Nightshades belong to the Solanaceae family which includes over 2,000 species. They also include some of the most popular foods consumed today; such as tomatoes, potatoes, all types of peppers, and eggplant. Although not truly nightshades, blueberries, huckleberries, goji berries and ashwagandha all share the same alkaloids which may have inflammation-inducing properties. The Solanaceae family contains cholinesterase inhibiting glycoalkaloids and steroid alkaloids including, among others, solanine in potato and eggplant, tomatine in tomato, nicotine in tobacco, and capsaicin in garden peppers. The glycoalkaloids in potatoes are known to contribute to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and negatively affect intestinal permeability. According to Dr. Marvin Childers, "When these inhibitors accumulate in the body, alone or with other cholinesterase inhibitors such as caffeine or food impurities containing systemic cholinesterase inhibiting pesticides, the result may be a paralytic-like muscle spasm, aches, pains, tenderness, inflammation, and stiff body movements." These symptoms may dissipate in a few hours or days if ingestion is stopped, based on the sensitivity of the individual, the amount of nightshades consumed on a regular basis and their level of inflammation. However for some heavy consumers of nightshades the process of inflammation and pain reduction can take up to 3 months. After reading the symptoms associated with nightshade consumption, it is easy to understand why one of the major problems attributed to nightshade is arthritis. Arthritis is also the most common disability in the U.S. Statistics from a 2007-2009 study show that doctor diagnosed arthritis affects 49.9 million people in the United States alone . Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis affecting more than 20 million people. More than 2 million people are affected by rheumatoid arthritis, the most disabling and painful form of arthritis. Arthritis has no boundaries to gender, race or age, it affects young and old alike. In fact it may be surprising to some that an estimated 294,000 children (age 18 and under), have some form of arthritis. In 2003 the medical cost of arthritis alone was approximately 128 billion annually.

#1. First, UV light. UV light reacts with cholesterol in the skin to form vitamin D. Vitamin D is critical to immune function and the absorption of calcium and many other minerals. UV light has also been shown to reduce blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, increase the efficiency of the heart, improve metabolism, increase weight loss, improve hormonal profile, improve the gut microbiome and increase libido. This recent study in cell reports showed that UV light exposure in the skin & eyes increased testosterone production & libido. Russia was recently caught "doping" by using UV light therapy after the Russian athletes all looked darker than they normally would and cleaned up at the Olympics. UV is tremendously beneficial...but what about all the "harms"? Too much UV light is definitely bad, just like how too much oxygen and water can kill you. Overexposure, to the point of burning, can increase your risk of skin cancer. However, these dangers have been exaggerated beyond belief. This review found that the benefits of UV exposure decreasing the risk of more deadly forms of cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and macular degeneration, outweighed the risks of nonburning sun exposure. Dr Helen Shaw found that the people who had the lowest risk of developing skin cancer were those whose main outdoor activity was sunbathing. Twice the risk of developing melanomas was found in office workers who had to work indoors all day under fluorescent lights. This doesn't mean that you should necessarily use tanning beds either, isolated UV without the protective red and infrared light can be harmful. Lastly the deadliest skin cancers, melanomas, often occur on areas of the body not exposed to the sun. #2. The sun is very bright... Sunny days are anywhere from 100-1000x brighter in terms of LUX than indoor lighting. Brightness has a profound effect on mood, fertility and libido. People with seasonal effective disorder from lack of bright lack have higher incidences of fatigue, sickness, insomnia, depression and suicide.

wheat intolerance has been increasing drastically over the last 10 years. But the story is darker than that. Here's a great article on why wheat has become literally toxic: https://greenmedinfo.com/content/200-clinically-confirmed-reasons-not-eat-wheat1?mpweb=1801-5015-96125

All the more reason to celebrate a promising study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease titled, "Coconut Oil Attenuates the Effects of Amyloid-beta on Cortical Neurons In Vitro." The study lends fresh experimental support to an accumulating body of anecdotal reports that coconut oil may alleviate and/or regress cognitive deficits associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's. Medical researchers from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada, undertook a pilot study to investigate the effects of coconut oil supplementation directly on cortical neurons treated with amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in vitro. Aβ peptide is the main component of certain deposits found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease believed to contribute to the disease. The researchers noted that a clinical trial, reported significant improvements in Alzheimer's disease patients after 45 and 90 days of treatment with medium chain triglycerides from coconut oil. They pointed out that this trial led to the marketing of the FDA-approved 'medical food' caprylidene (trade name Axona), but that the public has shown greater interest in coconut oil itself as a potential therapy, owing to its far greater affordability and availability. The researchers sought to test the hypothesis that coconut oil is beneficial for neurodegenerative conditions using a cell model. Live rat neurons were exposed to various combinations of Aβ peptide and coconut oil, with the result that Aβ peptide reduced survival of neurons and coconut protected against this Aβ-induced reduction in survival time. The researchers noted that coconut treated Aβ cultured neurons appeared "healthier," and that coconut oil "rescued" Aβ-treated neurons from mitochondrial damage caused by their toxicity. The researchers observed coconut oil preventing Aβ-induced changes in mitochondrial size and circularity. These findings have great significance, as mitochondria function is often compromised in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients.

Let's take a look at some of the areas that ginger has been shown to benefit health: - Cancer: Several studies have demonstrated ginger's ability to defeat several types of cancer cells, including some of the most aggressive and difficult to treat: lung, ovarian, colon, breast, skin carcinoma, prostate, and pancreatic. - Diabetes Prevention: Studies have shown that diabetes may be both prevented and treated, along with the related abilities to lower blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood fats. - Antibiotics: Ginger's antibiotic effects may be exceptional. At least one study that compares the effects of ginger and antibiotics on Staphylococcus aureus and S. pyreus infections shows that ginger extract may be superior. The effects on drug-resistant infections are, as yet, unknown. Ginger has been shown to have an antibacterial effect on respiratory and periodontal infections. - Antifungal: Fungal infections are among the most difficult to treat, and drug-resistant fungi have been developing. However, there's no need to despair, as ginger has been found to have antifungal capability, including to drug-resistant forms. - Ulcers: Intestinal ulcers can be prevented with ginger. There is a generally recognized acceptance now that the Helico pylori bacterium is associated with ulcers, and at least one study has shown that a derivative of ginger has been shown to inhibit H. pylori. One study has demonstrated that ginger can inhibit existing ulcers, too. - Diabetes Complications: Complications of diabetes may be limited by ginger. Studies have shown that it may reduce urine protein levels, decrease water intake and urine output, and reverse proteinuria. It's been shown to aldose reductase inhibitors, which reduce damage done by diabetes. Ginger can protect nerves in diabetes and lower blood fat levels. - Inflammation: Inflammation is a serious problem with many chronic conditions, both in terms of causing them and causing pain, and ginger can be highly effective in managing it. Neurodegenerative diseases may be aided by ginger's ability to inhibit nitrous oxide production and proinflammatory cytokines. Its anti-inflammatory ability may be helpful in arthritis, cancer prevention, prostate disease, and general inflammatory processes.