It took scientists and researchers decades to discover why a certain food could make one person feel good, yet that same food could trigger numerous health problems in another person. Little-known sticky proteins called lectins—which make up part of a plant’s natural immune system—have been found to be the root cause of your distress.

Although lectins are beneficial for plants, they can cause problems in your body’s digestive tract. When you ingest foods containing lectins—such as wheat, barley, oats, rye, beer, grain-based alcohols, mayonnaise, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, legumes, eggs and all milk products—your body can’t digest or destroy those lectin proteins. Those proteins travel through your digestive tract, attaching themselves to healthy sugar molecules needed for effective digestion. Those sugars are now viewed as defective and your immune system tries to destroy them. Now you have an inflammatory battle in your digestive tract which can lead to…

• Upset stomach, excessive belching and flatulence
• Occasional Headaches, poor concentration and brain fog
• Weight gain, bloating and puffy eyes
• Annoying fatigue
• Joint discomfort

If you believe you have a sensitivity to lectins, you should ask your doctor to check you for “anti-gliadin antibodies and endomysium antibodies.” If either test comes back positive you should request a “celiac panel” to rule out other serious digestive problems. And in the meantime, you should try taking beneficial lectin-fighting supplements such as N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG), bladderwrack, okra powder, D-mannose, mucins, pepsin and sodium alginate.

However, when your immune system is in proper balance, it naturally protects your body and suppresses an overly vigilant immune response. And an overly vigilant immune system might mistake an innocuous particle like pollen for an unwelcome irritant and can result in annoying seasonal and environmental sensitivities. Or an unbalanced immune system may trigger an unnecessary reaction like inflammation which could lead to downstream effects on your heart, blood sugar, joints and weight.

But you can promote healthy immune function through natural nutrients such as…

• Immunel—Derived from colostrum, the “first milk” most babies receive from their mothers, this nutrient is rich in antibodies and promotes phagocyte activity, which monitor and protect your system in order to keep you healthy.
• SCF brewer’s yeast—A fermented, all-natural yeast that can help regulate immune balance to reduce the effects of seasonal and environmental sensitivities, support respiratory health and shorten the duration of unpleasant symptoms.
• Immune Assist Micron—An organic compound derived from six “super” mushrooms, this nutrient can boost and balance your immune system with much greater potency than any immune-boosting mushroom on earth.

So if you’re tired of sneezing your way through every spring and feeling the need for an immune health pick-me-up in the winter, remember that both boosting and balancing your immune system, and helping your immune system to be “at rest” and ready to respond quickly to health problems are all keys to supporting good health and a more active and effective lifestyle.

A specially processed, fermented, all-natural yeast known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentate (SCF) has been clinically proven to regulate immune balance. Human clinical studies have proven that this special yeast can balance and boost your immunity to reduce symptoms of seasonal allergies, lower the incidence of upper respiratory problems and decrease the amount of time you have to endure those miserable symptoms.

SCF yeast was discovered close to 60 years ago by a company that provided health improvement products for livestock and poultry. The founder of the company, C. W. Bloomhall, developed a yeast culture to help boost natural immunity in animals after he noticed that those animals that were fed sour, fermented milk along with their regular food were healthier.

Then it was noticed that employees at his company took very few sick days, and tests concluded that those who worked closely with the fermentation process showed significantly raised immune activity. A proprietary and fermentation process and drying system was then developed to concentrate their yeast product into a new form for humans—SCF brewer’s yeast.

With more than 12 clinical and scientific studies proving that SCF brewer’s yeast can increase your immune power to naturally fight pathogens and decrease allergic responses, this natural product could help make sick days obsolete.

According to online information from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, probiotics may help…

• Control symptoms of diarrhea, especially after an antibiotics regimen
• Prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections
• Decrease the chances of bladder cancer reappearing
• Prevent and treat inflammation after colon surgery
• Treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Plus, natural probiotic therapy may ease some symptoms of such inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease as indicated in the American Journal of Physiology­­−Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology.

But increased levels of beneficial probiotics may also help strengthen your immune system. According to a study published in Clinical Nutrition, researchers from the Institute for Physiology and Biochemistry of Nutrition in Germany found that healthy women and men who ingested probiotics every day for three months decreased their misery from the effects of the common cold by almost two days. They also reduced the severity of those symptoms, which include coughing, sneezing and headaches.

Unfortunately, bacteria levels in your body naturally decline as you age, and the healthy microorganisms that remain are easily destroyed. How? Through increased consumption of alcohol… overuse of antibiotics and other prescription drugs… excessive consumption of red meat and other poor eating habits… consumption of city water treated with chlorine and sodium fluoride… and the rise in stress levels because of factors inherent in modern living.

However, you can increase your body’s friendly bacteria levels and strengthen your immunity by eating foods that are rich in probiotics such as yogurt with live bacteria, fermented milk and other fermented foods like sauerkraut or kimchi, as well as miso, tempeh, aged cheese, kefir and some juices. Plus, you can use a quality supplement that contains at least 6 billion colony-forming units (CFU).

It’s not surprising that more than 200,000 people seek hospital care each year because of the flu and its complications. But the main reason you suffer from aches and pains… hacking coughs… exhaustion… lack of energy… and congestion is not just the infection of germs. It’s because your immune system gets too tired and out of balance, and doesn’t react fast enough to threats to your health. This can happen as a result of…

• Too much stress
• Unhealthy diet
• Environmental pollutants
• Overuse of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs
• Global living and overcrowding

When your immune system is out of balance, it not only fails to protect your body, it can also become overactive or hypersensitive. This means that it can even attack itself, mistaking non-harmful substances for invading pathogens. For example, your immune system might kick into high gear when it encounters harmless pollen but interprets it as a harmful pathogen.

The result? Annoying allergies that make you miserable day in and day out. Or perhaps your unbalanced immune system may trigger harmful inflammation which can negatively impact your heart, blood sugar, joints and even your weight.

But there are simple and all-natural methods that can strengthen and balance your immunity, as well as encouraging it to remain “at rest” and ready to respond to a health problem at a moment’s notice. By making healthy overall lifestyle choices such as consistently exercising… switching to a whole foods diet with 50 percent of your food ingested in its raw form… avoiding excess stress… and restricting your use of synthetic drugs you can assist your immune system in its protection of you.

And to further mobilize and balance your immunity, supplement your diet with powerful natural nutrients such as SCF brewer’s yeast, Immunel™—a scientifically derived fraction from colostrum—and immune activators such as those found in Immune Assist Micron™. You’ll find that when your immune system is in proper balance, it naturally protects your body from invading pathogens and suppresses an overactive immune system which means you’ll feel better… have more energy… and be more productive.

A new study from the Journal of Nutrition suggests eating more vegetables may significantly reduce women’s risk of developing endometrial cancer, which affects the uterine lining.

Researchers in Buffalo, New York examined the health and diet histories in two groups: 541 women with endometrial cancer and a matched number of women with no history of cancer. Women who ate more vegetables in their diet lowered their risk of developing endometrial cancer by 50 percent when compared to those who didn’t eat as much vegetables.

Diets that incorporated nutrients such as fiber, vitamin E, beta-carotene, lutein and folate, which can be found in many vegetables, were linked to lowering incidences of cancer.

However, Dr Susan E McCann, lead author of the study, said the decreased risk may also be related to the foods women are not eating.

“With endometrial cancer there are several reasons why diet may be important. One of the main reasons is obesity. Obesity is a very strong risk factor for endometrial cancer, and it’s related to diet,” McCann said.

People who don’t like certain vegetables can receive some of the cancer-fighting nutrients through supplements.

• Substantial short-term memory or concentration problems
• Recurring sore throat and tender lymph nodes
• Muscle pain
• Pain in several joints without swelling or redness
• Headaches of a new type, pattern or severity
• Feeling tired and unrefreshed—even after sleeping
• Extreme tiredness after exercise or other exertion lasting more than 24 hours

The real challenge is chronic fatigue can result from multiple sources—diet has much to do with it, as does mood, activity level and the health of your immune system. And various antigens—substances that stimulate the production of an antibody when introduced into the body—triggered by medications, virus exposure, vaccinations, heavy metals or environmental toxins all contribute to the symptoms of CFS.

Very few physicians know what to test for to uncover the causes. It takes a detailed history of your physical health, exposures, eating habits, stress, self-belief patterns, emotions and even relationships.

Fatigue and low energy can also fluctuate daily according to the foods you eat. But when you approach eating 50 percent of your food uncooked, you will definitely find your energy level improving. Foods full of refined sugar, high loads of wheat bread, dairy milk, cheese or fatty animal meats can be modified or replaced with nutrient-rich foods, and chronic fatigue states can’t last very long in that nutritious environment.

I also find that much of fatigue has a lot to do with holding one’s self back energetically by one’s own thought patterns. This may be an unconscious pattern such as fearing what others might think, thinking about the terrible “what ifs” that constantly arise or choosing inaction because we don’t feel capable or lovable enough.

For example, when your mind is idle or dwelling on unpleasant thoughts, your life force energy becomes low, which slows and tires your physical body.

Instead, say out loud, “I am a powerful force for good in the life of someone today. I am inspiring and joyful!” Did you notice a shift of more energy come into you as you said these words aloud? It works for me in every case.

This is called the language of “success,” or the language of “increase.” Thinking—and especially saying—such words empower you with energy and passion to do what you want in life. Reach out to others and feel how it can revive you and awaken your soul. And as you experience some sort of reaching out to another, just notice how it feels to connect to them and feel the energy that comes into you.

To sum up, if you discuss your symptoms with your physician, take the time to examine your food habits and improve your positive thinking, then you could be able to shake the symptoms of CFS. This will help you on the path to a healthy body and mind, and get you out enjoying your favorite activities again.

• Sipping the soup helps you stay hydrated.
• Inhaling the steam helps you breathe better by loosening congestion.
• And researchers have found that—in a laboratory environment—the soup has anti-inflammatory properties.

So when you’re all stopped up, don’t get your feathers ruffled! Soothe the soreness that a cold can cause… with chicken soup.

I am a 79-year-old man from Cleveland, Ohio. I used to suffer with terrible back problems. The pain was tremendous. It took half an hour to get out of bed and I could hardly bend over to put on my socks!

—Albert C.

Dear Albert,

It sounds like you found a real answer for your back pain. Yours is a perfect example of immune hypersensitivity from foods as the underlying cause of inflammation. Inflammation or disease will manifest where genetically or mechanically (from prior injury) you are the weakest. Therefore, if foods must be eliminated to quiet the inflammatory process, foods you are eating could be causing a hidden inflammation of your heart, or a genetic aberration leading to cancer that hasn’t surfaced yet. The best answer is to cleanse the body periodically from antigens—which trigger allergy and inflammation—that build up over time in the body. Then all the underlying immune hypersensitivity quiets down.

Another method of cleansing is through sweating. I’ve worked with a Navajo woman who told me she suffered for years with hypothyroidism and recurrent asthma symptoms. She was on thyroid replacement meds and used asthma medication constantly. She followed her Native American tradition of attending a sweat lodge weekly for approximately a year. Since then, she has not needed her asthma medicine or her thyroid replacement, and she was tested normal by her doctor. Sweating can be another powerful way of quieting the immune hypersensitivity that is behind inflammatory conditions—and even hormone dysfunction. So, thank you for sharing!

All the best!
Michael Cutler, M.D.

Did you know that even a small increase in your lead level can increase your chances of death by 46 percent? That’s according to an article in Archives of Internal Medicine. Fifteen percent of individuals analyzed in a 16-year scientific study were found to have a slightly elevated blood lead level. And these people experienced 46 percent higher mortality.

But what about another well-known heavy metal—mercury?

A study published in the online journal PLoS Biology concluded that even low levels of heavy metals such as lead and mercury can cause essential brain stem cells in the central nervous system to shut down too soon.

New research has also shown that mercury is present in high levels in marine mammals. The findings show the main type of mercury found is methylmercury (MeHg). This toxic heavy metal caused damage to seals’ immune system and crippled their ability to fight infections.

And guess what? Similar results have been found in the immune systems of humans! Especially in those folks who live in communities that consume large amounts of fish.

In a Journal of the American College of Cardiology study, it was reported that congestive heart failure patients have 22,000 times more mercury in their heart muscles compared to normal control subjects. This metal is often obtained from the foods we eat and is extremely toxic to the heart.

How exactly does toxic mercury end up in our foods? Both natural events such as the eruption of a volcano and the environmental pollution caused by humans expose our food sources to mercury…

When an earthquake erupts or manufacturing plants burn coal—640 plants in America currently do this—mercury is discharged into the air. This mercury falls down with the rain and attaches to algae in fresh water where the fish eat it. This includes fish raised on farms. Then we eat the fish and the mercury with it.

If you want to avoid mercury, you should eat cold-water ocean fish only. You should also consider a detoxifying dietary cleanse, I.V. or oral chelating agents, or 20 visits to an infrared sauna. These can help remove the existing mercury from your system.

Yes, toxins can be deadly—and it only takes small amounts of heavy metals like lead and mercury to cause you harm. But there are safe and natural ways to keep them from destroying your health.