In our last article, we have discussed the blood system characteristics, understanding
that the blood is not merely means for transferring metabolic products into the
systems and organs of the body. The blood is an exceptional organ by itself, adapting
to the needs and functions of each organ.
In this article, we will review the underlying root causes for anemia and the frequent
cases of weakness and fatigue. It should be noted that many people are in denial of
their sensation of weakness and fatigue, "live with it" or come up with all kinds of
excuses in order to convince themselves that "it is normal" and there is no pathology
here, which must be urgently addressed. The medical establishment is supposed to
come to the patient's aid, but in reality, it does not provide an efficient assistance, and
it even rarely comes up with a diagnosis of anemia. The worst of all: even when it
does diagnose an existing anemia, it lacks effective tools to provide a solution for the
problem. At the most, the weakness and fatigue are dismissed with a prescribed rest
and some synthetic iron tablets, which have little or no benefit (and sometimes even
cause harm).
In my humble opinion, the root of the problem lies in the fact that in these modern
times, we have forgotten what real nutritious food is and how it should be consumed
…… and I will explain this below.
With most people these days (especially during the week-days), food is regarded as
"fuel in a petrol station", where ones refuels and continues on. There is almost no
such thing as three orderly daily meals, in which one sits calmly and in company and
enjoys a hearty meal. Most people skip breakfast altogether, even though it is the most
important meal of the day, Then, sometime during the day they start feeling hungry
and so they hastily stuff themselves with the most easily, accessible and satiating food
available nearby, as "there is not time for it". I nickname those people "vacuum
cleaners". What would be this accessible, cheap and satiating food? Wheat, bread. In
this article, we will not go into the subject of the quality of bread in a diet, its contents
and characteristics, but it suffices here to say, that this excessive consumption of
bread causes detrimental and harsh side effects in the digestion system.
Another group of the population, which allegedly has a higher awareness of health
and diet, might refrains from an excessive consumption of bread. However, at the
same time, they also refrains from meat, fish, eggs, milk products and many other "no
no"s. The problem with this is that there is no other natural organic matter containing
all essential amino acids in an accessible form of easily digestible molecules, such as
cattle, sheep and goats' meat. Those amino acids, most easily derived from meat, are
the basis for every metabolic process in the body without exception, and they
constitute the building blocks for the production of blood in the body. On the other
hand, plant-derived protein often lacks in certain essential amino acids. Moreover,
plant-derived protein molecule structure is much more difficult to digest, especially
for an already compromised digestive system (and we will elaborate on that in our
next article. Therefore, refraining from animal-derived protein has caused anemia to
become one of the most common pathologies in this group of the population. Their
anemia often goes undiagnosed – nevertheless, it manifests in common symptoms,
such as weakness, fatigue, a decrease in bone tissue and muscle mass, falling of hair,
lack of appetite, sleep disorder, constipation, depression, sadness and nervousness,
hormonal problems and so on and so forth.
Another common cause for the chronic weakness and fatigue is excess work. On the
one hand, there is what we consume as raw material for the production of blood in
reasonable quality and quantity. On the other hand, there is the energy we over-use
due to the excessive work, which utilizes those same raw materials at the expanse of
blood production. Therefore, "Workaholism" disrupts the inner balance and healthy
metabolism. Sleep disorders, prevalent in these day and age, are another disrupting
factor of the said balance, as they rob the body of the much-needed rest for
completing deficiencies and rehabilitating inner reserves. It should be noted that lack
of enough movement and activity could also cause anemia. However, the underlying
causes of anemia in such cases are different, as they are not related to a deficiency,
and they are less common.
A further cause for a deficient digestion harming the production of blood is a state of
continuous stress, not only throughout the day, but specifically and mainly during
meal-time. While "refueling", the person's mind is engaged in obsessive thoughts
about the day's activity and business, the bank account state of affair, the dissatisfied
client, the supplier being late and so on and so forth. If it so happens that his/her mind
is not totally immersed in any of these thoughts during meal-time, then they are
instead engaged in reading the newspaper or watching the news on TV, etc. In short,
while eating, they are mostly occupied with everything else except the food in front of
them and the manner in which they are consuming it.
These are the main reasons underlying the creation of a blood pathology, deficient in
both quantity and quality. In most cases, we will find out that the root causes of the
anemia is a combination of several of these causes. Unfortunately, lack of knowledge
and lack of awareness and proper information result in a high probability of these root
causes producing anemia to occur. It should be clarified that by the time anemia
develops, it is not enough anymore to merely correct the nutrition and manner of
eating supplemented with iron tablets. At the stage where anemia already manifests,
there is a need for medical help to rehabilitate the blood deficiencies. However, even
at this stage, it is advisable to correct the mistakes of the past in terms of nutrition and
manner of eating, in order to support the treatment process and to prevent these
mistakes from repeating themselves.
The next article shall focus on the amino acids. As said above, amino acids are the
basis of any metabolic process in the body. Whether it is due to a deficient diet
lacking in enough accessible quality protein, or it is due to poor digestion and
decreased gut absorption ability, a deficiency in amino acids is the direct root cause
for most cases of acquired anemia. Unlike the common notion, it is the deficiency of
protein, which causes most cases of anemia, rather than iron deficiency. One of the
most prevalent types of anemia is macrocytic anemia, which involves vitamin B12
deficiency. However, even in the case of macrocytic anemia, the underlying direct
root cause is still protein deficiency, because protein plays a vital role in facilitating
the transformation and absorption of vitamin B12 in the gut.
In our previous article, we reviewed possible causes for various types of acquired
anemia. It was noted that one of the most common root causes for anemia is a
deficient nutrition and/or a disruption in nutrient absorption in the gut, especially of
proteins. In this article we will expand a little on the subject of "proteins" and their
contents.
The human body is maintained moment to moment due to complex metabolic
processes, where one action produces a result, which leads to the next action. Each
step on the metabolic process produces an effect forming the basis for the next
metabolic action. In order to perform these metabolic actions, the body needs
"building blocks" derived from the food we consume.
Therefore, it is clear that the quality of our food is critical for an effective metabolic
activity of the body. The said food-derived "building blocks" utilizes by the body
include mainly proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. Vitamins and minerals are also
essential, as they too facilitate digestion, absorption and the maximal usage of those
"building blocks", among their many other functions. Proteins and lipids are
necessary for the formation of the various kinds of body tissues (such as bones,
muscles, connective tissues, skin, blood channels, etc.), as well as the production of
enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters, all of which are crucial for the entire
metabolic processes in the body. Every metabolic process of any kind involves all the
above said agents (enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters). There are many
thousands of them, and medical science has not been able yet to identify all of them.
The absence of any one of them is enough to cause a serious disorder and a life-long
metabolic disease. It is, therefore, clear that good quantity and quality of proteins and
lipids constitute one of the basic conditions for good health.
Furthermore, the body is able to execute metabolic processes only when the food-
derived protein molecule of any origin, has been dismantled to its most basic
components, (namely – to the level of amino acids) in a proper digestion and
absorption processes. Any disorder in the digestion and absorption processes,
preventing the dismantling of food-derived protein to the level of amino acids, will
subsequently hinder an effective usage of the said food-derived protein. When this is
the case, the non-dismantled or partially dismantled protein molecule is of no benefit
to the body. Moreover, it becomes toxic and harmful, raising the toxicity and
inflammatory levels and is liable to cause various pathologies, such a rheumatic
diseases in the joints.
This might be the reason for the public misconception that meat is harmful to one's
health. The problem does not lie in the meat itself (provided it is fresh and
unprocessed red meat), but in the deficient digestion system, which is not performing
well in dismantling the many potential "building blocks" provided by meat.
Therefore, the solution lies in treating and rehabilitating the digestive system rather
than avoiding the consumption of red meat.
As said above, the amino acids are the building blocks of any protein molecule. There
are 20 kinds of amino acids, commonly divided into two groups: "essential" (8) and
"non-essential" (12). The "non-essential" amino acids are not termed so because they
are indeed non-essential. The differentiating terms indicates that the "essential" amino
acids can only be derived from food, while the remaining "non-essential" amino acids
are produced by the body and it is, therefore, not crucial to obtain them from the food.
The structure of food-derived proteins is a folded chain of amino acids tied together in
a "peptide bond". All proteins without exception existing in all organisms, whether
simple or complex contain all or some of the said 20 amino acids. What mainly
differentiates between protein molecules are the peptide bonds and the molecular
structure they create. The structure and shape of the protein (namely, the order of the
bonds, their contents and their number) determine the quality of the overall protein
molecule and its function.
There are four possible structures of a protein molecule:
A primary structure – the amino acid sequence of the protein.
A secondary structure – the arrangement of the protein segments in spatial structures
called helix and α-pleated sheet.β-
A tertiary structure – the whole protein folding in a three-dimensional shape.
A quaternary structure – a spatial arrangement of the collection of different proteins.
The genetic instructions determining a protein molecule structure are all in the DNA.
The cell produces RNA molecules out of the DNA in a process called transcription.
According to the instructions contained in the RNA molecules, the proteins produced
by the body are formed in a process called translation.
A "complete" protein is a molecule containing all the essential and non-essential
amino acids and in the right ratio. A "complete" protein can be obtained only from
animal-derived foods (meat, fish, eggs and dairy). Plant-derived protein molecules
(from grains and legumes) contain only part of the essential amino acids – thus,
termed "missing" protein. Therefore, a "missing" protein must be supplemented by
other kinds of food. Furthermore, the peptide bonds of plant-derived proteins form
molecular structures, which are much more complex and hard to dismantle and digest
compared to the molecular structures of animal-derived proteins.
In our next article, we will discuss the amino acids for a deeper understanding of their
function and importance.
