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changes. As a result, the enzyme is no longer able to function. Typically, most of the enzymes in processed foods and cooked foods are completely destroyed, so the typical American diet is thoroughly lacking in these important compounds. This is in stark contrast to the diet of indigenous people who purposefully eat raw and fermented foods regularly to obtain a source of live enzymes. Live enzymes in the food supply accomplish several important goals. First, as the enzymes are released and activated in the stomach, they help to autodigest the food itself. This makes it easier for the body to process and absorb the foodstuff in its entirety. Second, when they are present in food, live enzymes also help to conserve the body's own precious enzyme reserves. Research on the importance of dietary enzymes has been con- ducted by Dr Edward Howell and Dr Francis Pottenger, two nutri- tional doctors who have worked extensively in this branch of food science. Dr Howell proposed that each person has a very limited supply of digestive enzymes produced and stored in the pan- creas.” When these enzymes are depleted, death follows not long afterwards. Raw foods provide their own enzymes, and the body responds by using fewer of its own pancreatic enzymes to digest the food. Good sources of enzymes are all the raw foods. For example, raw, unrefined, extra virgin olive oil is an excellent source of enzymes—as opposed to any bottle of "salad dressing" that you may find on the grocery store shelf, which has practically no enzymes. Raw salads, raw eggs, raw milk, papaya and pineap- ples are also full of enzymes. Fermented foods such as yoghurt, homemade sauerkraut, kimchi and pickles are rich in enzymes. In a famous set of experiments, Dr Francis M. Pottenger, Jr used two sets of cats to demonstrate the importance of raw foods in the diets of mammals." Both sets of cats were fed a base diet of raw milk and cod liver oil. The first group additionally received raw meats; the second group received only cooked meats in addition to this base diet. The impact of these two different diets was observed through the offspring of these two groups of test animals. The kittens born from the raw food group were quite healthy and normal, whereas the kittens born from the cooked food groups did not fare so well. These kittens were born with many deformities of the teeth and jaw; they tended to be smaller, and fewer of the litter survived the birth process. In Dr Pottenger's experiments, the second generation of cats was allowed to reproduce. The cats produced from the original raw food group were fed raw food, and the kittens from the original cooked food group received cooked food. In the third generation of cats, the kittens produced from the cats who received raw food were all healthy and well behaved. The next generation of the cooked foods group became progressively more diseased to the point where they were no longer capable of reproducing. The cooked food group went extinct while the raw food group thrived. The Solution It is time for us to reclaim our health and dietary heritage. If we wish to keep our teeth healthy into old age the way our ancestors did, we must eat as they did. The only solution to tooth decay is a return to the farm. Dental caries can be prevented through improved nutrition from top-quality food sources such as raw milk products, grass-fed meats, organic eggs and fresh, organically/biodynamically grown fruit and vegetables. Supplements such as cod liver oil, multivitamins, minerals and trace minerals will go far in bolstering this sort of improved diet. Dr Price had excellent results from supplementing diets with cod liver oil and "high-vitamin butter", an extract of butter pro- duced from dairy cows that were eating rapidly growing grass. This type of butter you can't find at the supermarket. Industrial farming does not allow the masses access to these vital factors, nor does it feed the dairy cows green grass, their preferred food. Avoidance of all processed foods, junk foods and refined oils is also necessary to improve dental health. In order to take control of our own well-being, we must take back control of our food supply. This can be a very easy thing, since we all eat food several times per day. Rejecting convenient junk foods and replacing them with real foods will help to change our current paradigm. Quality food choices are the key. Consuming raw milk from free-range, organic, pasture-fed cows is one way that our ancestors gained immunity from dental disease. As soon as we start processing foods, all benefits are seemingly lost. It seems that the agricultural corporations, which dictate exactly what we eat, do so for the purpose of making a profit, with little or no regard for the health consequences to the populace. We must reconsider our whole farming strategy and solicit only those farms that are willing to take special care to put something good back into the soil so that future generations might be able to grow food, too. 00 Endnotes 2004 (first published in 1939). 20. See Dr Edward Howell, Enzyme 1. See "Fact Sheet: Oral Health for 11. ibid. Nutrition, Avery Publishing, 1985, and Adults", 2001, at http://www.cde.gov/ 12. See any good Chinese Medicine text- Food Enzymes for Health and Longevity, oralhealth/factsheets/adult.htm. book, such as Chinese Herbal Medicine: Lotus Press, 1994 (enlarged/rev 2nd ed.). 2. See Dr Ziff's Dentistry Without Mercury, Formulas & Strategies, compiled and trans. 21, See Francis M. Pottenger, Jr, MD, Bio-Probe, Florida, USA, 1993. by Dan Bensky and Randall Barolet, Pottenger's Cats, Price—Pottenger Nutrition 3. ibid. Eastland Press, Seattle, USA, 1990. Foundation, CA, USA, 1995. ‘ acy 13. ibid., p. 263 4. See National Center for Health Statistics, Wid., P. . , "Health, United States, 2004", Table 80, at 14 ibid., p. 93. ete EAST OHIeeeeee http://www.cde.gov/nchs/hus.htm. 15. Price, ibid. a’ eoli, , LAc, is a licensed natur- 5 : ” . 16. See M.F. Holick, "Sunlight and vitamin oOpathic physician and acupuncturist eb “WesiSiness Orel! stealih.")ap 6h D for bone health", in American Jour. Clin. _ based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. He 6. See J.D Heatherstone,) The|Canies Nutr. 80(6Suppl):1678S-88S, Dec 2004. received his doctorate in Naturopathy and Balance", in Oral Health Prev. Dent. 2004, 17. See M. Brustad et al., "Vitamin D sta- Master's Degree in Oriental Medicine Suppl 1:259-264. tus in a rural population in northern from the National College of Naturopathic 7. ibid. Norway", in Public Health Nutr. 7(6): Medicine in Portland, Oregon. On com- 8. ibid. 783-9, Sept 2004. pleting his national board exams, he 9. ibid. 18. Price, ibid. obtained licensure and has practised in 10. See Weston A. Price, DDS, Nutrition 19. See Sally Fallon with Mary Enig, several clinics around the country. and Physical Degeneration, Price- Nourishing Traditions, NewTrends Dr Zeoli can be contacted by email at Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, CA, USA, Publishing, Washington, DC, USA, 1999. dzeoli@yahoo.com. 22 = NEXUS www. nexusmagazine.com FEBRUARY — MARCH 2006