Category: QA with Sue

Back to school. How to cope with COVID complications      Radio talk July 2020

Zulaikha Amod and Sue Visser discuss problems that affect teachers and their pupils who return to school during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

School teachers are now experiencing a lot of problems with teaching in a normal classroom under abnormal circumstances and they too, suffer from many inconveniences, difficuties, ailments and adversities that are related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Q: We are especially worried about the sanitisers. Some make us feel lightheaded and people complain of rashes. Are they safe to use so frequently?

A: No. Sanitisers have to contain over 60% alcohol to be effective. The idea is to rob the virus of the oil that protects its contents. But all that alcohol on the skin strips off ur natural layer of oil as well! Another problem is the type of alcohol that is used. Ethanol is a food-safeform of alcohol, but some cheaper brands use aa wood-based alcohol called methanol. Read the label, if you go shopping but most of us get sprayed at the doors of shops without questioning the active ingredients. There are many complaints about the effects that methanol have on the brain: dizziness, poor attention, brain fog and so on. Some sanitisers smell nice – especially the citrus ones. But some people react to citrus oil and bergamot oil because it makes them photosensitive.

Q: Can we make our own sanitisers, and how do we know if they will be effective?

A: It is hard to guarantee that our own recipes for sanitisers work as well as the alcohol-based ones. Yet many of the essential oils one can use are very effective against viruses as well as bacteria, mould and other microbes. You can use a clear gel and add a few drops of eucalyptus oil or tea tree oil to it. The gel type hand sanitisers do not strip off your skin and the oil stays on the surface of the skin so it lasts for many hours. Colloidal silver is also good – but expensive. It can be used for a throat and nose spray as well as for th mask before you wear it.

Q: We know that we all need to wash our hands a lot. What is the best soap to use?

Any soap will do because they all strip off the oil from your hands! I guess the idea is to make our hands so dry that the skin cracks and flakes off and we suffer from rashes and dermatitis? However, hand washing is still claimed to be the most effective way of killing germs. (You can’t kill a virus, you can only interfere with its ability to replicate.) Somesopas are sot as harsh, but are normally very alkaline – at pH 10. I recommend a pH balanced liquid soap or personal cleanser, in the acidic range of 4 – 6. The skin is pH 6.5, so attacking it with caustic substances and alcohol are not going to make the skin feel comfortable.

Q: Should we use hand cream if our skin feels dry?

Yes, but rather use a non-oily gel, so it can moisturise without making the hands greasy. Alcohol may deal with the virus but it is only effective until it evaporates, which is almost immediately. I prefer to add eucalyptus or tea tree oil to the gel and rub it on my hands, thus sanitising and protecting it in one go.

Q: What about masks, we have problems with children not being able to breathe and some suffer from emotional as well as mental difficulties. How can we help them feel more comfortable?

One problem is that the masks are different. There is no standard government issue as is the case in countries like Japan and Taiwan where people are used to wearing masks and choose to do so when they have a cold or a cough that may spread infections. They have always worn masks to prevent any human emmissions. We know the virus gets through the fabric, otherwise neither could the air we breathe. But if a child is sitting within a screened area and nobody is around them, why wear a mask that reduces your oxygen and increases carbon dioxide?

Are there any other tips we can share with our school children and teachers?

For more information about herbal remedies please use this link: https://naturefresh.co.za/covid19/

Radio talk on neural disorders with Sue and Zulaikha September 2019

These days we are all familiar with anxiety, panic attacks, depression and insomnia. We take medications, but do we know what causes the problem? Today we are going to see how they relate to a disturbance in the brain that is linked to gluten intolerance and autoimmune problems.

Q: We take medicines to calm down – but why are we no longer able to sleep or be relaxed and happy? Why are so many children diagnosed with ADHD – what has gone wrong?

A: We need to understand how the body reacts to neurotransmitters. They supply on and off switches for signals that run around the body to tell us to relax, get excited and so on. The problem is that if something goes wrong in the control box and it can’t switch off we keep getting revved up. The drugs smother the signals, but they do not solve the problem.

CBD oil and GABA

Some people now take CBD oil (aka THC when vaped) to calm down the endocannabinoid system. The reason is because they can’t make GABA. The use of cannabis does not address the primary cause the ailment. One major cause is gluten sensitivity, the other (vary rare) is genetic. Both produce an antibody called anti-GAD. These antibodies are coming to the fore as a cause of many diseases:

Q: What neurotransmitters are causing these problems?

A: At the end of every nerve there is a gap called a synapse. This is where a neurotransmitter passes the signal through and then retreats, to switch off the message. This happens many times a second, and on – off cycle. When a dopamine receptor is turned on by glutamate, for instance, it excites the neuron.The remaining glutamate then converts to an inhibitory neurotransmitter with the aid of a special enzyme, to stop the stimulus. What goes wrong is that some of us create antibodies that destroy the enzyme, so the glutamate keeps exciting the cell.

Q: Has this got something to do with gluten?

A: Yes, definitely! For instance over 80% of people with Celiac’s disease have antibodies that destroy the enzyme that converts the glutamate – the accelerator into GABA, the brakes. These people are thus at the mercy of neuroses and battle to relax or sleep.

Another problem they have is with serotonin, the neurotransmitter that makes us happy. It is made in our gut area, so there is definitely a gut-brain connection to the way we feel. When the gut is constantly inflamed – as with gluten, we run out of serotonin and have to take antidepressants.

Extra info: “Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) is an enzyme involved in the formation of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) a central inhibitory neurotransmitter of the nervous system. Antibodies to GAD may impair GABA formation or inhibitory function. Suboptimal levels can manifest as anxiety, insomnia, hyperarousal, panic, feeling overwhelmed, disorganized attention, restlessness, worry, tension, inner excitability, inability to relax, diabetes, etc. For instance, if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes and you have GAD autoantibodies, it’s likely that you have type 1 (autoimmune) diabetes.” This is why we need to test both blood and saliva for gluten intolerance as a priority as it is a major instigator of anti-GAD antibodies.

Q: What are some typical cases where there is a deficiency of GABA?

A: GABA deficiencies are linked to all these conditions:

1 Cerebellar ataxia, a brain disorder that causes sudden uncoordinated muscle movement. (I saw this in a Parkinsons patient? Once off gluten, she stopped.)

2 Stiff person syndrome, a neurological condition that causes stiff muscles and muscle spasms ( I see this in Parkinsons patients and also with a case of autoimmune diabetes with neuropathy.)

3 Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

4 Autoimmune thyroid diseases

5 Adrenal failure (Addison disease),

6 Premature ovarian failure

7 Pernicious anaemia (I had this, cured it by cutting out gluten!)

8 Type 1 diabetes

9 Epilepsy, anxiety disorders

10 Schizophrenia,

11 Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMS) severe irritability, depression, or anxiety in the week or two before your period starts.

https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/GAD-antibodies#cause

https://www.lapislight.com/wp/neurological-disease-with-gad-antibodies-and-gluten-sensitivity/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-0404.2010.01356.x

These references suggest a link between gluten sensitivity and GAD antibody-associated diseases.

“The role of GABAergic neurotransmission in epilepsy, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder has been a subject of some recent investigations. Absence of structural abnormalities in the brains of most patients with chronic psychotic disorders has always raised suspicion for an alternative pathogenesis and a possible functional disturbance at the neuronal/cellular level.”

“Antibodies to GAD65 are peripherally present in patients with chronic psychotic disorders (schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders)… The presence of such antibodies also suggests a possible role for autoimmune mechanismin the pathogenesis of these disorders. In summary, from a practicing psychiatrist’s point of view, measurements of antibodies to GAD65 could potentially be used to screen for chronic psychotic disorders and for diabetes mellitus very early on in the disease process.”

Q: How well do patients fare on a gluten free diet?

A: In most cases, it alleviates the condition dramatically. There are a growing number of research studies that confirm that the first step is to try a gluten free diet and in most cases, it works! Unfortunately, with type 1 diabetics, the standard medical dietary guidelines fail to mention this.

 

Q: What other causes of brain disturbances should we look at?

A: Apart from inherited GAD autoantibodies and gluten sensitivity, the following factors affect neurons:

Leaky gut / brain floods dopaminergic synapses with glutamate and with magnesium deficiency calcium channel stays open. This results in hyperexcitability and neural damage.

Q: Are there other causes of gut inflammation or leaky gut?

A: Yes, especially parasites. Tapeworm eggs are everywhere and we can even inhale them from the air! Fleas also have tapeworm eggs inside them. The bad bugs like salmonella or e-coli come from eating infected foods, especially meat that goes off. All cause an unhealthy gut environment and the healthy gut floraget damaged. Taking antibiotics destroys the healthy gut flora that make vitamins, hormones and our serotonin.

An informative study recently published in Acta Neurologica Scandinavica documents the link between these conditions and gluten sensitivity. The abundance of false negatives is why the gluten – gene sensitivity test is so valuable. (Sue – blood type clue: test saliva and blood for antigens. Try biofeedback, muscle or pendulum test.)

We also need to look at how the blood brain barrier is breached, allowing excessive glutamate to enter and over excite neurons, resulting in neuropathy. This happens when there is a blow to the head, concussion and from leaky brain (inflammation and parasites). The effects from cell phones, computers and (God forbid) G5 radiation.

1 Physical Injury to head or concussion. As neurons die, more glutamate spills out causing glutamate overstimulation

2 Structural abnormalities in brain – cysts, tumours or congenital deformities

3 Strokes – lack of oxygen or blood leakage kills neurons and the glutamate causes further hyperexcitability and destruction of neurons.

4 Tapeworm cysts can cause epilepsy (I have observed 2 cases of seizures cured by treating cysts in the brain using Homeopathy. One I diagnosed intuitively, the other was with a MRI scan)

Try Nature Fresh Parasite Remedy for expelling parasites from the body.

How to handle a stroke

Radio talk with Sue and Zulaikha 28th March 2019

 

Q) How can we definitely tell if a person has just had a stroke ?

A) A stroke can be identified by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.

T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE eg: my name is ……..

R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

Another ‘sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ‘stick’ out his tongue. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other, it is also an indication of a stroke.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call for medical help immediately

Q) Why is it so important to rush?

A) A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke… totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, so we need to all be able to spot the symptoms.

Q) Are there different types of strokes and apart from a blow to the head, how are they caused?

A) All brain cells need oxygen and it is supplied via the bloodstream. If the blood supply is interrupted, as in the case of a blood clot, the cells begin to die. The other cause of brain damage affected by the blood is when it is too thin and the blood vessels are too weak. When blood pressure is increased, the blood leaks out in between the brain cells and they die. Large patches of dead neurons kill each other in turn, when glutamate leaks out of them. We have spoken about the excitotoxicity of glutamate. MSG is a source of it but does not enter neurons in this form unless the blood brain barrier has been damaged. Within the brain glutamine is kept separate from sodium and only combines temporarily for a synaptic connection. We have 20 000 of these a second.

Q) When somebody hurts their head or gets concussed, how do we know it is not a stroke?

A) When in doubt, immediately contact a doctor or the emergency unit and they will give you advice online. With a blow to the head there can be other forms of brain damage. Mild traumatic brain injury may affect the brain cells temporarily. More-serious traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain. These injuries can result in long-term complications or death. Bleeding or clots cause strokes.

Link to more symptoms of concussion. Some are similar to strokes https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/traumatic-brain-injury/symptoms-causes/syc-20378557

Many people who have had a significant brain injury will experience changes in their thinking (cognitive) skills. It may be more difficult to focus and take longer to process your thoughts. Traumatic brain injury can result in these typical cognitive problems, if not immediately, then at a later stage, depending on what the brain damage was:

Memory, learning, Reasoning, Judgment, Poor attention or concentration, Beginning or completing tasks, Communication problems, Inability to organize thoughts and ideas

With concussion, as we have seen in the boxing ring, most recover, others get knocked out. Mahmud Ali the famous boxer received severe and repeated head injuries. They can lead to a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease but there is no real proof in this case. His dopamine function is impaired and this also happens to people who have nutritional deficiencies, especially vitamin B6. In some cases, drug s can also contribute to more advanced stages of Parkinson’s.