Healing Power of Sprouts

Sprouts contain concentrated amounts of all the necessary nutrients to make the entire plant.  One of these nutrients, found in the just sprouted seeds of buckwheat, barley, fenugreek, and flaxseed, beta-sitosterol, has been shown in field trials, laboratory experiments, and clinical trials to help overcome prostate and breast cancer (University of Buffalo), viral infections, and even colds and flu.

The FDA has even said that sterols can officially lower cholesterol.  Much research has been published showing that beta-sitosterol in food sources or in supplement form can lower cholesterol almost as well as many of the statin drugs BUT with none of the side effects and at half the cost or less.  In one of the reports the phytosterols (phyto=plant) reduced the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels by 28.6% and the statin drug reduced the LDL by 30.9%. (JAMA 2003) Not much difference between the two.

Fenugreek sprouts and tea made of the soaked seeds has been used in healing for years. Fenugreek is known for its property of expelling mucus from the intestines and perhaps even from the other areas of the body, although I have not seen any research on this. In India fenugreek seeds are used to help overcome diabetes and other blood sugar irregularities.

A lot of material has been published on the healing power of broccoli sprouts. People have had great  results with broccoli sprouts helping with many different kinds of cancers.

For more information on sprouts look at my book “Sprouts, The savory source for health and vitality.”

Fibromyalgia

So many people come to me for help with fibromyalgia, FM, that are unwilling to make lifestyle changes. Why is this? Some of the easy changes are things we all know: avoid caffeine, nicotine, white sugar, and white flour. The less easy changes are to eat small frequent meals, and eat breakfast, everyday.

I consider cold cereal “junk food” and not something to be eaten on a regular basis. Breakfast should have protein and vegetables. This will give you the base for a good day and prevent the cravings for caffeine, nicotine, and sugary products.

Snacks can be fruit with a little protein like half an apple and a small amount of cheese or nut butter. Celery with cream cheese might even appeal to you as a great snack. Stay away from chips, soft drinks, burgers, fries, and other nutritionless “foods” if you want to avoid the pain of FM. Eat lots of fresh, raw veggies to balance your pH, this will also help with the pain.

Move your body daily. That can be biking, hiking, skating, dancing, yoga, tai chi, or just plain old walking. Start with whatever your body can handle and after a few days increase it.

Chew each mouthful until it is liquid. This will improve not just your digestion, but also your immune system and help you avoid “leaky gut syndrome” which may be contributing to your FM. Probiotics and prebiotics are great, yogurt and preparations containing inulin respectively can help.  Improving the health of your intestines can allow your body to absorb the much needed minerals that will help reduce the pain and stiffness. Try to take in calcium, magnesium, and malic acid in food form to help relax your muscles so they can release lactic acid buildup.

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