Disease or Disorder? The difference is important!

What is the difference between “disease” and “disorder”? 

Some people say they are used interchangeably. But if there is no difference, why have two terms?

To me, a disorder is a condition in which the body does not function the way it was designed to function. A disease is the state in which the body is suffering from the effects of an invading organism—a virus, bacteria, fungus, parasite, etc. The distinction between these two terms has become blurred.

The body is designed to heal itself. If the body is not healing itself, the way it was designed to work, that is a “disorder”. Probably the two most common disorders are immune system disorders and genetic disorders.

Immune system disorders 

If the immune system is malfunctioning, the body may experience any or all of the following possible results:

• The immune system will attack healthy tissue (over-active immune system leading to auto-immune disorders),
• The immune system will over-react to benign particles (over-active immune system leading to allergies and sensitivities),
• The immune system will not destroy an invading organism (under-active immune system leading to frequent and prolonged diseases),  
• The immune system will not identify and destroy cancer cells (under-active immune system leading to cancer).

Auto-immune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, lupus, asthma, are the most common. Auto-immune disorders fall into the category of over-active immune systems.   

What to do about an immune system disorder? 

The medical community has a drug for any and all of these conditions.

A drug may help the body fight an invading organism. That is certainly an appropriate application for a drug.

But the cause of an immune system disorder is not a missing drug. A drug may relieve pain and discomfort, but it does not address the cause of the disorder.

The mostly likely cause of an immune system disorder is a deficiency of one or more nutrients that leads to the malfunctioning of the immune system. One of the most common missing nutrients is polysaccharides, which are critical to having a properly-functioning immune system.

Personally, I believe that many of our nation’s immune disorders could be resolved with proper nutrition, consequently resulting in a check on the nation’s sky-rocketing medical costs.

Do you have an interest in cancer?

I feel led to address cancer

Not because I have an answer. But because I believe that I have an understanding about cancer that could benefit my readers. My understanding has developed over 12 years of digging into the topic. I’ve attended sessions devoted to cancer, read dozens of books and articles, watched numerous webinars, and talked with medical researchers and natural health practitioners.

We all have cancer cells within our bodies at all times. Why do these cells progress to the level of “cancer” in some people and not in others? According to current statistics, one of every two men and one of every three women will get cancer during their lifetime.

The financial incentive not to get cancer is huge

A recent Wall Street Journal article (“Doctors Object to High Cancer Drug Prices,” July 25, 2015) reported on over 100 oncologists calling for new controls on soaring patient costs in the U.S. An editorial published in the Mayo Clinic medical journal reports that “the out-of-pocket costs are bankrupting many just as they’re fighting a deadly illness….About 10% to 20% of cancer patients don’t take their treatment as prescribed” the doctors say. “The average cost of new cancer drugs was more than $100,000 per year in 2012. Memorial Sloan Kettering forecasts that the annual costs could approach $300,000 per patient per year.”

It is much easier, and much less expensive, to reduce the chances of getting cancer than it is to fight cancer once it has developed in the body.

I will never get cancer

I strongly believe that I, personally, will never develop an internal “cancer.” I say “internal” because I once had skin cancer on my scalp, but I don’t have it anymore.

My confidence is based on

•  the insights I’ve developed into the probable causes of cancer,
•  the actions I take based on the above, and
•  the apparent absence of cancer among a large number of associates and customers who actively consume key nutritional supplements.

I’ve put together a talk about reducing the risks of getting cancer. It has been well received by those who have heard it.   

This is the first in a series of blogs that will focus on cancer and how to reduce your chances of getting it. I hope you will find them helpful.

How quickly are you aging?

“Investments in your health in middle age will have payoffs in old age.”

“What happens to us at the end of life has its roots many years prior.”

Those are key messages from “Calculate the Speed of Aging,” an article in the July 14, 2015, issue of the Wall Street Journal. The article further proclaims that the investments “should be in diet and exercise.”

Hooray for the Wall Street Journal! Of course, the messages are not from the writer of the article, but are quotes from researchers on aging from various institutions.

“Intervention to reverse or delay the march toward age-related diseases must be scheduled while people are still young,” is a quote, referenced by the article, from a study published on-line last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study strived to identify key factors that affect biological aging, which the researchers define as “the declining integrity of multiple systems.” (Aging experts say that, as yet, there is no standard clinical measure of biological age.)

The findings are from a study of 954 men and women of the same age. The objective was to calculate the individual aging rates by comparing various measurements of their health at ages 26, 32, and 38. The data came from a study being conducted in Dunedin, New Zealand, of a group of young people all born in 1972 or 1973.

The research team chose a set of 18 biomarkers that “tracked the function of organs such as the liver and kidneys, the immune and metabolism systems and dental health, among other measures.”

“Participants who showed accelerated aging in the biomarker tests also performed worse on other tests typically given to elderly people to gauge aging,” tests such as balance, coordination, grip strength, and cognitive abilities.

I give talks on aging. What I advocate is consistent with this research. But what I advocate is much more basic. It’s this:

·        The state of your health depends on the state of your functioning cells.
·        The body’s cells are constantly being damaged and the body is constantly repairing, replenishing, or replacing the damaged cells.
·        If your body is functioning optimally, your body will repair, replenish, or replace all malfunctioning cells.
·        Biological aging begins when the repair rate can no longer keep pace with the damage rate. 
·        Biological aging progresses as the percentage of malfunctioning cells gets larger.

To delay aging, our job is to reduce the rate of cellular damage and support the rate of cellular repair.

My talks are about what you can do to reduce the damage and to support the repair.

Diet, exercise, and lifestyle are critical. So are nutritional supplements.

Nutritional supplements can be highly effective in helping the body both reduce the rate of damage and support the repair rate. They are especially important as we get older, when the body’s ability to repair itself is in decline.

But I digress into topics that take hours to cover.

Here are a couple blogs that may interest you:

·        What is aging?
·        What causes aging?

A broad-spectrum physical fitness program

Physical fitness is one of the key ingredients of natural health. And it’s more than strength and stamina. It also involves flexibility and balance.

This fall, our church will be hosting a low impact fitness program led by our friend, Wanda Pearson. She calls the program 7.0 Fitness. Her program embodies all four, and more.

Balancing exercises

Matthew 12:33 says that a tree is known by its fruit. You must have a healthy tree to bear good fruit. An unhealthy tree bears poor fruit. This program strives to help people bear good fruit.

The human body is one of God’s marvelous creations. It is designed to operate continuously, every second of every day, for over 100 years. It is designed to heal itself. When we consume harmful foods or beverages, it will flush out the toxins.

The body will adapt to the conditions that we expose it to. If we demand strength, it will build strong muscles and bones. If we demand flexibility, it will develop flexible joints. If we demand stamina, it will develop endurance. If we don’t demand any of these, it will become soft, inflexible, and feeble… and aches and pains will set in.

Stretching Exercise

Individual goals of the fitness program are:

·        Improve muscle tone
·        Increase strength
·        Increase joint flexibility and range of motion
·        Improve balance

It is a low-impact program for people of all ages, including those with special needs, chronic illness, limited strength or mobility, and those recovering from surgery. No running. No heavy weights. No pushing the body to its limits.

More balance exercises

The program emphasizes:

• Repetitive exercises with light weights that gradually build strength. 
• Stretching that increases joint flexibility and range of motion and improves balance.
• Breathing exercises that deliver life-giving oxygen to the core of our bodies.
•  Keeping the body slightly alkaline, the ideal condition for the body’s cells.

The program is rounded out with prayer and scripture, wellness education, and fellowship.

Dottie and I have been active in this program for six months. Dottie, who can easily go into a migraine, claims that the neck stretching exercises have eased her neck and shoulder stress. Personally, I have much better flexibility and muscle tone.

To find out more about this program, send an e-mail to Earl@EarlLynnKemper.com.

Insomnia--another tip

My wife’s insomnia seems to be persistent. She’s used both Spirulina and Stem-Kine, separately and together, as recommended in a previous blog. Until recently, they have been effective. But the insomnia has returned, in spite of taking both. 

One of our team members, Shonye Talor, who owns RenewU4Life, a natural health studio here in Houston, suggested that Dottie take Protivity an hour before bedtime. Protivity is RBC’s amino acid supplement. Shonye claimed that it would help and it did!

Protivity is a LARGE tablet, and the label recommends taking five tablets a day.

Dottie tried one tablet the first night and she slept better. So she gradually increased the amount until she takes the labeled amount. She now sleeps soundly and throughout the night. Thank you, Shonye!

Dottie still takes the Spirulina and Stem-Kine at bedtime in addition to the Protivity.

But the size of the Protivity tablet is a problem for her, so I now pulverize the Protivity in a blender. I do about a third of a bottle at a time, because the Protivity turns into a very fine powder. (Covering the lid of the blender with a dish towel traps any powder that escapes around the lid.)  A little less than a tablespoonful is equivalent to five tablets.

Dottie mixes the powder in water. It dissolves slowly and much stirring is needed.

As a side note, I have added Protivity tablets to smoothies. They blend in easily and have hardly any effect on the taste. It’s a great way to include free-form amino acids in your diet.

Mosquito bites

We are well into Houston’s worst season—summer.

I used to think of summer as the best season of the year. But that was when we lived in New York, Michigan, Delaware, or Nebraska.

In Houston, summer brings hot, humid days and warm, humid nights. The warm nights bother me most. I prefer to sleep with cool, fresh air coming in through open windows. Not in the summer. A typical summer night may cool down to 75 degrees by early morning, with humidity in the 90 percent range. Not what I consider refreshing sleeping conditions. So we sleep with our air conditioner on and our thermostat turned down.

And mosquitos. Mosquitos thrive in our warm, humid days and nights. They attack any person who dares to come near the shrubs and bushes in our backyard.

Since I mow my own yard, aggressive mosquitos create a problem for me.

You see, as a natural health advocate, I really despise applying anything toxic on my skin. Do you realize that 60 percent of what you apply to your skin gets into your bloodstream? That’s why skin patches are effective for drugs.

So I do not use toxic mosquito repellent. We have discovered a non-toxic, natural product, called CedarCide,  manufactured right here in Spring, Texas, that repels mosquitos. When the mosquitos are especially aggressive, I apply CedarCide to my exposed skin and all thin clothing, like a tee shirt.   

But sometimes I don’t apply enough, and I still get bitten. There have been times that I have had over a dozen bites by the time I finished the lawn.

So after I’ve showered, I coat the bites with Aloe Gelee, a pure aloe vera gel from RBC Life. In half an hour, the itching is gone.

Not everyone will have the same results with mosquito bites that I have, but I believe that Aloe Gele̷e is worth having around. Aloe vera is well recognized for its ability to help the body heal burns and minor wounds. Me? I use it for all kinds of insect bites. And insects thrive in Houston in the summer.

Lest I leave you with an impression that I hate Houston, put that to rest. Summer is Houston’s worst season in my book. I love the other three seasons. For at least half the year, we have no insects and the weather is delightful. We get plenty of rain to support lush natural vegetation. And our flowering shrubs, trees, and bushes offer a beautiful array of color throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

We’ve lived here 38 years and have no plans to leave.

A natural approach to sinus problems

Last night before bed, Dottie and I were cooling down the house to nighttime temperatures. We sleep better when the house is cool, so lowering the thermostat is one of our routines before bed.

With the cool draft on my bald head, I had to clear my throat.

That’s not unusual. I clear my throat many times a day. It’s just normal for me.

But last night was different. I was clearing my throat more frequently than normal. A lot more frequently.

I’ve learned to pay attention to signals from my body. Phlegm in the throat is often a sign of sinus drainage. It’s one of those things that sneak up on a person. You don’t notice it at first. In fact, it’s easy to overlook if it’s not too bad. But if you don’t deal with it, you will develop chest congestion that can put you down for days.

So I did what any natural health advocate would do. I took a slug of Vitamin C.

Did you know that Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine? Well, it is. How much you need to be effective depends on your condition and the type of Vitamin C that you take. I strongly recommend a buffered and esterified Vitamin C, not ascorbic acid.  Your body can utilize it far better.

Last night, I took 2500 mg before bed. At 2:00 am, I still had throat irritation, so I took another 2500 mg. Ditto at 4:00 am. Once again at 6:00 am. Throughout the night, I gave my body 10,000 mg of Vitamin C, but this morning, my sinus drainage has stopped and I’m back to normal.

I can tell you from experience, had I not done that, I would have chest congestion, a condition that would hinder me for weeks.

June is a little late for sinus problems in Houston. Normally, they appear in March and April.

One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that complaining about their sinus problems creates a bond among people. Perhaps they get some value from that.

Frankly, I prefer to be healthy.