Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
It looks like we are using Rxs and natural substances that contain C-10 + H-16 to prevent the overexposure of acetylcholinesterase which breaks down acetylcholine.
But...Magnesium blocks acetylcholine release!
When Mg levels drop (early on in lyme)...up goes acetylcholine release?
It would follow that the level of acetylcholinesterase would rise too - to counter too much acetylcholine.
If acetylcholine is in excess, how long before the cells producing it are exhausted?
Acetylcholine triggers insulin which activates PFK...the rate limiting enzyme for glycolysis.
Bb is PFK dependent and needs our choline.
If Mg is needed to block acetylcholine, if it is needed (along with Ca) to make healthy, not damaged, antibodies, if it is needed to INactivate HMG CoA reductase - stopping cholesterol formation at the liver, if it is needed to make ALL proteins - including hormones, enzymes, if it serves to function as an anti-inflammatory/antihistamine, if it is needed to control the release of substance P (pain), if it is capable of stimulating the repair of DNA which is being damaged by way too many free radicals...it is no wonder the Mg levels drop "significantly" - very early on - as the Romanian Cancer doctors discovered when treating early stage lyme patients.
What if, in response to this pathogen, the body overproduces acetylcholine as a PROTECTIVE measure? What would the symptoms look like?
The presence of cholinesterase inhibiting chemicals (or a pathogen that contains those chemicals) prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine.
Acetylcholine can then build up, causing a "jam" in the nervous system. Thus, when a person receives to great an exposure to cholinesterase inhibiting compounds, the body is unable to break down the acetylcholine.
If acetylcholinesterase is unable to breakdown or remove acetylcholine, the muscle can continue to move uncontrollably. Electrical impulses can fire away continuously unless the number of messages being sent through the synapse is limited by the action of cholinesterase.
Repeated and unchecked firing of electrical signals can cause uncontrolled, rapid twitching of some muscles, paralyzed breathing, convulsions, and in extreme cases, death.Within the brain, the cholinergic system is suppressive (parasympathetic.).
That means when acetylcholine levels rise, the brain generally becomes less active; nerves are less able to 'fire'. This system becomes active during sleep, and may be responsible for disconnecting the brain from the body (so you don't actually try to run when you dream that you're running.)
Outside the brain, acetylcholine has a critical role: It's used by nerves to tell striated muscles to contract. Striated muscles are what people normally think of as muscles...your biceps, etc. Because of this effect, drugs that block acetylcholine receptors (such as curare) can paralyze and kill (by stopping breathing and the heart.)
(Personal note here: way too much Mg can do the same.)
Chemicals that prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine (nerve gas and some insecticides) are also dangerous; as acetylcholine levels rise out of control, muscles can go into spasms, causing heart attacks and difficulty breathing.
It would follow that when acetylcholine rises, serotonin drops. That might account for the depression in lyme disease. Serotonin + 2 enzymes converts to melatonin and melatonin and acetylcholine are needed for sleep.
Melatonin first to help us to fall asleep and for NREM sleep and then acetylcholine for REM sleep (which is when we make proteins). These go "back and forth" during sleep, but NREM must preceed REM.
Now, if acetylcholine is too high...keep in mind that this triggers insulin which activates another enzyme called PFK. This enzyme is "rate limiting" for glycolysis. Bb is dependent on this enzyme.
Acetylcholine/Mg deficiency triggers very damaging free radicals and free radicals also contribute to PKC's activation. It also stimulates an increase in calcium.
To fight...our body likely would compensate by increasing acetylcholinesterase - the enzyme that helps to break down excess acetylcholine.
So, what do we do? We give things that contain "H16" to block acetylcholinesterase -to keep the supply of acetylcholine up.
But what if we instead blocked acetylcholine, using appropriate doses of Mg...restoring the levels?
But what happens when the acetylcholine producing cells finally "poop out"?
"Acetylcholine producing cells are among the first to die in Alzheimer's disease. Parkinson's disease, dementia due to multiple strokes, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia, are all, like Alzheimer's, associated with lower levels of acetylcholine in the brain."
Now what if acetylcholine goes too low?
Low levels of gastrin and acetylcholine (or Mg) -> too much stomach acid produced.
And..."Low acetylcholine levels contribute to the forgetfulness and lack of ability to concentrate which often occurs in old age. The cholinergic nervous system also controls the sensory input: too little acetylcholine and you are easily distracted by stimuli in your environment, whether you are trying to think (loss of concentration) or sleep (awakening too easily).
(The above sorta sounds like ADHD, doesn't it?)
In addition, too low acetylcholine levels cannot support normal motor (muscular activity) control and coordination and motor response falter. The cholinergic nervous system in the body keeps mucous membranes lubricated and moist; without adequate acetylcholine levels in body tissues, the mucous membranes become dry, more easily irritated, infected and damaged.
Finally, acetylcholine is an important motivational chemical, along with the catecholamines."
Similar?
"Anatoxin-a(s), the second type of anatoxin, only occurs in the species Anabaena flos-aquae,
one of the most toxic strains of cyanobacteria.
It is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor which binds to the enzyme and renders it unable to deactivate the acetylcholine.
Since the acetylcholine is not deactivated, the ion channel is left open, once again destroying muscle function through exhaustion."
So, what to do? Block acetylcholinesterase destruction thus leading to MORE acetylcholine or block any additional acetylcholine that is being overproduced?
If acetylcholine levels drop too low...
"GPC tackles the problem of too little acetylcholine from a different angle. Rather than interfering with the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, GPC provides a means for the body to manufacture new acetylcholine."
Easier and safer to restore the balance with the nutrients that will do so...while at the same time, help the body to rid the infection, IMO.
Posts: 9424 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
Google GPC and you will find info....I cant spell the full name.....Has anyone used this yet?
Posts: 127 | From Rock Tavern, New York | Registered: May 2005
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posted
You have to search it as GPC supplements to get a hit. Here is one explanation.
"Alpha-GPC (glycerylphosphorylcholine) Short for L-alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine, it is an acetylcholine precursor derived from soy. This is a new supplement that has been shown in preliminary research to boost GH (growth hormone) levels and increase neurological function. One plus is that smaller amounts seem to boost GH levels (150-400 mg) which makes it more cost effective. Boosting GH levels can have major implications in muscle building and promoting optimal recovery from hard workouts, especially in individuals over the age of 40. Since Alpha-GPC can boost endogenous levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, it can also help enhance mental focus and mental clarity--two good things to have during a workout! Yet another affect of Alpha-GPC is that it is a potent choline donor. The choline provided then serves as the precursor for the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) from other lipid-based compounds. This can help protect cell membranes from damage. This ingredient has good potential and is supplied by Chemi Nutraceutical as AlphaSize�."
-------------------- You're only a failure when you stop trying. Posts: 945 | From U.S | Registered: Oct 2004
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klutzo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5701
posted
Marnie, I always appreciate your posts, thanks!
I am confused though. Do you think we should be taking this new supplement instead of Mg citrate, lecithin and B Complex, or in addition to it?
Klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
I just put this on my list of things to buy. Carol
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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lymeHerx001
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6215
posted
quote:Originally posted by Marnie:
. The cholinergic nervous system in the body keeps mucous membranes lubricated and moist; without adequate acetylcholine levels in body tissues, the mucous membranes become dry, more easily irritated, infected and damaged.
So does this mean that I shouldnt be taking antihistamines for allergies and sinuses problems if I also have dry and britlle sinuses?
So confusing, I have MCS along with this chronic and persistant vertigo. I take anti-histamines for concomitant allergies and to control post nasal drip.
So very strange.. I think Ill just pray and forget all these damn failed supplement chemicals.
Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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Carol in PA
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 5338
Due to its inflammatory properties, serrapeptase has been shown in clinical studies to benefit chronic sinusitis sufferers.
In this condition, the mucus in patients' nasal cavities is thickened and hypersecreted. This thickening causes mucus to be expelled less frequently.
Japanese researchers evaluated the effects of serratiopeptidase (30 mg/day orally for four weeks) on the elasticity and viscosity of the nasal mucus in adult patients with chronic sinusitis.
Serratiopeptidase reduced the viscosity of the mucus, improving the elimination of bronchopulmonary secretions.(23)
Carol
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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klutzo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5701
posted
lymeherx001, I do not have sinusitis, so I can't confirm if serrapaptase will help, though I did take it for a few months once for anticoagulation purposes.
I do have post nasal drip though, and I can testify that for me, MSM was the answer. Start with one gram per day and work up until you get relief. For me that was six grams of MSM per day.
The reason for the working up, is that MSM can cause a herx too in some people. It is very good at helping nutriton get into cells, and forcing toxins out.
It is very safe, whereas antihistamines are heart stimulants,and a real no-no for those of us, like me, who have heart rhythm problems sometimes. Just 1/2 of a Phenergan tablet taken at bedtime can trigger an episode of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) for me.
Since I stopped taking Phenergan for sinus headaches or Benadryl to help stop my post nasal drip while sleeping, I've not had even one PSVT during my sleep,and I used to be afraid to fall asleep because I had so many of them.
Klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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lymeHerx001
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6215
posted
Carol,,,What is Serratiopeptidase is this an enzyme?
I remember the naturopath giving me wolbenzyme and it just gave me very bad heartburn,, felt like an ulcer!.
Oh I must clarify I dont have sinusitus.
Allthough in my early teens I had FREQUENT bouts of sinusitus,,, and then around 20 or so I started to get vertigo instead of the sinusitus.
Now I am just experiencing chronic vertigo and Multiple Chemical sensitivities. My sense of smell is reduced, ,sinuses seem almost too dry,,
however I do have a chroniclly sore throat with post nasal drip.
and Klutzo,, I was also handed MSM,, the sulpher compound to me along with the wolbenzyme.
I too thought that MSM would do it,,, it says that it works great for chemically sensitive people and the sinuses!!
I was so enthusiastic,, I gradually built up over the course of 2 months.. I believe I was taking about 8-10 pills a day.
I was determined. I dont remember the pills tasting that bad,, or smelling (from what I can tell)
The wolbenzyme smelled like CAT PISSS.
Any way the msm didnt really do much for me.
It is so strange. Their is definitelly something with my immune system going on here.
My hope and my belief and my LLMDs belief is that when the lyme clears and I have been feeling well
Clear head,, no pain, no fatigue,, can excersise....that these MCS symptoms and my smell will return and or heal.
So far its been going on 2 years every day for these MCS/vertigo symptoms and about 15 years off and mostlly on with the LYME.
Uhh,, Ill say a silent blessing for us all. Be WELL thanks for getting this far.
Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
Mg is an anti-inflammatory AND an anti-histamine.
What IS lecithin?
"When medical researchers use the term ``lecithin'', they are referring to a purified substance called phosphatidylcholine (PC).
Supplements labeled as ``lecithin'' usually contain 10-20% PC. Relatively pure PC supplements are generally labeled as ``phosphatidylcholine''. PC best duplicates supplements used in medical research.
Choline by itself (without the ``phosphatidyl'' group) is also available in foods and supplements. In high amounts, however, pure choline can make people smell like fish, so it's rarely used, except in the small amounts found in multivitamin supplements.
PC acts as a supplier of choline. Choline is now considered an
essential nutrient,
needed for cell membrane integrity and to facilitate the movement of fats in and out of cells.
It is also a component of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and is needed for normal brain functioning, particularly in infants. For this reason, PC has been used in a number of preliminary studies for a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders [Benjamin J, Levine J, Fux M, et al. Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of inositol treatment for panic disorder.
Am J Psychiatry 1995;152: pp.1084-6.], though not every study suggests that supplemental choline is capable of reaching the brain [Dechent P, Pouwels PJW, Frahm J. Neither short-term nor long-term administration of oral choline alters metabolite concentrations in human brain. Biol Psychiatry 1999;46: pp.406-11].
Choline participates in many functions involving cellular components called phospholipids.
Choline, the major constituent of PC, is found in soybeans, liver, oatmeal, cabbage, and cauliflower. Egg yolks, meat, and some vegetables contain PC.
Lecithin (containing 10-20% PC) is added to many processed foods in small amounts, for the purpose of maintaining texture consistency."
Lecithin is a fat emulsifier. It is in a LOT of foods...esp. in chocolate bars...it makes chocolate "smooth".
Research indicates that if pregnant moms have enough choline, the babies are much smarter.
Choline is a B vitamin...acidic. Might be even better than the push for folic acid to prevent birth defects...or in addition. However, mom's Mg and Ca levels drop to supply those essential minerals to the baby too.
Balance...it's all about the balance of the minerals, vitamins and amino acids.
Posts: 9424 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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mlkeen
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1260
posted
Regarding allergies to air borne stuff-
How about an air cleaner. I work at home so can easily control the air I breath, illiminating the need to medicate for post nasal drip.
It is the first of the month, time to clean filters!
klutzo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5701
posted
lymeherx001,
OOPS! Brain fog.... I forgot the most obvious and easy suggestion, ie. be sure to wash your bedding in 140 degree water to kill dust mites.
Most water heaters are set much lower,and it will not kill them. It only gives them a bath!
Many people are allergic to dust mite feces, and this is a major cause of post nasal drip.
Cold water washing is partly to blame for the increase in allergy and asthma because it does not kill these critters.
I am sorry MSM did not work for you.
Serrapeptase is a fibrinolytic enzyme, from a type of silkworm, I believe. It should not cause the problems you had with Woebenzyme..... Some people cannot tolerate the Bromelain in it. Does eating pineapple make your mouth burn? If so, that is why Woebenzyme made you burn. Pineapple is loaded with Bromelain.
If you want to understand more about why you have MCS, you might want to read Paul M. Cheney, M.D. on the Immune System (IS). If you Google his name plus "immune system", you should be able to find his excellent speech on the two sides of the IS, and how this illness causes a dominance of the TH2 side, resulting in allergy and MCS. He is speaking about CFS, but that is just a list of the symptoms of Lyme, IMO. I also have MCS.
We buy only second hand furniture, but of course, you can't do that with mattresses.When we bought a new bed last year, the bed was aired at the warehouse for us for 35 days, but I still had to close off the bedroom and open the windows in there, and I slept in the guest room for 77 days before I could tolerate the bed. I can't shop in stores, except outlets or consignment ones, but must use the Internet, due to all the formaldehyde in new things.
I've been taking immune modulators for more than 2 yrs. and am disappointed that I have not seen more improvement.
Most of my trips to the ER have been due to the life-threatening allergy to stinging insects I've developed because of this. I had two such trips in 2005 alone, one for fire ants, and one for a wasp sting. I finally realized I'd have to give up wearing sandals, no matter how hot it is here in Florida, since I'd been stung 4 times in one year by fire ants.
Klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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mlkeen
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1260
posted
Right-
Before I had the air filter, I would tumble my pillows in the dryer weekly for 10 minutes on HOT. It really helped. Of course keeping cats off my pillow helps too!
Posts: 1572 | From Pa | Registered: Jun 2001
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In the diet of Europe and Asia, only one nightshade food was eaten until recent times: the aubergine or eggplant. Other nightshades such as henbane, thorn apple (datura stramonium), belladonna and mandrake were well known but their use was restricted to specific medical applications (sedative, anesthetic or poison) or in witchcraft.
Then, in the 1600s and 1700s food and drug crops based on nightshades were imported from the Americas and for the past 400 years have penetrated and become ubiquitous in the Western diet. These include tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes and chili peppers. It is not surprising that these novel foods, being nightshades, were regarded with suspicion at first and were slow to take hold in the European diet. They all contain nicotine in some form, although it may be named solanine (potatoes), tomatine (tomatoes), alpha-solanine (aubergine) or solanadine (chillies and capsicums).
It is now apparent that there are groups of people who cannot tolerate nightshades in their diets, wish to avoid them anyway or find that eliminating them helps alleviate a variety of mental, emotional and physical problems. The following groups of people avoid nightshades.
1. People with arthritis - Some researchers believe that arthritis is misdiagnosed in people who are in fact just suffering joint aches and swelling arising from consumption of nightshades. One in three arthritics react badly to nightshades. These individuals frequently have a sensitivity to the solanine chemicals present in these foods. It can take up to six months of exclusion of nightshades from the diet to achieve a beneficial effect. 2. Macrobiotics - since the 1960s, the macrobiotic diet has recommended avoidance of all nightshades. This proven diet for health and longevity is followed by celebrities such as Sadie Frost, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin of Coldplay and Madonna. 3. Children with eczema - for some children the elimination of nightshades from the diet helps clear eczema, particularly around the mouth. 4. Gastro Esophogal Reflux disease - consumption of nightshade vegetables, particularly tomatoes, can causes a reaction where the stomach contents are pushed back up the esophagus towards the throat with symptoms of heartburn, chest pain, choking while lying down and asthma symptoms when sleeping. 5. Those quitting smoking - some programmes to help people give up cigarettes also recommend giving up nightshade foods in order to completely eliminate low level nicotine intake and consequent re-addiction. 6. Blood group diet - Dr. Peter d'Adamo's Blood Type Diet recommends people of blood types A and B to avoid all nightshade foods. This represents about half the population of most European countries. 7. Cystitis, lupus, psoriasis - giving up nightshades can help relieve symptoms of cystitis, lupus and psoriasis.
What are the Nightshade foods? How do they differ from each other? What are their origins? Tobacco
The most powerful source of the nicotine alkaloid found in all nightshades became a popular drug in the early part of the 1900s, when mass produced cigarettes made them available to the expanding urban societies. Although the nicotine content of tobacco is much higher than that found in nightshade vegetables which are eaten, the practise of smoking reduces the amount of nicotine absorbed. The nicotine in a single cigarette, if taken direct into the bloodstream, would be fatal. Eating a single cigarette could cause severe illness. There are several instances of livestock poisoning where cattle or sheep have eaten nightshade plant leaves. Tomatoes
Tomatoes were first brought to Europe from Mexico by Cortez and were first cultivated for food in Naples. The English regarded them as poisonous until the 1700s. They were introduced in America as an ornamental garden plant in 1808, but were not eaten as they were believed to cause stomach cancer and appendicitis. The botanical name for tomatoes 'Lycopersicon' means 'wolf peach' and refers to the association between werewolves, witchcraft and nightshades. Then, in 1820, Colonel Robert Johnson defied the advice of his physicians ("You will foam and froth at the mouth and double over") and ate tomatoes on the steps of Salem Courthouse, New Jersey, in front of a crowd of 2000 witnesses, the local sheriff waiting to arrest him for suicide. He survived and people began slowly to accept tomatoes as food. In the US and Northern Europe they really took off as food with the introduction of canning and canned soups and then rose again with the expansion of consumption of pizza and pasta in the past 30 years. Potatoes
Potatoes were elevated in status when the celebrated Parmentier produced a galaxy of delicious potato recipes in 1785 to help relieve famine in Paris. Potatoes were cheap food for the masses - a peasant or worker could be fed from a quarter as much land if they ate potatoes instead of grain. Nonetheless, the French Revolution took place 4 years later. The Paris Commune declared potatoes 'Revolutionary food' while English landlords made them compulsory on their Irish estates.
Traditionally potatoes were kept in paper sacks and sold unwashed. This practice protected them from direct sunlight. The modern practice of washing potatoes and packing them in plastic bags allows light to affect the potato and stimulate its production of solanine, the nightshade alkaloid that, in nature, sickens animals that might dig up potatoes for food. In 1976 the Department of Health, concerned about high levels of anencephaly and spina bifida, urged pregnant mothers to wear rubber gloves when preparing potatoes and to discard in their entirety any potatoes that showed signs of greening or of blight (black streaks in the potato). It is not enough to simply remove the discoloured part - the entire potato should not be eaten. The solanine in potatoes is 4 times greater in the skin than in the rest of the potato. The fatal dose of solanine for an adult is 200-250 mg depending on body weight. Potatoes should not contain more than 20 mg of solanine per 100g, so it would take at least 1 Kg of potatoes (2.2 lbs) to be fatal. Potato peels have been found to contain up to 180 mg of solanine per 100g, so a person consuming 150-200g of deep fried potato peels with a high solanine content could be at considerable risk. Potatoes that have been properly stored and are from low solanine varieties will only contain 7 mg/100g. In 1996 the Committee on Toxicity stated that potatoes should not be eaten if they still taste bitter after the green parts and sprouts have been removed. However, few people taste-test a raw potato once it is peeled to assess its bitterness. Although spina bifida prevention now focuses on preconceptual consumption of folic acid, the world's highest incidence of spina bifida is in Ireland, where the wet climate encourages late potato blight. A study in Belfast showed that mothers who had given birth to a child with spina bifida or anencephaly could reduce the risk of a similar defect in the second child by 50% if they maintained a potato-free diet. Peppers and capsicums
Peppers and capsicums were rare in the Western diet until the 1980s, when they became widely available as fresh vegetables and, in their hotter forms, in Asian cuisine and as hot sauce. Chillis replaced peppercorns in Indian cuisine from the 1650s onwards, after Portuguese traders brought plants and seeds from Brazil. Hot peppers are rich in capsaicin, which creates a burning sensation that affects pain receptor cells and causes them to release endorphins, the body's natural opiate-like painkillers, that create a temporary feeling of euphoria. Peppers and capsicums also contain solanine and solanadine, the nicotine compounds that are unique to nightshade plants. Aubergines
Aubergines or eggplants most resemble in appearance the belladonna nightshade plant that may be their wild ancestor.
So what is nicotine (solanine), the active alkaloid in nightshades? What are its effects? Nicotine acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. What are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors?
* The chemical that transmits nerve impulses from one nerve ending to the next is acetylcholine - once it has transmitted a nerve impulse it has done its job and is no longer needed so it is broken down by an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase and recycled. * Nictotine/Solanine (or tomatine from tomatoes) slows the production of this acetylcholinesterase, so acetylcholine isn't broken down as fast as it's being produced. * Acetylcholine builds up causing a 'traffic jam' of stimulation at the receptor nerve endings. Or think of an orchestra where notes are played and then don't stop playing. * The nerve endings become overstimulated. At low levels this is mildly pleasurable and blurs sensitivity, but too much can be harmful. * This overstimulation can lead to muscle weakness, muscle twitching, hypertension, increased intestinal contractions and increased secretions of tear, sweat, saliva, gastric and intestinal glands. * All nightshade foods contain solanine, a strong acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. This is what makes excessive consumption of nightshade foods unsuitable for many people. * Certain pesticides, particularly organophosphate and carbamates, also work as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, achieving the same effect as solanine or nicotine. That's why they replaced nicotine as the insecticide of choice after World War 2, when organophosphates were used as nerve gas.
For a diet that seeks to maintain a strong and healthy nervous and neuromuscular system there is considerable evidence that the safest approach is to avoid nightshade vegetables and to eat food that is grown without the use of carbamate or organophosphate pesticides, i.e. organic food. Before the discovery of chemical pesticides, nicotine was a widely used insecticide. It kills insects in the same way, but chemical sprays are cheaper and longer-lasting. Until they were replaced by hormones and antibiotics, organophosphate pesticides were also used by livestock farmers as growth-promoters - the mechanism whereby they cause muscle weakness and increase secretions of digestive fluids also causes animals to exercise less and eat more, thereby fattening them up more quickly. Why do people love nightshades?
What is it that makes tobacco so addictive? Why is it that sometimes only chips will do, or we are gagging for a pizza? Nicotine, in small quantities, by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine, stimulates increased activity of the acetylcholine receptors in the brain and this leads to increased flow of adrenaline. This increases the heart rate, blood pressure and leads to increased blood glucose levels. This mild increase in energy level is achieved, along with a reduced nervous sensitivity; producing a combination of calmness and stimulation. This provides short term relief in the face of the stresses and pressures of modern life. In the longer term it puts a strain on the nervous system as the receptors are being overstimulated. Why don't we eat tobacco?
The leaves of all nightshades contain high levels of nicotine. One could, at a pinch, smoke potato or tomato leaves. A potent insecticide can be made with tomato leaves. The levels of nicotine in the leaves of nightshade plants are much higher than in nightshade fruits or tubers. 8-10 cigarettes, if eaten, would be enough to kill a person. First time smokers experience dreadful nausea but gradually develop a resistance to the effects of nicotine and this is how addiction develops - more and more is needed to satisfy the craving. Why are nightshades legal?
If the nightshade foods were to be introduced to the Western diet today, under current Novel Foods regulations they would have to be tested for safety. It is unlikely that they would be permitted to enter the food supply, solely because of their nicotine (solanine) content. However, like cigarettes, they slipped into our diet despite some voices in opposition and have assumed a major role in our nutrition and health, a role that, in a free society, should be accepted.
However, moderation in all things is a worthy principle and it could be argued that, in our diet we have perhaps gone too far down the road of nightshade acceptance. So how can i enjoy a nice bit of ketchup?!
There's a fantastic tasting range of nightshade-free organic foods called Nomato. They're from the same guys that brought us Green & Black's chocolate, so you can imagine they taste amazing. There's Nomato pasta sauce, Nomato ketchup, Nomato soup, and Nomato veggie chili beans. So you can have a bit of what you fancy without the nicotine alkaloids found in tomatoes and other nightshades."
******
It would seem that persons with lyme should make extra effort to avoid nicotine in ALL it's forms!
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