White Flour as a Toxin: 5 Facts

5 Secrets about White Flour That Will Shock You

The standard American diet is a diet of chronic disease and death. Our food supply has been killing us slowly. White flour has been killing you! 

In 1910, the Federal District Court of Missouri declared bleached white flour unfit as human food. But, unfortunately, according to H.W. Wiley, first chief of the Food and Drug Administration, the enforcement of this law was “halted through the political influence of the flour millers” and “no notice of violations has since been made by the FDA.” Mr. Wiley’s book “The History of a Crime Against the Pure Food Law” discusses this case. (Reference here) Nowadays, flour is made from wheat that is being treated with fungicides, pesticides, and insecticides from seedling to storage. Since then approximately 60 different chemicals have been approved to bleach flour.

Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar – Your Brain’s Silent Killers

 1. Bleached Flour has no nutrients.

The manufacturers of white flour first remove the wheat seed’s bran, its 6 outer layers, and the germ which contains 76% of the vitamins and minerals. 97% of the dietary fiber is also lost.” It removes all Vitamin E, 50% of calcium, 70% phosphorus, iron, magnesium and B vitamins.

2.  Added Potassium Bromate

After removing all the layers and nutrients, flour is bleached, preserved, and aged with chlorine dioxide. It is further whitened by adding chalk, alum, and ammonium carbonate to make it look and feel more appealing to the consumer. An anti-salting agent called sorbitan mono-saturate is added in the final stage. Potassium bromate is also added to white flour. It is very powerful oxidizer that damages cells. Bromate is considered a category 2B carcinogen (= possibly carcinogenic to humans) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Potassium bromate has been banned in most of the developed countries in 1994 including all countries in European Union (chlorine, bromates, and peroxides in food is banned in the EU), UK, Canada.

3.  White flour is a natural insecticide

Did you know that if an insect gets into the bag of white flour and starts eating it, that insect will die from consuming it? White flour is a natural insecticide because it kills any insect that attempts to live off of it.

4.  Contains L-cysteine

This non essential amino acid is added to most conventional baked goods to speed industrial processing. L-cysteine is found in the majority of pizza doughs, cookies, pastas, pastries and fast food buns.

It can be synthesized in a laboratory but cheaper production methods include duck feathers and human hair. Besides human hair, other sources of L-cysteine include chicken feathers, cow horns and petroleum byproducts. Most of the L-cysteine comes from China where there’s a history of poor regulation. It is disgusting and scary.

5. White flour contains diabetes-causing contaminant alloxan

White flour contains alloxan. It is what makes your bread look fresh and clean. Studies show that alloxan destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. Alloxan’s harmful effects on the pancreas are so severe that the Textbook of Natural Medicine calls the chemical “a potent beta-cell toxin.” Unfortunately, knowing that alloxan is so toxic for your body, the FDA still allows companies to use it when processing foods we ingest. Fortunately, studies have found that the effects of alloxan can be reversed with vitamin E. According to Dr. Gary Null’s Clinicians Handbook of Natural Healing, vitamin E effectively protected lab rats from the harmful effects of administered alloxan.

References:

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/08/347999.html 

http://proliberty.com/observer/20050718.htm 

http://www.vrg.org/blog/2011/03/09/l-cysteine-in-bread-products-still-mostly-sourced-from-human-hair-duck-feathers-hog-hair/ 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1969479/?page=2

WARNING: Too Many Supplements May Up Cancer Risk

About three years ago I went to Hippocrates Health Institute. At HHI the lifestyle is 100% raw food and taking care of one's total dietary (includes supplements) health as well as total lifestyle changes, e.g. water, exercise, sunlight, sleep, etc. During the three week program, all participants were encouraged to sign a self-contract that toothpaste, shampoo, and cosmetics would even be the pure and natural kind. People, if they weren't on serious prescriptions, were even encouraged under doctor's guidance not to take their meds and especially to lay off their "health-supporting" supplements. Wow, Brian Clement, the program director and author of several books including Supplements Exposed, told about some people having such serious withdrawals from their supplements that they would have tremors and other disturbing side-effects. Unlike what marketing strategies suggest, these "healthy supplements" really aren't all that healthy!

 

Warning: Too Many DietarySupplements May Increase Cancer Risk

Amy CapettaApril 22, 2015

A large-scale study has shown that over-supplementation could be very bad for our health.

Source

Could it be possible that too many vitamins and minerals can bring about various forms of cancer? Yes, according to a large-scale study delivered during the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2015.

The research presented at this conference dates back 20 years, when scientists discovered that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables was shown to keep cancer at bay. Then study experts shifted their focus to over-the-counter supplements, assuming that consuming extra vitamins and minerals would also produce anti-cancer benefits.

First came the testing on animals and the results were encouraging. Scientists then studied thousands of patients—over 300,000—who were given either dietary supplements or a placebo over a 10-year period. 

And their findings were alarming...

“We show that not only is supplementing your diet with vitamins that are found in a healthy diet unlikely to decrease your risk of developing cancer, but in some cases, taking more than the recommended daily allowance of these supplements can increase cancer risk,” lead investigator Tim Byers, MD, MPH from the University of Colorado Cancer Center tells Yahoo Health.  “More specifically, taking more than the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, Vitamin E and beta-carotene were all shown to increase cancer risk.”

Related: Young Woman Dies After DNP Diet Pills Bought Online ‘Burned Her From Within’ 

One trial showed that taking more than the required amounts of beta-carotene — which is known for its ability to improve immunity and enhance vision — in supplement form increased the risk for developing both lung cancer and heart disease by 20 percent. Men who took an excess of vitamin E were at a higher risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer. And while folic acid — a B vitamin — was considered a possible remedy for reducing the number of polyps in the colon, it increased the number in another trial.

"There really is no strong hypothesis explaining why these dietary supplements increase cancer risk," states Byers. "It may have to do with the body's overall nutrient balance, in this case 'imbalance', or it may have to do with specific effects of overall consumption of specific supplements."

So should we avoid the vitamin aisle altogether? "Unfortunately, few Americans eat a well-balanced diet and hope to make up for this by taking dietary supplements," says Byers. "My recommendation is to get your nutrients from a healthy diet. If you take vitamins or other dietary supplements, choose products that stay within the recommended daily allowance." 

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My personal take on this article is every person who consumes vitamins should be aware that in almost all cases the vitamins and supplements are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies and the substance of the "supplementation" is actually chemical, which is not food and should not be treated as food or food supplements. For more on this read "Supplements Exposed" by Brian Clement, and there are many more books on the market exposing the fallacy that supplementation is beneficial for "supplementing" our poor diet choices.

Molar Extraction and Pain-killer Soups

Today, finally after 3 1/2 years of living with a cracked and repaired molar, I got it pulled! Yes! Systemic candida is also perpetuated by bacteria that gets into the gums, especially in infected teeth, and though the infected tooth may be "cleaned out" and capped, the bacteria still resides deep in the gums and still feesd the blood flow with the infected bacteria.

 

I have been rather worried about my cracked tooth for a long time. It cracked at the height of all my health problems over 3 years ago, and my teeth for the first time in my life were nasty. Loads of bacteria, bad breath, plaque, and inflammation in the throat. [The scaling given by the hygienist turned my bad mouth and health situation around and I actually started getting batter.]

 

Once the hygienist finished the scaling, the dentist came over the see the damage of the cracked molar. Yikes! He injected me with whatever they use to anesthetize the tooth, I had a throat-tightening reaction. Very scary! I told the dentist he better quickly treat me before the stuff wore off because my body couldn't take any more injections that would affect the throat. I made him work without taking a break because I was so nervous. I'm sure that's why he told me my tooth didn't need to be capped. He insisted it was a good decision not to cap that tooth. I think he was unnerved about my reaction (and of course I was too) and that he didn't want to risk it. I didn't want to risk it either so told myself that when/if it cracked again, I was going to get that thing pulled.

 

Two years later, last fall, it was cracked again and the dentist absolutely insisted that the tooth was still good and could be repaired. What? So I have to go in every two stupid years to get the thing repaired?! But he wouldn't pull it. So I told him matter-of-factly that next time it was coming out. He accepted that probably thinking next time was way down the road. Well, "way down the road" turned into about four months.

 

As of the end of February this year, my job is finished and I have been planning to leave Korea - all rather sudden because back in November when we were to submit our letters for extending our contracts, I was feeling really bad again so submitted my letter of resignation. I was having water reactions again. I quickly figured out a deficiency of vitamin E was involved but it took over a month to figure out that I was also consuming inadequate amounts of magnesium. What clued me in to that was the water reactions themselves. If a person is having water reactions to most waters and even distilled water, then there has to be a problem with the person's electrolytes. Ah ha! And if it is an electrolyte problem, then there's a problem with the sodium-potassium pair or the calcium/magnesium pair. I thought about it a bit and decided it was most likely a problem of low magnesium, a typically under-consumed electrolyte. So I started feeding myself magnesium-rich foods and ... the reactions that the vitamin E didn't clear up, disappeared! Wow!

 

Anyway, because I had handed in my resignation and someone has taken my position, I am now jobless and therefore insurance-less come March 1. So I decided, "OK, let's get that evil molar out before the insurance expires." So today was the day.

 

That molar was indeed evil. It had some incredibly deep and tenacious roots. I saw that dentist easily pull a man's molar about a year ago, but there was nothing easy about pulling mine. He twisted back and forth and I could feel a big strain on my right jaw joint (the left was heavily anesthetized ... but I feel it now!). Finally, it just wasn't budging so he got what looked like an ice-pick or walnut-pick and had to gouge it out a bit. Well, that baby finally came out ... and yep, there was a very visible crack that went way down the tooth, which would have been well below the gum-line. Yes! It's finally out!

 

Afterwards, I went walking for three hours in the sunshine to boost circulation so the dental toxins would more quickly be stirred to go out of my system. But on the way home, the drugs were starting to wear off and I could feel the pain coming. I started planning what to eat to "fix" that problem, and the food had to be soft. Yep, lots of vegies, especially vegies that are anti-inflammatory. So by the time I got home, I had it figured ... and I included a handful of  cherry tomatoes, the only inflammatory food in the soup, to round out the flavor:

 

Anti-inflammatory Soup

 

2 cups garbanzos (cooked) + 1-2 cups garbanzo bean broth

1 large onion sliced

2/3 zucchini, sliced

2-3 stalks celery sliced*

4-5 cloves garlic

1 large knob ginger

20 sesame leaves**

2-4 stems green onions, sliced**

1 handful cherry tomatoes*

4 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon cumin*

2 teaspoons turmeric*

1 teaspoon rosemary*

3/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt*

2-4 cups water

 

Throw all ingredients above that have no stars in the pot and turn on the heat. After the onion becomes translucent, add the ingredients with one star (*) and cook on a medium simmer for just a few minutes to soften them. Then add the ingredients with two stars (**); stir them in and cook only a minute or two. Turn off the heat, and serve. [All vegies should be cooked soft but not overcooked so as to kill all the enzymes or all their natural flavor.]

 

My tooth and very sore jaw weren't too happy with a hearty soup so I blended the soup and sipped it. And as soon as I had had a few sips, the pain started easing, and by the time I'd sipped up a big bowl, the pain had really diminished!



 

The blended version. My left jaw joint was hurting worse than my gouged gum, so opening my mouth just enough to
spoon the soup in was all I needed. The jaw actually started to loosen after I'd taken a few sips.

After the main course, I still wanted to make sure that I had a lot of enzymes in my body, and of course chlorophyll. Both of them are very good for removing, or at least, masking pain. So I washed a big basket of some kind of green leaf in the cabbage family, meaning these vegies have a lot of oxalates, so eating them every day or every other day could interfere with calcium absorption, but I hadn't eaten any oxalates for three or so days, so these vegies were chosen because they have a high water content. Also in the mix are a handful of spicy sesame seed leaves, one peeled cucumber, and half of a package of strawberries, which are acidic by the way. Usually because of my candida, I don't eat fruit, but lately I've been trying to add a few other nutrients in. The vitamin E and magnesium scare told me that my body is starved for better nutrition and I've micro-managed the inflammation maybe too carefully. I've got to try adding foods ... carefully ... and the strawberries are greatly out-proportioned by the green leafies so should be "safe" at this point.

After I juiced everything, I had close to 7 cups of juice. I drank about 3 cups immediately and the lingering gum pain just slipped away. My body was absolutely saturated in 90% green vegie juice, which is great as a natural pain killer ... and quite tasty with strawberries mixed in!!!

Raw "Soup"er Suppers

          Great Green Soup

          4 medium bok choy
          2 stalks celery
          6 stems parsley
          4 baby yellow tomatoes
          1 chunk ginger
          2 cloves garlic
          2 teaspoons spirulina
          1 tablespoon olive oil

          2 cups water sea salt

Blend all ingredients and eat/drink. A very pleasant flavored blend.

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And now for another kind of soup, a kind that is vitamin rich and is for boosting the immune system - Immuno "Soup"er Booster!

Rose hips are one of the highest foods on the planet for obtaining vitamin C, third only to the Kakadu plum and the Barbados cherry. They are also rich in vitamin A, as well as more than moderate amounts of calcium, riboflavin, vitamins E and K, potassium, magnesium and manganese (for more info). Parsley is rich in B vitamins, and ginger and garlic stimulate the nervous system while protecting it with their natural anti-fungals. With the addition of brown rice, this bowl of goodness is a complete meal. Blend all ingredients until smooth for a thick and hearty blend.

Immuno "Soup"er Booster (almost raw)

An immune-booster & a complete meal


2/3 cup cooked brown rice
1 1/2 tablespoons rosehips, reconstituted 8 hrs in 1/2 cup water
2 stalks celery
several stems parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 chunk ginger
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lime/lemon (w/ zest, optional)
sea salt

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"Swamp Water" dedicated to my friend :)

          Tangy "Swamp" Water

2 cups water

6-7 mustard leaves

5-6 white kale leaves

1 cucumber, peeled

1 chunk ginger

1 thin wedge onion
2 cloves garlic
1+ tablespoon lemon juice
1+ tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
sea salt

Blend all ingredients and drink. This could be made thicker by using less water, some cabbage or adding a small handful of nuts. However, if nuts are added, then blend them first and with less water to make them as fine as possible. This drinkable soup supper is delightfully tangy.

Deficiency Symptoms

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS - by Walter Last (source)

Eye, hair, nail, mouth and skin symptoms are among the early outward warning signs of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The following compilations may help in diagnosing and treating these deficiencies. However, increased metabolic requirements for indicated deficiencies may persist for a long time after the outward symptoms have disappeared. Many listed symptoms may also be caused or aggravated by allergies and problems with the blood sugar and fat metabolism.

The right-hand column gives the primary deficiencies first, additional treatment or cause is given in parentheses. For each condition only the more prominent nutrients are mentioned. However, all the typical nutrients should be supplied in increased amounts in the treatment of all conditions.
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Categories: Eye, Skin, Hair & Nail, Tongue & Mouth
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EYE DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
Symptom ~ Deficiency / Treatment / Cause

Bitot's spots - foamy patches on conjunctiva - vitamin A

Bloodshot eyes - boric acid for fungus infection, blue light

Blurred vision - vitamins B2, B6, pantothenic acid

Bulging eyes - vitamin E, nicotinamide, iodine

Cataracts (lens becomes opaque) - vitamins B2, C, E, antioxidants (avoid lactose)

Color-blindness - vitamin A

Conjunctivitis - vitamins A, B2, C (B6, zinc)

Cross-eyes - vitamins E, C, B1, (allergy testing)

Dark spots in front of the eyes - vitamins B6, C, zinc (liver problems)

Dim vision (amblyopia) - vitamins B1, B2, C, B12 (allergy testing)

Dry, hard eyeballs (xerophthalmia) - vitamin A

Farsightedness (hyperopia) - magnesium, potassium, MSM

Glaucoma - magnesium, vitamin C (B2, B1,salt)

Hemorrhaging in the back of the eye (retinitis) - vitamin B6, zinc, bioflavonoids (also magnesium, vitamins C, B2, B12, E, pantothenate)

Infected, ulcerating eyes (keratomalacia) - vitamin A (vitamins C, B2, B6, zinc, blue light, boric acid)

Itching, burning, watery, sandy eyes - vitamin B2

Macular degeneration - vitamins A, B2, B6, magnesium, zinc, antioxidants, bioflavonoids, esp. lutein & zeaxanthin, ginkgo biloba, bilberry, eyebright, MSM, EFA

Near-sightedness (myopia) - chromium, vitamins C, E, D, calcium (proteins, avoid sugars)

Night blindness (nyctalopia) - vitamins A, (B2, B6, zinc)

Red blood vessels in the sclera - vitamin B2

Retinal detachment - zinc, vitamins B6, B2, C, E, A

Sensitive eyes, fear of strong light (photophobia) - vitamins B2, A

Tics of eyelids - magnesium, vitamins B2, B6, zinc


SKIN DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
Symptom ~ Deficiency / Treatment / Cause

Acne - vitamins A, E, B2, B6, C, niacin, biotin, zinc, EFA*, lecithin, MSM, retinoic acid topically (minimize sweet food & fats)

Addison's disease - adrenal exhaustion: increased tanning, especially on skin-folds, scars, elbows, knees; black freckles - all B vitamins, especially pantothenic acid; vitamin C; all minerals, digestive enzymes, allergy testing, avoid sweet food

Arterial spiders (fine branching arteries on face, neck, chest) - antioxidants, bioflavonoids, glucosamine, cartilage, calcium

Bedsores - vitamins C, E

Blisters - vitamin E

Brown discoloration around small joints - vitamin B12

Brown skin spots - antioxidants (weak liver)

Dry skin - vitamins A, C, EFA

Eczema, skin ulcers - vitamin C, B2, B6, zinc, magnesium, EFA, allergy test, cleanse

Eczema, infantile - EPA, zinc, vitamin B6

Edema - vitamin B6, zinc (also vitamin C, magnesium, avoid salt)

Fingers white, numb, stiff, swelling (Raynaud's disease) - vitamins B6, B1, antioxidants, niacin, magnesium/calcium, EFA

Fungus infections (e.g. athlete's foot, ringworm) - B vitamins, (external tea tree oil, intestinal sanitation)

Gangrene - vitamins C, E, B1 , magnesium chloride, (urine packs)

Greasy dermatitis around eyes, nose - vitamin B6, zinc

Greasy skin eruptions (seborrhea) - vitamin B2

Horny red skin on pressure areas (e.g. knees, elbows) - zinc (vitamin B6)

Hot flushes - vitamin E, boron, magnesium, calcium (Wild Yam cream)

Ichthyosis (fish-like scales) - vitamin A, retinoic acid topically, MSM

Infant dermatitis with inflamed pustules around body openings - vitamin B6, zinc

Infections of the skin (boils, cold sores, impetigo, and so on) - vitamins C, A, B6, zinc, magnesium chloride (hot Epsom-salt packs, tea tree oil or propolis rubs)

Itching - vitamins B, C, EFA, alkalizer, bicarbonate rubs, (allergy tests)

Jaundice - vitamins C, E, A, B12, B6, lecithin, magnesium, zinc (blue light therapy, treat gall bladder & liver)

Keratosis, horny, goose-pimple-like skin - vitamin A internally & externally

Lemon-yellow skin - vitamin B12

Oily skin, white-heads - vitamin B2

Over-sensitivity to sunlight - vitamin B6, zinc, PABA, beta-carotene, antioxidants, bioflavonoids, alkalizers

Pale skin - biotin, folic acid, vitamin B6, , iron (anemia)

Prickly heat rash - vitamin C

Psoriasis - as for acne; blue light, sunlight; avoid gluten

Purplish or blue-black skin areas - vitamin C, B2, bioflavonoids

Rash - allergy test, alkalizers, vitamin C, calcium

Red-brown, often symmetrical discoloration of skin exposed to the sun, later ulceration - niacin or nicotinamide (folic acid)

Red-brown or dark-red spots - manganese

Rosacea (redness of part of face) - vitamin B2

Scaly dermatitis - biotin

Scaly eczema around nose, ears, scrotum, vulva - vitamin B2

Scar tissue - vitamin E, MSM externally & internally, camphorated oil rub

Scleroderma (hardening and swelling of skin) - vitamin E, C, A, PABA, MSM, magnesium chloride (zapper, pulser and parasite therapy, tea tree oil packs)

Sensitivity to insect bites - vitamin C, B1, calcium, alkalizers, bicarbonate rub/bath

Shingles - vitamins B12, C, A, B, E, zinc, lysine, zinc oxide lotion, zapper

Skin cancer - vitamins A, B6, PABA, antioxidants, bioflavonoids, carotenes, chlorophyll, propolis, zinc (blue light, escharotics)

Skin-folds red, infected - niacin

Stretch-marks - vitamins E, B6, zinc

Subcutaneous bleeding (red or purplish spots under the skin, bruises easily) - vitamin C, bioflavonoids and rutin, grape seed extract, glucosamine, alkalizer

Swellings (for example, face) - zinc, magnesium, vitamins B6, B12

Vaginal itching - vitamins B2, E, C (avoid synthetic underwear, treat Candida)

Warts, moles - vitamins C, A, E

Weals on the skin (urticaria) - vitamin B6, zinc, vitamin C, (alkalizer, allergy test)

White skin patches (vitiligo) - PABA, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, zinc

Wrinkles or aging skin - vitamins C, E, A, EFA, bioflavonoids (too much sun)

* Most skin conditions benefit from external as well as internal application of the indicated nutrients. Retinioc acid is the acid form of vitamin A. EFA means essential fatty acids, mainly linoleic and linolenic acid; recommended are ground linseed, linseed oil, fish oils and evening-primrose oil.


HAIR & NAIL DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
Symptom ~ Deficiency / Treatment / Cause

Coarse, brittle hair - zinc

Dandruff - vitamins B2, B6, zinc, magnesium, biotin

Dry hair - vitamin A, zinc

Greying hair - folic acid, pantothenic acid, PABA, biotin, minerals (weak adrenals, avoid sweet food)

Hangnails - vitamin C, folic acid, proteins

Hair loss - copper/lead contamination: use zinc, vitamin B6, sulfur (MSM), selenium, biotin

Nails opaque, white spots/bands - zinc, vitamin B6

Oily hair - vitamin B2

Peeling nails - vitamins A, C, calcium

Ridges on nails, longitudinal - vitamin A, protein, calcium (anemia, poor circulation, thyroid/parathyroid glands)

Ridges on nails, transverse - fever, infection, inflammation, menstrual problems, period of protein deficiency

Scaling of cuticle or lips - biotin

With graying hair or hair loss improve the circulation to the scalp, e.g. daily inversion such as headstand, shoulder-stand, hanging upside down or using a slant-board. Also vigorously rubbing nourishing or slightly irritating solutions into the scalp, e.g. fresh grass or vegetable juice, MSM with copper salicylate, ginger juice.


TONGUE & MOUTH DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
Symptom ~ Deficiency / Treatment / Cause
Mouth problems are often due to amalgam fillings, allergies or Candida infestation (thrush).

Beefy, enlarged tongue - pantothenic acid

Burning, sore tongue - vitamins B2, B6, B12, niacin

Cracked lips & corners of the mouth (cheilosis) - vitamins B2, B6, folic acid

Distended, purplish-blue veins under the tongue - vitamin B2 (circulation poor, congested)

Edema or tooth-marks on tongue - niacin/nicotinamide

Furrowed tongue - vitamin B1, pantothenic acid

Gums receding, bleeding (gingivitis) - vitamin C, bioflavonoids, calcium, alkalizers

Halitosis (bad breath) - vitamin B6, zinc, magnesium, propolis, chlorophyll (cleansing, intestinal sanitation)

Mouth ulcers, canker - folic acid, vitamin B6, zinc (alkalize, allergy test)

Papillae prominent or erased - niacin/nicotinamide

Purplish or magenta tongue or lips, also veins under the tongue - vitamin B2

Tongue red at tip or edges; severe deficiency: whole tongue scarlet red, sore - niacin (vitamin B6)

Tongue shiny, smooth, beefy; early sign: strawberry-red tip/sides - vitamin B12, folic acid

Tongue too small or too large - niacin, pantothenic acid

White-coated tongue - intestinal putrefaction, cleansing

White patches on tongue - vitamin B2 and other B vitamins (allergy)

Yellowish-brown-coated tongue - liver or gall bladder problems

Vitamins A & D testing ... March 2010

Vitamins A and D are fat soluable vitamins, and because of this, they are easily stored in body fat and so taking supplementation can be a risk. I decided to get vitamins A and D tested before I started taking any supplements for them, and since my symptoms involved the nerves, getting some other key vitamins checked seemed like a good idea:

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - water soluable and can in fact change hourly based on food and water intake, hormones and other factors. An under-the-tongue saliva test would have revealed this more quickly and probably more economically, but I wasn't aware of such a test at the time. B1 plays an important role in nerve responses and needs to be assessed in all people with hyperthyroidism, an autoimmune condition for which I was still in my critical two-year off-medication remission.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) - also water soluable and also aids in maintaining the nerves; necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12, and necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid and magnesium. Although this vitamin can pass through the body in as little as 8 hours, I wanted to know if I was assimilating it, especially since the vertical lines on my nails reveal that I'm not assimilating my vitamins ... but, which ones? B6 is vital for the nervous system!

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) - water soluable but the only B vitamin that can be stored for periods of time. Supposedly it would take 6 months to deplete a normal B12 amount, but an imbalance wouldn't show up for about 5 years when the body was beaten with trying to make up for the chemical imbalance. B12 maintains a healthy nervous system as well as providing energy. A properly functioning thyroid helps B12 absorption. For the vegetarian (which I have been borderline for years), getting B12 tested regularly is a good idea.

Vitamin A - a fat soluable, easily stored vitamin in the body. Known as the "eye" vitamin, it should also be known as a vitamin making a strong immune system, helping to maintain the bones and the enamel on the teeth, as well as responsible for maintaining the mucosa. I found this out only 2 weeks ago; if I would have known this, the ulceration in my cheek mucosa could have been helped months ago!

Vitamin D - fat soluable. Because of my rib and cartilage symptoms, this was the vitamin I was most eager to get tested! Also important because I am lactose intolerant and loathe milk; however, I could eat a tiny amount of cheese or an occasional yogurt didn't bother me much, at least until the asthma started, and then I became very sensitive to all milk products. There are a variety of vitamin D blood tests - vitamin D3 (basically a measurement of how sunshine is being assimilated and stored within the body); D2 (a measurement of how vitamin D from food like milk and dairy products is being stored; and vitamin D 1,25 hydroxy (a comprehensive measurement of both vitamins D3 and D2) and this should be the test administered for checking for a deficiency. But little did I know I was given the wrong test .... (more on this later!)

Vitamin E - fat soluable but not stored in the body for an extended period of time, unlike popular belief. E maintains healthy skin and hair, aids in supplying oxygen and works as a natural healer. Since vitamins A, C and E work synergistically, I thought it important to get the Vitamin E test along with the A.

Bloodwork outcomes [vitamin ... my bloodwork ... the accepted range]:
B1 .... 108.1 .... 59-213
B6 .... 54.6 ..... 20-202 *
B12 ... 511.49 ... 200-950
A ..... .42 ...... .36-1.2 ***
D3 .... 57.58 .... 19.90-67 ***!
E ..... 33.8 ..... 11.6-46.4

My analysis of Vitamins B6, B12, A and D:

Vitamin B6 : I think the B6 should have been higher, especially because I was eating an 80% vegetable diet at the time. I realize I had to fast for 12 hours before taking the test but it does seem to be a bit low considering I was REALLY packing the vegies in.

Vitamin B12 : I was actually pleased with the outcome of the B12 test as back in September 2008 I had requested a B12 analysis because of early neural symptoms. Outcome was 386 or 368, and deemed normal by the extremely wide American standards of 200-950. A month later (October) when I was at the Wildwood Lifestyle Center that focuses on nutritional healing, my physician told me that there are actually symptoms appearing when the numbers drop under 400, but this is not mainstream knowledge. Later I was to discover that Europe and Japan do not have the lax standards of America but hold that 500-950 and 550-950 respectively, are within the normal range! At the lifestyle center I was encouraged to take sublingual vitamin B12 drops to boost my numbers, and just over 6 months later, the numbers had climbed to 511!

Vitamin A : Vitamin A was borderline low, but the testing physician told me not to worry about numbers in the normal range. Hmmmmmm, especially when I've noticed the "normal range" varies a bit between testing clinics even within Korea. [Ergh, but I say this months and months in hindsight: Vitamins A and D are crucial for people with candida to test because the candida shape-shifting bacteria-fungus detroys both of them.] About two weeks ago I got re-tested. I figured numbers had fallen because on my four-month very strict candida diet I have been unable to eat foods that are rich in vitamin A like high glycemic carrots and sweet potatoes, starchy winter squash ... The test of two weeks ago came out at .26 showing a huge deficiency. Since, I've been taking vitamin A supplements along with vitamins C and E because my mucosa is horrible looking and easily swells when I eat foods. I've got to get the numbers up as I have become sensitive to foods like, surprisingly ginger, coconut oil (changed brands and then I was fine) and most oils, and then of course the more mainstream allergenic foods.

Vitamin D : I was completely surprised that vitamin D tested normal!!! From all that I had been reading online, a deficiency in vitamin D plays a BIG role in rib and even cartilage normalcy. I was stumped, and figured that since the vitamins were normal, maybe there was a huge underlying medical problem ... like an autoimmune disease ... It would be 4 months before I found out that I had been given the wrong vitamin D test for analyzing deficiency! In those 4 months I could have started healing much sooner, not run like a injured rabbit to several bone specialists - none of whom even mentioned vitamins - and saved a lot of money while enjoying much, MUCH less stress.