Natural Medicine New Year Challenge: What's Your Healing Resolution?
https://steemit.com/naturalmedicine/@naturalmedicine/natural-medicine-new-year-challenge-what-s-your-healing-resolution
Since its been nine days since the original (contest) post was made, its not possible to resteem it, so I just put the link up there instead. I'm feeling inspired to write on these topics, after the success of my last article. Keep the flow of positive energy going! But I'm getting a late start, the contest is over tomorrow. I admit, at first I had no idea what to write about as a New Year's resolution and on short notice. But then I saw an article this morning on Facebook that got me thinking. Just in time for my contest entry.
From the EXCELLENT article I just mentioned (see below in my bibliography), the one statement that really triggered me:
"Why would bones and other tissue be able to heal and regenerate, but not teeth?"
You know, I've had these exact same thoughts.
Also, I've had some positive experiences here that seem to ... fly in the face of common beliefs and modern science. So I get to share this story. And, hey. Make this a focus for for my own health goals for the coming year? Healing of teeth! Something I work on anyway but thinking about it, maybe now I am choosing to make it more of a focus, thanks to the inspiration from this contest! Why not? It sounds good to me.
My start with this? My background as a naturopathic healer. I am a cancer survivor and I've done my own natural and holistic medicine from the start - I began dealing with it in 2000. Part of my health picture has included Celiac's Disease. Otherwise known as gluten intolerance but its more than just that. With CD, the body comes to view gluten as if it were an invading pathogen! So it creates antigens to fight it. One of the most dangerous long term effects of CD is lymphatic dysfunction. The lining of your stomach becomes damaged which means difficulty uptaking and absorbing minerals and other nutrients and a predisposition to lymphatic cancer (including breast cancer) later in life. Its a given that many people who deal with this one generally have issues with calcium deficiency for obvious reasons. Related to the health of bones and teeth.
So first, my cool story to share.
I think it was 2013, looking back. I went to the dentist with what I was sure was a small cavity to be filled. I had been having some issues around sensitivity with one of my back teeth and I was determined not to lose it. I hadn't been to the dentist in a couple of years and we had moved to a new house. So I found a new dentist and went in for treatment. I mentioned the sensitivity in my back tooth and the dentist wound up taking a full set of X-rays instead of just the one for the tooth with the cavity.
So the X-rays came back with some bad news. My dentist informed me that the sensitive area was showing significant bone loss in my jaw connection between two of my back teeth on that side! He made a pretty big deal out of it, enough so that I felt pretty dang intimidated. (Don't you hate that? Dealing with people 'in the system')? But he did show me the X-rays. Proof it was real.
Well, like I said I was determined not to lose that sensitive tooth and now I was even more determined to heal. Mostly I just focused heavily on quality calcium supplements and a lot of vitamin C! This was in addition to what had become my normal healthy anti cancer diet (whole, quality fresh food and no processed foods, low in sugar, high alkaline with lots of fruits and veggies, etc). I just babied the situation, very consciously focused on it, and I took good care of myself. In time, the sensitivity improved and I pretty much forgot about it.
Then in 2014 I broke a tooth. Wah. It wasn't anywhere near the old problem area in my mouth and seemed to be completely unrelated. It was a few months before I could afford to address the problem which required an expensive crown. Also I had just moved again and this meant finding a new dentist. Find one I did. So I went in to have a checkup and see about having this crown made and the dentist opted to do a full set of X-rays, as part of the new patient special deal, and I remembered the bone loss that showed up in my last set of X-rays. So I brought it up.
There was NO bone loss whatsoever. Clearly, from the X-rays. Again, I saw them myself. In fact, this dentist kindof... treated me like he thought I was a little nuts for mentioning it.
So that was my strange success story - healing that should not have been scientifically possible, at least according to my first dentist and a lot of traditional thought. Come to think of it, my second dentist probably didn't believe it either, ha ha. I feel that there is a lot more to healing teeth than what I was doing at the time, too! I think for all of us who "do" natural medicine, it is a constant learning process. I can say that I've learned some new and interesting things specific to this topic since 2014.
I think the way to look at cavities is that they are actually INFECTIONS, and that they should be treated as such. I know I've read that science recently discovered that most cavities are actually STREP infections!! This makes a lot of sense. I was a strep carrier as a little kid and I still have a lot of old cavities in my back teeth. My first two years of public school I missed over 40 days of school, due to strep! My doctors opted to convince my parents that I needed to have my tonsils removed when I was almost seven years old and this was after I contracted Scarlett Fever, which was unheard of by that time in modern medical history. See links below on the connection between strep and cavities.
One of my backed up writing projects is an article I would like to write on antibiotic alternatives. But for now. It would not be practical to treat cavities with the same aggressive strategy you would with an active strep infection in other areas of the body, like in soft tissues. Practice good regular antibiotic routines in your daily life instead or in addition. Like, keep up on your daily probiotics and consider regular coconut oil rinses ... these are long term strategies that go a long way toward overall health. Coconut oil is naturally antibiotic. I learned this first from ground coconut husk that is used as small animal tank bedding - it helps keep these environments cleaner than other common bedding materials do!
To do an oil rinse, you take a spoonful of solid coconut oil (in your mouth) and chew it or let it melt down, then swish it around in your mouth for a few minutes. Try to hold it for at least 20 minutes and do this several times a week at least. You can certainly take coconut oil as an oral supplement but make sure you spit it out after an oil rinse, don't swallow it. One benefit to this practice besides benefiting the health of your teeth and gums is that the human mouth is notorious for bacterial content. Doing this on a regular basis helps your overall immune system deal with bacterial overload. As in, it massively cuts it back ... with WAY less overload for your entire body! Also sugar is prime bacteria food, so keeping sugar intake at reasonable levels definitely and dramatically lessens bacterial activity in the body overall.
Here's something. I've been following Anthony William and his brilliant books. Something I saw fairly recently was that onions actually chelate bacteria from the body. That is, they pull it out of you. What does he say?
From Facebook:
Anthony William, Medical Medium
"Some people complain of digestive distress when they eat onions. Contrary to popular belief, though, onions are not irritants. Rather, they’re highly medicinal. An upset stomach from onions is an indication that someone has an elevated level of unproductive bacteria in the digestive tract. The onions are working to eliminate that bacteria, and the resulting die-off can translate to temporary discomfort.
One particular condition that many people deal with these days is SIBO, which is largely a mystery to the medical eld. What’s usually responsible for this small intestinal bacterial overgrowth are Streptococcus A and B, various strains of E. coli, C. difficile, H. pylori, Staphylococcus, and/or different varieties of fungus (excluding Candida, the natural fungus that we need to survive). Onions are one of the most accomplished foods on the planet for keeping down bacterial overgrowth in the body, making them a star for anyone who deals with SIBO.
This quality also enhances the body’s production of B12. If you avoid onions because of a sensitive digestive tract, try adding them back into your diet in very small amounts at first. Over time, their cleansing effect will enable you to tolerate larger servings of them."
and
"EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
When you’re dealing with chronic frustration, anger, and aggravation—whether toward other people, events, or yourself—it’s critical to bring onions into your routine. Onions purge anger from the body, helping to loosen up resentment, fury, vexation, and disappointment so you can be free to live your life.
SPIRITUAL LESSON
Onions are wrongly blamed for bad breath. In fact, the opposite is true—onions help alleviate bad breath. What’s really responsible for halitosis is unproductive bacteria in the gut that rises up to the mouth. Because onions are antibacterial, they help combat this problem, so that your breath becomes sweeter-smelling over time. Right after you eat an onion, there may be a lingering scent—this is just the onion’s natural sulfur, and a sign that it’s doing its job. While we focus on different toothpastes, mouthwashes, and breath mints as the answer for halitosis and scorn the onion as the enemy, it’s really our savior."
(See links on onions below).
I follow him on Facebook and although I can't seem to find it, there was a conversation about onions that I took part in. He mentioned chewing on them for a toothache, which I've done. I can tell you honestly, it works!! When my teeth are feeling sensitive I usually wind up making a batch of guacamole, heavy on the onion. I make a point to chew the onions carefully to get the full medicinal effect on my teeth!
When I was a kid I hated onions. They usually upset my stomach. As I said I was a Strep carrier, so what he says here makes sense. Also what he says about anger and onions being a remedy. Anger is a metaphor for infections. Like, in astrology. Look to Mars or fire signs for indications!
From the article I saw on Facebook this morning, listed below (How to Remineralize Teeth, my first link in my bibliography)!
"As Dr. Weston A. Price (a dentist) found and detailed in Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, there were cultures throughout the world who had perfect teeth despite no access to dentists or modern toothpaste, while similar cultures with different diets had very high rates of tooth decay.
He found examples of cultures with similar genetic backgrounds with some living in primitive type societies and eating primitive type diets and others who ate a modernized diet. He found that many primitive cultures were able to completely avoid tooth decay and the many oral health problems we struggle with today.
Sir (Dr.) Edward Mellanby (he discovered Vitamin D) and his lovely wife Dr. May Mellanby were also influential in discovering the roles of nutrients in oral health. These two contributed much research in the areas of bone and tooth health and mineral absorption.
These doctors all reached the same conclusion after years of research, mainly that tooth structure and health is largely determined by diet, especially three main factors:
- The presence of enough minerals in the diet.
- The presence of enough fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) in the diet.
- How bio-available these nutrients are and how well the body is absorbing them. They found that this is largely influenced by the presence of Phytic Acid in the diet, and how much sugar is consumed."
Also from that link:
"What is Phytic Acid?"
(This is totally new information to me and I will have to study it further).
"Phytic acid is a molecule of phosphorus tightly bound with other molecules to form a type of phosphorus that is not easily absorbed by humans. From the Weston A. Price Foundation:
- Phytic Acid is the principal storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues, especially the bran portion of grains and other seeds. It contains the mineral phosphorus tightly bound in a snowflake-like molecule. In humans and animals with one stomach, the phosphorus is not readily bioavailable. In addition to blocking phosphorus availability, the "arms" of the phytic acid molecule readily bind with other minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, making them unavailable as well. In this form, the compound is referred to as phytate.
Phytic acid is found in grains, nuts, seeds and legumes and in much smaller amounts in some fruits and vegetables. The body naturally converts phytic acid into phytates, which are un-absorbable and take calcium from the body. Those who consume high amounts of phytic acid will lose calcium and absorb other minerals at lower rates.
Modern growing practices, including the use of high phosphorus fertilizer, mean a higher phytic acid content in many foods. Seeds, nuts, bran, oatmeal, and soybeans are especially high in phytic acid, and these foods are present in abundance in modern diet."
As I said, this information on Phytic Acid is something new to me. Although I'm pretty disappointed to see that some of my favorite vegetarian protein sources are problematic, according to this article, like with nuts and beans. I will have to study up on this. But speaking of bioavailability and minerals. Its important to consume good quality supplements and food sources for these. Did you know that lettuce has more calcium in it than dairy milk? High quality SALT is a super good form of mineral supplementation and I'm talking about sea salt and also Celtic salt. I stopped using Himalayan pink salt a few years ago after my chemistry genius son pointed out to me that the pink color is due to the presence of LEAD.
Also you can make your own high quality calcium supplements at home, using egg shells. To do this, just collect your egg shells for awhile in a container in your refrigerator. First wash them as best as you can and put them in a big pot of water and boil them for at least an hour. Then transfer them to a baking sheet and bake them at 350 degrees for another hour - this is to sterilize them from harmful bacteria. Then grind them up in a food processor or a coffee grinder. I then take the calcium powder and put it into empty two part gel capsules, which you can buy at any health food stores that sell supplements. Its kindof labor intensive but to me, its worth it for the quality and peace of mind. Keep in mind that you have to make sure to take a magnesium supplement with it and also a D3 + K2 supplement. That's Vitamin D and Vitamin K.
ALSO!! Vitamin C vastly increases your body's ability to absorb all minerals!! And it is best to take minerals with food, never on an empty stomach. If you can, get as many of your vitamins and minerals in the food you eat rather than having to take supplements.
Speaking of minerals!! This is interesting. I ran across this years ago just surfing the web and I just remembered it. This was after a homeschooling field trip with my kids to the town of Leadville, Colorado where there is a huge Molybdemum mine just outside of town. I remember seeing that with regards to population centers close to this particular mineral, people suffer far less tooth decay! I wonder if you can find this one in supplement form? See link below in my bibliography.
Regarding probiotics. These are so important. Most people think of dairy yogurt here, but there are other vegan sources. I've found that you can make your own yogurt/kefir easily and even make a 'more vegan' version using coconut milk and just a small amount of dairy yogurt as your seed. Don't use the coconut milk that comes in cartons in the refrigerator section of your grocery store - I have yet to see one that doesn't contain carageenan, a carcinogenic (cancer causing) chemical that is added to make things creamy. Instead use pure canned coconut milk. Just add 1 1/2 to 2 cans of pure water. You can blend it or in some cases, just shake up the can and mix it straight up. To make the kefir, use a large, clean jar and add the coconut milk to about 3/4 of the way full. Then add a spoonful or two of dairy yogurt, your favorite flavor and shake well. Put your oven on the lowest setting, usually about 170-180 degrees and put the jar inside with the lid slightly loose. When the oven reaches full temperature, let it sit for about a half an hour and then turn it off. Let it sit overnight if you want. You can use this same method for making your own dairy kefir, just use organic milk in place of the coconut milk. My favorite is to enjoy it while it is still warm. YUM!!
There are other non dairy probiotic sources as well. Kambucha is a great one, as is raw honey. I think there are others like kim chee and sauerkraut. Yeast is another good probiotic. I know that seems counter intuitive concerning yeast infections/candida, but using muscle testing (applied kinesiology) has proven it out, for me. Foster's beer is rich in brewers yeast but I like it best as baker's yeast in homemade gluten free cinnamon rolls.
So the point was, healing of cavities and remineralization of teeth. My New Year's Healing Resolution focus!!
As I said in conclusion for my last article, modern medicine's approach to healing is for many people, a hopeless cause. I figure this is true for this issue of healing teeth, more than just about any other because the modern judgments are that once your teeth are damaged, there is no solution and that you are stuck with it for life. Most people have no idea that healing here is a possibility. But! Holistic medicine and medicine being food, is so down to earth 'thinking' and based on common sense. Many of us are finding ourselves going back in a sense to simple healing practices with miraculous results!! Have an open mind and don't let yourself be intimidated by the status quo.
Namaste.
LR 1/15/2019
Edit, 1/17/2019
Heads up peeps. I am suspecting that the information from the link on remineralizing teeth regarding Phytic Acid (the one I quoted from) is ... well, fake news. I've got a source or two to follow up on with this first, then I hope to write a ... Part II or an extension or a clarification. But my suspicion is that the phosphorus in question is actually HELPFUL for Calcium assimilation, not detrimental as the article says.
Stay tuned.
Google Images: happy teeth pics = search.
Cinnamon roll pic from my own personal photo cache.
How to Remineralize Teeth Naturally and Reverse Tooth Decay
https://wellnessmama.com/3650/remineralize-teeth/?fbclid=IwAR2_L6ixwonwWyzW1gD78L2_nf3AcoJXhTeqgseTvpMeiwFCeoXIJhqTWMM
The pathogenesis of streptococcal infections: from tooth decay to meningitis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15035026
The True Story of Why You Get Cavities, According to a Billion Microbes
https://dentistry.uic.edu/patients/cavity-prevention-bacteria
Onions
Medical Medium Blog, Anthony William
http://www.medicalmedium.com/blog/onions
https://www.facebook.com/search/str/Medical+medium+onions/keywords_search?epa=SEARCH_BOX
Properties and Benefits of Molybdemum
https://www.natureword.com/properties-and-benefits-of-molybdenum/
Here's my last article.
Take Back Your Life From Prescription Drugs
https://steemit.com/prescriptiondrugs/@mymoontao/taking-yourself-back-from-prescription-drugs