7. Lack of Vital Nutrients
Nutrients are needed to form healthy red blood cells and for all proper functioning of the cells, including the production of respiratory enzymes. Therefore, poor diet and unhealthy eating invariable leads to poor health and decreased oxygen utilization at the cellular level. However, even eating the best of foods, including organic foods, may not be enough to replenish all the minerals a person needs. Due to poor soil quality, vegetables simple do not contain enough minerals to restore deficiencies. Also, decreased digestive power with low HCL and a depletion of digestive enzymes---which results from eating too many processed and denatured foods---also hampers the body's ability to extract nutrients from food. Vegetable juice can supply greater amounts of nutrients than simply eating or blending up vegetables but this method has its problems---not only is it time-consuming but vegetable juice may increase blood-sugar levels too severely. So, in general, small amounts of vegetable juice are OK (so long as blood-sugar levels are not thrown out of balance) but blending up vegetable whole is preferred. More often than not, in order to restore mineral levels, supplements are needed in the form of grass juice powders, ionic or trace minerals, blackstrap molasses, fulvic acid, and/or CMC or Min-Col (a specialized form of colloidal minerals).
For inexpensive mineralization Dr. Kelley often recommended taking 1 tablespoon (T) of blackstrap molasses 3x/day as a start (and then cutting down to 1 teaspoon 3x/day) even though molasses is very high in sugar content. (He felt the benefits outweighed the deficits.)
Consumption of Grass Juice Powder (not ground up grass) is one of the best ways to get minerals. Especially good are barley grass juice powder (not barley grass powder), alfalfa grass juice powder, kamut grass juice powder, and wheat grass juice powder. A great-tasting way to take grass juice powder (barley and alfalfa) is to eat Green+Oil Sauce on vegetables.
An easy and assured way to restore mineral balance in the body is to take CMC (Colloidal Mineral Compound). Everyone, regardless of their level of health, would benefit by taking CMC.
Digestion
Most people with poor health suffer from sub-optimal digestion. This can come about due to an exhaustion of pancreatic enzymes (from eating too much sugar and/or protein over the years), poor liver function (from eating too many processed oils, constipation, etc.), poor diet and habitual overeating (and eating when not hungry), the natural decrease of HCl production, etc. As one's diet and health improve, digestion will also improve; however, for most people, in order to extract nutrients and vital energy from their food, supplementation with digestive enzymes is usually necessary. Therefore, you will likely have to take a good-quality, full-scale digestive enzyme, in sufficient quantities, to insure proper digestion. Besides supplementation with full-scale digestive enzymes, with meals, the addition of extra proteolytic (protein-digesting) enzymes with meals (to help digest food) and between meals (to help digest toxins and reduce inflammation) may be needed. Proteolytic enzymes include chymotrypsin, trypsin, bromelain, papain, serrapeptase, nattokinase, etc.
Most people are low in HCl, and this can be problematic. HCl is needed to complete digestion, raise the frequency of one's food, utilize minerals, and complete many enzymatic processes. It even helps lift one's pH levels. Thus, supplementing with betaine HCl is often needed for proper digestion and assimilation of nutrients. The best form of HCl to take is liquid, but taking HCl in liquid form is risky. (I've done it for years without any problem; you just have to be very careful to get the concentration right.) It is a lot easier to use betaine HCl powder, and add a little to water. Start with 1/4 tsp in 6 ounces of water; then try 1/2 tsp., and more if needed. You should feel a little warmth in the stomach but not any kind of burning feeling.)
The recommended dosing is to take the full-scale digestive enzyme (and proteolytic enzymes) with a meal; and to take HCl 40-60 minutes after your meal. HCl should not be taken with a meal because it deactivates many essential enzymes.
"Many people, particularly as they get older, produce insufficient stomach acid for proper digestion. For these people, supplementation with betaine HCl makes sense, but not in an enzyme formula. . . . many of the digestive enzymes are neutralized in an acid environment---which is why they do most of theri work in that 40-60 minute period of pre-digestion that place eating and before stomach acid is released. If you take betaine, it's best to take is as a separate supplement 40-60 minutes after eating." (Jon Barron, Lessons from the Miracle Doctors.)
Excess Sodium in the Cell
When the cell membrane is damaged the osmotic balance is disrupted and too much sodium is allowed to enter the cell while too much potassium is forced out. Too much sodium in the cell does two things: a) it brings in too much water and water-logs the cell, and b) it lowers the energy potential of the cell by de-activating the potassium-sodium pumps. Both of these disturbances diminish the cell’s ability to take in and utilize oxygen.
This condition comes about when the cell membrane is damaged and it is made worse by taking in too much sodium while taking in too little potassium. The condition is further worsened by taking in too little water (which does not enable the body to flush out the excess sodium in the system.
To balance sodium-potassium levels decrease or eliminate table salt, canned goods, and foods that have been preserved with sodium. Small or even moderate amounts of Himalayan salt crystals are OK, as is rock salt, commonly available as Kosher salt. (Also, sodium in the form of baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, can be used if used in combination with potassium bicarbonate.) If you have blood-sugar issues you may have to increase your water intake and sodium intake as well. A primary consideration is not simply the amount of sodium intake but the balance of sodium and potassium. So, to decrease the imbalance of sodium increase your intake of potassium foods (by eating lots of vegetables and potassium-rich foods) and, if need be, by taking potassium supplements (which is best taken in the form of several different types of potassium, especially potassium citrate.)
Potassium citrate has the particular ability to increase the electro-magnetic potential charge (or zeta-potential) of the blood and should be used in every potassium formula (or simply taken on its own). Potassium citrate increases zeta potential (which increases blood flow and the ability of the blood to transport oxygen) as well as dissolving calcium deposits, both in the arteries and the kidneys. So, with potassium citrate you get three major benefits for the price of one. (And, also, it is quite inexpensive.)
High potassium intake, and severe restriction of sodium, is a major part of the famous Gerson Program. Gerson used a combination of potassium acetate, potassium monophosphate, and potassium gluconate), as well drinking 13 cups of potassium-rich juice per day. It is likely that the high amounts of cellular sodium, found in most cancer patients, is not solely caused by an excess of sodium in the diet but other factors, such as high cellular glucose levels. Thus, while the Gerson program is well worth studying, and the fundamental theories upon which the program is founded are quite sound (one being the importance of restoring the sodium-potassium within the cell) the actual means to accomplish these ends, as implemented by Gerson, is somewhat questionable. Perhaps during his time, when so few alternatives were available, the Gerson Program offered something of great value and hope. However, nowadays, with decades of new research and innovations, much better alternatives are available.
Drinking small amounts of pure water throughout the day (in the amount of half a cup per half hour) can be very beneficial. For extra cleaning and balancing, a small amount of fresh-squeezed lemon juice can be taken with the water every hour.