<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
On Fri, 30 Aug 1996, Max Desorgher <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 
> Hi - I'm doing some private research into the problem of salicylates
> in food. These are a group of chemicals including phenols and methols
> that are found in many common foods, especially fruits, nuts and spices.
 
Are not phenols found both in flavorings (like flavored coffee) and some
cleaning products?
 
I have wondered about this....you inhale, drink, or absorb one of those
listed toxins....it gets into the bloodstream, past the liver, and into
the brain....the weak links in the chain are how well the liver filters
these poisons out, and the integrity of the brain itself...I know casually
that the brain has a high level of lipids, which are fat - based.
 
I remember drinking flavored coffees this past spring and feeling awfully
depressed...assuming I'm right, and the flavorings are phenol based.  I
remember taking aspirin for a really bad headache last year and
hallucinating...(the last time I ever took aspirin...)...I know I'm
sensitive.
 
But what keeps me healthy...able to withstand stress....are those
essential fatty acids.  I strongly suggest you look in that direction.
They are *integral* to brain development and functioning...necessary to
carbohydrate metabolism, and per Dr. Erasmus, necessary for protein
metabolism also.
 
I found one website that documents that we celiacs are susceptible to
essential fatty acid deficiencies, if we don't consciously supplement our
diets.  Stands to reason, ....Dr. Erasmus' basic premise is that our diets
are deficient anyway, and then here we are, sometimes our fat absorption &
fat-soluble vitamins do not absorb well...so we are double for risk.
 
In summary, yes, I looked at phenols...thought it valid for a while...then
went past it to embrace the EFA's.  Maybe in a few months, I will find
something to build on that.  My philosophy is that there are things you
can do....as well as things you must avoid, to stay healthy.
 
Incidentally, I had been taking evening primrose oil, but I read that
flaxseed is better.  Just started buying my own seed, and grinding it in a
mill to make the oils available for digestion.  Great in yogurt!
 
That brain/fatty acid connection seems significant to me!
 
Take care,
 
Bec
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