Until the 1900's most diseases were caused by infectious contamination such as: the black plague, TB, small pox, diphtheria, typhoid, etc. The cause was identified easily because they were acute, called so because they attacked quickly.  They spread rapidly due to poor hygiene and a lack of understanding germs (bacteria and virus).

But today most diseases are usually chronic conditions.  Now  we battle: diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, obesity,  arthritis, allergies, Celiac Disease, ADD, MS, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, body dysmorphia, self cutting, etc.  These diseases are not recognized as plagues because they usually develop over years and are caused by toxins and/or deficiencies.

As we started processing foods, nutrients were sacrificed for shelf life and convenience.  This gave birth to maladies, as those mentioned above, unknown to earlier generations.  This, coupled with the new fear of fats, led to low-fat diets and foods depleted of vitamins and minerals causing a nutrient deficient yet obese generation.

You might be thinking how can poor nutrition cause a disease?  Well there are many well known diseases that are just that, a lack of a nutrient. Examples being:

• Beri beri which is aB1 vitamin deficiency characterized by a nerve and muscle deterioration and if deficiency last long enough severe psychosis.
• Pellagra where slaves in the US went insane from a lack of B3 aka niacincause by a diet consisting of only corn.
• Scurvy, the most commonlyknown condition caused tissue deterioration and shipmen's flesh to seep blood from their vitamin C deficient bodies.

All of these conditions were virtually cured by ingesting the missing substance.

Our bodies are beautifully and wonderfully made, and are quite resilient.  As a matter of fact, the body can manufacture all vitamins but C and 20 different amino acids.  But there are some nutrients called "essential", named such, because they are both "essential" and they must be ingested as the body can not produce them.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) aka Vitamin F, are needed by every cell and function of the body.  It is often underestimated how much of these oils our bodies need.  Our brain alone is made up of 70% of fatty acids.

Just like the B vitamins, there are several members of the Vitamin F family.    Let's take them one by one.

The Omega brothers, i.e. Omega 3, 6 and 9.  Given their number because of their molecular make up.

Fatty acid molecules form in a chain of carbons "C" to which is attached  Hydrogen "H" and Oxygen "O" 

Some fats are saturated where there are no missing hydrogen and are no double bonds, these fats are straight, unbendable.

Other fats are unsaturated mono (one) or poly (many) To understand this think of a unsaturated fatty acid chain as a centipede, and to each of its section where the leg comes out the centipede is wearing a sneaker.

These 3 centipede triplets, look very much the same except they have all lost sneakers on their legs starting on different sections of their body.   That is how you tell them apart.

You start at their head and count back 3 and notice the first centipede is lacking 1 pair of sneakers starting on his 3^rd section, so he binds them together to keep his balance.   His brother has those sneakers, but missing a pair starting on the 6^th section of his body and the last one has all his sneakers except starting on the 9^th section of his body.

          Omega 3                                      Omega 6                                 Omega 9

Now visualize the centipede as molecules.  The sections of their body are Carbons, the legs are a place that can bond onto something and their sneakers are hydrogens. 

This is Omega 3 oil (aka linolenic acid) named such because the first carbon  which is lacking a hydrogen is the 3^rd carbon.  Since there is only one pair of hydrogens (MONO) missing it is categorized as a Mono Saturated fat.  In other words it's saturated with hydrogen except for one pair.

And since the carbons do not have a hydrogen to attach to they double bond with each other.  Notice the two lines.

Unlike oils where no carbons are lacking a hydrogen (making it saturated and solid or semi solid at room temperature) .... Mono saturated fats are typically liquid at room temperature.

Omega 6 oil (aka linoleic acid) is called a poly unsaturated fat because the first carbon lacking a pair of hydrogen is the 6^th carbon and it is lacking at least one other pair missing later on.

Likewise, the Omega 9 (aka oleic acid) oil, the first carbon lacking a pair of hydrogen is the 9^th carbon. 

Hydrogenated oils, such as shortening or margarine, are saturated fats.  Since they are unable to alter shape, the cell they attach to becomes rigid.   Unlike their natural counterparts, omega oils, being flexible, keep the cell it attaches to supple.

If the cell membrane becomes rigid it has a harder time pulling in nourishment and expelling toxins.  Supple cell membranes can freely exchange both.

Likewise, when a bad fat attaches to a cell, it inhibits good fat from adhering to that cell.  So, not only is taking in good fats important, but avoiding the bad fats is equally important.

So what does this mean in our bodies? 

• 70% of the myelin sheath is made up of cholesterol and fatty acids
• Low fat diets and fear of cholesterol can compound thin myelin problems
• Low levels of available EFA's prohibit the healing of the myelin sheathing during time of stress
• The thickness of the myelin is proportionate to its ability to release neurotransmitters
• A lack of these transmitters have been linked to: ADD, Dyslexia, OCD, Bi-polarity, Trichotillomania, Parkinson's disease, MS (Multiple Sclerosis), Anorexia, Bulimia, Body Dysmorphia, Self Injury or Self Cutting, Panic Attacks, Social Phobia, Tourette's, and other neurological disorders
• Many people also report a drop in mood when they switch to a low-fat diet
• Transfatty acids, such as margarine and shortening destroy the essential nutritional character of the oils and block the use of normal essential fatty acids, which are necessary for healthy cell function

There have been increasing studies over the last decade by neuroscientists examining the consequences of Omega-3 deficiencies in the central nervous system.

Evidence proves that deficiencies in Omega 3s:

• Alter the serotonin and dopamine levels, two very important neurotransmitters
• Compromises the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from unwanted invaders.
• Decreases normal blood flow to the brain
• 35% reduction in brain phosphatidylserine (PS) levels (antidepressant activity)

Our diets often have enough Omega 6 oils.  So the need of supplementing them is typically less than the other Omega oils.

The optimum ratio between Omega 6 and Omega 3 are 4:1 or less.  

Flaxseed oil has a ratio of 3:1 which is the richest source of plant omega 3's

However, when a person eats a plant source of omega oils such as flaxseeds, their body has to extract and convert the oils so they can be used.  When taking fish omega oils, the fish's body has already done the extraction and is therefore more bioavailable.

There are many people who are taking oil based supplements who are not getting the full benefit from them.

The oils can actually cause stress on the liver. The reason for this is fats are oil soluble and the blood is water soluble. To understand the significance of this, think about trying to wash oil off of a pan. The water can't transport the oil. Soap is needed to emulsify (make the oil particles smaller), so that the water can wash away the oil. So it is with the blood and oil supplements.

To remedy this, take oil soluble supplements with a protein so it encourages the liver to produce bile salts (much like the soap) which will then help emulsify the oils so the blood can transport them to the tissue instead of them settling in the liver.

Good sources of protein are: Nuts, Seeds, Legumes/ Beans, Meats, Eggs.

Liver function is pivotal for the digestion of fats into particles small enough for the body to use them.  Sometimes it is necessary to supplement with the enzymes and bile salts that the liver is too weak to produce. 

To order products in this article click on the links below:

Super Omega 3s

Food Enzymes

Liver Cleanse