ARTHRITIS: Another disease which we have come to expect with old age is arthritis. The joints become stiff and sore, sometimes to the point where anti-inflammatory drugs are needed. Many health authorities do not think that there is a link between diet and arthritis, but there is evidence to the contrary. The Wyane State University Medical School put six rheumatoid arthritis sufferers on a fat-free diet. In seven weeks all the symptoms of the disease were gone.

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: The British Medical Journal reported on a 38 year-old woman who had been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for 11 years. Four months after her doctor had removed all dairy products from her diet, her arthritic symptoms disappeared. She remained this way until, in the interest of science, she went back to eating dairy products. Within a day her joints became swollen and painful. When she returned to her abstinence of dairy products, these symptoms disappeared.

It is quite possible that animal products lead to arthritis because fat and cholesterol coat the lining of the blood vessels leading to joint tissues. Nodes which are composed of cholesterol are often found near arthritic joints. Arthritis sufferers tend to have high blood cholesterol levels.

GALLSTONES: Gallstones are made up of hardened cholesterol. Diets high in fat, cholesterol, and low in fiber lead to incidences of more gallstones. More fiber leads to fewer gallstones. It is believed that the fiber binds the cholesterol in the colon and helps it to exit out of the system.

SKIN PROBLEMS: Acne, blackheads, and white heads are other examples of fatty degeneration. Sticky, thick, saturated fats and trans-fatty acids clog the narrow pores and cause infection and pimples. It would seem as if pores are designed for only the fluid like quality of the essential fatty acids.

DIABETES: Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death. The Lancet reported on the study of diet in relation to diabetes. Dr. Inder Singh put 80 diabetic patients on a very low fat diet without any sugar. After six weeks, 60% of the patients no longer needed insulin. Diabetics create insulin, but high levels of fat in the blood cause insulin to malfunction. Reduce the saturated fat and the insulin can do its work. Dr. David Snowden summarized a report on 25,000 people over 21 years of age. In this study we looked at various levels of meat consumption, and as those levels got lower and lower, the risk of diabetes also decreased.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: This disease gradually attacks the brain, spinal cord, and the central nervous system. Within ten years of the first attack, most MS patients will be permanently disabled. Dr. Roy Swank, head of the Department of Neurology at the University of Oregon, tried treating incurable MS patients with a low-fat, low-protein diet. They were also given vitamins A, C, D, and B-complex. The results were astounding. Of the 146 patients on the diet, 90% of those in the early stages of MS stopped the disease-process and improved over a twenty-year period.

ASTHMA: The University Hospital in Linkoping, Sweden, put Asthma sufferers on a vegetarian diet. Before the test, their condition was so severe that they needed cortisone or other types of powerful medication. After the test, medication dosages dropped an average of 50 to 90 percent. Some stopped taking the pills altogether.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Life without essential fatty acids is impossible. They are crucial to the electrical reactions of cells. Essential fatty acids heal, carry vitamins, enhance metabolism and bring oxygen to the tissues. They are required by brain cells, sensory organs, synapses, retinas, adrenal glands and testes. Essential fatty acids act as solvents to remove hardened fat. They are involved in generating the electric currents that maintain a regular heartbeat. They appear to regulate chromosome stability and will even help you to lose weight!

There are two essential fatty acids:

Alpha-Linolenic acid (LNA) or Omega 3 is found in abundance in hemp seed, flax seed, pumpkin seed, walnuts, dark green leaves, canola, soybean and cold water fish.

Linoleic acid (LA) or Omega 6 is found in abundance in safflower, hemp, soybean, walnut, pumpkin, sesame, corn, sunflower and flax.

Essential fatty acids attract oxygen and generate electrical currents. They are also converted into hormone-like substances called prostaglandins which reduce allergic response and inflammation.

GOOD OILS AND FATS
Good oils and fats are found in avocados, nuts and seeds. Man has not come up to the standard of God's packaging genius. Removing the oil without exposing it to light, air and heat is a difficult task. It cannot be done cheaply. Because of an increasing awareness of the damage of trans-fatty acids, a demand has been created for high quality oil. Companies such as Omega have responded by developing high tech extraction methods in producing oils that would cause a flax seed to blush. Health Food stores are now supplying oils from pumpkin, flax, sunflower, walnut, and almond. They are oxygen-free, cold-pressed and must be stored in a dark bottle in the refrigerator. Virgin olive oil is a poor source of essential fatty acids, but because it is unrefined, it is the least toxic of the store-bought oils.

Estimates on fat consumption run from 40% to 45% of caloric intake. It has been estimated that the requirement for omega 3 is one percent of calories eaten. The requirement of omega 6 has been estimated at 2 percent of daily calories. These are powerful substances. Even three grams is sufficient to prevent symptoms of deficiency. The optimum amount has been estimated at 3-10% of calories or 9-30 grams daily.

All fruits, vegetables and legumes have natural essential oils and fats. Raw seeds and nuts will supply an abundance of essential fatty acids. Cold-pressed oils can be purchased from your local health food store to be used in salad dressings. Cold-pressed, virgin olive oil should be used in moderation.

Diseases can be reversed by diet, and also prevented. Good health is dependent on good nutrition. A diet high in natural oils, fats, seeds, grains, sprouts and an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables will increase the body’s ability to remove health-destroying factors. Saturated fats and excess cholesterol impede cleansing because their sticky composition give blood a thick, sludge-like consistancy and slow down the whole system. A diet which avoids saturated fats, cholesterol, and hydrogenated vegetable oils will prevent disease.

We need to drastically cut down on fat intake from animal sources or hydrogenated vegetable oils.

For most people this is a drastic change in diet. It is not an easy change because toxic fats and oils create unnatural cravings just like drugs, both of which cause an imbalance in the body. So you may have to hang tough through the cravings for a greasy burger or fries. The cravings will eventually pass and you can establish a pattern of eating that will carry you through a long and healthy life.