Gillian McKeith's Food Bible (74 page)

Try rubbing your face gently with pineapple chunks, or a natural face mask of rice milk, oats, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Identify food sensitivities, if any.
One way to do this is to take your radial pulse (see page
180
). Another way is to be tested for food sensitivities through an at-home blood test. Go to www.gillianmckeith.info for more details on food sensitivities and a home test.

PIMPLE ANALYSIS

If you don’t have full-blown acne, you may have a pimple problem. Here are some clues to help you get to the bottom of your little bumps.

Pimples on the forehead relate to the intestines. They need a clean-out. Take 1 tablespoon psyllium seed husks daily. I thoroughly recommend you go for a colonic—be brave!

Pimples on the cheeks relate to lungs and breast. Drink mullein tea. Take the supplement coenzyme Q10. Sprinkle lecithin granules on salads and cereals. Take astragalus twice daily. Eat brown rice. Take evening primrose oil. Take echinacea liquid twice daily. Avoid cow’s milk, saturated fat, and red meat.

Pimples on the nose relate to the heart. Take hawthorn supplements or drink hawthorn tea, two cups daily. Eat barley grass (1 teaspoon daily).

Pimples on the jaw relate to the kidneys. Eat quinoa. Drink dandelion tea. Take a magnesium supplement and B complex vitamin.

Pimples on the shoulder relate to digestion. Take digestive enzyme supplements. Drink 1 tablespoon of aloe vera juice daily. Eat avocados, fish, and seeds.

Pimples on the upper back relate to the lungs. Take astragalus twice daily. Take germanium supplements. Eat basil, cayenne, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, ginger. Drink celery juice and mullein, nettle and peppermint teas. Eat simple, small meals, avoiding dairy products and sugars. Cut out peanuts for a while.

Pimples around the mouth relate to the reproductive organs. The herb agnus castus can help to correct hormonal imbalances that manifest as pimples around the mouth. Cut out full-fat dairy products for a while. Plain yogurt is fine.

AIDS

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It can be caused when the Human Immune Deficiency virus (HIV) enters the immune cells and multiplies.

Generally, there is a breakdown in the body’s usual defenses, meaning infections are easily picked up and are hard to shake off. Sufferers of AIDS often die from infections and cancers that their immune systems can no longer deal with rather than from AIDS itself.

CAUSES

HIV is thought to be spread mainly through sexual contact or blood-on-blood contact, such as from needles shared by intravenous drug users. Babies of mothers with HIV are also susceptible from contact in the womb and if breastfed.

It is important to get tested if you feel you are at risk. STD clinics offer free
testing and counseling. It is also important to use protection in the form of condoms and spermicides.

SYMPTOMS

It is possible to be infected with HIV but not to develop any symptoms for several years. Symptoms are variable and may include digestive problems, diarrhea, weight loss, skin lesions, and swollen lymph nodes. Infections such as candidiasis, thrush, yeast problems, TB, and various viruses are often part of the picture.

For full-blown AIDS to be diagnosed, the presence of specific infections or cancers associated with HIV need to be detected. It is thought that 50 to 60 percent of people with HIV go on to develop AIDS. Individuals with compromised immune systems are far more likely to be the ones affected.

Action plan

There is a lot you can do to help, although your GP must always be your first port of call when making changes to your diet or lifestyle. The main aim is to support and nourish the immune system and to remove the challenges that compromise it. Changes to diet and lifestyle practices can make a huge difference to immune function. Make healthy living and what you put in your body your number-one priority.

EAT/DRINK

Whole natural foods—fruits, vegetables, pulses, nuts, seeds, whole grains, sprouted seeds (especially sprouted broccoli seeds), fava beans, and plenty of pure water. These all help the immune system to prevent and fight off infections.