Flax Oil as a True Aid against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer and Other Diseases
Book by Dr. Johanna Budwig, Review by Denice Moffat
A recent client of mine told me about this book and how they had healed their German Shepherd of cancer using high-quality, refrigerated, freshly pressed flax seed oil and cottage cheese, Quark or nuts.
Hmmm. Any ideas I’m introduced to that can help my clients with cancer are welcome if they are effective. So I ordered the book. I was wondering what Quark was anyway. I had to look that up.
Quark is defined as a soft, unripened cheese with the texture and flavor of sour cream, Quark comes in two versions — low fat and nonfat. Though the calories are the same (35 per ounce), the texture of low fat Quark is richer than that of low fat sour cream. It has a milder flavor and richer texture than low fat yogurt. Quark can be used as a sour cream substitute to top baked potatoes, and as an ingredient in a variety of dishes including cheesecakes, dips, salads and sauces.
This 60-page informative (but very boring and dry) book had some interesting ideas in it. It is the combination of three of Dr. Johanna Budwig’s lectures which she calls her “lectures for laymen.”
Gee, I’d hate to read the scientific notes! BUT, you can get some good from all things, so I’ve gleaned down the main points for my newsletter readers.
Dr. Budwig says that eating highly unsaturated fats like flax, sunflower, sesame and poppy seed cold-pressed oils is essential to oxygenate our system and keep it optimally healthy. Each time a food is processed, the ports that each molecule has that can combine with oxygen are covered up so that oxygenation is not at its optimal capacity. Mixing these highly unsaturated fats with specific proteins such as cottage cheese and Quark make the foods electron-rich. This is important because electrons suck in extra oxygen into our system.
Now I’ve had clients come in for years who are taking ground flax and flax oil. I noticed that some people actually needed the products, but most did not. Since I believe in the benefits of flax, I’ve always wondered why that is. By reading her book, I’ve decided that it’s because the quality and freshness of flax is what’s important. Many of my clients were not using fresh, high-quality flax supplements. And many were not refrigerating them.
Whole flax seeds, when combined with the digestive system or mixed in juice, produce a mucoid cover over the outside of the seed. I tell my clients to eat whole flax often when they need a laxative, and I use it in many of my recipes (check out my Granola and Tabbouli recipes). Whole flax seeds do not usually digest, but pass through the digestive tract whole.
Ground flax is used as an antioxidant. Dr. Budwig explains why it needs to be ground fresh each time you incorporate it into your diet. Anything over a few minutes old has lost the oxygen carrying capacity. One handy technique I tell my clients is to utilize their coffee grinder as a flax mill by grinding the flax just before use. Keeping the seeds in the freezer also keeps them fresher.
Flax oil should be used in the freshest form possible, cold-pressed then refrigerated. Johanna suggests mixing it with honey to maintain the quality or to mix it with cottage cheese to make the oil water soluble so that it can be taken into the system better. “Only natural fats can circulate through the capillaries throughout the entire body. Solid fats are not water soluble and are not capable of circulating through the fine capillaries” she says.
Fish oils that have been processed with heat are also not able to transport oxygen to the tissues. Well-meaning methods of treating fats to give them a longer shelf-life destroy their fatty substances. She also states that the majority of preservatives are respiratory poisons that block oxygenation of the fats. (No wonder so many people test that their fish oil is not working! Too processed I guess.)
People who have liver and gallbladder challenges cannot digest fats that are saturated, but unsaturated fats are tolerated and can heal tissues. She also says that testing on humans and animals show that when they eat preserved fats which contain poor electrons, they eat six times the amount of food that they need because they are always feeling hungry. People who eat the right nutrition do not have the food cravings for high caloric foods. Cigarette smoke also suppressed the cells from storing electrons.
Dr. Budwig admits that it infuriates the medical profession to no end when she tells them that serious medical conditions can be cured with only Flax oil and cottage cheese!
Hmm. This sounds too good to be true, but I suppose it couldn’t hurt. I ordered some Udo’s Choice Flora brand freshly pressed flax oil and promptly refrigerated it. Udo’s oils are Certified Organic and cold-pressed daily. Their small batches ensure that their oils are very fresh and they have great products. Barlean’s brand was also suggested in the book. And if you can’t bear the though of swallowing the oil in bulk, you can always take it as a supplement. I carry Linum B6 by Standard Process Labs.
I’ve decided to use myself as a Guinea Pig and experiment with the bulk flax oil since I do have a pair of impaired lungs to see if I feel more energy and more oxygenated. And I’ll also use my husband as a Guinea pig! Heck. What are husbands for, right? We’ll see if it improves his short-term memory. She says that you can actually feel a difference within three days. I can handle three days worth of the stuff I suppose.
What can flax oil heal? Dr. Budwig says that her recipes have been known to heal diabetes (she says that diabetes is related to fat metabolism first and sugar assimilation second), cancer, learning disabilities, brain and nerve functioning, coronary artery disease (specifically arteriosclerosis), premature aging, fertility disorders, decreased libido, kidney failure, chronic fatigue, muscle pain, restless leg syndrome and blindness.
She says there is research with men who ate hydrogenated peanut butter who showed a decrease in fertility because their plumbing got all plugged up. . .well, she used more scientific terms, but you get the drift.
Cell life is dependent on fats as its membranes are composed of it. If the fats are saturated, you have sluggish/slow cells. If the cells are mostly composed of unsaturated fats, they are more electric, so stay healthier and we live longer and happier lives.
Johanna also advocates sunshine—without sunscreen—as a way to oxygenate the body and make it more electric. She says that sunscreens prevent the body from converting the sunshine to electron-rich tissues that help with oxygenating the body. Sunscreens cause more burn damage and irritate the system.
She did not say how much sunshine is each day would be optimal, but I suspect 20-30 minutes/day is the best. She shares this interesting story:
“A young doctor, a hunter, observed that in some years, prize-winning deer antlers were much larger than usual, but in others, even the very best of the prize-winning antlers were far below average in size. The physical development of young animals and ducks in the wild matched in degrees the size of the deer antlers, or lack of it. Investigation showed that the years in which the deer grew large antlers and in which there was good physical development of young animals in the wild, were clearly years with high rates of sunshine hours.”
Sunshine stimulates the liver, gall bladder, pancreas, bladder and salivary glands. One of my mentors told me once that in the cancer clinics in Mexico the patients must walk on the lawn with their bare feet to get re-grounded and spend daily time in the sunshine. If it’s cold outside, they must sit next to a window where the sun is streaming in—preferably with as few clothes on as possible as part of their treatment.
I was a bit discouraged that this book did not include recipes on how to make the flax oil taste better! Yech! I’ve ordered her book The Oil-Protein Diet Cookbook and will try some of the recipes. When I find a couple of good ones, I’ll include them in an upcoming newsletter.
Some health benefits of flax seed gleaned from several sources include:
- Lowered blood cholesterol levels
- Lowered high blood pressure
- Increased energy, vitality, and stamina
- Increased sense of calmness under stress
- Reduced threat of blood clots
- Protection against cancers, particularly hormone sensitive cancers such as breast and prostate
- Better regulation of blood sugar levels
- Eases inflammatory tissue conditions, including arthritis
- Alleviation of dry skin, eczema and psoriasis
- Enhanced immune system
- Increased metabolic rate with a positive impact on weight management
- Helps with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
- Natural laxative
CONTRAINDICATIONS for Flax Products:
Flax Seed Oil has an excellent safety track record.. However, certain individuals should seek the advice of their doctor before beginning any nutritional supplement program particularly diabetics, pregnant or lactating women.
Caution: In some individuals with oily skin, supplementing with flax seed oil can exacerbate the condition. Start slowly by taking just one capsule per day. Provided your skin does not become visibly oily, gradually increase the dosage.
Helpful Links and References:
- Granola Recipe: /recipes/granola1_files/granola1.htm
- Tabbouli Recipe: /recipes/tabbouli_files/tabbouli.htm