(Ed. Note: We appreciate the following articles and hope they "may" be of help to you; however, some statements made in them may not have been fully evaluated in clinical studies. Almost all health food stores will use the word "may" when selling their products. Good luck).

WHY SHOULDN'T WE WHO SPASM EAT SUGAR, REFINED CARBOHYDRATES, CHOCOLATE, OR DRINK COFFEE?

These foods increase adrenaline. We already have too much adrenaline surging from our adrenal glands through our system when we are having spasms. Being calm and relaxed helps us spasm less, right? There are even more reasons than maintaining that precious relaxed feeling not to eat sugar, refined carbohydrates, chocolate, (now I'm REALLY meddling, right?), or drink caffeinated beverages.

Let's address sugar first, and its effects on those of us with Spasmodic Torticollis.

Eating sugar significantly lowers our immune system white cell defenders (lymphocytes) in the blood for a period of time. What if we encounter a bad bacteria or virus during that time when our immune system is lowered? Most people would just get a viral or bacterial infection, which is bad enough. Many - maybe all - ST'r probably have an autoimmune disorder that is involved with a virus or bacteria.

This information comes from various sources. The main source I have read is Vijendra Singh, Ph.D. Dr Singh has been researching neurological disorders for about 25 years and believes that the main component in nervous system disease is autoimmunity, which is a misguided immune response to the body's own organs. I will quote from Swedo and Kiessling, "It is possible that (the) single process of antineuronal antibody-mediated neuro-immunologic dysfunction could result in some patients in such diverse symptomatology as CHOREA, TICS, OR OTHER ABNORMAL MOVEMENTS (emphasis mine), hyperactivity and obsessions and compulsions. A strong genetic component is thought to be involved in OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), TS (Tourette Syndrome), and tics, but what is inherited might be an inability of the immune system to distinguish between neural tissue and certain components in the cell membrane of group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus".

In other words, the genetically (or otherwise) susceptible person's immune system can't tell the difference between its own brain tissue and the most common of the strep bacteria, so that it, (the immune system) attacks the strep bacteria AND the brain. Some people have told me that their Essential Tremor started after a strep infection.

I also personally know three people who said their Spasmodic Torticollis started after suffering a herpes viral infection. There are many members of the herpes viral family, and most all of us carry at least one of them hiding in our nervous system. Have you ever had chicken pox? If so, then you carry that herpes virus. And that is only one member of the herpes viral family. So we need to be concerned about avoiding both viral and bacterial infections if we have Spasmodic Torticollis.

I need to mention here that in my very close genetic family, there was a case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). (This was my brother, who committed suicide in 1974). OCD is now pretty much accepted by researchers as being an autoimmune disorder involved with strep. (Back in the 1960's, the doctors gave my brother the new drugs, 50 shock treatments, and a shallow pre-frontal lobotomy, and blamed my parents for his illness - which was totally not true. That was a very cruel time for all concerned).

Another close relative has an extremely light case of Tourette Syndrome, since age 5 (age 43 now). Some cases of Tourette Syndrome are now pretty much accepted by researchers as being caused by strep. (Susan Swedo, MD is one of these researchers). My Spasmodic Torticollis started out as Essential Tremor and evolved (I am not certain I can say it really got worse) into Spasmodic Torticollis. I have read two figures about the number of people who have Essential Tremor who also have Dystonia; one source said 24% and another source said 48%. I have also talked with a few people who have Spasmodic Torticollis, who have tic disorders and/or OCD in their families.

My point here is that WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO ANYTHING WE CAN LEARN ABOUT OTHER NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE INVOLVED WITH THE BRAIN STEM AND BASLA GANGLIA, SO THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO LEARN SOMETHING FROM THAT INFORMATION THAT WILL HELP OUR SPASMODIC TORTICOLLIS EITHER REDUCE OR NOT GET WORSE AND HELP PREVENT ITS EXPRESSION IN THE LIVES OF OUR FAMILY MEMBERS.

Sugar feeds bacteria, viruses, fungi, and cancer cells. So! - Let's do all we can to avoid bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.

Let's go back to some specifics on why ST'rs should avoid sugar as much as possible:

Sugar can raise adrenaline levels (ST'rs don't need more of this!)

Sugar can contribute to a weakened defense against bacterial, viral, fungal infections and all kinds of cancer.

Sugar can cause colon cancer, with an increased risk in women

Sugar can increase the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

Sugar can cause a raw, inflamed intestinal tract in persons with gastric or duodenal ulcers.

Sugar can cause constipation

Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.

These last five are important to ST'rs because the immune system is not just in various bodily organs. There are immune cell receptors in the gut, and there are immune cell receptors in the brain. One doctor said, "There are gut cells in the brain and brain cells in the gut". (Remember that Spasmodic Torticollis may well be an autoimmune disorder, as discussed above). Colon health, and immune system health, are very important to brain health!

Sugar can cause candidiasis (yeast infection - yeast is a fungus. (Let's try to avoid ALL infections).

Sugar can exacerbate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (tremors are often involved in MS).

Sugar can cause food allergies (allergies are often involved in neurological disorders as well as many other disorders).

Sugar can impair the structure of DNA (this is our genetic material, and it is important to keep it from deteriorating as much as possible).

Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream (free radicals can damage brain cells in probably all neurological disorders).

Sugar lowers the enzyme function in our bodies/brains (virtually no biochemical reactions take place without enzymes as catalysts).

Sugar can cause loss of tissue elasticity and function (don't we need our muscles to be more elastic and less tight?)

Sugar can cause an alteration in brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.

Sugar can cause depression.

Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance (hormones help regulate most everything).

Sugar increases the risk of Alzheimer Disease.

The above is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications. (Dr. Merola published these and other negative effects from sugar on the Internet. The words in parentheses are my own contribution).

REFINED CARBOHYDRATES (WHITE FLOUR):

Unlike whole grains, which break down slowly in the digestive system, refined grains flood into the bloodstream as glucose. This overly stresses our entire bodies. And, of course, our brains and nervous systems are part of our bodies. (It took philosophers and modern medicine a long, long time to learn this truth!)

Refined carbohydrates and simple sugars also destroy valuable minerals. Certain minerals - especially magnesium - are especially important to ST'rs.

CAFFEINE:

Besides the adrenaline surge caffeine causes that overly stimulates our nervous system, it too, destroys minerals we need.

CHOCOLATE:

Besides the stimulants in chocolate, it carries another problem for ST'rs (and many other people). Chocolate (as well as nuts and carob) are high in the amino acid l'arginine. Arginine has important benefits, but it counteracts the amino acid lysine. L-lysine helps keep herpes viruses at bay, so that hidden herpes viruses don't express into overt illness (such as shingles). Whenever I eat nuts, carob, or succumb occasionally to chocolate, I take a 500 mg. l-lysine capsule (along with vitamin B6- in the better absorbed pyridoxyl-5-phosphate form) to counteract the high arginine content in those foods.

To conclude: So much of getting and feeling as well as possible is a do-it-yourself project, by living a really healthy lifestyle. This is true for all of us even though we are all biochemically individual. There are two parts to living a healthy lifestyle: 1) KNOWING WHAT IS HEALTHFUL: ( I have spent the past 30 years working on this), and 2) DOING WHAT IS HEALTHFUL: That is a personal and continuous challenge for all of us, including me. The choice of doing or not doing healthful things (and avoiding the unhealthful things) is a choice that belongs to each one of us. Let's all work on living a really healthy lifestyle. And, we need to remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Doris Jane Gilbrech, CN (certified Nutritionist)

e-mail - banjo412@aol.com