I have two autoimmune diseases. One has been solved by going vegan. The other? It's a lot like Type 1 diabetes. A specialist pronounced the organ dead but I have minimized the side effects by going vegan. I often wonder if a lot of autoimmune diseases could be cured or minimized by going plant-based.
On Tuesday the Wall Street Journal featured an article on celiac disease, also an autoimmune disease. This has increased 20 fold since the 1950s. What else has doubled since the 1950s? Our dairy intake. How about processed foods? I don't know the rate of that consumption but I'll guess it's similar. Then stop to think, what foods are available on WIC? What are grocery ads full of? What foods are cheapest for the poor in our society? And then you wonder why healthcare is such an issue? I digress...
I can't imagine how frustrating it is for someone like, say, Dr. Neal Barnard who has already discussed and proven how Type 1 diabetes occurs. (Bovine milk proteins are passed into the blood stream in some children, whose bodies then make antibodies, then mistake insulin-producing cells for the milk (they are molecularly very similar), thus resulting in diabetes.) And then sit back and watch an increase of Type 1 occur in children because your recommendation hasn't been followed. I know I get terribly frustrated when I find people, loved ones, who would benefit from this and won't even give it a try.
Yet...It is so exciting when someone does come on board and expresses how great they feel! Yes! Another convert! For me, it's so very similar to sharing the Gospel. Until someone "experiments upon the word" they won't know the joy; but when they do, and they feel the joy, even if we mess up sometimes, it feels wonderful to have another brother or sister in Christ.
This week I found out I have another covert through a convert, and from church no less! One more person to share recipes and dinners with!
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Remember what we learned from Bambi "If you can't say somethin' nice. Don't say nuttin' at all."