Solutions for Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome There's something in this report for everyone

Iodine Necessity

Your thyroid needs iodine in order to heal because your body can’t make thyroid hormone without iodine! In fact, iodine is responsible for the production of every hormone in your body! It even aids the body in removing heavy metals. Unfortunately, most people have no idea what iodine is, where to find it, or why it’s vital to the body.

Iodine was discovered in 1811. In 1829, Dr. Lugol discovered the ratio of iodine to iodide that your body needs. Iodide is the salt of iodine. One of the primary differences between them is that iodine will diffuse into the cell, whereas iodide must be transported into the cell. Different tissues in your body absorb one or the other. This is why you need both for optimal health. One is not necessarily better than the other on its own.

America was much more iodine in early in the twentieth century. By the 1950s, there were thousands of products that contained iodine such as bread, salt, milk, supplements, and even antiperspirants. They don’t add iodine to bread or milk anymore and we are now being told to decrease salt in our diets!

_______ Most Americans are deficient in iodine and the Great Lakes region has severely depleted amounts of iodine in the soil! _______

conscious of getting enough Iodine is a halogen and is in the same chemical group as chlorine, fluorine, and bromine. An increased exposure to chlorine, fluorine, and bromine displaces the healthy iodine from your body. The opposite is also true! Pharmaceutical companies have discovered that iodine prevents chlorine, fluorine, and bromine from entering your body. The pharmaceutical companies want them to enter your body because they attach to the molecules of their drugs! This is how their drugs pass through your cell walls and actually get into the cells of the body. For example, fluorine is the molecule used in Prozac® (Fluoxetine), Flonase®, and Lipitor®, which allows the drugs to enter into your cells. Therefore, iodine deficiency is actually what allows your body to absorb those medications more efficiently.

People who have a sufficient level of iodine do not get the prescription drugs into their cells as well as those who are deficient in it. The pharmaceutical industry relies on Americans being iodine deficient in order for their drugs to “work.” Many people claim that this is part of the “dumbing down of America.”

To make matters worse, iodine is further depleted by the use of prescription drugs, exposure to new electronics (brominated flame retardants), plastics, and the consumption of baked goods, soft drinks (brominated vegetable oil), pesticides, and unfiltered tap water (chlorine & fluoride).

When people find out that table salt is harmful to the body, they often and correctly switch to sea salt (Himalayan sea salt being the best). Unfortunately, table salt is one of the only foods in which iodine is added (albeit in a synthetic form). Iodine is a vitally important nutrient that is detected in every organ and tissue. Research shows that it induces apoptosis in cancer cells, which is why iodine deficiency is linked to many cancers including bone, prostate, uterine, and breast cancer.254 Iodine is needed for your metabolism to work efficiently and for optimal thyroid function. It also increases intelligence!255 Iodine intake is especially important for pregnant moms to increase their baby’s IQ.256

Iodine helps to kill bacteria, fungi, and many different parasites. Tissues that absorb and use large amounts of iodine are the following: thyroid, breasts, skin, salivary glands, stomach, pancreas, brain, cerebral spinal fluid, and thymus. Your body can hold 1500mg of iodine at once. However, your thyroid can only hold 50mg at most. 20% of the iodine in your body is stored in your skin, while 32% of it is stored in your muscles (which is why iodine deficiency is connected to fibromyalgia257).

Symptoms of iodine deficiency

• Dry mouth and inability to produce saliva (salivary glands)

• Dry skin and lack of sweating (skin)

• Reduced alertness and lowered IQ (brain)

• Nodules, scar tissue, pain, fibrosis, fibromyalgia

Dr. Guy E. Abraham, Dr. J. D. Flechas, and Dr. David Brownstein have been at the forefront of teaching about and recommending the use of iodine. Dr. Brownstein has found that over 95% percent of patients in his clinic are iodine deficient. It’s important to note that Dr. Brownstein practices in Michigan (US), which is a hot zone of iodine deficiency.

According to Dr. Flechas, there are two reasons for fibromyalgia: spinal cord compression and/or iodine deficiency. He believes that a person has to take iodine for 3-4 years to get rid of 50-80% of the scar tissue that has built up in their breasts.258

The US recommended daily allowance (RDA) of iodine is only 150mcg (micrograms) for an adult. This equates to only 0.15mg (milligrams)! Many health experts recommend a minimum of 12.5mg (milligrams) per day. Researchers have determined that because their diet is rich in sea vegetables, the average Japanese adult consumes 13.8mg of iodine per day. This is one of the reasons why researchers believe they are one of the longest living people in human history.259

Iodine and herbal energetic thyroid formulas work together to rebuild the thyroid. I recommend TMI by Systemic Formulas. TMI contains the ideal ratio of iodide to iodine along with essential nutrients and herbs to support the body’s function. Note: because iodine stimulates your brain, please don’t take your supplement at night! It will prevent you from falling asleep.

_______ Sea vegetables contain a high amount of iodine. Unlike the Japanese, most Americans do not consume sea vegetables on a regular basis. _______

The body requires iodine in order to function. The people who have been told they are allergic to iodine are actually suffering from autoimmune thyroid dysfunction (such as Hashimoto’s disease). These people still need iodine, but the protocol is different in order to prepare their bodies to receive the iodine. I recommend low (micro) doses and slowly introducing iodine in these cases.

"I had a long slow decline for 15 years. Finally removed amalgam fllings, analyzed hormone levels, did I.V. chelation sessions, balanced thyroid hypothyroidism, removed wheat , etc. Went to The Tree of Life and cleansed which helped hugely... Still had low energy, and had developed Hasimotos.The biggest and most import discovery I made on my own after seeing 8 doctors throughout this process ,who never had the answer -- I read Dr. Bronstein's book on IODINE. I had stopped iodized salt when sea salt became the rage, I never eat fish, I am exposed to lots of bromine, chlorine and fluoride. I took the iodine uptake test. In three months on 12 mg. of iodine I lost 22 points and have the energy of a 40 year old. People think I'm in my mid50's, I will be 70 next year! My thyroid numbers, even TSH, ARE ALL NORMAL. Sugar is the only real trigger for me now...my naturopath now feels like 12 mg is the standard dosage for us all. I use Iodizyme-HP BY Biotics as I don't tolerate nascent iodine. I lost 15 years but feel terrific and know I have another 20 great years ahead of me!"

The Brain

Our brain is very plastic, meaning that the brain can change chemically, physically, and functionally (neuroplasticity). Decreased eye blinking and having arms that hang down loosely are early signs of brain degeneration. Also, a very early sign of Parkinson’s disease is the loss of smell. If you believe someone is suffering from the disease, have them put on a blindfold and identify a few things like coffee or peppermint by scent alone. This would give you an indication if there is a problem that should be further investigated.

Our bodies are made of approximately 76 trillion cells. Each one of these cells has a nucleus, a cell membrane (the wall around the cell) and other parts. Scientists once thought that all the intelligence of a cell was in the nucleus and that the cell could not function without it. Dr. Bruce Lipton discovered that the brain of the cell is actually the cell membrane!260

_______ The cell membrane is the gatekeeper that allows good things into the cell and keeps bad things out of the cell. _______

Simply stated, life begins on the cell membrane. When the cell membrane and protein on the membrane are removed, the cell instantly dies. Contrastingly, when the nucleus is removed from the cell, it continues to live for an additional 2-3 months.

The cell membrane is the gatekeeper that allows good things into the cell and keeps bad things out of the cell. When the cell membrane is inflamed, energy (ATP) decreases, methyl donors decrease, and glutathione decreases while toxicity actually increases. The outer cell membrane wall is made of a lipid bilayer (two layers of fat). The often forgotten membrane is the inner membrane of the cell, which is the mitochondrial membrane. Think of the mitochondria as the energy (ATP) producers of the cell. The crucial fat in the mitochondrial membrane is called cardiolipin, which is an Omega-6 fatty acid.

Our need for the right fats in our bodies has led to many people taking fish oil supplements. However, your fish oil supplement could be making you sick if it has the wrong ratio! Most Americans are Omega-6 dominant because they consume foods that have an improper ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids. The average American has around a 25:1 ratio (Omega-6 to Omega-3).261 For example, cows that are 100% grass-fed with no grains at all, produce meat that has a ratio of 2:1 (Omega-6 to Omega-3). When cows are given grains, the ratio is closer to 20:1.

_______ Research shows that consuming too many Omega-6 fats is responsible for the increase of degenerative diseases. _______

Research shows that consuming too many Omega-6 fats is responsible for the increase of degenerative diseases.262 Research also has shown that bringing the ratio back t o 4:1 (Omega-6 to Omega-3) led to a 70% decrease in total mortality.263 From this research people assume that the answer is to take an Omega-3 fish oil supplement. This is not the right thing to do! We are now seeing many “health conscious” people become Omega-3 dominant because of their long-term use of Omega-3 fish oil supplements. The Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil replaces the cardiolipin of the mitochondrial cell membrane. This causes damage to the inner cell membrane and results in decreased cell energy (ATP) production, increased risk of cancer (cardiolipin plays a role in cell death), causes DNA damage, and even overstimulates children suffering from autism and attention deficit disorder (ADD). Omega-3 dominance also increases the fluidity of the cell, leaving your cells weak and vulnerable to toxins and free radicals.

It’s all about the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids. The ideal ratio range of Omega-6 to Omega-3 in nature is between 1:1 and 5:1.264 Health problems begin to arise when the ratio is outside of this range. So what is the ideal ratio to aim for? Everyone is different. Research has shown that a 1:1 ratio is very good for people with certain heart conditions and 2.5:1 ratio is the most effective for people with colorectal cancer. The best ratio for regenerating cell membranes and the ratio that has the greatest effect on the brain is a 4:1 (Omega-6 to Omega-3) ratio. The only ratio that has shown to improve and positively affect cognition (ADD, autism, etc.), sleep, thermoregulation, seizures, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and a person’s pain threshold is a 4:1 ratio. A 4:1 ratio also decreases cortisol levels, which helps with weight loss, diabetes, sleep, adrenal function, and more.265

_______ Think of the 4:1 (Omega-6 to Omega-3) ratio as the ratio to improve the brain! ______

I recommend VISTA 1 and VISTA 2 by Systemic Formulas because it contains no contaminants, has a 4:1 (Omega-6 to Omega-3) ratio, and contains cardiolipin and astaxanthin, which is an antioxidant that gives white baby flamingos their pink color. Antioxidants are important in fish oil supplements because fish oil is highly sensitive to oxidizing when it’s pulled out of the fish. VISTA has been separated into two bottles (VISTA 1 & 2) to prevent any unwanted oxidation. VISTA 1 contains two different types of capsules and VISTA 2 comes in a liquid form.

How To Take VISTA

Take 1 capsule of each type in the “VISTA 1” bottle along with 2.5 dropper’s full of “VISTA 2” once per day (preferably on an empty stomach). One package of VISTA 1 & 2 will last you a month. When working with someone who has extreme cellular inflammation, autism, or a brain injury, I typically increase the dose. I recommend taking VISTA on an empty stomach so the food you eat with the supplement does not throw off the 4:1 ratio. You can consume this fish oil (VISTA 1 & 2) with coconut oil because it actually improves the absorption of fish oil without unbalancing the Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio.

As far as dangers with fish oils are concerned, the two most important things to avoid are contaminated and oxidized fish oils. Any research that states there is a danger with taking fish oil supplements used contaminated or oxidized fish oil in the study.

MCT Oil

I am a big fan of MCT oil because it is natural and derived from coconut oil. It’s important to note that most brands derive the MCT oil from coconut and palm kernel. Clinically, I have noticed that some people don’t do well with palm kernel, which is why I prefer MCT that is derived from only coconut. MCT stands for “medium chain triglycerides,” which is a type of saturated fat. Don’t be afraid of saturated fats! They are very beneficial to your body and should be a part of your nutritional plan. Saturated fats are the preferred fuel for your heart! They improve cell membrane function, lower LDL cholesterol (palmitic and stearic acid). They also prevent the oxidation of cholesterol, which is the true cause of heart disease. Saturated fats are antiviral (caprylic acid) and are effective as anticavity, antiplaque, and antifungal agents (lauric acid). MCT oil is also great for the bowels and assists those who are constipated.

Medium chain triglycerides (8-12 chain fatty acids) are found in palm kernel oil, breast milk, butter, and coconut oil. Short chain triglycerides (4-6 chain fatty acids) are also found in butter and coconut oil. Long chain triglycerides (14-24 chain fatty acids) are found in animal fats, fish, cocoa, nuts, seeds, and olive oil.

MCT oil has been gaining popularity as people learn about nutritional ketosis and its benefits. Unlike long chain triglycerides, MCT oils do not require bile salts or a lot of digestive enzymes to be processed. The fact that bile is not needed to break down MCT oil makes it great for people who have had their gallbladders removed. When you eat MCT oils they get absorbed into your blood stream, go to your liver, and are then broken down into ketones (ketone bodies). This is very similar to how carbohydrates are broken down and used quickly, but ketones are better for your health.

Your brain can only use two sources of energy: glucose (sugar) and ketones. Scientists are now calling Alzheimer’s disease “type-3 diabetes” because it is essentially diabetes of the brain. MCT oil is highly recommended for anyone dealing with a brain disorder like autism, ADHD, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or epilepsy. Ketones are a much cleaner source of energy because your body only has to go through three steps to convert ketones into ATP (energy). It actually takes 26 steps to turn sugar into ATP. The average American consumes 130 pounds of sugar per year.266 The average American teenager consumes a whooping 34 teaspoons of sugar per day.267

MCT oil is your best choice when intermittent fasting because it doesn’t break the fast. While MCT oil is technically classified as a fatty acid with either eight, ten, or twelve chains, I prefer the smaller eight and ten carbon chain fatty acids. Fatty acids with smaller chains are absorbed more quickly and cause less distress to your gastrointestinal system.

Most Americans are not used to eating fats, so start incorporating MCT oil into your diet slowly! Start with one teaspoon a day and then work up to one or two tablespoons.

A recent study on 235 women found that those who ate the highest amounts of saturated fat exhibited268 the least amount of plaque build up in their arteries. They also had a better balance of good and bad cholesterol, better blood concentration of other fats, and better health overall.

As I mentioned earlier, MCT oil that is derived from coconut oil is optimal. The easiest way to incorporate it into your diet is to simply consume coconut oil. MCT oil with eight to ten chain fatty acid, is 6 to 18 times stronger than coconut oil! This means that you can take 1 tablespoon of MCT oil and get the benefit of what 6-18 tablespoons of coconut oil will offer. Some people may remember studies that linked the saturated fat in coconuts with disease. It’s important to know that those studies were done using hydrogenated coconut oil and not regular coconut oil. That makes a big difference! I do not recommend hydrogenated oil of any kind. The results of the study should have tipped us off that something was wrong with the methodology. If saturated fat is so bad for us, why is it the major source of fat in breast milk? Always look into the details of a study before accepting its results as truth.

Mitochondrial Health

Mitochondria - the engine of the car

THEY SUPPLY ENERGY TO EVERY CELL IN THE BODY. WHEN MITOCHONDRIA GO SLOW, EVERYTHING GOES SLOW!

I think this is one of the most important ideas I have come up with in terms of my understanding of CFS and what to do in order to recover! So please read this very carefully and several times over because for many sufferers it contains the keys to unlock their illness!

We are made up of lots of different cells – heart, blood, muscle nerve cells etc. All these cells are different because they all have a different job of work to do. To do this job of work requires energy. But the way in which energy is supplied is the same for every cell in the body. Energy is supplied to cells by mitochondria. I think of them as little engines which power every cell in the body. Mitochondria are a common biological unit across the animal kingdom. The mitochondria in my dog, my cat and my horse are exactly the same as my mitochondria.

The job of mitochondria is to supply energy in the form of a chemical compound called adenosine triphosphate (ATP)). This is the universal currency of energy. It can be used for all sorts of biochemical jobs from muscle contraction to hormone production. When mitochondria fail, this results in poor supply of ATP, so cells go slow because they do not have the energy supply to function at a normal speed. This means that all bodily functions go slow.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, therefore, is a symptom of mitochondrial failure and every cell in the body can be affected.

I believe that it is vital that anyone with chronic fatigue understands how energy is produced in the body and what can go wrong in that process. This understanding will help CFS patients to take control of their recovery. The chain of biochemical reactions which takes place inside each cell and its mitochondria and which results in the release of energy is referred to as cell respiration. These reactions are complex and require oxygen.

Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are digested and absorbed in the gut and largely stored in the liver so that glucose can be released into the blood stream at a moment’s notice. Glucose enters cells and is converted into acetate which is shunted into mitochondria by acetyl L carnitine. Acetate, as pyruvate, enters Kreb’s cycle. Kreb’s cycle generates activated NAD (vitamin B3) as NADH which is used to drive the process of oxidative phosphorylation – this is the process which recycles ATP.

ATP is picked up by translocator proteins which sit on the surface of mitochondria and move it out into the cell where it is needed to energise cell activity. ATP (adenosine with 3 phosphate groups) is converted to ADP (adenosine with 2 phosphate groups) with the release of energy for work. ADP then passes into the mitochondria, courtesy of translocator protein, where it is recycled back to ATP by oxidative phosphorylation (i.e. a phosphate group is stuck back on). ATP recycles approximately every 10 seconds in a normal person – if this goes slow, then the cell goes slow and so the person goes slow and clinically has poor stamina ie CFS.

Figure 1 is a simplified illustration of that cycle taking place inside every cell:

Figure1

Problems arise when the system is stressed. If the CFS sufferer asks for energy faster than it can be supplied, (and actually most CFS sufferers are doing this most of the time!), then ATP is converted to ADP faster than it can be recycled. This means there is a build up of ADP. Some ADP is inevitably shunted into adenosine monophosphate (AMP -1 phosphate). But this creates a real problem, indeed a metabolic disaster, because AMP, largely speaking, cannot be recycled and is lost in urine.

Indeed, this is the biological basis of poor stamina. In the long term one can only go at the rate at which mitochondria can produce ATP. If mitochondria go slow, stamina is poor.

If ATP levels drop as a result of leakage of AMP, the body has to make brand new ATP. ATP can be made very quickly from a sugar called D-ribose, but D-ribose is only slowly made from glucose (via the pentose phosphate shunt for those clever biochemists out there!). This takes anything from one to four days. So this delay is one possible explanation for the biological basis of delayed fatigue.

However, there is another problem. If the body is very short of ATP, it can make a very small amount of ATP directly from glucose by converting it into lactic acid. This is exactly what many CFS sufferers do and, indeed, we know that CFS sufferers readily switch into anaerobic (i.e. without oxygen) metabolism. However, this results in two serious problems – lactic acid quickly builds up especially in muscles to cause pain, heaviness, aching and soreness (“lactic acid burn”), secondly no glucose is available in order to make D-ribose! So new ATP cannot be easily made when you are really run down. Recovery takes days!

Worse than that, lactic acid has to be converted back to pyruvate in order to repeat the citric acid cycle – but this requires a lot of energy (ATP) and the ATP is not there. So lactic acid hangs about for a long time causing pain. Figure 2 illustrates these processes.

Figure 2

The biological basis of treatment is therefore explained:

1. Pace – do not use up energy faster than your mitos can supply it. Fatigue is the symptom that tells you how much to pace!

2. Feed the mitochondria - supply the raw material necessary for the mitochondria to heal themselves and work efficiently. This means feeding the mitos correctly so they can heal and repair.

3. Address the underlying causes as to why mitochondria have been damaged. This must also be put in place to prevent ongoing damage to mitos. In order of importance this involves:

· Pacing activities to avoid undue stress to mitos

· Getting excellent sleep so mitos can repair

· Excellent nutrition with respect to:

o taking a good range of micronutrient supplements

o stabilising blood sugar levels

o identifying allergies to foods

· Detoxifying to unload heavy metals, pesticides, drugs, social poisons ( such as alcohol, tobacco, etc.), volatile organic compounds and prescription drugs, many of which poison mitochondria either directly or through creating free radicals.

· Optimising gut function – HYPOCHLORHYDRIA, PANCREATIC FUNCTION, GUT DYSBIOSIS

· Addressing the common problem of hyperventilation

4. Address the secondary damage partly caused by mitochondrial failure such as immune disturbances resulting in allergies and autoimmunity, poor digestive function, hormone gland failure, slow liver detoxification.