovascular health. Green tea has enormous cancer-inhibiting properties and a positive effect on the immune system. Dandelion, burdock root, and strawberry leaf teas aid the absorption of iron and prevent anemia in Type AB.

Reference:

• Cook Right for Your Type, Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo & Catherine Whitney, Century, Random House, London, 2001.

I’ve got the latest great information in relation with Blood Type Diet in which I  love to share it with you. Please enjoy below the very rare 10 great facts you might not know that can positively effect your health and wellbeing.

1. Horseradish may do more than just spice up your favorite sandwich.  Scientists have shown that this spice/food has substantial activity against a range of bad bacteria.  Horseradish is a neutral or beneficial for all blood types.
2. Regularly rocking a child can promote brain growth, results in faster weight gain, earlier development of vision and hearing, and earlier development of distinct sleep patterns.
3. Take note blood type O’s: research suggests that combining cherry with ground beef slows down the oxidative deterioration of meat fats and substantially reduces these HAA compounds.
4. High tissue burdens of heavy or toxic metals have been suggested to be a common biological burden for most people.  Seaweeds contain alginates which can help bind heavy metals and allow them to transit more safely through the digestive tract.
5. While anyone can have an ear infection, studies show that type A children, or children of blood type A mothers, are much more routinely affected.
6. In all blood types, the average number of cavities is lower for secretors than for non-secretors.  This difference is most significant for smooth surface areas of the teeth. (you can find out  further helpful information about secretor and non-secretor status in the next post)
7. Green tea consumption might increase the amount of energy (or calories) you burn.  It appears to have a thermogenic property which promotes fat oxidation.  Green tea is beneficial for all blood types.
8. Ancient wheat was about 2% protein.  Modern hybrids can contain as much as 14% protein, largely due to genetic manipulation in the misguided belief that wheat is a convenient vehicle to rectify the world’s protein malnutrition.  Unfortunately most of the harmful fractions of wheat, such as the lectins, are found in the protein portion of the grain.
9. Research is clear that a bout of acute stress in virtually any form will cause a temporary lowering of your immune system, while chronic stress will result in continued less than optimum performance of various components of your immune system.
10. Exposure to morning sunshine at the time you should be waking is essential for the proper 24-hour release cycle of cortisol.

Enjoy your healthy lifestyle !

Bookmark this on Delicious

In most Asia regions,  you can easily find the practice of reflexology everywhere. In attempt to heal my body from the second-time kidney stone (nephrolithiasis), I visited a medical doctor in Jakarta, who incorporates alternative therapy in his practice, in which he massaged me with reflexology method. He knows which area on my feet and hand should be pressed (massaged) that would  improve  the kidney and urinary tract condition.  Then, he didn’t give me  conventional medical prescription for kidney stone, but herbal prescription formulated to destroy the kidney stone in natural way. In a couple of  days he  massaged me again with reflexology. Each session of massage lasted for about 30 minutes. The goal of the reflexology massage is to improve the immune system and targeted illed body’s organ. I feel that this natural method of healing worked for my case.

What is Reflexology

Reflexology, also called zone therapy, is based on the notion that each body part is represented on the hands and feet and that pressing on specific areas on the hands or feet can have therapeutic effects in other parts of the body. Most proponents claim:

• The body is divided into 10 longitudinal zones—five on each side of the body.
• Each organ or part of the body is represented on the hands and feet;
• The practitioner can diagnose abnormalities by feeling the hands or feet
• Massaging or pressing each area can stimulate the flow of energy, blood, nutrients, and nerve impulses to the corresponding body zone and thereby relieve ailments in that zone.

The pathways postulated by reflexologists have not been anatomically demonstrated; and it is safe to assume that they do not exist. Similar rationales are used employed by iridologists (who imagine that eye markings represent disease throughout the body) and auricular acupuncturists who “map” body organs on the ear (a homunculus in the fetal position). The methodology is similar in both of these; and some commentators consider pressing on “acupuncture points” on the ear or elsewhere to be forms of reflexology, but most people refer to that as acupressure (“acupuncture without needles). The Reflexology Research Web site displays charts for foot and hand reflexology.

The fees I have seen advertised have ranged from $35 to $100 per session.

Most reflexologists claim that their procedures can relieve stress, which is probably correct with respect to everyday stress. However, many reflexologists describe stress in terms that do not correspond to scientific knowledge. Kevin and Barbara Kunz, for example, state:

The individual’s foot reflex areas reflect the individual’s overall state of tension that has resulted from a lifetime of adaption to stress. Stress cues in the feet are a road map to the reflexologist. Wherever it is found on a foot, it is a sign that stress and its effect have begun to accumulate in the corresponding parts of the body [1]

Many proponents claim that foot reflexology can cleanse the body of toxins, increase circulation, assist in weight loss, and improve the health of organs throughout the body. Others have reported success in treating earaches, anemia, bedwetting, bronchitis, convulsions in an infant, hemorrhoids, hiccups, deafness, hair loss, emphysema, prostate trouble, heart disease, overactive thyroid gland, kidney stones, liver trouble, rectal prolapse, undescended testicles, intestinal paralysis, cataracts, and hydrocephalus (a condition in which an excess of fluid surrounding the brain can cause pressure that damages the brain). Some claim to “balance energy and enhance healing elsewhere in the body.” [2] One practitioner has even claimed to have lengthened a leg that was an inch shorter than the other. There is no scientific support for these assertions.

Some reflexologists who deny that they diagnose or treat disease claim that the majority of health problems are stress-related and that they can help people by relieving the “stress” associated with various diseases or body organs [1]. This type of double-talk is similar to chiropractic claims that “subluxations” lower resistance to disease and that “adjusting” the spine to correct subluxations will improve health. All ten of the books I have inspected mention scores of health problems that reflexology has supposedly helped.

Pauline Wills, author of the Reflexology and Colour Therapy Workbook, teaches that colors can be applied to “areas where an abnormality has been diagnosed but which has produced no noticeable symptoms in the physical body.” She states that the application can be done by imagining colors transmitted through the practitioner’s hand or by Firstly, if the practitioner is sensitive to color, they can visualize it being projected or by using “reflexology crystal torch.” [8].

Find more useful information regarding reflexology for health in special weblog: Blog of Health.co.cc
References:

1. Kunz K, Kunz B. The Complete Guide to Foot Reflexology (Revised). Albuquerque, NM: Reflexology Research, 1993.
2. Sachs J, New York: Dell Publishing, 1997.Berger J. Reflexology: The A-Z Guide to Healing with Pressure Points.
3. Benjamin. Eunice D. Ingham and the development of foot reflexology in the U.S. Massage Therapy Journal, Winter, 1989.
4. Carter M. Helping Yourself With Foot Reflexology. Parker Publishing Company, 1969.
5. Carter M. Hand Reflexology: Key to Perfect Health. West Nyack, N.Y. : Parker Publishing Company, 1975.
6. Carter M. Body Reflexology: Healing At Your Fingertips. Parker Publishing Company, 1983.
7. Spencer R. Mildred Carter announces a new health breakthrough! Blessed relief from 34 common ailments with new body reflexology. Parker Publishing Co., West Nyack, N.Y. Undated flyer received in 1993.
8. Wills P. Integrating colour with reflexology. Positive Health Magazine, Jan/Feb 1997.

Bovine (cow) colostrum really help me in effort to heal my kidney stone disease. I haven’t known colostrum previously, until one day  my friend introduced it to me. He urged me to drink the colostrum he brought. My response was carefully read the information on the sachet. I thought that kind of milk was safe and would benefit my health in consideration that my blood type is B. According the blood- type science, dairy products is very much beneficial only for those whose Type B blood. So, I drank one sachet (for a cup) that day, and then two sachets the next day.

What I could feel after drinking those colostrum was fitness and the pain I’ve got was released. The next morning, when I was urinating, the urinary tract stone was passing out of my body. That fact was  unbelievable, but so real! For me, it is a miracle of my life.

What is Colostrum?

It has been called life’s first food, a thick, yellow substance that is produced toward the end of a female’s pregnancy and is emitted by her mammary glands during the first 72 hours after giving birth. While humans produce small amounts of colostrum, a cow produces approximately nine gallons during the first thirty-six hours after giving birth. Each drop contains the promise of life: immunoglobulins, growth factors, antibodies, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, and other special substances designed to “prime” the body to face a lifetime of invasion by various microorganisms and environmental toxins bent on destruction.

Why is Colostrum Exceptional?

As we age, we notice it takes us a little longer to fight off a cold or flu, something aches, our energy and enthusiasm have lessened, our skin loses its elasticity and gravity takes its toll on our bodies. Our focus may turn to health and anti aging products. We may try to balance our own vitamins, minerals and herbs.. many times unaware of dangerous doses and combinations. We’ve looked everywhere for an answer. We’ve asked plants and minerals for something they’re unable to provide because they don’t have immune systems to produce immune factors and immunoglobulins and they don’t have growth factors for muscle, skin and bone.. With killer bugs at our doorstep, we need to look to what was designed specifically for the survival of our species. Aging, illness and death occur with the loss of immune and growth factors in our bodies. Medical science has shown in hundreds of published reports worldwide that these can possibly be replaced in the human body….with bovine colostrum.

Why Do I Need Colostrum as an Adult?

Research has shown that once we pass puberty, our bodies gradually produce less of the immune and growth factors that help our bodies fight off disease and heal damaged body tissue. With the loss of these vital components, we age and die. In addition, the body is in constant battle with the toxins of society today. Due to the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the environment that we live in, vital nutrients are always being lost and Colostrum is the only natural source of these life-giving components (immune factors and growth factors). Unlike other supplements that isolate and sometimes overdose the body in unbalanced ways, Colostrum is always a perfect combination. Research has shown that Colostrum has the demonstrated ability to kill bacteria and viral invaders, stimulate tissue repair (particularly the bowel lining), stimulate fat utilization for fuel and optimize cellular reproduction (anti-aging). No other substance on the planet can provide all of these marvelous benefits.

What is in Bovine Colostrum?

IMMUNE FACTORS:
Medical and clinical studies show immune factors in colostrum fight Viruses, Bacteria, Yeast, Fungus, Allergens and Toxins.

IMMUNOGLOBULINS (ANTIBODIES):
Have been shown to provide a superior defense in both treatment and prevention of viral infections, bacterial infections, allergies, fungus and yeast. High quality Colostrum must be certified to contain a minimum of 18% immunoglobulins. Colostrum has been shown to contain specific antibodies to more than 19 specific disease-causing pathogens including; E. coli, salmonella, candida, streptococcus, staphylococcus, H. pylori, cryptosporidium and rotavirus.

PRP (Proline-rich Polypeptide):
Shown to help regulate the thymus gland (the body’s central command for the immune system). PRP can both stimulate a weakened immune system and/or balance an overactive immune system, as is the case of many autoimmune diseases.

LACTOFERRIN:
An iron-binding protein with antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and many other properties. Lactoferrin has been used in the treatment of such diseases as cancer, HIV, herpes, chronic fatigue, candida albicans and other infections.

GLYCOPROTEINS: (protease and trypsin inhibitors)
Protect the immune and growth factors in colostrum from destruction by the digestive juices in the stomach and intestinal tract.

LACTALBUMINS:
Research indicates tremendous possibilities that Lactalbumins can be highly effective against numerous forms of cancer and viruses. Lactalbumin has also been shown in vulnerable subjects to raise brain serotonin activity, reduce cortisol concentration, and improve mood under stress.

CYTOKINES: INTERLEUKINS, INTERFERON AND LYMPHOKINES:
Chemicals that are involved in cell-to-cell communication, antiviral and anti-tumor activity and regulation and intensity of immune responses. Cytokines help increase T-cell activity and stimulate production of immunoglobulins. One cytokine, interleukin-10, is a potent anti-inflammatory agent that has been shown to have a profound effect on pain relief. Interleukins have shown particular promise in fighting cancer.

LYSOZYME:
Helps protect the body from bacterial infections. Lysozyme has actually been shown to destroy bacteria on contact. May be an effective topical antibiotic.

GROWTH FACTORS:
Medical studies have shown that the vital growth factors from bovine colostrum are practically identical to human colostrum in composition. Furthermore, it has been shown that growth factors stimulate normal growth, as well as help regenerate and accelerate the repair of aged or injured muscle, skin collagen, bone, cartilage and nerve tissues. Growth factors also stimulate the body to burn fat for fuel instead of the body’s own muscle tissue in times of fasting (diet) and build lean muscle. In addition, growth factors can be used as an effective topical application for burns, injuries and skin rejuvenation.

Epithelial Growth Factor (EGF):
EGF is instrumental in protecting and maintaining the skin. Along with the other growth factors in colostrum, EGF can stimulate normal skin growth and repair cellular tissue.
Insulin-like Growth Factor I and II: (IGF-I & IGF-II)
IGF I & II are the most abundant growth factors in colostrum. They affect how the body uses fat, protein and sugar. IGF-I is one of the only substances known to stimulate the repair and growth of DNA and RNA, making it one of the most powerful anti-aging substances. IGF-I has been clinically proven to help increase lean muscle mass and may help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Transforming Growth Factors A & B: (TGF A & B)
TGF stimulates the proliferation of cells in connective tissue and assists in the formation of bone and cartilage. It is also showing promise as a therapeutic agent in bone and wound healing. TGF can help repair tissue and may support the development of growth of the lining of the gut.
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor: (PDGF)
PDGF has been shown to help with cell division in connective tissue, smooth muscle, and fibroblasts. It may also assist in neuron survival and regeneration.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS:
Colostrum is not a supplement—it is the whole food for the newborn. Its combination of vitamins and minerals are naturally occurring and in perfect combination.

How Does Colostrum Work?

Colostrum is highly beneficial in the unique manner in which it provides the body with its numerous immune and growth factors. Most infectious disease-causing organisms enter the body through the mucous membranes of the intestinal tract.. In order to remain healthy, it is critical that we are able to combat disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, as well as environmental toxins, contaminants and allergens where they attack us.

Clinical research by  Dr. David Tyrell in England, published in 1981, revealed that a high percentage of the antibodies and immunoglobulins present in colostrum are believed not to be absorbed but remain in the intestinal tract where they attack disease causing organisms before they can penetrate the body and cause disease. The remainder are absorbed and distributed to assist in our internal defense processes. It is this combination of action that makes colostrum so unique and effective as an oral supplement.

Research References:

1. Davis, PF, Greenhill, NS, Rowan, AM, Schollum, LM. The safety of New Zealand bovine colostrum: nutritional and physiological evaluation in rats. Food and Chemical Toxicology 45(2):229-236 (2007).
2. Kelly GS. Bovine colostrums: a review of clinical uses. Alternative Medical Review 8(4):378-394 (2003).  Bovine colostrum has higher amounts of immunoglobulins, growth factors, cytokines and nucleosides than mature milk.
3. Korhonen H, Pihlanto A.   Technological options for the production of health-promoting proteins and peptides derived from milk and colostrum. Current Pharmaceutical Design 13(8):829-843 (2007).  Review of current and potential applications of colostrum and milk proteins for human nutrition and promotion of human health.
4. www.wikipedia.org
5. Fishbein’s Medical and Health Encyclopedia, HS Stuttman Co., Inc., Westport, CT., 1982

The USDA Food Pyramid and the older ‘Four Basic Food Group’ theory represent a uniform approach to human nutrition. However, since they are based on a concept of disease treatment, their recommendations revolve around the prevention of deficiency diseases. Vitamin C, an important component of our immune system, is only recommended in amount (64 mg/day) sufficient to prevent scurvy, a deficiency disorder. Yet it is known that in instance of infection and in many other disease states, our amount for vitamin C can rise twentyfold. The prevention of deficiency diseases has little to do with functional need in our society, so the recommendations are for the most part useless in more specific treatment.

These dietary recommendations do have their value, however. They attempt to rectify malnutrition, which is a major worldwide dietary problem. They now promote the use of high fiber whole foods rather than processed foods, which for the average Westerner is a major step forward.

Unfortunately, conventional dietary recommendations are just that – conventional. What if you’re not suffering from malnutrition and have already begun using whole foods? Unlike Hippocrates, who counselled,

‘Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food’

, our modern nutritional principles are based on a separation of food and medicine.

The Blood Type Diet allow us to restore the interrelationship of the two. It has accomplished this by studying a diverse collection of factors, some of which would seem to be unrelated to the specific science: anthropology, genetics, immunological response, disease and so on.

When you choose your diet based on a comprehensive understanding of all these factors, you will find – perhaps to your amazement – that you have not chosen a diet at all. The truth is, the correct diet has already been chosen for you by your own blood type.

None of us have been created identically; each of us is unique, so we must be treated individually too. Different DNA, different blood type, thus different treatment and different diet.

For certain blood types, the Food Pyramid recommendations make a fair amount of sense. Fundamentally, however, the pyramid is based on the reductionistic model. It is based on a concept of disease treatment, in which the recommendations revolve around the prevention of deficiency diseases. Meaning that it doesn’t take into consideration dietary variations. For example, Type Os should not follow the basic pyramid recommendation of six to eleven servings of grain- based foods each day. And only Type B will benefit by eating the recommended amount of dairy foods. The Food Pyramid is probably closest to the needs of type A. However, even foods within categories – which are not distinguished from one another in this model – can have a huge impact. For example, while Type Bs thrive on regular portions of meat, chicken can cause havoc in their digestive and immune system.

Best advice is that you should not try to fit a square peg into a round hole. Create your own Food Pyramid based on the foods that are listed on your specific blood type chart for Type O, Type A, Type B, or Type AB.

All blood types should eat the recommended three to five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but there is a wide divergence of choices in the level above, with two to three servings of dairy products as well as two to three servings of meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. For some blood types, such recommendations can be a very poor choice, indeed! The top of the pyramid, in which fats, oils, and sweets are located, recommends using these items sparingly, ignoring the fact that for many people 40% or more of their diets are from this section. The Food Pyramid was created to help people understand what a healthy diet entails. As with many other things, we’ve grown more sophisticated in our assessment of such recommendations. They are well-meaning but inadequate.

The pyramid really was created to provide minimal nutritional standards that would avoid malnutrition. As with many guidelines, the data are far too broad to really shed light on individual needs.

References:

1. ” Eat Right 4 your Type”, Dr. Peter J.D’Adamo and Catherine Whitney, London: Century Books, 2001
2. “Cook Right 4 Your Type”, Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo and Catherine Whitney, Century, 2001
3. www.wikipedia.org

The Science of Blood Type has been evolving ever since the beginning of  known human history. It is the science of individuality – an acknowledgment that each of us has a genetic fingerprint located in the cells of our bodies.

First of all, you need to understand the reason why your blood type can make such a crucial difference in how you live and what you eat. Blood type is not a neutral factor. Rather, it behaves as the control valve of your immune and digestive systems, a biological watchdog that enhances your body’s ability to survive and thrive.

In his great first book, Eat Right 4 Your Type,  Dr.Peter D’adamo fully explains the mechanism by which your blood type responds to the food you eat – either for good or for ill. It details the scientific and anthropological reasons for the four distinct blood type. The following is a brief summary of that information.

The Key to Survival

Almost everyone, including doctors, considers the importance of blood type only in relation to transfusions. The gross limitations imposed by such a narrow view become readily apparent when you consider the central role blood type has played in the survival of  the human race. Consider this: were it not for the unique adaptations that have taken place within the blood, the human race would not have been able to survive.

Each of the blood types evolved in response to both the physiological development of the species and changing climate conditions over the aeons since humankind first trod the Earth. This is the vital clue to the importance of blood type. The adaptations that occurred in the course of evolution not only strengthened our immune systems against new bacterial, viral and environmental assailants, but at the same time permitted our vurnerable digestive systems to adapt to a wide range of unfamiliar foods.

The Blood Type – Diet Connection

How does the composition of the sugars that make up the blood types relate to what you eat? A chemical reaction occurs between your blood and the food you consume. We know this because of a factor called lectins. Lectins are abundant and diverse proteins found in food. They are agglutinating – gluing or sticking – properties that affect your blood. When you eat a food containing protein lectins that are incompatible with your blood type antigen, the lectins target an organ and begin to agglutinate blood cells in that area. In effect, lectins gum up the works, interfering with digestion, insulin production, food metabolism, and hormonal balance.

Lectins

Many people never heard about lectins before and some were sceptical. In fact, hundreds of papers have been written about the effect of lectins. The fact that they haven’t had wider public exposure relegates lectins to the province of a well-kept secret. Apparently, Eat Right 4 Your Type was the first time that the results of the extensive scientific research had ever appeared in a mainstream publication.

Knowing about the potential danger of lectins does not mean that you should suddenly become fearful of every food you eat! After all, lectins are widely abundant and hard to avoid. The key is to avoid the lectins that agglutinate your blood type. For example, gluten, the most common lectin found in wheat, has a shape different from the lectin found in soya, and it attaches to a different combination of sugars. Gluten binds to the lining of the small intestine and cause substansial inflammation and painful irritation in some blood types, particularly Type O. Chicken, on the other hand, which is fine for Type Os  and Type As, contains a lectin in its muscle tissue that agglutinates Type B and Type AB blood cells.

What This Means for You?

Here’s the bottom line:  we are predisposed to certain strength and weaknesses according to our blood types. We can maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses by knowing what our bodies need and by feeding ourselves and our families accordingly.

The crux of Blood Type Diet is the fact that certain foods complement certain blood types. Other foods antagonize and debilitate particular blood types. By stressing complementary foods and eliminating clearly antagonistic foods, you can promote the best possible balance for your immune and digestive systems. Most of your compatible foods correspond to your  blood type’s evolutionary development. In other words, the foods that fit your blood type are often the very foods that were predominant at the time in history when your blood type first appeared. For example:

If you are Type O, you respond best to a high- protein diet, including meat, poultry, fish and variety of fruits  and vegetables. Many grains, legumes, and dairy products are incompatible with your blood type.

If you are Type A, you thrive on primarily vegetarian diet, including soya products, beans and legumes, grains, vegetables, and fruits, with small portions of fish.

If you are Type B, your optimal diet includes game meat like rabbit and venison as well as herd meats, such as lamb and mutton. However, Type B should avoid chicken. Unlike Type O and Type A, Type B benefits from a variety of dairy products. Some grains, beans and legumes cause problems for type B, but there is a wide selection of vegetables and fruits available. In almost every respect, the Type B Diet is the most varied.

If you are Type AB, your diet is more complex – a combination of Type A and Type B. Type AB can eat most of the foods that are good for these blood types, but must avoid or limit most of the foods that agglutinate them. The best diet for Type AB consists primarily of vegetarian fare, with modest supplements of meat and dairy.

To help you eat right for your blood type, refer to detailed food charts and information for Type O, Type A, Type B, and Type AB in www.blogofhealth.co.cc. That means emphasizing the foods you find on the Highly Beneficial lists, restricting the foods you should Avoid, and incorporating the wide range of Neutral foods in a balanced and healthy way. As I and  many people around the world  have discovered, eating right for your blood type can produce extraordinary and almost immediate results in combating allergies or other chronic conditions. Following your Blood Type Diet can also result in immediate changes such as:

• Weight lost
• Restoration of normal insulin production
• Cessation of troublesome digestive problem
• An increase in energy and stamina

The long-term benefits are even meaningful. The Blood Type Diet can help you:

• Combat serious illness, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease
• Avoid common viruses and infections
• Eliminate the toxins and fats that contribute to obesity, and
• Slow the process of cell deterioration that accompanies ageing
• Pass out kidney stones of your body in  natural way (as in my case)

And the best news of all is that you can achieve all these benefits while enjoying a healthy, satisfying, and varied diet. Good living  and good health are yours to enjoy.

References:

1. “Cook Right 4 Your Type”, Dr. Peter J. D’adamo & C. Whitney, Century, 2001
2. www.4yourtype.com
3. www.dadamo.com
4. www.wikipedia.org