Blood Type Diet Counseling - Learn How Foods Can Be Your Best Medicine Or Your Worst Enemy In Your Quest For Vibrant Health

 

Blood Type Diet and Healing

Several years ago I developed the desire to learn the science behind the blood type diet as a way of life. The reason was my wife's chronic pains that I could not help with my chiropractic set of tools. I felt like my schooling had failed me in enabling me to help my most treasured relationship. In hind sight I now know that Sandy was meant to be in my life to help me learn many lessons. Most husbands need to admit this about their spouse. Sandy is an amazing woman and I would be lost in many ways without her. I am truly indebted to her.

My learning journey took me to the Institute for Human Individuality where I studied (and continue to do so today) the concepts behind the Blood Type Diet. My studies earned me cum laude status as a Fellow from the Institute for Human Individuality (FIFHI)

We all know stress can lead to the development of disease and there are several main types of stressors. The three main categories of stressors are trauma, toxicity and thoughts. It has been said that food is responsible for 60% of our contact with the environment. Common toxins in foods are chemical preservative, colorants, etc. Less obvious is the effect of lectins and "food blood type" on specfic human blood types. For more information on these concepts and more:

Free Download: "The Visual Guide to Understanding How Blood Type and Food Interact to Affect Your Health"

Similar to an incorrect blood transfusion or eating a food with the wrong blood type, lectins cause red blood cells to stick together, or agglutinate. Lectins are not made inside of us, but are actually found in several varieties of foods that we eat. Itʼs believed that lectins found their way into seeds to serve as an immune system for the developing plant. Quite literally, lectins are natural insecticides.

Lectins donʼt have blood types (again dowload the visual aid by clicking on the big blue button above). They are small proteins made by nature, with only one known purpose: to attach to things. Just like you get briars stuck on your clothes after walking though a field, lectins will stick to things inside of you after you eat them. This is the cause of most of the problems encountered from eating incorrect foods for your blood type. When lectins stick to you, as youʼll see later, the results are usually destructive.

So it behooves us to be mindful of the food we put into our bodies. figuring out which food is best for you it the key. One way to do that is find out who you are. Blood type is part of your genetics and can be a very important clue as to your individuality and correspondinglyto what you should ideally eat. For a list of disesases reportedly associated with various blood types, I refer you to this paper written by Dr. D'Adamo.

In my practice I have found that patients who know and follow their basic ABO blood type diet as described in Eat Right 4 Your Type works very well. However, some individuals may not derive maximum benefit from the Blood Type Diet until they first determine their Secretor Status. Knowing this information then allows for the use of the more specific diet lists included in the book Live Right 4 Your Type. Both books were written by Peter J. D'Adamo.


In the genetics of the secretor system two options exist. A person can be either a secretor (Se) or a non-secretor (se). This is completely independent of whether you are a blood type A, B, AB, or O. Thus a person could be an A secretor or an A non-secretor, a B secretor or a B non-secretor, etc.

Secretors: In a simplified sense, a secretor is defined as a person who secretes their blood type antigens into body fluids and secretions like the saliva in your mouth, the mucus in your digestive tract and respiratory cavities, etc.

Non-Secretors: A non-secretor on the other hand puts little to none of their blood type into these same fluids.

As a general rule, in the US about 15-20% of the population are non-secretors with the remaining 80-85% being secretors. In my family of five, four of us are seceretors and only one is a non-secretor. Aside from the physical implications centering around whether you have blood type antigens in your body fluids or not, the secretor genetics have additional significance through the effects of gene linkage: In other words, the outcome of your secretor genetics 'links' to other seemingly unrelated genes and influences their function.

In addition, as a generality, being a Non-secretor (based on all of the available information) does actually appear to be a potential health disadvantage. At a very basic level, being able to secrete blood type into your saliva, mucus, etc. allows for an added degree of protection against the environment, particularly with respect to microorganisms and lectins.

Your ABO blood type is controlled by your genetics, just as are your hair or eye color and many of your other attributes. The gene coding for your blood type lies on chromosome 9q34. However, other separate genes on chromosome 11 and 19 actually interact with your blood type gene, determining your ability to secrete your ABO blood type antigens into your body fluids and secretions. This is called the secretor gene, and by testing for this gene we can determine whether you are a secretor or non-secretor. A simple saliva test kit is available for about the fee for an office visit.

I focus a lot of my clinical efforts in helping people recover from chronic conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune thyroid, peripheral neuropathy, fibromyalgia, balance disorders, tinnitus, autism, ADD/ADHD, digestive and skin issues, etc. Knowing the connection between blood type and secretor status and susceptibility to these conditions is important.

Here are a few examples:

Autoimmune Disease

Non-secretors appear to have an increase in the prevalence of a variety of autoimmune diseases including ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthropathy, Sjogren's syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and Grave's disease.

Diabetes, Heart Disease, & Metabolic Syndrome X

Non-secretors are at a greater risk of developing diabetes (especially adult onset diabetes); and they might be at a greater risk of developing complications from diabetes. Data allows the conclusion that Non-secretors are a risk factor for myocardial infarction and heart disease (note: this is particularly true for men).

Several different researchers have noted a connection between a metabolic syndrome called "Syndrome X" and Non-secretor blood types. Syndrome X is a clustering of metabolic problems comprised of insulin resistance (your cells do not respond effectively to the insulin that you create), elevated plasma glucose (high blood sugar), lipid regulation problems (elevated triglycerides, increased small low-density lipoproteins, and decreased high-density lipoproteins), high blood pressure, a prothrombic state (tendency to clotting), and obesity (especially central obesity or a predisposition to gaining weight in the abdomen).

This cluster of metabolic disorders seem to interact to promote the development of diabetes (adult onset type II), atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease. And while insulin resistance might lie at the heart of the problem, all of these metabolic disorders appear to contribute to health problems.

If you would like to find out your blood type and secretor status and how we might use this information along with other types of treatment to help heal your chronic condition, call my office at 586-731-8840.

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