Some of my pet theories on bentonite, depression, and how the gut may work

[Guest guest]

Dear group:

 

The following was primaily extracted from older material that I

wrote last year (mid 2004), and then edited a little bit.

 

If the following material is substantially reduntant due to the fact

I may have posted most of it in this egroup before, I wish to

apologize for this in advance.

 

I am advancing a few new concepts and ideas in the material below,

the best of my knowledge.

 

Although I am primarily discussing the symptom of depression in the

following material, the gut theories that are being proposed, if

they are correct, may apply to a whole host of other physical

and " mental " illnesses and well.

 

Incidentally, the somewhat small but quite insightful egroup

eytonsearth does discuss the use of clay (bentonite is a form of

clay) as a healing modality, both for external use, and for internal

use in order to correct intestinal dysbiosis or cleanse the gut. In

addition to this, the website www.curezone.com has some information

on the use of bentonite and psyllium shakes as well.

 

I sincerely hope some persons in this egroup find 'my pet theories "

on bentonite, depression, and how the gut may work as discussed in

this post somewhat useful to them in some way.

 

Sincerely,

 

Allen Darman

 

 

 

Some of my pet theories on bentonite, depression, and how the gut

may work

By Allen Darman (2004)

 

 

I am not a doctor. I am simply a person that has overcome manic

depression in myself. In doing so, I had " to go way out of the box

dosage-wise " . Since 1997, I have admittedly taken dosages of a

number of substances that were dosages that were not recommended in

any books or references whatsoever. This statement is especially

true in regard to free form amino acids and liquid bentonite

(Sonne's #7 from www.sonnes.com).

 

Despite the fact that I am not a doctor, out of moral obligation I

have either helped or attempted to help about a dozen persons since

1998.

 

The biggest catch in my attempting to help other persons in the past

is almost always that of unrecognized or under recognized food

allergy in the person that I am trying to help.

 

As a concrete example of the above, if I am recommending that a

person take bentonite, psyllium, glutamine, probiotics, take various

other gut corrective measures, take a number of supplements, juice

raw vegetables, etc. but this person then decides to eat pizza,

cheese, eggs, corn, chocolate, potatoes, or some other allergic food

that they may crave and/or be addicted to, then all progress stops.

Invariably, at this point the person that I am trying to help loses

a great deal of faith in what I am representing to them, despite the

fact that it was " the pizza that they ate or the orange juice that

they drank " when they went home that was really at fault here (and

they often don't believe me at all when I tell them this).

 

Some of my " pet theories " on hidden food allergies and their effect

on the intestines and one's nutrient absorptive rate are as follows:

 

In my opinion, it is almost a fact that allergic food ingestion can

greatly impair one's nutrient absorptive rate. Allergic food

ingestion can, and often does, greatly impair one's nutrient

absorptive rate for days after it is ingested.

 

In my opinion, it is also true that when one eats foods that they

are allergic to, despite allergic food ingestion possibly seriously

impairing one's nutrient absorptive rate for days, some food

allergens are always absorbed. Absorption in the intestines is not

an " all or nothing equation " . And these allergens, once absorbed,

can either directly cause or greatly contribute to psychiatric

symptoms, such as mania, anxiety, or depression.

 

Even a single exposure to an allergic food can cripple a person's

progress towards a state of wellness. The power and prevalence of

hidden food allergy in treating any and all " psychiatric conditions "

should NEVER be ignored.

 

It is my firm belief that by god's design, our intestines were meant

to allow more or less absorption of food substances, depending on

what food substances these intestines were exposed to. This

statement is universally applicable to the human species, in my

opinion.

 

If one eats non-allergic food on a continual basis, our intestines

allow for very substantial absorption of the nutrients contained in

such foods. This assumes that one has an adequate supply of

digestive enzymes, HCL, and other digestive secretions such as bile

in which to properly break down such food. This also assumes that

one does not suffer from yeast or " bad bacterial issues " which

release toxins, toxins that cause the villi in the intestines to

become swollen and inflamed.

 

However, when one does eat a food that they are allergic to, the

intestines sense this, and then the intestines react. The

intestines react by causing the villi to become swollen and

inflamed, temporarily shutting off the surface area between these

fingerlike projections. And the less surface area of the villi that

is exposed to food substances, the less absorption of these food

substances takes place.

 

It is rather easy to visualize, and thus understand, the above.

Just hold up the fingers of one of your hands, spacing them about

one eighth of an inch apart. These fingers represent the villi in

your small intestines, where roughly 85% of nutrient absorption

(can) take place. Now imagine that these fingers are exposed to a

food allergen. What happens? The same thing that happens on one's

skin when it is exposed to an allergen… swelling takes place. Only

when your villi swell, because they are so close to each other, they

begin to touch each other on their sides, not allowing food in

between them, or allowing less food between them. Simply touch your

four fingers together on their sides, and you know what happens in

your intestines. Now, no longer do you have a great deal of surface

area in which to absorb food particles, you only have the tips of

the villi in which to do so. This simple idea involving using of

the hand to visualize what is happening in your small intestines is

a crucial key to treating " mental illness " in yourself… at least

that's my opinion.

 

And remember, not only do villi swell from being exposed to a food

allergen; they swell from being exposed to toxins created by various

yeasts, molds, fungi, and " bad bacteria " in the gut.

 

This swelling, and the resultant reduction in the available surface

area of the villi, can be a little or a lot. This is not an " all or

nothing situation " . My villi can be a little swollen, or a lot

swollen, and my nutrient absorption can be a little impaired or a

lot impaired.

 

Our intestines were apparently built to protect us and not absorb

well at all when " things were not quite right in our guts " , just as

they were designed to mazimize nutrient absorption when the contents

in our gut were favorable.

 

I'd like to coin the phase " the principal of variable nutrient

absorption " here as I believe this is a key principle that needs to

be understood to correct depression, manic depression, alcoholism

and so many other illnesses as well.

 

Incidentally, when my villi swell and my nutrient absorption is

impaired, my stomach bloats out noticeably. The more bloated I am

in my abdominal area, the less I am able to absorb nutrients, and

vice versa. If I eat enough allergic food or I am very high yeast,

high " bad gut bacterial " , etc. (and therefore very " gut toxic " ), I

can bloat way out to the point where I cannot even absorb water well.

Also incidentally, when I am overexposed to my allergic foods or I

am very high yeast, etc. (and therefore " gut toxic " ), when I wake up

in the morning my fingers are swollen (and my grip strength is

weak). When my fingers are swollen in the morning immediately upon

wake up, I strongly suspect that my villi are also swollen and

therefore my nutrient absorptive ability is impaired as well.

 

Heavy amino acid ingestion for a number of years taught me much of

the above, as when these things happened (stomach bloating or finger

swelling in the morning), I needed far higher dosages of amino acids

to achieve the same effect, as I simply was not absorbing well at

the time. I know for certain, that at least in me, my ability to

absorb nutrients well can, and does, vary day to day, depending. I

also know that if I eat even one Snickers bar or even a small bag of

potato chips (foods I am allergic to), my ability to absorb

nutrients well for a few days afterwards is seriously impaired.

 

According to the above educated guesses, guesses that are based on a

great deal of experience (and assuming these guesses are correct), a

primary goal when treating mental illness in yourself is to minimize

your exposure to allergens and toxins in your gut, as these

allergens and toxins can impair your brain and your other organs.

These allergens and toxins can also impair your ability to absorb

nutrients well, due to the fact that they cause the villi to swell,

shutting off much of the surface area that is needed to do so.

Another primary goal when treating mental illness in oneself is to

avail your body and brain of a wide array of essential nutrients at

all times. Eat a good nutrient rich diet.

 

A third primary goal in treating mental illness in yourself should

be to address the fact that you may lack key necessary secretions

for proper digestion, such that the food that you do eat are broken

down properly such that they can be absorbed into the body well.

This statement applies to a possible lack of digestive secretions

such as digestive enzymes, HCL (stomach acid), and bile.

 

And a fourth primary goal is that if you have any mental illness you

need to learn how to purge yourself with bentonite or another clay

product that is equally effective. Thankfully, a purge with high

dosage bentonite and psyllium (or another neutral fiber source) and

a few other simple steps can resolve all of the above, such that a

person can correct for a 30% absorptive rate and be at 70% the next

day (the % figures are rough and relative, but valid enough to make

what I am saying in the above true).

 

It sure appears to me that unblocking the intestines with clay,

allowing them to be able to absorb much better, is a crucial

key to correcting many mental health symptoms one may suffer from,

especially that of depression.

 

If the above " pet theories " are correct, they may have substantial

implications in regard to the treatment of mental illness.

For one, these theories may mean that understanding and correcting

gut function is the key to understanding and correcting mental

illness.

 

If my life experience is any indication here, I am certain of this…

as my " bipolar disorder " was not just a case of brain dysfunction,

it was a case of gut dysfunction that affected my brain, as well as

affected every other organ and cell in my body.

 

Another implication to these theories is that simply taking

supplements of various vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and

essential fatty acids, etc. may not be the best that can be done to

correct mental illness. One day these supplements can be absorbed

at a rate of 70%, and a day or two later as the result of

significant allergic food exposure, or a higher degree of yeast,

etc. perhaps only 30% of these supplements may be absorbed, or

perhaps even less. Just taking supplements without addressing

this " variable nutrient absorptive rate issue " can sure can be a

formula for failure, IMHO.

 

So what do I do to correct the symptoms of mental illness such as

depression in myself, at least from a general and conceptual

standpoint? And what would I advise another person to do?

 

Ideally, to correct mental illness in myself, I would be able to use

a hose and a soft brush to clean out my entire gastrointestinal

tract of all manner of yeasts, molds, fungi, and " bad bacteria " .

Ideally, this hose and soft brush would be able to get between the

villi and wash out everything in my gut that is problematic.

 

Ideally, I would also be able to determine the state of my gut, and

I would know exactly what to do to fix any problem that I see.

 

And ideally, I would also be able to introduce the proper " good

bacteria " to my gut such that these good bacteria would take hold

and flourish.

 

And lastly, I would always have perfect foods in which to eat,

nutrient rich foods that had no toxins or allergens whatsoever.

 

Well, I don't have a hose and soft brush, nor do I have access to my

gastrointestinal tract in which to use such tools in order to clean

out my gut. What I do have is bentonite and psyllium, which (in an

adequate dosage) can functionally do the same thing as a hose and

soft brush can do.

 

I also don't have any way of seeing inside my gut to determine what

problems there may be, to include leaky gut, and so much else.

 

However, I do have at my disposal a wide array of natural " gut

healing tools " . These tools can, either sooner or later, fix almost

any serious gut problem in anyone. Fixing a handful of common gut

malabsorptive problems is often the key to fixing many mental

illness symptoms, especially that of depression. And to fix my gut

problems in myself the key foundation step for me was to learn how

to use bentonite, and then chase this bentonite purge shortly

afterward with glutamine, then probioitics and raw vegetable juices,

etc. (details on this to follow when I can find the time).

 

The theories proposed in this post may also mean that the concept of

biochemical individuality, which is so often touted by many

alternative health care practitioners, may be far less germane than

it is commonly thought. If all of humanity's intestinal villi swell

when exposed to allergens and toxins, thus shutting off surface area

and reducing the rate of essential nutrient absorption, and

correcting for this fact (as well as eating a good diet) corrects

most mental illness, then how important is biochemical individuality

now in regard to the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses

such as manic depression? In my opinion, far less so than is

commonly thought.

 

I'd like to coin the term " biochemical commonality " here, as I

believe that we humans operate far more similarly from a biochemical

standpoint than is commonly thought.

 

Incidentally, to take these theories even further, assuming that

they are correct, we humans had better wake up and wake up soon, or

it may be the end of the human race as we know it. I think of the

pictures that I see on TV here, of bags of wheat and corn being

shipped by the thousands into places like Afghanistan and Iraq. I

sure know that if I lived on a diet that was high in wheat and corn,

I would sure be one very angry man, and a man that was far more

likely to seek revenge or kill another human being and think that I

was right and just in doing so. And what is so genetically

different from me than that man in Afghanistan or Iraq?

 

I am not saying that all persons are allergic to wheat and corn in

Afghanistan and Iraq, but I think that far more human beings are

allergic worldwide to these and other very common foods than is

normally thought.

 

I am saying that we had better learn to understand the roots of

human behavior, and the roots of human behavior emanate to a great

extent from the foods that we are eating, and what is happening in

our gut.

 

Don't believe me? Just look at our recent history and think for a

moment. What has happened to the human race in the last few hundred

(or few thousand) years? Did our genes change and we just suddenly

became a lot smarter as a species, such that we have invented all of

the technology that we have recently and we live the way we do now?

Or did our " farmed vs. hunter-gatherer " diet and our " gut status "

change, and thus we, and our behavior, have changed as a reult of

this? And are antibiotics, sugar, and dental mercury, which can leak

into the gut, etc. a big part of the latter?

 

Are these simple " declining gut status and allergic dietary causes "

the primary reason that we are living and behaving much differently

than we did a relatively short time ago in the history of humanity?

 

I sure know that when I am doing things right dietarily and gut-

wise, that I am at peace with nature, god, the world, and myself...

and that my pace of life is much slower and I am far more content.

I also know that when I am doing things wrong dietarily and gut-wise

that nothing satisfies me, I am unhappy, I am angry, and I am

destructive, both of the environment in which I live and myself.

 

It is therfore my sincere belief that the quest to understand and

treat mental illness is a quest to help all mankind. So many tens

of millions of human beings are seriously chemically compromised as

the result of what we foods we are eating and " the poor state of our

guts " . Those of us that are mentally ill are simply " canaries in a

coal mine " . Helping us to understand and treat our mental illnesses

better may very help all of humanity become healthier... and to see

clearer... and may even ultimately help us to stop " molecularly

destroying our planet " as we know it.