The Deadly Nightshades

Well supposedly we’re at the end of Summer. Yeah, right! We Arizonans know better. We still have to deal with the heat but we still need to be active. Just make some adjustments to the times we do it like getting out for that hike, run, or walk a little earlier. When I was an avid runner I was out the door right after 5:00am year round. During my hiking days I was on the trail by 6:00am and done by 9:00am. OR do it indoors but DO IT! For this issue of my newsletter I’m bringing back an article I wrote back in 2005! Yes, that long ago but it’s still relevant
and current.

Inasmuch as the family of vegetables that are called nightshades are tasty and delicious there is research to suggest that they are toxic.
Eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, and the pepper family all are in the nightshade family. Macrobiotic diets exclude all the nightshades. I had personal experience with tomatoes back in 1990 and went off tomatoes for 2 years as per instructions per my then chiropractor and for the most part to this day I avoid them. Hey, if I could do it for two years why not continue. Why would it be any different after two years. And I avoid all other nightshades to boot. See what you think after you read my article. I personally put credibility on the research and my personal experience.
You decide for yourself.

THE DEADLY NIGHTSHADES
Among the most popular vegetables in Western diets today are certain members of the Sofanaceae family, known as ‘nightshades’, which include twenty-two general and over 2,000 species of plants. Among the nightshades are tobacco and many potent medicinal plants, some of them highly poisonous. Nightshade vegetables include: white and red-skinned potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and all varieties of peppers. Yams, sweet potatoes and black pepper however, are not nightshades.

The distinguishing feature of all nightshades is their rich alkaloid content. Alkaloids are potent plant chemicals, similar in molecular structure to proteins, with powerful physiological effects when consumed and metabolized. There is growing evidence that the alkaloids present in
nightshade foods may have deleterious effects on human health, at least for some people.
The alkaloids found in nightshades are not only the basis for consideration of nightshades as drugs, but also for understanding adverse reactions to nightshades when they are eaten as food. Adverse reactions to nightshade alkaloids are discussed further in the health effects section of
this nightshade profile. Alkaloids, can impact nerve-muscle function and digestive function in animals and humans, and may also be able to compromise joint function. Because the amount of alkaloids is very low in nightshade foods when compared with other nightshade plants, health problems from nightshade foods may only occur in individuals who are especially sensitive to these alkaloid substances. Since cooking only lowers alkaloid content of nightshade foods by about 40-50%, highly sensitive individuals may want to avoid this category of food altogether, while non-sensitive individuals may be able to eat these foods, especially in cooked form, without problem.

Nightshades contain toxins that destroy red blood cells and have been connected with a long laundry list of other problems; kidney stones, ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis, breathing problems, digestive problems, skin problems, nerve problems/paralysis, and energy problems are some
of the negatives. Recent research has implicated nightshades in the calcification of soft body tissues, a condition known as ‘caliphylactic syndrome’, which has become one of the most prevalent pathological conditions of all modern industrial societies.

This syndrome, which occurs when nightshades remove calcium from teeth and bones and deposit it in tissues, where it does not belong, is associated with arthritis, arteriosclerosis, cerebral sclerosis, kidney stones, gout, migraine, high blood pressure, bronchitis, osteoporosis, lupus, hypertension, and other common maladies. Many people have reported rapid recovery from these ailments when they completely eliminated nightshades from their diets. That includes smoking, because tobacco is also a nightshade, so smoking tobacco only compounds the severity of tissue calcification.

If you suffer from any of the above conditions, try abstaining entirely from all nightshades, including tobacco, for a period of six months. This cure works only if you eliminate all traces of nightshade alkaloids from your system, including those hidden in processed foods and condiments in the form of potato flour, tomato sauce, paprika, cayenne, Tabasco, and so forth.

VITAMIN D:

• mediates protein synthesis and energy use
• enhances immune system function
• inhibits aromatization of Testosterone to estrogen
• can help hormone balance in women

1% OF ILLNESS IS FROM GENES AND THE OTHER 90% IS FROM STRESS. -DR. BRUCE LIPTON

Hope you got something out of this article. As I noted it’s as relevant today as it was back in 2005 when I first wrote it. So keep this in mind the next time you’re shopping for veggies and you reach for that eggplant or tomato. The trade off of eliminating these from your diet will have long term beneficial effects on your health. It has for me.

Again, this is just educational information I’m sharing with you and what my personal experience has been. It’s NOT medical advice. Get that from your primary care provider. You can still ask me questions about it. Also, be sure and get in for your therapeutic bodywork sessions. Along with diet and exercise it has a synergistic effect on your health. And as an early notice there will be a rate increase for Extended Sessions (90 minutes) on January 1, 2018 from $100 to $120. I’ve really been undercharging all these years so it’s time to make this adjustment in my rates. I will be posting reminders in every newsletter through the end of the year. Stay active and keep hydrated. Oh, and be sure and SHARE this newsletter with all your email lists; thank you!