Is Live Blood Analysis a Valid Health Screening Tool?

Firstly, why is Blood so important?

Blood is the most complex biological fluid. Not only does it contain the RBCs, WBCs and the essential clotting factors - thrombocytes - but the majority of blood (55%) is plasma.

Plasma is the fluid which carries the nutrients, the wastes, proteins, electrolytes and hormones. Basically, the plasma is like a postal system that receives and delivers the chemical messages produced by the body’s cells, organs and tissues.

Blood has been extracted, examined and tested as a barometer of health throughout the history of medicine, and these days laboratory medicine continually discovers new ways of testing blood and new things to test for.

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What is the difference between a Doctor’s blood test and Live Blood Analysis?

The various terms used to describe the different blood cells seen under the microscope are the same – whether they are used in a medical context or as part of an LBA assessment.  The main difference between the medical blood tests and Live Blood Analysis is the preparation of the blood sample, and the purpose.

Medical Blood Tests

Only medical professionals – medical doctors – can diagnose disease. They use a variety of blood tests to be able to detect the levels and presence of various blood elements, which allows them to eliminate certain diseases and/or affirm the possibility of others; however a single blood test in itself is not definitively diagnostic.

The blood sample they take is mixed with anticoagulant so that it does not clot and is sent to a laboratory. Blood is then processed in a machine where they break it up into its components and then measure the various elements. They may also take a drop of blood and stain it to be able to pick up various types of cells and look at it under the microscope.

They grade the blood based on a statistical range of measurements to determine what a normal level is and what isn’t. The results will flag up areas of concern depending on which elements are beyond the range they consider normal and healthy.

From there they will either determine that you need more diagnostics or they will make a judgement, based on your symptoms and your blood results, that there is no cause for concern.

The problem is, just because we fit into the statistical range that is considered ’normal’ doesn’t mean that we feel well.

Clients often choose LBA because they have been to the Doctor and had normal blood test results, yet they still feel unwell. They know something is wrong and despite going to the Doctor they have no answers as to why they feel the way they do.

Live Blood Analysis

Live Blood Analysis is used in the field of complementary medicine, often in conjunction with nutrition, naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture or herbalism.

A drop of the client’s blood is examined under a microscope and the information gained is used to check for signs of many issues relating to health. We are able to use it to bring a new dimension to our ability to understand what is happening at a cellular level within our clients. 

Why is it called ‘live’ blood analysis?

An LBA blood sample is not stained or treated with chemicals - it is mounted onto the microscope as soon as possible after being extracted to be able to view it in its ‘live’ state.

This enables us to see how the blood moves, how the blood cells react to each other and how they respond to the environment they float in – the plasma.

By magnifying the blood 1000 times, we can see the health of each individual cell and are able to assess how many cells are normal and functional and how many cells are not. Abnormal cells are obvious and their presence will indicate a variety of issues.

What can a Live Blood Analysis show?

One drop of blood contains 5 million cells. The proportions and amounts of the different cells distributed throughout that one drop is representative of what is contained in all of a person’s blood. 

From this one drop of blood we can:

• Determine if there are specific deficiencies of nutrients such as B12, folate, zinc, Vitamin C, or EFAs.

• Check if the cell membranes are damaged or whether they are healthy.

• Assess immune system cell activation and whether there are enough/too many white blood cells - this can show the presence of inflammation, autoimmune issues, infection, allergies or parasites.

• Check for elements in the plasma that can indicate liver issues or circulatory challenges, such as thrombocytes, uric acid crystals or fat crystals.

• Assess the integrity of the digestive tract and screen for problems such as ‘leaky gut’.

• Make an assessment of the charge of the red blood cell membranes – the zeta potential – which is indicative of the pH of the fluids/tissues of the body as a whole.

What is the Purpose of Live Blood Analysis?

The ultimate goal of a blood test is to find out if there is anything in the blood that can answer the question “what is wrong with me?”.

There are many ways to test blood but Live Blood Analysis enables the complementary health professional to:

• assess a client’s blood immediately in their own clinic.

• educate and motivate clients by identifying how their lifestyle habits are reflected in their blood.

• use the results to generate a bespoke protocol that focuses on the root causes of a client’s health symptoms.

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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Has Blood Changed Since the Covid Pandemic?

A new world

There is no doubt that the world as we knew it pre-pandemic no longer exists. Travelling, working, relationships and families have all been affected - we have been through a collective trauma caused by a virus.

Not everyone and not every country has had the same experience though. The differences in resources, in infrastructure, in government and health care between countries around the world have created different outcomes.

The measures taken by the dominant Western countries have created chaos that has rippled throughout the world, touching everyone. Mask wearing, vaccine mandates, lockdowns and restrictions in medical treatments to name but a few.

I am a Live and Dry Blood Analyst and I have been looking at blood through a microscope for over 11 years. Since the pandemic, I have seen some changes in the blood and in this blog post I am going to share some of my observations and my understanding of how this virus and how the vaccine has affected my clients’ blood.

What Live Blood Analysis is not

At this point I feel that I should state that live blood analysis is not diagnostic of any kind of disease, condition or syndrome. It is a tool for observing a sample of living blood and as such it provides a unique insight into how this biological fluid is functioning.

Of course, the blood sample is no longer being regulated by the body and so this is taken into account. However, how quickly the blood ages and the effect this has on the cells is still relevant.

You also take into account the impact of the sampling technique, whether it is fasted blood or not and the health history of the person whose blood it is and how that may affect the blood (including medications, supplements, lifestyle etc).

Finally you must also be aware of artefacts – these are not in the blood or of the blood but rather contaminants in the sample and/or manufacturing defects on the slides and coverslips.

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What have I seen under the microscope in my clinic since the pandemic?

The clients that come to see me are varied and diverse.

Some are interested in maintaining and monitoring health in order to prevent illness. Some suffer from a variety of health issues and are looking at alternatives to pharmaceutical interventions in order to do as much as they can to maintain or gain health.

Some have even been to their doctor and had a multitude of tests carried out but have been told that there is nothing out of the ordinary in the results and so, cannot be given treatment.

After the first lockdown finished and we were allowed to do face to face consultations once more, I was able to observe blood and build a body of documentation – blood after the pandemic.

What the blood tells us

In my career as an analyst I have seen the blood of hundreds of people. I have seen millions of blood cells under the microscope.

I have looked at the blood of people with all kinds of diseases including diabetes, AIDS, CVD, leukaemia, MS, cancer, those with many symptoms such as IBS, migraine, allergies and many, many others.

Each of them had a unique blood picture - there are usually no specific blood analysis indications for each disease or symptom.

The blood reflects the person’s terrain – the inner environment that supports the cells. The appearance of the cells in the blood tells a story of the health/balance of the inner terrain.

As an analyst you are trying to read the story by putting together all of the pieces of the health puzzle. It is not enough to use the blood alone - it holds clues as does the patient’s case history.

The blood will alert you to a B12 deficiency for example, but why it is deficient needs further thought. Does the diet contain adequate B12? Is the digestion optimal and capable of breaking down the food to obtain the B12 and also absorb it? What lifestyle choices could be depleting B12? Are there any symptoms reflecting B12 deficiency? Do they have issues with methylation? Are there other blood tests that correlate B12 issues? It is not as simple as just supplementing with B12.

However, in my experience, during the pandemic and after it, the blood of those who either had had COVID or had the injection to innoculate against COVID (or both), had several distinct indications.

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Indications in the blood

The following pictures are from my clinic and are taken from clients who have a variety of health issues related to COVID. They are either suffering with Long Covid symptoms or have been injured by the vaccine.

In many cases the vaccine injury is actually confirmed in their NHS health records. Some have been able to get compensation, some are having to fight very hard to get support.

Only a very few have been able to get any effective treatment from their NHS doctor and despite having multiple tests from a variety of consultants they are often told that “everything is normal”. As a result of their experiences, they have turned to private health care.

Please note: These indications are not diagnostic and they existed before the pandemic. However, they were most commonly found in those with metabolic disorders such as Diabetes or cardiovascular issues. What has changed is the prevalence of them in people who appeared to be healthy before the pandemic.

Fibrin

In nearly every single case I have found fibrin in their blood samples.

Fibrin is a long protein that is produced to create a clot in the circulatory system. Fibrin is formed from fibrinogen which is produced in the liver in response to inflammatory chemicals released by white blood cells. It is also part of the coagulation cascade as it creates clots which prevent bleeding and protects the linings of the circulatory system.

Fibrin in the live blood can be indicative of liver stress, circulatory stress, inflammation, pathogenic infections, toxicity and/or leaky gut. When looking at a sample and assessing the fibrin I am also looking at other indications, symptoms and health history that can help pinpoint the cause of the fibrin presence.

Fibrin in the circulatory system will be congestive to circulation, preventing the optimal flow of red blood cells to the micro circulation, creating a lack of oxygen to all cells, tissues and organs throughout the body.

Rouleaux & Aggregation

Red blood cells are supposed to bounce around in the plasma as separate cells. They only bunch up and stick together when the balance of ions inside the cells and outside the cells has altered.

Red blood cells repel each other in circulation because of the charge on the cell membrane. This charge is only created when the membranes are composed of the right mix of lipids and proteins AND the surrounding environment is also balanced with the correct ions.

This balance of charges across membranes is known as zeta potential – the difference between the charge on the inside of the cell and the charge on the outside of the membrane are strongly opposed creating a “potential” which enables the cells to flow freely and provide optimum oxygenation throughout the body.

Cells lose this potential when their membranes are coated with proteins that change the charge. These proteins are inflammatory chemicals that attract to the surface of the red blood cells. This is yet another indication of inflammation and it can lead to a lack of oxygen in the cells, tissues and organs.

Thrombocyte Aggregations

Thrombocytes are cell fragments that are about a quarter of the size of a red blood cell. They circulate within the blood and secrete clotting factors when they are activated by other cellular chemical signals.

Once they are activated, they release chemicals, become sticky and aggregate with other thrombocytes to form larger masses. They are part of the clotting cascade and are often found in the blood along with fibrin because they are both activated/formed by the same chemicals.

The chemicals that the activated thrombocytes release are inflammatory themselves and can cause the aggregations to grow further, generating more chemicals which are released in vesicles, becoming hypersecretory aggregations.

These are congestive to the circulation and can block the microcirculation. The larger they are, the more dangerous they are to health. Our blood’s homeostatic mechanisms normally down regulate thrombocyte aggregation but when the body is out of balance this may not happen. The root cause is an inflammatory trigger and until that is switched off, the aggregations will continue to happen.

As with the fibrin and the rouleau, oxygen delivery to cells, tissues and organs is disrupted in the presence of thrombocyte aggregations. Symptoms such as cold hands and feet may be common, but also brain fog, all kinds of aches and pains anywhere in the body, dizziness and balance issues, and heart palpitations can be experienced.

Immune cell changes

Our largest white blood cell (wbc) is a monocyte. It is a phagocyte – it ingests pathogens, toxins and dead cells. It cleans up our inner terrain and literally digests bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses.

All our immune cells communicate with each other to share information about what sort of things they have found. They are like an army with walky-talkies, warning each other of threats so that they can become primed with the right weapons or charge towards a threat and work together to neutralise it!

In patients with long Covid a rise in the number of monocytes found in the blood has been observed. They are also activated monocytes - this means that they have been triggered by the presence of a toxin/pathogen and have been actively ingesting and fighting this trigger.

Activated white blood cells all produce inflammatory chemicals and often where you see one type of wbc activated you will see other types activated too, because of this communication they have between them.

This in turn produces more inflammation which can activate thrombocytes and make fibrin form too. The excess inflammatory chemicals will also change the zeta potential on the red blood cell membranes, causing rouleaux formation.

It is a perfect storm for the coagulation cascade, formation of micro clots and a host of symptoms.

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Why are these indications problematic for health?

All of the above symptoms are congestive to the delivery of oxygen to cells, tissues and organs. Oxygen is vital for every cell in our body.

It is why our red blood cells have no nucleus – there is no room in the cell for organelles, it can only fit in 4 massive protein molecules, haemoglobin. These molecules are responsible for carrying oxygen.

It is why our bone marrow produces 2 million red blood cells per second and why 2 million red blood cells are culled from circulation per second too. Our red blood cells do not reproduce, they live for 120 days on average and then their parts are recycled to produce new ones.

A lack of healthy, viable, free floating red blood cells will affect our health on all levels, especially if it continues for prolonged periods. It can accelerate aging and bring us closer to chronic disease.

This is why there are so many symptoms associated with Long Covid/vaccine damage because the most prominent features of these syndromes is the lack of oxygen availability to cells.

How do we stop this perfect storm?

You have to find the root cause - the trigger - and switch it off!

 To be continued…….

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Coming Soon

I will be discussing this topic in more detail in an online masterclass soon.

This masterclass is open to analysts, medical practitioners, complementary practitioners and those interested in becoming analysts themselves.

To be sent more information when the masterclass becomes available, please email us at info@naturecureacademy.com

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Learn More About Live & Dry Blood Analysis

If you would like to find out how you can use Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training to assess your clients’ health, then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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Review of the Amscope T490 Budget Darkfield Microscope

One of the main concerns when becoming a Live and Dry Blood Analyst is how choose the right equipment for the job - especially if you know nothing about how microscopes work and what the different specifications mean.

It can be very difficult to decide which model you should buy and how much you need to spend. When you search the internet for a live blood microscope you can find models from £300/$400 to well over £5000/$7000!

Some people feel that if they buy the most expensive equipment and/or specialist analysis software then they will have an all singing, all dancing setup, practically capable of analysing the blood for them!

Unfortunately this is not the case - in reality you can easily end up spending far more than necessary. Also, regardless of the equipment that you choose, the analysing process itself will always be your job - not the microscope’s or that of any fancy software.

Conversely, some people will be understandably concerned about the costs of entering this field and tempted to spend too little. Unfortunately this often means that they end up with a microscope that really does not live up to its advertised promise, nor offer a high enough quality of image to analyse blood effectively.

After receiving a number of enquiries from students wanting to know if a budget Amscope microscope would be up to the task, we got hold of one and ran it through its paces. So did it make the grade?

The Amscope T490 Darkfield Microscope

The Amscope T490 costs approximately £440 / $800 and is marketed as a live blood microscope, even showing a picture of live blood using darkfield lighting in its promotional photos.

I received the microscope (no manual included - I had to email them to send it to me!), set it up, took some blood samples and started mounting the slides…..

Light Source & Image Strength

Using the objectives with the lower magnifications - the 4x and 10x - were not a problem, but once I went up to the 40x the microscope struggled.

The thing you need to understand about darkfield microscopy is that the light that is projected up through the sample on the slide is partially blocked by the microscope’s condenser, reducing its intensity.

The light doesn't flow directly through the sample and into the objective. Instead it is diverted by the darkfield condenser so that the light shines through the sample at an angle. This illuminates the very fine structures within the cells of the blood which, if the light were to flow directly through, would be almost invisible.

A detailed explanation of darkfield microscopy and the lighting process needed can be found here.

Cheaper microscopes such as this one only use 3W LED lights - this is NOT strong enough to illuminate the blood in darkfield. The light is partially blocked and what is left is not powerful enough for the higher magnification objectives. Without enough light, you can't see what you need to see in the blood sample.

Objective Apertures

The second issue is based on objective apertures. Inside the objectives are multiple lenses that collect and concentrate the light and magnify the image. The aperture is the size of the opening in the lens that allows light through.

In cheaper models such as this, the aperture of the light coming through the darkfield condenser does not match the aperture in the higher magnification objectives. This results in the light simply missing the lens in the objective.

The light has to shine up through a tiny hole in the lens and if it is not concentrated and centred, when you swing the objective into place over the sample you will only get a small percentage of the light reaching the lens. The result is a very dimly lit image with almost no contrast, which you simply cannot analyse.

Digital Imaging

Spending money on a fancy camera unfortunately will not fix the problems. The camera does not magnify the sample, it only magnifies what the objectives can see. This leads me to my third issue with this microscope - using a camera.

My camera (Canon DSLR) could not pick up what I was seeing through the microscope’s binoculars. The camera requires enough light hitting its sensor to "see" anything, but there was not enough light intensity (see above) to travel up the photo turret to the camera.

This means that you cannot show clients their blood while you are analysing it unless you let them see it through the binoculars. It also means that you can't record your clients blood unless you fiddle with the settings and overexpose the picture and capture it that way. But this is not useful in a clinical setting at all.

Live Blood Results

IMG 1- this is using the 4x objective - this didn't need any over exposure because there is more light entering the lower magnification objectives.

IMG 2 - this is using the 10x - same as above.

40x magnified live blood

IMG 3 - this is using the 40x objective - to get this photo I had to over-expose it - but this is more or less how the sample appears through the binoculars. As you can see, there is not enough light to be able to assess the state of the cells or the plasma properly.

IMG 4 - this is the blood sample as seen through the 100x objective - same technique as above for getting a picture. This is not true darkfield - the light is distorting which causes a halo effect around the cells obscuring detail.

As a comparison, the above image was taken using a 100x objective on a Brunel Haemascope. This microscope uses a 100W halogen bulb - the best lighting that you can get for darkfield. The strength of light source and the quality of the objective means that you can clearly see details within cells, on cell membranes and pick out fine details in the plasma.

Dry Blood Analysis

The analysis of dry blood is never an issue in cheaper microscopes because it uses brightfield not darkfield microscopy, which requires much less light.

A 3W LED light is perfectly adequate to illuminate the sample and in fact you will find you need to have the light on a very low setting so that it doesn't hurt your eyes.

Using higher magnification objectives is not a problem with dry blood analysis as you only use the 4x and possibly the 10x for the dry blood - you are not viewing individual cells in dry blood but rather the overall pattern.

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Conclusion

As you have seen, the low-powered light source and the low-quality objectives that come with the Amscope T490 mean that this microscope is not suitable for live blood analysis and really shouldn’t be marketed as such. The image gained at 100x magnification is not true darkfield, and neither of the higher objectives offered a quality of image anywhere near what is required to analyse blood effectively.

Some suggestions

Although I would not recommend buying the Amscope, I have been asked if it is possible to adapt this cheap microscope in order to improve it. Here are some possible suggestions of how that might be achieved:

Light - you need to get more of it through the objective or else nothing changes. You could experiment with using fibre optic light boxes that have gooseneck lights and shine it up through the dark field objective. You can find these online for about £200/$275. You need to get the brightest light you can and if possible use a halogen light source.

IF that works the next step is to improve the objective - EVEN in Amscope’s own promotional video for their darkfield microscope they admit that the objectives that come with the microscope will not give you a true darkfield. You need to upgrade your 100x objective to get one with an adjustable aperture so you can direct more light through its lenses. These 100x objectives can cost £300/$400 or more.

Please note: These are just suggestions and we in no way guarantee that they would make the Amscope a viable option.

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Microscopes that we do recommend

The microscopes that we recommend for our students offer excellent value, are great quality and, most importantly, they work. We wouldn’t recommend anything that we haven’t used ourselves first. Click here for more details.

Please do your research and feel free to ask us at info@naturecureacademy.com for help in choosing your microscope.

Alternatively join our private facebook group where we discuss microscopes and much more - Learning Live Blood Analysis.

Happy microscope hunting!

The Truth about Boosting the Immune System (& what can Live Blood Analysis tell us?)

A Very Relevant Controversy

A few months ago, the press in the UK had a field day with headlines about boosting the immune system in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Why?

Recently, a company that were advertising their (prescription only) vitamin injections as “immune boosting” were banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

They actually broke the advertising laws and regulations because you can’t promote prescription-only supplements like this in the UK. They were accused of suggesting their product could be used as a strategy to prevent viral infections which exploited the anxieties people have about contracting coronavirus.

However, the message that the ASA sent out to the media and to the public was essentially that no-one is allowed to promote a product as “immune boosting”.

A flurry of articles and TV news reports ensued – talking about whether you can or can’t boost the immune system.

Many social media posts that linked peer reviewed science studies showing how deficient nutrient levels adversely affect immune function – or – that supplementing certain nutrients have been shown to improve patient outcomes, such as shortening illness duration, limiting symptoms or improving recovery post illness were removed as “fake-news”.

So, what is the truth? Can we “boost” our immune system with nutrition?

If your immune system is running perfectly smoothly and you have no nutrient deficiencies or health problems then you can’t actually “boost” it beyond its normal level of functionality.

However, there is no doubt that you can influence the health of your immune system with nutrients - through diet and supplementation - especially if things aren’t at 100%.

Our immune systems rely on being fed with a variety of vitamins and minerals that are essential to its proper functioning. These nutrients need to be consumed through the diet or through supplementation – the body simply doesn’t manufacture them itself.

In this blog post I am going to present to you

• A brief summary of the immune system – how it works and which cells/organs are involved.

I will show you the actual cells of the immune system – from my clinic’s live blood analysis pictures.

• The essential nutrients your immune system needs in order to function properly.

Live and Dry Blood Analysis (LDBA) can assess the client’s immune system and identify the nutrients that may be deficient. I will show you what abnormal immune cells look like and what nutrients are indicated.

• The best ways you can improve your levels of these nutrients and maintain immune health.

There may be multiple factors involved as to why clients are deficient in nutrients. I discuss the main areas to focus on and which recommendations may be relevant to improve a client’s immune system.

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Lets briefly break down what the immune system is, how it works and what it looks like under the microscope

There are three layers to the immune system’s defence strategy:

1 – Physical barriers and biochemical barriers

The barriers of our immune system are:

• the skin - which defends our body from environmental pathogens.

• the respiratory tract - which is lined with mucous membranes designed to protect us from the pathogens that we breathe in.

• the acid in our stomach - which kills any bacteria we may ingest.

• the lining of our digestive tract - which is a barrier to stop pathogens, such as parasites and bacteria, entering our internal circulation.

2 – Immune System Cells such as monocytes, granulocytes, and lymphocytes (B and T cells)

These are all white blood cells. They are created in the bone marrow from blood stem cells and are released into the circulation where they travel to their destination to fight infection.  

3 – Antibodies or immunoglobins – products of the immune cells that actively affect invading microbes and infected cells

These are the biochemical products of the immune cells that can trigger an attack on pathogens, stimulate immune cell production and actively kill bacteria or infected cells.

The immune system is divided into different pathways:

1 – The Innate Immune System

The cells of the innate immune response are the white blood cells such as neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils and monocytes.

These white blood cells can be seen in the blood when conducting a Live Blood Analysis.

Neutrophils are the most numerous and they roam the blood, ready to engulf (phagocytose) pathogens and/or migrate out of the circulation into the tissue if called on to do their work there. They contain granules that can literally digest the pathogens they engulf.

In blood analysis you can see if there are not enough of these in the sample – indicating immune suppression. Or you may see too many of them, indicating an immune response. Both need to be addressed.

In a healthy blood sample neutrophils should comprise 60% of all the white blood cells in a live blood sample.

healthy neutrophil

Eosinophils – these are most commonly found in the mucous membranes of the respiratory and digestive tract. They release chemicals as a defence against pathogens - specifically parasites - and in response to allergens in chronic allergic issues.

When you see them in the blood in numbers (they are rare wbcs) it means that there may be an active allergic response or a parasite infection.

In healthy blood sample eosinophils comprise 2 to 4 % of all white blood cells.

healthy eosinophil

Basophils – also called mast cells - these are rare to see in the blood unless they have been triggered to respond.

They release heparin to prevent clotting in inflamed tissues and they release histamine as a first response to an allergen.

If you see several in a blood sample it indicates a possible inflammatory response or allergic response. For more information about how LDBA can reveal allergies see this previous blog post.

In a healthy blood sample basophils should comprise only 0.5 to 1% of all white blood cells.

healthy basophil

2 – The Adaptive Immune System

This is a very specific targeting system that has evolved to protect us against viruses. It literally adapts to defend against specific invaders.

This system involves antigen responses - antibodies - that are produced by the T and B lymphocyte cells when they are activated by exposure to the pathogen.

T-cells – Initially, T-cells leave the bone marrow, travel via the blood to the thymus gland where they mature. They develop receptors for antigens and then circulate within the lymphoid organs until activated.

• Once an antigen is picked up by the T-cell it becomes a helper T-cell and proliferates, triggering other immune cells to attack by releasing cytokines and helping B-cells produce antibodies.

• T-cells can also become cytotoxic T-cells which actively seek out cells that are infected with viruses or bacteria - and kill them. They even kill cancerous cells. (see picture below of cytotoxic lymphocyte)

• After infection, T-cells can become memory T-cells, which are antigen-specific and long-lived cells. These can quickly proliferate upon re-exposure to even the smallest amount of the antigen.

B-cells – These lymphocytes remain in the bone marrow to mature then they migrate to the spleen and lymphoid tissue. Here they wait – in the mucosa and linings of the colon, respiratory tract for example - to be triggered by a pathogen/antigen.

• Once activated (by antigens or by T-cells) B-cells enlarge and produce specialised complex proteins called antibodies to specific antigens. (see picture below of activated lymphocytes)

• Memory B-cells are long lived cells that circulate in case of re-infection and will proliferate, with the help of T-cells, to deal with a re-infection before it takes hold.

Normal, Activated & Cytotoxic Lymphocytes

In a healthy blood sample lymphocytes comprise around 35% of all white blood cells.

Increased numbers can indicate viral infection or acute/chronic inflammatory processes, overload of toxicity or chronic infection.

Low levels can indicate lengthy chronic viral infection leading to lymphocyte exhaustion or nutrient deficiencies such as B12, B6, folic acid.

3 – The Complement System – this works with both the innate and the adaptive immune system.

As the name suggests this part of the immune system complements the actions of the others. It doesn’t include cells but it stimulates the other white blood cells into action by the production of specific proteins – chemical messengers that

• Stimulate phagocytes to clear pathogens and damaged cells.

• Instigate inflammation to attract more phagocytes.

• Activate a membrane attack complex to kill bacterial cells.

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Why is good nutrition important?

Adequate nutrition is crucial to supply the immune system with energy and the building blocks of its biochemical defence products

The immune system is complex for good reason; it is responsible for keeping us alive! You can imagine that it needs a lot of fuel and a constant supply of diverse nutrients to keep it functioning optimally.

Below is a brief summary of the most vital nutrients required along with how a possible deficiency of these nutrients can be picked up via LDBA.

Firstly – The Macronutrients – protein and lipids.

Protein -

• is vital for our immune system to be able to manufacture cytokines and complement proteins.

• is crucial to the mucosal barriers which are vital barrier protection.

• deficiency affects the thymus gland, which matures and produces our T cells.

Protein deficiency – moderate, mild or severe - can be surprisingly common especially amongst vegetarians, vegans, dieters and those with digestive disorders. Alongside protein deficiency there are likely to be other micronutrient deficiencies as well.

LDBA can reveal protein issues – such as “protein linkage” (ineffective protein digestion, inadequate protein intake) and “lack of fibrin web” (same).

Cross-referencing other indications in the blood analysis - along with examination of diet and other symptoms, especially digestive - will help to find the root cause of any protein issues.

Protein Linkage

Essential fatty acids are another macronutrient essential for immune function. They are incorporated in the membrane phospholipids in immune cells where:

• they modulate immune cell signalling and inflammatory processes.

• they regulate T and B cells by taking long-chain fatty acids (arachidonic and EPA) from the membranes and transform them with enzymes to create prostaglandins and other immune cell products.

• deficiency of EFAs and/or too many omega 6 fats can lead to imbalances in inflammatory responses such as pro-inflammatory issues.

Live Blood Analysis can assess the health of the cell membranes of all the blood cells – red and white – which will give an indication of lipid status.

A lack of integrity of cell membranes can be seen in cells that literally break apart, or “lyse” (see image below) in the sample. This indicates that the lipids that are incorporated in the membrane are composed of the wrong proportions and/or types of lipids.

lysed ghost cells

Secondly – but just as vital – the micronutrients

The micronutrients used in the immune system are Vitamin A, C, D, E, B2, B6 and B12, folic acid, beta carotene, iron, selenium and zinc.

Zinc

Zinc is one of the most important minerals for immune function. It is not stored in the body so it needs to be constantly supplied by the diet:

• A lack of zinc will:

  • decrease the numbers of lymphocytes

  • lower production of antibodies and make them less effective

  • disable neutrophils’ ability to move towards pathogens

  • increase levels of oxidative stress

• Macrocytes are the biggest phagocytic cells of the immune system – they physically ingest pathogens and kill them. They cannot do this without zinc.

• Pro-inflammatory cytokines are increased in zinc deficiency.

In zinc deficiency, Live Blood Analysis will show neutrophils that are non-motile, there will be low levels of lymphocytes and the Dry Blood Analysis will show high levels of oxidative stress.

Vitamin C

This is one of the most famous of the vitamins known to support the immune system.

Vitamin C is not stored in the body and so we need to have a constant supply in the diet. It is especially needed during stress and any kind of infection, because Vitamin C:

• stimulates the production and function of white blood cells

• stimulates motility of white blood cells

• increases production of antibodies

• protects white blood cells from autointoxication from the pathogen-killing chemicals they produce

• regenerates vitamin E, a fat-soluble vital antioxidant that oxidises easily

• is needed to help prevent the oxidative stress from damaging tissues and killing our own cells

Lack of neutrophil motility (same as above) or increased numbers of wbcs (picture) seen in Live Blood Analysis indicate a need for vitamin C.

High levels of oxidative stress as seen in the Dry Blood Analysis would also indicate a need for vitamin C.

These following micronutrients are fat soluble - they require healthy fats in order to be digested and absorbed properly - so efficient fat digestion is also key to getting enough of them into your cells.



Vitamin D

There are thousands of vitamin D receptors within the human genome and Vitamin D is thought to directly or indirectly regulate 100 to 1250 genes.

• Vitamin D receptors are expressed in several types of immune system cells and vitamin D3 is now recognized to be a potent modulator of the immune system.

• Vitamin D regulates antimicrobial proteins, which are critical components of the innate immune system because they directly kill pathogens, especially bacteria, and thereby enhance immunity.

  These proteins also modulate immune functions through cell-signalling effects.

• Vitamin D has also been shown to stimulate immune cell proliferation and cytokine production. Through these roles, vitamin D helps protect against infections caused by pathogens.

In blood analysis you can observe general immune system status through the presence, quality and levels of the white blood cells. Any indications of infection or inflammation – either in elevated levels of certain white blood cells or high levels of oxidative stress in dry blood analysis – can indicate possible vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is hugely important for the immune system; deficiency is surprisingly common. It is vital for protecting us on all levels against infections.

• Vitamin A is crucial to the health of the immune system’s barrier protection such as the skin, mucosal cells of the eye, lining of the respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract.

• Healthy neutrophils and lymphocytes require adequate vitamin A.

• T and B lymphocytes need vitamin A to generate antibody responses to specific antigens.

In Live Blood Analysis we are able to make an assessment of the integrity of the gastrointestinal barrier by the appearance of “chylous” in the blood sample.

Clients fast for 5 hours before the test and so there should be no evidence of food particles in the blood – they will have all been absorbed. Chylous indicates that there may be a leak in the digestive tract – leaky gut – which can be a big indicator of Vitamin A status.

Chylous

Other nutrients that need mentioning –

B12 – Cobalamin - crucial as a coenzyme that helps to build DNA synthesis. Deficiency is known to decrease the numbers of circulating lymphocytes and suppress their ability to kill infected cells.

Folate - crucial for DNA replication and normal proliferation of white blood cells.

Both B12 and Folate deficiencies can be assessed with Live Blood Analysis. Here is a link to a previous blog post for more information.

Iron – needed for proliferation of T-cells and the creation of oxidative pathogen-killing chemicals.

However, iron supplementation can “feed” pathogens and help them replicate. Which is why free iron levels are automatically stored by the body as a response to infection or inflammation.

Live Blood Analysis can show iron deficiency. The presence of high levels of microcytes (small red blood cells) and codocytes (red blood cells appear like targets) are clear indicators of low iron levels.  

Selenium – several important selenium-dependent enzymes function as important antioxidants. Selenium deficiency affects antibody production, and can enhance the progression of viral infections.

Any increase in lymphocytes and other white blood cells seen in Live Blood Analysis could indicate a need for selenium. Dry Blood Analysis will show high levels of oxidative stress.   

Vitamin E – powerful antioxidant, promotes cell membrane health.

B6 – Pyridoxine – part of the building blocks of the immune system proteins like cytokines and antibodies. 

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Eight problem areas to address in order to improve immune system function

The reason for a possible deficiency in any macro or micronutrient is likely to be multifactorial and so questions need to be asked in order to get to the root cause of a deficiency, so that the appropriate recommendations can be made.

Diet – does the diet contain the necessary nutrients?

Make sure to take a deep look at the contents of the diet. Does it contain the vitamins and minerals that the immune system requires? Are there appropriate protein levels? Which fats are being consumed and in what quantity? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17726308/

Digestion – are there any symptoms of digestive issues, dysbiosis, inadequate stomach acid and/or stress?

All of the above factors will affect whether vital nutrients can actually be broken down, digested and absorbed. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4513829/

Exercise – too much or too little?

Over-exercising can burden the body with excess oxidative stress which uses up precious antioxidants, conversely exercise can stimulate the immune system and help it function. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18522619/

Stress – how much emotional or/and mental stress is there?

Stress diverts energy away from digestive processes and the stress hormone actually reduces the number of lymphocytes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4465119/

Medication – check for medication that affects the immune system.

Medicines for illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, crohns disease, cancer, inflammation and treatment for transplant patients all affect the immune system. They are all designed to suppress the immune system to prevent inflammation and auto-immune reactions.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4706827/

Alcohol – how much is being consumed?

Too much alcohol will suppress the immune system, whereas it has been shown that small amounts can improve it.  https://www.nature.com/articles/1601486.pdf

Pollution and toxicity – what levels of exposure are there?

This is a huge problem for people living in polluted areas. Assessing toxicity sources and eliminating where possible is essential for the immune system function.  https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Multivitamin-Supplementation-Supports-Immune-By-Air-Haryanto-Suksmasari/72892c93510d261d3e9e05770782c2ddb6cf4056

Sleep – This really matters for the immune system.

Getting the right amount of sleep will regulate the immune system as it has been shown that the wake/sleep cycle synchronises with immune activity. Release of various cellular signalling products and can regulate inflammation.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256323/

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The immune system is complex and if it is nourished with all the necessary nutrients and given the right conditions it will always act to protect us.

We can use LDBA to monitor the immune system and keep an eye on any signs of immune stress and possible deficiencies.

LDBA is not a definitive diagnostic blood test. It is used to help reach a deeper level of understanding of health at a cellular level by assessing the most valuable biological fluid, the blood.

Indications can help make correlations between clients’ symptoms, their diet and lifestyle so that any recommendations can be truly individualised.

For further nutrition information, here is a great article called Important Diet Habits To Implement For A Healthy Immune System written by Fitness Volt which gives detailed advice as to what whole foods are most effective for maintaining the health of the immune system.

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Learn More About Live & Dry Blood Analysis

If you would like to find out how you can use Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training to assess your clients’ health, then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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Case Notes from the Live Blood Analysis Clinic: Leukaemia under the microscope

In this article we compare the blood pictures of two clients that had been diagnosed by their doctors as having Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia. We explore both the similarities and also the many differences observed, and see how the same diagnosis does not necessarily mean the same recommendations for our clients.

There are many types of leukaemia but they all have one thing in common – a problem in the bone marrow where all blood cells are created. This can cause multiple symptoms and if left untreated it can lead to a complete breakdown of health.

The blood’s stem cells live in the bone marrow and they differentiate into the various cells of the blood - red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. In leukaemia the stem cells produce abnormal cells and this means that the bone marrow space gets filled with these cells crowding out the normal cells and eventually the circulating blood becomes overloaded with abnormal cells.

• If the red blood cells are not normal we can suffer from anaemia and fatigue.

• When the white blood cells are affected it disrupts the functioning of our immune system, leading to autoimmune issues or too few white blood cells leaving us susceptible to infection.

• If we do not have enough platelets our blood’s homeostatic clotting mechanism does not work properly leading to increased bruising and uncontrollable bleeding.

Our body cannot survive for long if the blood continues to produce a high number of abnormal cells or too few normal cells.

Healthy Stem Cells = Healthy Blood

Normally the bone marrow produces 2 million blood cells every second and recycles 2 million old cells every second. In people with a blood stem cell abnormality and who are therefore are producing less normal blood cells than the body needs, then it is important to maximise the health of those blood cells.

If we make sure that:

• the body is getting the nutrition it needs through the diet

• the digestive system is able to absorb and metabolise those nutrients properly

• any toxicity absorbed or produced by the body is eliminated

we can supply the stem cells with the nutrients and conditions they require to differentiate into blood cells and to mature normally.

What is Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia?

I recently had two clients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia. They are monitored closely by their doctor or specialist to check their blood and monitor the numbers of abnormal cells. They came to me to see what their blood actually looked like and to learn more about what they can do in terms of diet and lifestyle to remain as healthy as possible.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) is one of the most common types of leukaemia that mostly affects adults. It has no known cause, it isn’t genetic or hereditary and it is usually diagnosed by chance after a routine health check. It can shorten life but it is a very slow developing disease and many people with it can live normally with no treatment needed.

CLL requires constant monitoring to check the levels and health of the different blood cells. Treatment, which is usually immunotherapy or chemotherapy, is only needed if the disease develops and it is very much tailored to the individual.

How can Live & Dry Blood Analysis help?

Whatever a person’s diagnosis, I believe that if they can have an influence over the environment their cells are living in – the extracellular fluids – then they can influence the health of their cells.

I also believe that by observing the health of our blood cells we can see whether the internal environment of their body is supporting the health of their cells.

This is essentially what Live and Dry Blood Analysis can do. It can:

• assess the condition of the fluids that surround the cells and pick up possible metabolic and digestive issues

• assess the appearance of the blood cells and identify normal and abnormal cells

• ascertain whether there are issues in the bone marrow – deficiencies of nutrients, defective stem cell differentiation - or issues in the circulation – obstruction, stress in certain organs, aggregations and crystals in the plasma, evidence of infections.

My aim is to assess their blood and determine what indications can be seen and to interpret those findings so that I can offer individualised dietary and supplemental advice that addresses those unique indications.

Does the same diagnosis = same recommendations?

We all have biochemical individuality as well as a unique health history, diet and lifestyle and so the impact on our health from all of these elements will vary from person to person.

This becomes very apparent when you look at blood under the microscope and see the profile of indications. Despite both clients having CLL – their blood pictures are unique. This illustrates how a diagnosis does not dictate treatment in the holistic health world.

It also raises a question – if two people with the same diagnosis have such different blood profiles, how differently will they react to prescribed medication?

Case History One

52 year old woman recently diagnosed with CLL when she went to the Dr because of her extreme fatigue which was getting worse.

This client was extremely stressed and traumatised by her diagnosis. It was completely unexpected and came at a time when she had already experienced prolonged stress over a period of two years.

She had lost her way in terms of her diet and lifestyle over the last few years where she had previously been exercising and eating healthily she now relies on food for comfort and feels so tired and stressed she is unable to make decisions or plan.

She has lost both parents and has been caring for a suicidal son in the midst of which her marriage has been breaking down. She was coming to me to start again and reset her health. She had been doing a lot of research but was confused and wanted guidance.

Her Blood Analysis

In the context of her diagnosis she did have abnormal lymphocytes and low levels of neutrophils. These were obvious in her blood sample.

Abnormal Lymphocytes

However, I was more interested in finding other indications that would point to root causes of any health issues.

• The most obvious and prevalent issue was evidence of parasites. This can be seen in the dry blood analysis as black spider like shapes.

Parasite indication in dry blood

• Parasites can leach nutrients, create an acidic environment and can damage organs and tissues that they proliferate in.

• I could also see that her blood contained some toxicity and possibly heavy metals. This can be seen bin the dry blood as a dark outer ring around the blood layer.

Indications of toxic metals

• Toxicity is circulating in the blood and rather than being filtered out it is left in circulation. Depending on the nature of the toxins they will cause damage to cells as the blood circulates, raise acidity levels, get deposited in tissues (even the brain), and attract parasites and bacteria.

• The live blood showed a variety of nutrient deficiencies, macrocytes and micocytes which are abnormal red blood cells produced by the bone marrow and unable to carry out their function of delivering oxygen to tissues. This is because of a B12 and folate deficiency as well as iron.

Anisocytes

• There were many red blood cells that had been damaged in circulation which I believe is because the cell membranes are not robust enough. Cell membranes need a mix of cholesterol and other essential fatty acids, if they contain too many of the wrong fats then they will oxidise easily or become easily damaged during circulation. 

Acanthocytes

My interpretation

This client was experiencing a lot of stress and we know that stress plays a huge part in causing ill health. When a client is this traumatised it is not the right time to give them a long list of things to do. Asking them to do anything is asking too much and our role is not to add to the stress.

My main focus was to reassure her that she can make changes and improve her health. This is very empowering and offers hope. I only made a few suggestions but ones that I knew would be the most effective and important to get her onto the first stage of healing. These were primarily digestive support, some essential supplements to top up deficiencies and a few dietary tweaks.

I believe that parasites were playing a big role in her mental health; however she needed to do some preparation before using any parasite protocols. I wanted to start by correcting the imbalanced pH of the body’s cells and fluids through diet, hydration and gentle cleansing techniques. This alone can help to shift parasites and it is a gentler process that does little harm to the cells

I felt that addressing the stress was the most important issue for this client, I referred her to other therapists that would be able to help her further with stress coping and trauma healing. She responded very well to this approach and managed to make some changes slowly which gave her more energy, hope and a clearer mental state so that she could move forward.

Case History Two

46 year old male, has been diagnosed in the last 6 months, discovered by routine health check at Dr.

This client was very positive. He had taken lots of action already, researched and read lots of books and had devised his own health plan involving diet – gluten, dairy and sugar free, juicing and smoothies, no carbohydrates.

He was on a lot of supplements – antioxidants, lots of chlorella, charcoal, several multi mineral and vitamins and herbal mixes. He was also doing far-infrared saunas and coffee enemas twice a day, skin brushing, Epsom salt baths as well as exercising and intense medical cannabis treatment! His only symptoms were fatigue and some digestive discomfort.

His Blood Analysis

His live blood was very interesting as it showed multiple indications. I would say that only 30 % of his blood sample looked normal.

• Within the first few minutes of analysis he remembered that he also had Thalassemia – a hereditary blood disorder where the red blood cells are produced smaller than normal and are often much weaker than normal red blood cells. It is a common disorder in those with Mediterranean heritage and it can induce fatigue, but is usually untreated.

Anisocytes

• His blood sample also contained a lot of lymphocytes and a high percentage of those were abnormal, which I believe were present because of the CLL.

Abnormal Lymphocytes

However, despite his rather “messy” live blood sample his dry blood sample was quite different.

• He had a fairly weak fibrin web. The fibrin in the dry blood is a clotting protein and should traverse the whole of the blood layer. In our first client it was virtually absent. In this client it is a partial fibrin web, and it indicates the need to tone up the digestion and increase absorption of protein.

Fibrin Web

• The dry blood analysis can reveal the depth of disease – acute or chronic –as well as the extent of the disease process in terms of oxidative stress and inflammation – systemic or localised. This client had virtually no oxidative stress and only very mild inflammation in specific areas.

Indication of organ inflammation

• He also had waves of toxicity in his dry blood that show his tissues, cells and organs are releasing a lot of toxicity but it is remaining in the blood putting pressure on the organs of elimination and all the resources the body needs to be able to quench the toxicity and the consequential free radical damage.

Indications of toxicity

My interpretation

I believe he was pushing his body too fast in terms of detox. Given his CLL and Thalassemia, the pace of detox could be causing too much oxidation and damage to the already fragile blood cell membranes. My advice was to slow the detox process down.

I asked him to introduce some soothing, hydrating and nourishing approaches rather than the raw and mostly vegan diet. I also supported the digestion, especially protein and fat digestion. He was consuming far too many Omega 6 fats and hardly any Omega 3 – which really affects the integrity of the cell membranes and so I advised to get the balance right and include EFA (DHA and EPA) supplementation. He needed to supplement B12 and folate too and avoid iron overload in the diet

One size does not fit all!

Two clients diagnosed with the same condition and yet you can see that their blood samples were completely different. Even the expression of CLL was different in terms of the appearance and quantity of abnormal lymphocytes.

Their individual health stories, their state of mind and the resources that they have available to them meant that they each needed a unique approach on the path to healing and regeneration. The speed of healing from any health issue is dependent on the biological strength of the body but also the mental and emotional state too.

One client needed to be able to find her own strength and stability before she could embark on making dietary changes. The other was already speeding ahead with diet and lifestyle changes, but going too fast for his body to cope.

Our Blood is an Expression of Our Uniqueness

The blood is a fascinating biological fluid that contains our unique biological imprint. It can provide so much information and help us understand our health at a deeper level.

I believe Live & Dry Blood Analysis is the best tool for:

• helping clients to address their individual needs in terms of diet and lifestyle

• looking deeper at the individual and not the diagnosis

• monitoring their blood as they progress to keep them going in the right direction for them

One thing I need to make clear is that LDBA is not a diagnostic method and alternative health practitioners are not able to treat anyone for their diagnosis. 

The truth is that no matter what diagnosis a client has, diet and lifestyle can influence the health of our bodies and so with that logic, getting professional advice on what sorts of diet and lifestyle habits would be beneficial to anyone who wants to improve their health is a sensible thing to do.

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health, then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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Good Fat, Bad Fat, Healthy Fat, Low Fat! Insights From LBA

My grandmother used to save the dripping from the Sunday roast and ceremoniously offer it up to us when we visited. We would dunk a chunk of bread in the solid white fat; it would crack like ice on a pond to reveal the jelly like rich gravy underneath and the bread soaked it up. Delicious!

Most people will shudder at the thought of eating the dripping now because for decades we’ve been led to believe that saturated fat is bad for our health, especially animal fat. We’ve been taught that eating fat will make us fat and could cause heart disease.  

But fat is a vital nutrient that our body requires in order to be healthy.

As a nutritionist, I often need to inform my clients of the science around dietary fats and the role they play in health and disease to be able to persuade them that:

“Yes, you can eat fat – even saturated fat - and be healthy”.

But often clients are not so easily convinced, until they see their blood during an analysis session!

Considering how important to health our red blood cells are, it is vital that they are able to withstand the pressures they are under during circulation in order for them to deliver the essential-to-life oxygen to all our cells, tissues and organs.

If clients are consuming high levels of refined and processed fats, eating a diet of predominantly polyunsaturated fats and have little to no animal fats in their diet - it will show up in the blood in various ways:

• If the membranes are not formed properly – the red blood cells will lose their integrity in circulation.

Hemolysed Red Blood Cell

• The rbc membranes will also oxidise easily creating red blood cells that are unable to carry out their functions.

Echinocytes

• If the rbc membrane is deformed due to lack of appropriate fats they break under circulatory pressure. (picture of acanthocytes)

Acanthocytes

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Is fat essential to health?

Yes! Healthy fats are essential for healthy cell membranes, especially red blood cells, and unhealthy fats can create unhealthy cell membranes which, if not corrected, can be responsible for many health issues:

• Dietary fats are a source of energy – double the energy content of protein or carbohydrate.

• They function as structural building blocks of the body –providing every cell with a membrane which contains a combination of different fats that together create stability and flexibility for the cells.

• Fats carry fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K, and support their absorption in the intestine. Consuming sufficient amounts of fatty foods that contain these vitamins is essential for adequate intake of these vital micronutrients.

• Fats are indispensable for a number of important biological functions including growth and development.

• The brain is very rich in fat (60%) and has a unique fatty acid composition; docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the major brain fatty acid. The lipids of the retina also contain very high concentrations of DHA.

• Essential fatty acids, which are derived from dietary polyunsaturated fats via a very complex and sensitive biological conversion – are necessary for brain and eye health, hormonal balance, inflammatory response regulation, blood clotting and wound healing.

Considering this long, but by no means exhaustive list of the benefits of fat, when did fat become associated with bad health and why?

“Fat makes you Fat”

Just before the turn of the 19th century food started to be measured in calories. Of the three macromolecules of nutrition – fat, carbohydrate and protein – fat contains the most calories. By the 1920s the desired shape and size of women’s bodies changed from plump and voluptuous, which indicated wealth and health -  to stick thin and flat chested being the in vogue female image.

The word calorie became associated with dieting and soon women were counting calories and seeking to eat less and less of them in an effort to maintain the fashion industry’s promoted skinny ideal.

And so began the dieting culture.

This led to eating habits that aimed to reduce calories, but paid little attention to the nutrient values of the foods. Diets evolved to contain less fat, more carbohydrates and foods rich in sugar.

But – we’ve reduced our fat calorie intake and yet today one in 3 of us is obese?

“Fats are bad for your heart”

In the 1920s clogged arteries were a rarity and only a small branch of medicine was concerned with coronary heart disease. A few heart specialists would meet occasionally to discuss their few cases and formed the American Heart Association in 1924.

A researcher called Ancel Keys presented the Lipid Hypothesis in the late 1950s. It stated that there was a direct relationship between the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet – specifically the traditional animal fats - and the incidence of coronary heart disease.

Around the same time the cotton industry discovered a processing technique that turned a waste product, cotton seed oil, into a fat that can be used as a replacement for butter, lard and in commercial baking and sold as a food ingredient known as ‘Crisco’. This product soon became a household staple around the world.

However, there were no safety tests done to make sure this was a product fit for human consumption.  Despite this, the lipid hypothesis took hold and research bodies, such as the American Heart Association enjoyed huge financial support from the burgeoning refined food oil industry.

The fats that made up our diet changed quite drastically due to the advice given by medical institutions to cut down on the traditional butter and lard and consume refined vegetable oil instead, in an effort to reduce the rising heart disease epidemic.

But – we’ve cut out our saturated animal fat and yet today heart disease is the number one killer in the world?

Between 1920 and the year 2000 -

• The proportion of traditional animal fats in diet declined from 83% to 62%

• Consumption of sugar and processed foods increased by 60%

• Yet dietary vegetable oils intake increased by 400%!

• Within just 80 years heart disease went from a few rare cases to one in three deaths globally!

Our diets have changed, we are consuming fewer calories as fat, and we are consuming massively increased levels of processed vegetable fats and refined carbohydrates.

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Could plant-based fats be bad for our health?

Humans have always consumed polyunsaturated fats as part of the diet in the form of legumes, grains, nuts, green vegetables, fish, olive oil and animal fats – but not as processed and refined vegetable oils. Modern diets typically contain around 30% of its calories as polyunsaturated fat from soy, corn, safflower and canola oils.

Yet the evidence from scientific research supporting the lipid hypothesis is not conclusive. In fact it indicates that we should not be consuming more than 4%.

These volatile polyunsaturated oils are damaged by the heat and pressure they are put under in order to extract the oil from the raw product. It changes the molecular structure of the delicate oils.  

In order to make the finished product palatable it is treated with deodorants, bleach and chemical preservatives, flavourings and colours.

All of this refining and processing may lead to a convenient palatable product that can be used in cooking and food product manufacturing but it has caused so much damage to our health that today, the levels of these dangerous fats – known as trans-fat - allowed in food has been reduced enormously, in some countries even banned.

We now know just how unhealthy trans-fats are, causing:

• Oxidation and free radical damage to all cells

• Cell membrane oxidation and abnormalities

• Damage DNA/RNA causing mutations in cell reproduction

• Premature aging of the skin

• Damage to tissues and organs

• Damage to blood vessels which can lead to a build-up of plaque

Trans fats can also:

• Block the use of essential fatty acids –affecting the central nervous and endocrine systems

• Increase blood cholesterol levels

• Raise inflammatory responses and trigger autoimmune diseases

Consumption of these oils in this quantity has been shown to contribute to disease conditions such as cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, damage to liver, reproductive organs and lungs, digestive disorders, learning and growth impairment and weight gain.

Free radical damage that can be triggered by consuming damaged fats is associated with premature aging, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory responses that are linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, contributes to insulin resistance.

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How to improve your diet and use Live & Dry Blood Analysis to monitor progress

You can use Live & Dry Blood Analysis to check the levels of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation of your red blood cell membranes. 

We all have damaged fats in our organs, tissues and cells. If you change the fats you consume, in time, your body will replace the damaged fats with the healthy ones.

Top tips for ensuring you eat plenty of healthy fats

1. The best thing you can do for your health is to eliminate processed, refined oils and fat - no margarine, odourless golden vegetable oil liquid, foods cooked in those oils (crisps), or food products produced using those oils (pastry, cakes, biscuits etc).

2. Include healthy fats in all your meals - make sure you eat a range of different fats throughout your week to get the benefits:

   You need unrefined, cold pressed nut and seed oils such as EVOO, flaxseed/linseed oil – these will be full of antioxidants and unspoiled by processing, contained in dark glass bottles and kept cool, sealed and away from light.

   Plant based healthy fats - coconut oil, avocados, raw and soaked nuts and seeds, green leafy vegetables, fermented nut cheese, nut and seed milks and yoghurts, chia seeds and even cacao nibs!

3. Other healthy fats – if you consume animal products it is essential that you choose the highest welfare producers and check the provenance of the product.

   Grass fed, unpasteurised, organic butter, milk and cheese contain very important healthy fats. Unprocessed, grass fed, naturally raised organic meat, cooked slowly to break down the fast and enrich the meal with minerals from the bones. Organ meats are very high in healthy fats too.

Make the necessary dietary changes and after 120 days, when all of your blood cells have been replaced with new ones, you can check the blood again under the microscope and see the difference.

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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Should We All Go 'Plant-Based'? Changing Diets Using LBA

The term “plant-based” is everywhere! It is very much in vogue due to the environmental impacts of meat production and the growing vegetarian/vegan movement.

Most nutritionists and those of us interested in regaining health know that increasing the amount of vegetables, fruits and wholefoods in the diet will inevitably lead to some improvement in health.

It really is a “no-brainer”. Right?

What is “plant-based”?

A plant-based diet means eating a diet that is derived either wholly or mostly from plants - specifically vegetables, fruits, pulses, legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains.

Doing so ensures you are consuming a huge variety of nutrients, all-important fibre, prebiotics (essential food encouraging a healthy microbiome) as well as a myriad of micro nutrients yet to be discovered.

In many ways it is eating as nature intended. However, eating a plant-based diet doesn’t always lead to good health.

Can a plant-based diet make health worse not better?

Short answer – yes, but how?

The plant-based movement is a huge emerging market and there are plenty of food producers looking to supply the demand. Growing plants and processing them into convenience foods in the cheapest way possible is the drive behind many of the new plant-based products that are filling the supermarket shelves.

These foods may be convenient and plant based but that does not mean that they are healthy. It is important that this distinction is understood.

Meatless meat products  

• Quorn is made from fermenting a strain of the soil mould Fusarium venenatum, then adding glucose, fixed nitrogen, vitamins and minerals, and heat-treating it to remove certain toxins. It is a highly processed food, low in protein, higher in fat than lentils, for example, and is high in sodium.

  This product is far from a health food. It has been responsible for allergic reactions, contains few essential nutrients and in fact is not vegan.

• Textured vegetable protein – another plant based meat substitute that is also highly processed. It is made from defatted soya protein which creates a denatured protein, providing very little usable protein for the body.

• There are also pea protein-based meat products which are often loaded with fillers, additives, flavouring and preservatives.

For some people consuming these products can provide very little nutrition - you do not consume the amount of protein you need if you rely on meatless meat substitutes and can become deficient or malnourished.

Also your body may not be able to digest and eliminate the denatured, highly processed proteins/fats/by-products which can lead to health issues or exacerbate current symptoms.

Removing meat and dairy but adding more processed foods

Another pitfall of becoming more plant-based is that people remove the meat and replace it with unhealthy refined carbohydrate products that are often loaded with sugar and damaged fats.

Refined and processed convenience foods can increase the possibility of blood sugar issues and obesity. Processed and chemically altered plant fats, known as trans fats, are damaging to health and have been banned because they are known to promote systemic inflammation and increase your risk of heart disease.

In many ways meat, fish and dairy are convenience foods. Eating a healthy plant-based diet takes time – sourcing, shopping and preparing foods – and it is NOT convenient and this is the reason that most people will fall into the trap of using plant-based convenience foods. This can cause nutrient deficiencies over time, however, and for some could make existing health issues worse or even bring about symptoms that they previously did not suffer from.

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How do you go “plant-based” healthily?

I have worked with hundreds of clients with a huge variety of health issues and dietary habits. One aspect that most of my clients have in common when they first come to me is that they consume a diet of few plant wholefoods but with many processed convenience foods.

Before blindly advocating a plant-based diet change, or offering any dietary changes, I use Live and Dry Blood Analysis to screen my clients’ blood for signs of imbalances and clues to the root causes of their symptoms.

It is vital to get a clear picture of current nutrient status – deficiencies of nutrients such as iron, B12 or folate, as well as an understanding of any disruption to the body’s many biological systems responsible for health – such as the digestive system, eliminatory system or the circulatory system. If they are already deficient in certain nutrients like B12 or they aren’t digesting protein efficiently, then a plant-based diet may make things worse.

The most common issues amongst my plant-based diet clients are signs of B12 deficiency, protein digestion issues and cell membrane weakness. Why?

• B12 is such a vital nutrient for the health of our bodies and it is more or less absent in a plant-based diet.

  Blood cells require B12 in order to develop normally and so the body has a store of it in the liver. But over time this store is depleted, even one night of binge drinking (alcohol) will eliminate a years’ worth of B12. If this is not replenished, through diet and a healthy digestive process, you can soon become B12 deficient.

  Symptoms of B12 deficiency often do not appear until the body is quite depleted and normal cell reproduction has been affected for some time. I have written about B12 extensively in this blog post.

  Live blood analysis can clearly show if B12 is lacking by the presence and quantity of abnormal cells:

Macrocytes

Hypersegmented Neutrophils

• PROTEIN is another vital nutrient for the health of our body. The quality of protein as well as our ability to digest and metabolise it determines whether we are giving our body what it needs.

• You can definitely consume plenty of healthy protein in a plant-based diet (see this blog post I wrote about vegan protein). However, digesting protein and breaking it down into the amino acid building blocks that our body relies on depends on not only diet but the health of the digestive tract.

  It is vital to get the digestive tract healthy and functioning efficiently, especially if animal protein is off the menu.

  Here are some examples of issues of protein digestion as seen in Live and Dry Blood Analysis:

Weak Fibrin Web

Protein Linkage

• CELL MEMBRANES are made up mostly of lipids or fats. Essential fats such as Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are vital for healthy membrane and are hugely important to health. We need to consume them in our diet as the body does not synthesize them.

  Plant-based fats are predominantly Omega 6 fats which are known to increase the possibility of inflammatory diseases, autoimmune conditions and incidence or severity of allergic reactions.

  Additionally the Omega 3 fats available in plant-based foods are actually very hard for the body to metabolise. It involves a complex enzyme pathway that is easily disrupted, causing a lack of the EPA/DHA that the cell membranes are so desperate for. It is estimated that over 90% of the Omega 3 oil consumed in a plant based diet is lost via the digestive process.

  Trans fats are fats that have been damaged or denatured and are used in plant-based foods such as margarines, baked/fried/cooked goods and dairy-like food replacements. They are extremely bad for health because they replace the healthy lipids of the cell membranes, especially in the brain, and will disrupt cellular communication and proper normal functioning of the cell.

  They also increase levels of “bad” cholesterol and because they are hard to metabolise they end up being pocketed by the body, where they cause damage to tissues and processes.

  Live Blood Analysis can assess the health of the cell membranes as well as screen for fat metabolism issues by checking for fat aggregations in the blood’s plasma:

Lysed RBCs

Crystals

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Potential pitfalls of a plant based diet are -

1. Lack of quality protein

2. Reduction of B12 intake

3. Increase of trans fats

4. Imbalance between omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids

Top tips for ensuring a healthy transition to plant-based diet.

1. Get the blood analysed to screen for deficiencies and imbalances before cutting out food groups.

2. Tone up the digestive tract and ensure good stomach acid production.

3. Make sure the routes of elimination are open – to be able to process the additional vegetable and fruit fibre as well as eliminate the toxin release.

4. Do it gradually and plan the diet. Make shopping lists, print off recipes, ensure adequate nutrients especially protein and fats and don’t rely on vegan plant-based meat substitutes or processed convenience foods!

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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"Do You Check Your Own Blood?" - Being a Live Blood Analyst

“Do you check your own blood?”        

I often get asked this question by my clients and the answer, of course, is “yes”!

In fact, I am extremely grateful for my microscope, it has helped me to gain a deeper understanding about how the human body reacts and responds to the stresses of life.

After looking at my own blood under the microscope over the last 8 years I have witnessed how it has changed throughout the ups and downs in my own health. I believe this has helped me become a much more informed nutritionist and now, I cannot imagine life without my microscope.

The Truth is in Your Blood

When I first trained in LDBA I remember sitting in class along with about 12 other nutritionists, herbalists, naturopaths and health practitioners feeling very apprehensive when asked by our tutor – “Who would like to have their blood taken so we can all look at it under the microscope together?” There was no rush of hands; instead there was hesitation and reluctance.

We were fearful of what our own blood would reveal – “Will our cells show that even though we believed we were doing all the right things to be healthy – we were not healthy on the inside? Had we got it all wrong?”

We soon got used to putting ourselves under the microscope and became completely fascinated by this amazing tool for assessing our health. Once I was in the privacy of my own home with my own microscope, I could see my blood as often as I liked, This is when I really began to realise it’s worth, not only to my own health but also to my family’s and my clients.

Healer Heal Thyself

I became a nutritionist because changing my diet literally changed my life. I had ME/CFS twenty five years ago and I recovered within two years due to a massive diet change, taking a variety of supplements and using naturopathic techniques.

I still need to be cautious with my own health and being able to analyse my blood has helped me understand some of the root causes of the symptoms I still suffered from.

Lingering colds, weak immune system.

One of the biggest health issues that had continued to linger since recovering from ME/CFS was my seemingly sluggish immune system. I could feel a cold coming over a period of weeks; I would eventually get some symptoms such as blocked sinuses, foggy head, achy body and headaches but they would take months to clear completely.

To understand why this was happening I decided to analyse my blood when I next felt I was coming down with a cold. I discovered that my white blood cells, specifically my neutrophils, were very small, there were not as many as there should be and that their nuclear lobes were undefined and “cloudy”.

Comparison between normal and small/cloudy Neutrophils

All of this indicated that my white blood cells were deficient in certain nutrients – they needed minerals and vitamins to help them be produced normally in the bone marrow, and they needed fuel in the form of antioxidants in order to be viable immune cells.

• I created a bespoke protocol that would aim to boost the immune system, replenish the antioxidants – such as vitamin C, zinc, selenium – to encourage healthier neutrophils.

• I boosted my B12 and folate levels with supplements but also checked my diet for the right foods, and supported the digestive system to make sure the nutrients could be digested and absorbed.

I saw my neutrophils improve over a period of a few months and after six months of following my protocol my body had a proper cold! I had a real fever and chills, lots of mucous and these acute symptoms only lasted for three days. I recovered within a week rather than a few months.

Helping the Ones I Love

The most valuable thing to me is health, not just my own but also my family’s. When you love someone you do whatever you can to help them.

When my husband became sick five years ago, it was the biggest challenge of my career.

He had many diagnostic tests issued by both his Dr and functional medical practitioners and has had many interpretations of what may be going on in his body. Initially he was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E and later he was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and co-infections.

I have analysed his blood from the time he first started to feel ill, throughout his anti-viral and antibiotic medication and during his herbal protocols. In times of frustration when nothing seemed to be working or when a symptom would come on suddenly without apparent provocation, I have been able to look at his blood, make an assessment and offer advice. This had many advantages:

1. Reassurance – because I knew my husband’s blood well, I was able to judge when things changed. This helped me to reassure him when he was feeling rough and was worried that things were getting worse.         

2. I was able to assess his blood during the various protocols he tried which included prescribed medications as well as herbal and supplement protocols, checking for changes or new developments.

3. It gave me the sense that I was able to help and make a positive contribution to the man I love, even if I couldn’t offer a cure.

4. It also gave me a valuable insight into the progress of a diagnosis such as this which is often vague, hard to treat and fraught with a lot of “try and see” approaches to finding relief from symptoms.

 “Somethings just not right – I need to look at his blood.”

Just recently my youngest son has been poorly. He has been having a repeated cycle of nausea, dizziness and stomach pain that comes every few weeks. At first I assumed it was a tummy bug and it passed after a few days, but when it returned again a week or so later I knew I had to look at his blood.

I could see all the signs of a parasite infection and this enabled me to take immediate action and put an anti-parasitic protocol into place for him. I loved the reassurance my microscope gave me. As a Mum, that is priceless.

It is often harder to help those you love because you care so much, the emotions can take over and you can lose your focus. My microscope has been my rock to cling to when I was worried about my family and helped me use my knowledge to take positive action to help them.

The beauty of being able to use Live & Dry Blood Analysis is that I can get immediate results, no waiting for tests or appointments and I can take action straight away.

Having my own microscope gives me the opportunity to experiment!

With so many new supplements being produced, new types of tests being invented and theories about health and diet being written about, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by all of this information input! How do you, as a nutritionist, absorb it all and use it effectively to help clients?

I have used my microscope to experiment on myself by doing many “before and after” blood checks. I have tried new supplements over a period of months and checked my blood to see if there are any changes. I have induced a hangover (all in the name of science of course!) and administered hangover cures and seen how my blood changed.

What the blood looks like during detox - I conducted a gallbladder and liver cleanse on myself and I analysed my blood before I started, during the detox and once I had finished so that I could track how my blood changed during the process. It really helped me understand that once you start a detox it doesn’t end.

• I learned to allow the body the time it needed to complete a detox. Your body will continue the process for some time after you have finished the detox routine.

• Once toxins are kicked out of their hiding place in the cells and tissues, you must check that they are indeed being excreted and are not left circulating in the blood able to settle somewhere else.

Detox Before & After

Pleasant Side-effects

Having constant access to my own microscope has been a huge benefit to my health, my family’s health and my clients’ health. It has allowed me to grow in my knowledge and experience of the human body and how it is in constant flux, adapting and responding to its internal environment.

I have learned also that we are all truly unique and our own blood has a unique signature – I can see patterns, similarities and a range of abnormalities in everyone’s blood but the particular collection of indications in a person’s blood is unique to them.

I initially trained in LDBA because I thought it would help me be more effective as a nutritionist, which it absolutely has. I completely underestimated just how valuable it would be to my own health and the health of my loved ones. 

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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What Happens When Clients See Their Live Blood During Analysis?

Clients often come to an appointment with me armed with a pile of papers that are the results of various blood tests conducted by doctors or other nutritionists.

I often ask them if they understand the results of these tests and how they have helped. Their answer is usually no – they don’t understand what the numbers mean or how to interpret the results, and most often they are confused after having been told that their results are normal yet they feel awful.

They rely on the practitioner or doctor to interpret the results for them and very often the practitioner relies on the laboratory to interpret the meaning of the results for them.

Clients come to me for looking for a different experience. Rather than a list of numbers, they want a meaningful analysis of the state of their health, something that they can understand and that they can relate to. This is the advantage of Live & Dry Blood Analysis.

Health is More Than Skin Deep

When judging health from the outside we can often tell when something is wrong - for instance a skin rash or a cough. But it is often the unseen disease processes that lie beneath the surface, invisible to the naked eye, that we fear the most.

We are all aware of the images of diseased lungs that are printed on the side of cigarette packets or adverts that graphically illustrate the physical effects of smoking. We are often told that one in three of us will get cancer; we are led to believe that a disease like that can come out of the blue and we have very little power to stop it.

How many of us heed the warnings or change our behaviour? These fear-based warnings can be powerfully motivating, but humans tend to be good at ignoring them, especially if they appear to be healthy –on the outside at least.

Seeing your own cells can be a powerful experience

The majority of my clients come to me when they are already in pain in some way, whether that is an actual physical pain such as arthritis, or the emotional and mental pain of being constantly fatigued but no idea why, for example.

And so the challenge for the Live & Dry Blood Analyst is to make sure we do not add to the fear that clients already have. We need to motivate in a positive way, offer hope by educating clients about their bodies and this we can do through LDBA – with clients viewing their own cells.

When a client sees their own blood moving around on a screen they have a visceral, emotional connection to those cells. They are literally seeing inside their body. The realisation that these cells are responsible for the way that they feel and for the health of the rest of their body creates a major shift in approach to their own health.

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“How bad is my blood?”

Clients usually confess after the analysis session that they were worried about how bad their blood would be and that there would be signs of chronic disease. One of the most common questions I get asked by clients after we have looked at their blood is “how bad is my blood?” and “Can you tell if I am going to get a disease like cancer?” This is understandable of course and something I bear in mind.

I use LDBA to offer clarity, understanding and most of all, reassurance that you can affect your health positively and that it is never too late.

I am often able to reassure clients that their blood is not as bad as they feared it would be. Additionally, their blood may well reveal some issues that I need to highlight in order for them to understand how important it is that they make changes to their diet and lifestyle. I am able to use their blood to educate them as to which habits are causing imbalances and which habits they can integrate to improve their health.

Their blood cells give me leverage as a practitioner and offer motivation for the client.

Motivation for Change - Humans Will Do More to Avoid Pain than Gain Pleasure

It is a fact of human nature that we often know exactly what we should be doing or what we should stop doing in order for change to happen – but without leverage, without a powerful reason, a “why”, we do not commit.

We need leverage – what will happen if we don’t change – “I don’t want to end up on medication for the rest of my life” or “I will never get rid of the pain”.

We need a goal – something we feel strongly about – “I want to be fit enough to enjoy my grandchildren” or “I just want to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for life”.

The WOW Factor

The other response a client has when seeing their blood is amazement. They very often cannot believe what they are seeing.

It makes them think about their body in a different way. Knowing that the cells they are looking at were created by their own body and that the condition of them is dictated to by what they eat, how they move and what they feel and think on a daily basis, is very powerful.

If we are better educated as to how to look after our body, to understand what it needs to be healthy and how to interpret our symptoms as a call for help then we can feel empowered.

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Good for Clients & Good for Practitioners Too

As a practitioner, I find LDBA incredibly rewarding.

• I know that no matter why my clients come to see me, whether that is a diagnosis, a collection of uncomfortable symptoms or that they are just looking to check their health status I will be able to look at their blood to reveal a picture of their health that is unique to them, informed by the cells of their own body. It eliminates guesswork, theories or assumptions about what may be going on.

• Clients often have an emotional reaction and feel very inspired by the awesomeness of their body. They have a new found respect for it which leads to a deep curiosity as to how they can help it. This gives me an opportunity to share my understanding, my knowledge and experience as a nutritionist. I feel that I can make a real difference, that they listen deeply and this propels them to make the changes I recommend.

• Every client is unique and the cycles of regeneration may take longer for some than others. By re-testing clients’ blood after a period of 2 to 3 months we can get visual confirmation of the improvements in health.  It allows me to adapt my protocol to continue through the cycles of regeneration and it confirms that the recommendations I am making are working. It can be very rewarding for both my clients and myself to see improvement.
  
  

“Why doesn’t everyone do this?”

By the end of a LDBA session my clients express a variety of emotions and thoughts.

The most common response is – “wow!” - Seeing their blood cells has had a profound impact on the way they feel about their body and how it works.

Very often they say, “This really makes a lot of sense, now I get it!” – They see how all of their symptoms are connected, that their habits will either build or breakdown their health.

Their final words are usually “why doesn’t everyone do this?” – and this is exactly why I have written a course training health practitioners in Live & Dry Blood Analysis.

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Many practitioners have a passion to help others improve their health and yet come across obstacles. The biggest obstacle is overcoming human nature – practitioners have to affect a client deeply enough within a short space of time so that they are left with a lasting drive to make the changes you recommend.

LDBA is the best tool I know for overcoming these issues.

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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Dried Blood Analysis – a Holistic-Medical Blood Test

Blood is the most complex human biological fluid. It contains a huge variety of molecules, ions and cells; we can tell a lot about our health from what is in our blood and the way it behaves.

As medical science has progressed it seems we have discovered even more that the blood can offer and this is why it is so frequently tested by medical professionals to monitor health.

Nutritionists, naturopaths, and functional medical practitioners often use a variety of blood tests too, in order to assess various nutrient levels, inflammatory markers or liver enzymes for example. Rather than to prescribe medicine or diagnose disease the results of these tests are used to generate protocols that focus on supplements as well as dietary advice.

By relying on these types of tests, however, there is a danger that the therapist loses the holistic perspective and instead uses an allopathic approach to health - there can be a temptation to prescribe individual supplements to try to address specific test results directly.

There is a blood test that began as a medical application but has developed as a fantastic holistic health assessment tool. It has a wealth of science and research behind it which validates its use in the context of health screening and it can be used as part of a holistic health approach by the complementary therapist.

That test is called Dry Blood Analysis (sometimes known as the Oxidative Stress Test).

Medical and Scientific History of
Dry Blood Analysis (DBA)

Originally DBA was developed as a simple, quick health assessment of very sick patients that could be performed at the bedside. It was a solution to the difficulty of extracting enough blood from very sick patients in order to run tests. It was developed in 1939 by a New York Doctor called Emanuel Goldberger and he called it a blood film diagnostic test.

It involved puncturing the patient’s fingertip and allowing a bead of blood to surface. A microscope glass slide was then pressed onto the finger in order to take up the blood. This was repeated three times resulting in three circular ‘puddles’ of blood on the slide. The slide was then left for 20 minutes, allowing the blood sample to dry.

Once dry the blood films produce distinct patterns depending on the contents and the condition of the patients’ blood. Diseases left distinct patterns in these dry blood films and could indicate how serious the state of health in the patient was. By holding the slide up to the light the doctor was then able to evaluate the patterns with the naked eye.

This test was further developed in 1942 by Dr Bolen and was used as a screening tool for cancer. The cancer disease process creates a large amount of oxidative stress/free radical damage from the breakdown of tissue which produced specific patterns in the dry blood films. In reality, however, the test was not as specific as this; it could detect the presence of any chronic disease - not just cancer - that would cause the oxidation and breakdown of tissue, including all inflammatory processes.

In 1979 the Bradford Research Institute determined what was causing the distinctive patterns that appeared in the dry blood layers. They proposed a theory – The Reactive Oxygen Toxic Species (ROTS) theory of degenerative disease - which mapped the blood’s highly complex clotting cascade and determined how various chronic and acute disease processes interrupted this delicate homeostasis.

They proved that the metabolic by-products of disease processes (ROTS) would damage cells, tissues and organs and that this damage to health could be assessed via the ‘HLB’ test – a name derived from the initials of the researchers.

The test was essentially revealing the levels of inflammation in the body that was caused by free radical damage.

Current Scientific Research on Dry Blood Analysis

There is ongoing scientific research into biological fluids by research institutions continually mapping the diagnostic markers available from a single drop of blood. They have been able to confirm that the presence of certain disease processes do indeed generate specific characteristic patterns within dried drop of blood. 

Researchers from the department of Chemical Engineering in Monash University, Australia have been studying the cracking patterns that appear in a drop of dried blood. Their method of blood sampling and drying is slightly different but the theory as to why and how certain patterns appear is similar.

The Russian Scientific Research Institute of Gerontology in Moscow has also been developing a dry blood analysis test which they call “cuneform dehydration of biological fluids”. They believe that the body’s biological fluids are just as indicative of morphological changes in the body as the body’s cells and yet medical research has really only been focussing on cellular abnormalities.

The Dry Blood Analysis Test
- The Holistic Approach

As a Live & Dry Blood Analyst this new research is exciting and can offer theoretical and scientific weight behind our method of health screening, despite the differences between our testing processes.

Our testing method is similar to the Goldberger, Bolen and HLB method except we take eight blood films, or layers, per sample rather than three, we look at the dry blood under the microscope to view it in more detail and of course we are not conducting our test in controlled laboratory conditions but rather in our own clinic.

The core of our approach to Dry Blood Analysis is based on -

• The ROTS theory of disease which states that free radical damage, oxidative stress and inflammation are the cause and by-product of all disease processes.

• The understanding that ROTS by-products circulate in the blood and affect the clotting cascade.

• The fluid dynamics of a drying drop of biological fluid – the blood.

• The distinctive patterns that are generated by various disease states.

• The effect that the presence of various toxic elements that circulate within the blood can have on the dry blood patterns

The Dry Blood Analysis procedure involves puncturing a client’s fingertip and allowing a bead of blood to form. This is left on the finger for 30 seconds to allow the clotting cascade to develop. A microscope slide is then pressed onto the drop of blood eight times. The slide is left to dry, which takes about 15 minutes, and in that time the eight blood layers will go through an extraordinary transformation.

Dry Blood Analysis Sample

As blood is a biological fluid - it behaves like a non-Newtonian fluid. This means that as the water evaporates from layers of blood it generates currents within the fluid. This moves the contents of the layer around and creates the distinctive patterns.

How the contents move and where they end up within the layer is determined by the electro-biochemical properties of the red blood cells, the quantity of the various clotting factors in the plasma, toxins that have been circulating within the blood, by-products of pathogens, by-products of oxidation, free radical damage and degenerative disease processes. This is what generates the distinctive patterns within the dry blood layers that are indicative of various issues going on within the body.

Blood Drop Evaporation

Dry Blood Analysis can:

• Detect the presence of inflammation

• Assess the progression of inflammatory processes - chronic or acute

• Determine the location of the inflammatory process – organ, tissue or system specific

• Monitor the progression or reduction of the inflammatory process

• Detect heavy metal toxicity

• Reveal the presence of parasites

• Show mineral and vitamin imbalances

• Show antibiotic damage

• Detect bowel inflammation

• Assess the lymphatic burden

• Assess protein metabolism

Heavy Metals

Parasites

Bowel Inflammation

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Learning Live & Dry Blood Analysis Together
– Our Approach -

At Naturecure Academy we teach Dry Blood Analysis alongside Live Blood Analysis enabling you to conduct a well-rounded blood assessment on your clients, in your own clinic.

Not only can Dry Blood Analysis offer immediate confirmation of many issues that may be at play within your client’s state of health – but you can also use Live Blood Analysis alongside it to expand your understanding of your client’s health picture. The two work extremely well together……

Example

You may suspect a client has a heavy metal issue because they have several amalgam fillings or they have had them removed recently. Heavy metals can disrupt biological processes, encourage bacterial and parasitic infection, settle in neurological tissue etc.

You would not want to start forcing the body’s tissues to release heavy metals, however, if the kidneys, the liver, the blood brain barrier or the bowel could not handle it.

Dry Blood Analysis can confirm the presence of heavy metals and indicate whether there is evidence of parasites as well.

Live Blood Analysis can reveal liver, kidney or digestive stress. It can also reveal nutrient deficiencies that may hamper the body’s ability to detox.

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Our clients’ Live & Dry blood patterns, indications and findings are unique - by being able to understand and verify these findings we can create bespoke protocols that get to the root cause of their issues effectively.

Taking this approach can also mean less cost for your clients, as they can avoid paying for further laboratory testing if it is not necessary. This can add extraordinary value to what you can offer as a practitioner and set you apart from your competitors.

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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FREE email mini-series when you join our Mailing List

Does Your Client Really Have An Allergy or Intolerance?

Food intolerance testing is big business for online laboratories and the number of people believing they have a food allergy or intolerance is growing.

Are people really intolerant to certain foods - are they having a true allergic response - or does the problem lie in the health of their digestive tracts?

One of the most common questions I get asked from the general public is “Can Live Blood Analysis test for food allergies or intolerances?”

Food allergies and intolerances are of huge concern for many people I encounter in my practice. Understandably so as it appears that many children are being born with severe allergies. Often just a tiny particle of an allergen is enough to induce a potentially fatal anaphylactic shock in those people with a true acute allergy.

Along with those who have life threatening allergies, there are many having a variety of uncomfortable symptoms who believe that they are becoming allergic or are intolerant to a variety of foods/environmental chemicals. 

In an attempt to eliminate the symptoms they buy into the many allergy tests that are now available. The burgeoning “gluten free” and “dairy free” food industry is capitalising on this and now shops are full of “free from” options. When whole isles of supermarkets are dedicated to these foods you know that the demand is great.

So, if your clients suffer from bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, IBS, skin rashes, lots of mucous production, big dips in energy, breathing problems, hayfever, asthma, watery eyes, runny nose and brain fog after eating etc - does this mean that they could be allergic or intolerant to certain foods?

Should you initiate a raft of tests, and a big bill, to determine the truth? Or does Live & Dry Blood Analysis (LDBA) offer an alternative?

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The Allergic Response

Firstly let’s look more closely at what an allergy is.

Allergic reactions are a result of an immune system reaction to an allergen and there are different scales of allergic reactions.

The most severe are the types of allergic responses that cause anaphylactic shock. Scientists are still working out why this happens and they do have some ideas – some people are born with an immune system that is primed to produce a certain differentiation of immune cell that produces a particular chemical, an immunoglobin (IgE), which initiates a massive release of histamine from the body’s mast cells.

Mast cells are immune cells that contain histamine (and enzymes, cytokines, oxidative chemicals, proteoglycans) and they release these chemicals when triggered.

These chemicals are thought to have several functions:

• They help generate new blood vessels, assist in wound healing, defend against pathogens and play a role in protecting the brain.

• They also affect the surrounding tissues, increasing blood flow, increasing fluids in the area, attracting more white blood cells, triggering muscle cells to contract and irritating nerve cells.

Mast cells are stationed in all tissues that are exposed to the outside world – the skin, the mucosal linings of the respiratory tract, the blood-brain barrier and the lining of the digestive tract.

They can be triggered to release their chemical contents in a localised area as a normal response to an allergen/pathogen or other trigger of some sort.

Or it can be a systemic, almost simultaneous, release of chemicals throughout the whole body causing a severe allergic response. The body cannot survive or overcome the release of these chemicals and it can result in anaphylactic shock which if left untreated will be fatal. This is not a normal immune response.

So – If someone asks me can you test for allergies? – I ask them –

• Do you have itchy skin, rashes, welts, hives?

• Do you have difficulty breathing, runny nose, streaming eyes?

• Do you have blood in your stools, do you vomit or have acute diarrhea?

• And – do these symptoms occur rapidly, with little warning?

If the answer is ‘yes’ I advise them to go straight to the doctor and get checked for severe allergies.

Food Intolerances

The next question I ask is – what sorts of symptoms are you having that lead you to believe you are reacting to foods?

The answer to this is usually that they are experiencing a lot of digestive discomfort. It is true that there are certain foods, mostly types of sugars, that some people cannot digest properly such as lactose or foods that contain FODMAPS.

The sugars contained in these foods are undigested and travel through the digestive tract being fermented by intestinal bacteria leading to very uncomfortable symptoms like, gas, bloating, IBS etc.

Lectins are another substance that can cause these issues too.

As a nutritionist or naturopath looking to help clients - do food sensitivity testing kits help?

There are many types of food sensitivity testing kits that can be bought online. Typically they send you a kit that directs you to prick a fingertip and extract some drops of blood directly into a tube which is then sealed and sent off in the post to a laboratory for processing. You receive your results with a report that shows you which foods you are supposedly sensitive to and they advise you to avoid.

HOWEVER – these tests are for IgG antibodies not IgE. IgG antibodies are produced when you are exposed to a food, not because of an allergy response. They are generated by circulating immune cells - plasma cells - when we are exposed to certain foods and they are there to protect us against the naturally present allergens in these foods.

For the most part they actually prevent us from having an abnormal reaction; we become desensitised by these immunoglobins so that we can harmonise with our environment (our diet).  Each of us has our own distinct repertoire of circulating IgG antibodies.

AND – the story so far in terms of immunoglobins (all of them), cytokines and T helper cells, B cells and plasma cells is nowhere near complete.

The way the immune system works, how it is primed from early life within the womb through infancy to adulthood, the genetic influences, the inherited traits and the environmental exposure to allergens, foods, chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs creates a very complex picture. We do not have all the pieces of the puzzle in order to see it clearly, yet.

Does avoiding problematic foods actually solve the problem?

By eliminating the foods you are supposedly sensitive to as laid out in the IgG food sensitivity testing, or by following a low FODMAP or low lectin diet in an attempt to resolve your health issues, you may not be getting to the root cause.

When you look at the list of foods that contain FODMAPS or lectins – the list is huge and you cannot possibly avoid them all nor should you. It can be dangerous to start cutting out foods and food groups from the diet for any length of time, as it can lead to nutrient deficiencies and ultimately may be totally unnecessary.

There can be a placebo effect from this process which can be powerful, however, I am not convinced it will override an underlying health issue for long and may end up causing further problems.

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How Live Blood Analysis Can Help

In my experience as a nutritionist the root cause of these sensitivities and digestive issues needs to be uncovered in order for them to be resolved.

Firstly, as a holistic practitioner I believe that the influences on a person’s health come from many angles. My role is to investigate thoroughly to be able to generate as complete a picture of their health as I can.

I take their case history – this includes a list of all the symptoms they are currently experiencing, a complete list of foods and drinks they consume, a run through of their entire health history going back to birth to present day, the health history of parents grandparents, a list of medications and supplements they are taking, a breakdown of lifestyle habits, levels and sources of stress and an understanding the environments they spend their time in.

Then I conduct a Live and Dry Blood Analysis to uncover the possible root causes of their issues.

Here are just a few examples of how LDBA can assess a client to find the root cause of their symptoms:

1)      Assessment of gut permeability

Most of the symptoms experienced by those looking for food sensitivity testing are digestive in nature. They range from acid-reflux, indigestion, nausea, cravings, bloating, IBS, constipation, diarrhoea, pains in the belly/stomach.

Chylous particles in live blood

I ask clients to fast for 5 hours before the blood analysis so that when I take their blood sample (only a drop from the finger tip) there should be no food particles floating around in the plasma. However, if I do see bright particles in their sample as in the image, it tells me that there is gut permeability also known as leaky gut - this can be contributing to their symptoms.

Particles leaking from the digestive tract will be either undigested or partly digested, covered in bacteria, or may even be fragments of bacteria or fungus. This will put pressure on the immune system – it has to cope with these ‘foreign particles’ in the blood and decide how to deal with them.

This can lead to higher production or activation of immune cells, by products of which can generate a lot of acidity, oxidative stress and use up lots of nutrients and energy.

The leaky gut needs to be addressed as part of their root cause protocol.

2)      Digestive capacity

In order to have a happy, normally functioning digestive tract we need to have a good level of stomach acid. Without that we cannot kill off microbes or digest protein properly which can lead to all kinds of issues like bacterial overgrowth in the stomach (helicobator pylori), bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO) and deficiency of B12.

We need stomach acid (and ‘intrinsic factor’) for the digestive tract to extract, breakdown and absorb B12. Learn more in our post ‘To B12 or not to B12’.

Signs of B12 Deficiency

Some clients’ blood samples show that they have a low level of B12 which is reflected by the appearance of certain red blood cells and white blood cells. We are not measuring the B12 in the blood here - we seeing an actual functional deficiency of B12 (and folate) that has impaired the DNA synthesis and results in abnormal cells.

This can be an indicator of digestive capacity and it is vital to catch a B12 deficiency early so that it can be corrected as it is one of the most vital nutrients for health. Possible indications are:

• Macrocytes - Red blood cells that are too big due to lack of B12 at point of production in the bone marrow. They cannot travel into the capillaries and so are not able to carry oxygen or carbon dioxide.

A macrocyte (enlarged RBC)

• Hypersegmented neutrophils – the nucleus of this white blood cell is divided into many lobes indicating a deficiency of B12.

A Hypersegmented Neutrophil


3)      Bowel inflammation

Dry Blood Sample showing indication of bowel inflammation

Digestive disturbances can be caused by the overgrowth of bacteria creating gas and bloating. They can also be caused by inflammation in the bowel which may have been caused by antibiotic damage, allowing an overgrowth of ‘bad’ bacteria or it can be a condition such as IBD.

Whatever the cause, bowel inflammation can be seen in dry blood analysis. In the image above you can see a dark central area – which represents toxicity building up in the bowel (possibly from an inflammatory process, but also could be from toxicity in general). You can also see white circular areas which are puddles of the metabolic breakdown products from inflammation.

4)      Immune System Assessment

If a client does have allergies or intolerances which are related to an immune system response, then there will be some obvious signs in the both the live and the dry blood analysis. 

• Basophils - If there are several of these cells in a live blood sample then we can deduce that the immune system is reacting to an allergen or an irritation of some sort.

  They contain histamine granules just like mast cells, and can be the cause of inflammatory reactions, acute and chronic allergies and are present when there are ectoparasite infections such as tick bites (basophils migrate to the infected tissues).

Basophil

• Eosinophils – these are another type of white blood cell that if found in certain levels in the blood sample can indicate that there may be a parasite infection. They are part of the inflammatory response, are specifically related to helminths and other multicellular parasites, asthma and viral diseases.

Eosinophils

• Evidence of parasites – The blood contains chemicals that can either be the product of cellular processes, ingested toxins, cellular degradation products or toxins produced by parasites.

When the blood sample is allowed to  ‘dry’ it goes through the clotting cascade and the various substances in the blood will disrupt the clotting and create distinctive patterns in the dry blood layer.

Dry Blood Sample showing indication of parasites

One of those patterns is the appearance of black bulges within the black fibrin web that overlays the blood layer. This happens because of the products of exogenous parasites interfering with the fibrin production and is a clear indicator of an active parasitic infection.

Parasitic infections can disrupt many of the body’s processes and trigger immune response, digestive issues and alter the pH of the body’s tissues. 

5)      Ability to detox

Another issue that can hamper a client’s health, cause allergic reactions or disrupt the digestion is the level of toxicity being held within the body.

Liver stress – the liver is the primary organ that filters toxicity from the blood. If it is overburdened by toxicity, it has difficulty with other functions such as the creation of certain proteins responsible for the blood’s clotting process.

Indications of liver stress in a live blood sample

When the liver is stressed it has difficulty producing the right level of pro-clotting and anti-clotting proteins. These are both necessary for the homeostasis of the blood because we need both proteins circulating in pure blood, at the ready.

If the liver is stressed it can produce too much fibrin – pro-clotting factors. This causes congestion in the blood, prevents optimum oxygenation of the tissues and can lead to all kinds of symptoms. It is important to catch this liver stress early on so that it doesn’t lead to more complicates issues.

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LDBA Takeaway

A holistic perspective dictates that everyone is unique. A client’s path to ill health is unique and so it follows that the client’s path back to health also needs to be unique to them.

By assessing the blood alongside a detailed case history a practitioner can build a map of the client’s health status. It is a full-colour map that has a wide perspective taking into account what is reflected in their biological fluid - the blood.

The examples I have shown you above are just a small sample of what can be seen from a Live and Dry Blood Analysis. This type of blood test can be performed in your clinic, with your client present and you can share the results with them immediately.

Integrating this form of biological medical testing into your practice offers you and your clients many benefits. It can be much cheaper than the outsourced laboratory tests for your clients, the results are immediate, and you can retest them and check progress more frequently, adapting your protocols as you go.

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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Laboratory Blood Tests - The Best Way To Help Your Clients?

We all know that blood is vital to life. It courses through our veins and is pumped around our body day in, day out from the beginning to the end of our lives.

It has been known to be a special fluid throughout the history of medicine, from the ancient times to present day, and despite the advances in medical knowledge we are still learning about it.

The invention of the microscope in the 1600s enabled us to finally see what blood was made of. We could identify red blood cells – the cells responsible for carrying oxygen and removing carbon dioxide - and the white blood cells – the cells of our immune system responsible for protecting us from pathogens. We could also more closely examine the contents of the plasma, the watery fluid that transports the cells through our circulatory system.

We have since discovered that blood is a very complex fluid. It contains many substances that are produced by our body’s trillions of cells or produced by the pathogenic organisms that reside or invade our body.

We can count up the cells within a sample of blood in a laboratory to be able to assess whether the levels are normal or abnormal. We can also test for the most sensitive of molecules in a sample, to uncover specific antibodies, antigens, products of inflammation, pathogenic compounds, liver enzymes, minerals and vitamin levels ……… the list goes on.

The more we learn about the body and understand our own biology and disease processes, the larger the menu of available blood tests becomes.

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Do these blood tests lead to reduced disease, or just more complex diagnoses and more prescribing - whether it is pharmaceuticals or nutritional supplements? 

There is no doubt that for practitioners of modern medicine, being able to test the blood for clues as to what is happening inside their patients can be extremely useful in determining a diagnosis and pharmaceutical prescription.

Functional medical practitioners also use blood tests to be able to help understand their clients’ complex health issues, that have not been or cannot be resolved medically.

For those of us who believe in a holistic approach, we take a wider view in order to create a complete picture of what is influencing a client’s health.

The solution to our client’s health issues encompasses more than a supplement prescription. It often also includes dietary advice, emotional and mental support, lifestyle changes that mean changes in habits and a movement/exercise prescription.  

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Why are these complex and nuanced blood test results problematic for a holistic health model?

Time – When you work in the alternative/complementary health field, you spend a lot of time on each client.  Whether it is collecting a client’s case history, researching a client’s health conditions or medications, or undertaking an appointment and creating a health plan, it all takes time.

You must then add to this workload the extra time it takes to organise the tests, wait for and then read and interpret the results (if you can) and then explain them to your client.

Results – Tests are being developed and invented all the time - it is hard to keep up with the latest understanding on how they should be used. Tests have varying degrees of accuracy and some tests may return false positives or false negatives.

We can end up putting our faith in tests without really understanding how accurate they are (after all we are not medically trained), what else can influence the results and what the results actually mean in terms of how we make our recommendations to our clients.

We give our power away as knowledgeable practitioners, taking advice from laboratory analysts instead.

Cost –the fact that these tests cost a lot of money cannot be ignored. Clients that are desperate to improve their health will put their faith in these tests if you recommend them, and will believe the cost will be worth it. In some cases it will be.

BUT - this is very important to understand - there is little point in testing just the once. The body is a living organism in constant flux. The blood can change from day to day, hour to hour, moment to moment. If tests are going to be used to map a client’s health you need more than one reference point.

If clients are going to change their diet, take supplements or follow detox regimes – in time you will need to test again in order to check that the protocol is working. Are clients ready to accept this? Are you?

Allopathic or holistic - There is a danger, for the holistic therapist, in entering into the world of blood testing because we can easily end up in a doctor-like relationship with our clients; working in an allopathic model consisting of tests, results and prescription – rather than a holistic one. We become the middle man between customer and product.

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Live & Dry Blood Analysis is the modern holistic solution to allopathic blood testing.

There are other ways to use blood to assess health; ways that allow us to gauge a person’s overall health – to see it from many angles and create a broader picture of what is happening within the body, the cells and the organs.

This is because blood affects every cell in our body. It flows through all of our organs and affects all our body’s systems.

Our blood’s plasma is a nutrient delivery system as well as a carrier of wastes.  Vital nutrients and water are extracted from our digestive tract and deposited in the blood stream. From there they travel within the blood’s plasma, around the body and diffuse out of the circulatory system and into the tissues.

This is how our cells receive nutrients so that they can function.  Additionally, cells release their wastes into the extracellular fluid which diffuses back into the circulation.

Normal blood with clear plasma

Let’s look at some of the blood components seen during Live Blood Analysis, which make it such an incredibly powerful tool for the holistic health practitioner:

Crystals

When looking at a person’s blood sample under the darkfield microscope, we are able to assess the contents of the plasma. You can see aggregations of waste products – called crystals – which can enter the circulation for various reasons.

Uric acid for example, a by-product of the metabolism of purine which mostly comes from certain foods in the diet, is usually filtered out as the blood passes through the kidneys. Uric acid crystals can be found in the blood, which can signal several things:

• The kidneys are not working well, or

• The digestion and metabolism of protein is not working well or

• The diet contains too much protein.

Uric Acid Crystal

Fibrin

Fibrin is a clotting cascade protein produced by the liver and circulates in a dormant form ready to be activated in case it is needed to maintain circulatory homeostasis. If it appears in its activated form when analysing live blood it can indicate:

• That there is damage in the linings of the circulatory system, or

• The liver is stressed and is producing too much fibrin/too little fibrinogen, or

• The client is prone to cardiovascular injury

Whatever the reason for the appearance of fibrin in the blood, possible consequence of it are impaired blood circulation, a tendency to create thrombosis and a lack of oxygen reaching cells, tissues and organs. This can affect the health of the whole body!

Fibrin Web

Blood Cells

The blood’s red blood cells do not leave the circulatory system. They spend their whole 120 days of life travelling through the veins, arteries, capillaries and organs – being squeezed, pushed and pulled.

The quantity, shape, size and quality of the red blood cells can reveal a myriad of issues - even whether any damage to them is caused during circulation or whether they were produced abnormally during their production in the bone marrow. Some of the things revealed in live blood analysis are:

• Lack of specific nutrients – B12, folate, iron, essential fatty acids

• Stress in certain organs like the spleen, the kidneys and the liver

• Protein metabolism issues

• Lack of oxygen in the tissues

Acanthocytes (distorted RBC)

The white blood cells of the immune system travel in and out of circulation and they can all be found in a live blood sample.  The quantity, quality, shape and size can indicate several things about our immune system:

·         Lack of nutrients – B12, folate, vitamin c, zinc and EFAs

·         Allergies, parasites, pollution

·         Evidence of pathogens – viruses, bacteria, fungus

·         Evidence of possible autoimmune issues and inflammation

Cytotoxic WBC

As you can see, viewing the blood in its live state can reveal so much - without having to mix it with chemicals, put it through a machine, stain the cells and separate them out!

The above are just a few examples of issues that you can find in a person’s live blood sample, there are more indications found in the dry blood which I will discuss in another blog post! 

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Using the results of a client’s LBA effectively

The results of blood analysis can be included in a holistic health practitioner’s assessment of the client, taking into account the detailed case history and the blood analysis.

This enables them to build a more thorough picture of their client’s health, which is based not just on theory but also based on their clients’ own cellular health and the state of their blood’s plasma.

Live and dry blood analysis can assess the state of a client’s blood to determine possible root causes of any of their health symptoms, assess whether their routes of elimination are blocked, whether their digestive system is working correctly, the level of burden on the immune system, stress on the liver or kidneys and so much more.

The sensitive and knowledgeable holistic practitioner will know that simply supplementing missing nutrients will not fix the root cause. The results of blood analysis will help the practitioner devise a bespoke protocol for their client that will address the root causes of any nutrient deficiencies, for example, so the body can heal itself.

The holistic health model believes that everyone is unique and this applies to blood too – every client’s blood is a reflection of their uniqueness.

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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To B12 or Not To B12?

B12 is a hot topic in nutrition, especially amongst vegetarians and vegans. As Live Blood Analysts we spend a lot of time looking at red blood cells through the microscope and one of the most common abnormalities that we see are related to issues with B12.  

Live blood analysts are able to view a drop of blood in its ‘live’ state, meaning it is unstained, has had no chemicals added to it and is fresh, not clotted. Live blood analysis (LBA) is used to assess the state of health of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and the contents of the plasma. B12 is vital for normal red blood cell production and a lack of it is obvious when looking at a blood sample. B12 deficiency, if present, will be apparent in the size and shape of the red blood cells and in extreme deficiency we will see certain abnormalities in some of the white blood cells too. The picture below is of a blood sample, magnified 1000x through a darkfield microscope; the cell that has been highlighted is a ‘macrocyte’. A macrocyte is an abnormally large red blood cell and it is released into the blood stream when there is a lack of B12 (and folate, but more about that later). If there are a large proportion of these throughout the blood sample, it is a sign that there may be a B12 deficiency.

Macrocyte red blood cell

Other cells that indicate issues with B12 are ovalocytes, microcytes and hypersegmented neutrophils.

LBA is not a diagnostic test but it is a tool that gives a holistic health practitioner an insight into the cellular life of a client through viewing their blood. As B12 is vital for the red blood cells especially, this makes live blood analysis a very useful tool for screening for B12 deficiencies. A skilled practitioner will be able to analyse the blood sample, cross reference it with the client’s case history and not only assess the extent of a B12 issue but also what may be the root cause:

• Correlations with diet – is there enough B12 available in the food the client eats?

• Correlations with digestive capacity – is the client suffering from digestive issues that can interfere with digestion and absorption of nutrients?

• Correlations with other issues found in the blood – is the blood showing a lack of iron? / is the plasma crowded with fibrin, indicating liver issues? / are there signs of leaky gut, indicating dysbiosis? / are the white blood cells out of range, indicating autoimmune issues? / is there a high level of oxidative stress or inflammation?

Even consuming B12 in one’s diet or taking B12 supplements does not always ensure sufficient levels of available B12 for our body to use. How can this be? The answer lies in the complexities of the vitamin B12 itself and the complexities of the human organism.

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What is B12 and why is it important?

Vitamin B12 is the largest, most complicated of all the vitamins and it is also one of the most important nutrients for our health. In our body B12 is used as a co-enzyme that is involved in three vital processes that happen within every single cell of our body. It plays a vital role in the synthesis of DNA, the development of red blood cells and the creation of the myelin sheath that coats the nerve cells that allow the conduction of nervous signals. This is why the effects of a B12 deficiency can cause many profound and varied health issues.

A mild deficiency of B12 may not cause any symptoms as the body keeps a store of it in the liver, but if the root-cause of a deficiency is not corrected it can lead to quite severe and far ranging health issues:

Signs of B12 Deficiency  

Poor growth/failure to thrive in infants                                                 
Inflamed tongue
Premature grey hair                                                                                
Disturbed carbohydrate metabolism
Fatigue or Weakness                                                                                                 
Weight loss                                                                                              
Constipation
Infertility                                                                                                   
Vision problems
Loss of hearing and tinnitus                                                                    
Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
Alcoholism                                                                                                
Impotence
Incontinence                                                                                             
Hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation (dark and light patches in the skin)
Neuralgia, neuritis and bursitis                                                                  
Anaemia, including pernicious anaemia                                                
Spinal cord degeneration
Psoriasis and other skin problems                                                           
Brain degeneration
Insomnia                                                                                                   
Irrational or chronic anger                       
Violent behaviour                                                                                    
Lack of balance/abnormal gait                                   
Many emotional disorders

The possible dangers of supplementing folate when B12 deficient

Folate is the name given to the naturally occurring vitamin B9, also known as folic acid when it is in its synthesised form. Both B12 and B9 are coenzymes involved in methylation reactions that allow for DNA synthesis. In a state of B12 deficiency folate (B9) becomes trapped as methylfolate and cannot be further involved in essential reactions for DNA replication. In this situation, if folic acid is given either as supplement or as a fortified food (such as cereals and bread products) the trapped folate is by-passed which temporarily masks the underlying B12 deficiency. The danger in this is that the damage from B12 deficiency continues and eventually symptoms of cognitive decline and anaemia occur. Therefore it is possible that, for those of us that are B12 deficient, it is dangerous to supplement with folic acid and it would be wise to be mindful of how many folic acid fortified foods are consumed.

This makes it crucial for us to determine if we are or at risk of being B12 deficient.

Protective effects against homocysteine

Homocysteine is produced in the body from the metabolism of an amino acid methionine which is ingested as a component of food protein. Homocysteine needs to be converted to S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) so that our body can create glutathione; the body’s most powerful anti-oxidant protecting our cells from free radical damage. If we are deficient in B12 and folate this conversion cannot take place, leaving high levels of homocysteine circulating in our bodies. This can lead to cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline.

Making sure we have good levels of available B12 can protect us from the damage homocysteine can do.

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Causes of B12 deficiency

There are a many different possible causes for a lack of ‘usable’ B12 in our systems:

• Any kind of dysfunction, irritation, inflammation or disease of the digestive tract that diminishes levels of stomach acid or ‘intrinsic factor’ (see later), and limits the transport of B12 out of the digestive tract and into the blood e.g:

Gastritis
Crohn’s disease
Chronic enteritis
Chronic diarrhoea
Pancreatic disease

• Consumption of alcohol, recreational drugs, toxins, chemical pollutants, or heavy metals can use up stores of B12 and affect production of intrinsic factor and absorption in intestines.

• Intestinal worms and parasites consume large amounts of B12

• Aging – our ability to produce stomach acid and intrinsic factor diminishes as we age. Many symptoms of old age are due to a lack of B12.

• Prescription drugs such as contraception, hormones, diabetes medication, proton pump inhibitors, blood pressure medications, beta blockers, statins and many more block the absorption of B12.

• Any form of liver congestion, disease or stress limits B12 storage and metabolism.

The difficulties of effectively testing B12 levels

Serum B12 tests can be inaccurate, leading to false positives and false negatives in mild to severe B12 deficiency:

Testing for B12 deficiency is tricky. The main method for testing is a serum blood test. This assesses levels of B12 in a sample of blood and is the standard test for general medical practice. However it is an unreliable indicator of B12 availability because B12 has a usable and unusable form which a serum test cannot differentiate between. Serum tests results can show a high level of B12, but not whether cells can actually access it.

Testing for the active form of B12 could prove more useful:

The majority of plasma B12 (70 - 90%) is in the form of haptocorrin (HC) and the rest is in the form of transcobalamin (TC), which is the only form that can enter cells. A test for transcobalamin would be more useful in diagnosing B12 deficiency.

Can a urine test offer any help?:

Methylmalonic acid (MMA) is a by-product of amino acid metabolism and is produced when protein is digested. In cases of B12 deficiency, our bodies produce more MMA and it is excreted via the kidneys. High levels of MMA in the urine can be good indication of B12 deficiency.

  Can Live Blood Analysis assess B12 deficiency?:

By directly observing a blood sample magnified 1000x you can assess it for specific cell pathologies that indicate a lack of B12 - specifically macrocytes, microcytes, ovalocytes and hypersegmented white blood cells. If a large percentage of the sample contains these types of cells it is a sure sign of B12 absorption issues. The benefit of this blood analysis is that it can also offer indications as to the root cause of a B12 deficiency.

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Can we get enough B12 from our diet?

B12, also known as cobalamin, is produced in animals by their intestinal bacteria. The B12 is then stored in their liver, muscles, eggs and milk. Our digestive tract is designed to absorb this B12 by consuming these animal products. B12 is also produced by anaerobic bacteria present in soils and so can be found on the unwashed skin of plants that are grown in naturally maintained, healthy soils.

B12 rich foods such as meat, cheese, eggs, and nuts

Our diet can contain plenty of foods rich in B12 but if our digestive tract is not functioning optimally we may not be able to absorb that B12. We have a very complex digestive chain of reactions that are designed to absorb this vital nutrient, but this chain can be disrupted at many points:

How ‘B12 Analogues’ can block the absorption of real B12

There are different forms that B12 can take but there are only two that can actually be used directly by the body; methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin.  There are also two other forms, cyanocobalamin and hyroxocobalamin, that can be converted by our body into the useable forms. Then there are the analogues of B12 that have a similar structure but do not perform any of B12’s biochemical functions in our body. These analogues block the true B12 from being absorbed and so the more of these we consume, the harder it is for us to get enough true B12.

Fresh algae produce true B12 but after drying it only contains the analogue B12. Additionally, the level of B12 available in plant sources can vary as levels depend more on the microorganisms in the environment than the plant. This is one reason why some research on Chlorella shows high levels of true B12 and in other studies it shows there is none. Most plant sources of B12 contain higher levels of analogue B12 than true B12, making them poor sources of B12.

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Supplementing B12 effectively

Supplementation is often necessary but it can be very confusing as there are so many different types of B12 supplement available:

• Choose a form of B12 that is most usable by the body – methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin. Avoid the cyanocobalamin form as it contains cyanide which, although is in very small amounts, still needs to be processed by the body.

• With all forms of supplemental B12 check the ingredients for sweeteners, fillers and other additives. It is always best to choose one that is pure or has as few ingredients as possible.

• B12 supplements come in four types - sublingual, transdermal, intramuscular and capsules/tablets:

Sublingual B12 can be in liquid or tablet formulation. It is deposited under the tongue and absorbed through the mucous membrane of the mouth. Although only 1 to 2% is absorbed this way, if any of the dosage is swallowed it can be absorbed through the digestive tract. Sublingual B12 is useful if the digestive tract is not in optimum health or if there is difficulty in swallowing.

Transdermal B12 is a liquid B12 that is mixed with a carrier molecule that allows the B12 to pass through the skin. This is another useful method of delivery of B12 as it bypasses the digestion. About 6% of the B12 is absorbed this way, but it is important to make sure the skin is free from chemicals as these will get absorbed as well.

Intramuscular B12 is an injection of a B12 liquid into the muscles where is it absorbed into the tissues. The advantages of this form of B12 are that it gets into the blood stream quickly and is therefore useful for those with severe deficiencies. It is also pure, containing very little other than B12 and 70% of it is absorbed, higher than any other form. Only a few injections are required to raise levels and stores of B12, and then a maintenance dose is required every 3 to 6 months, depending on the reasons for deficiency. Note that there are risks of bruising or blisters at the injection site, and also possible infections.

Tablets or capsules of B12 that are swallowed are possibly the least likely to be absorbed as nearly all issues with B12 deficiency are related to digestive issues.

Conclusion

Vitamin B12 is essential to our health, yet in order for us to be able to absorb it we need to have a healthy functioning digestive system and the correct type of B12 in our diets. Live Blood Analysis can screen the blood for signs of B12 deficiency and it can also assess other issues that may be contributing to our inability to assimilate B12, such as digestion, absorption and detoxification.

Uncovering the root cause of any B12 deficiency issue is the key to knowing what to do so the body can correct itself. The blood can then be reassessed by live blood analysis after a period of three months, by which time the blood cells will have been replaced. If changes to diet and a supplement plan have been implemented then there will be a clear difference in the condition of the blood cells – there will be less macrocytes, microcytes, ovalocytes or hypersegmented neutrophils and more normal healthy red and white blood cells.

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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Is it Really Time For a Detox?

Are detoxes or cleanses necessary and beneficial? Do they suit everyone? 

Detox is a bit of a buzz word in the wellness industry. The word carries with it the promise to cleanse you from the inside-out, leave you renewed, refreshed, feeling younger, happier, more energetic and a few stone lighter. Who wouldn't want that? But, what does it actually mean and will it deliver what it promises?

Living life in this modern world where we are surrounded by pollution in the water we drink, the air we breathe, the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the chemicals we put on our skin; it's hard to escape toxins. Our bodies, when functioning well, can process these toxins and either eliminate them or lock them away somewhere in the body fat so they don't cause us problems. Undoubtedly we all have toxins, but it's whether they are overwhelming our body's own capacity to process them that is the issue. Toxins can disrupt enzyme reactions, block absorption of nutrients, weaken nerves, and distort many body processes. They can even accumulate in the brain and other organs or tissues where they can cause inflammation and worse. 

However - if you have an unhealthy level of toxicity and this is reflected in the symptoms you are experiencing, then it is vital that you proceed with caution. 

Why?

1. If your body is being overwhelmed by toxins then it is certainly not ready for a detox, as it shows that your routes of elimination are blocked. What your body needs is help with preparing and toning up the routes of elimination, and improving the digestive process so that you can absorb nutrients and stop consuming toxins through your diet and lifestyle.
   

2. A body detox takes energy, nutrients and enzymes in abundance and so if the body is already deficient in any of these, the detox may actually do more harm than good. A detox typically involves limiting food types and therefore limiting certain nutrients. Once toxins are pushed out of the tissues and into the blood there's a chance that they will flow around the body and get deposited elsewhere rather than be eliminated.
   

3. If toxicity is suspected, it's important that you make sure you know what toxins you are dealing with so you can eliminate them safely. For example, heavy metals like mercury can be very destructive to health.
   

4. A detox takes time, energy, money and support. It's important you ask yourself "do I have these resources in order to do a successful detox?". It is impossible to tell how you will feel and how your body will react, but if you have been assessed properly by a nutritionist you will not be putting your body through anything it cannot cope with.
   

5. Detox reactions can happen, but ideally they shouldn't. If you do have a detox reaction like flare up of old symptoms, headaches, inflammation etc then your body is not coping with the release of toxins and you should slow down the detox.

Often I hear of the suffering people go through when they undertake a juice cleanse without professional guidance, and find they have constipation or diarrhea, their energy levels soar and then crash, they feel starving all the time, their sleep suffers, or they get moody and irritable, and often experience headaches. When they eventually resume normal life, their bodies get stressed all over again as they suddenly have to cope with solid food, caffeine, alcohol and stress!

My definition of a detox varies from client to client because I create a unique detox plan that will suit them and their body's needs. I always use live and dry blood analysis as a guide as to whether they need a detox, and what level of detox they can comfortably and successfully complete. Most clients need to prepare the body for several months so that they can really shift the toxins efficiently and painlessly. 

Why use Blood as a guide?

Live and Dry Blood analysis is a useful tool for any nutritionist, naturopath or biological medicine practitioner wanting to get a different perspective of a client's health by viewing a drop of their blood.

The blood flows throughout the body connecting all the cells, organs and tissues. It allows the body's different systems to communicate with each other with in-house hormonal and protein signals and messages, in order to maintain optimum health. The blood is actually a biological fluid that contains plasma as well as red and white blood cells. When viewing a drop of live blood (cells are still 'alive' rather than stained and separated) through a darkfield microscope, you can examine the function and viability of the cells and assess the contents of the plasma, the vital nutrient rich medium that feeds the body and removes waste. Add to this analysis the interpretation of the patterns within a drop of dried blood which are created from its elements and residues, and you can build a unique picture of the biological health of a client. 

It becomes very clear from looking at the blood in this way as to what sort of detox they will need. Heavy metals show up in the dry blood as a very definite indication if present and will need very careful handing in order to remove them safely from the body. If a client's blood indicates a lack of antioxidants, this will be obvious by the viability of the white blood cells as well as the sialic acid residues in the dry blood and will need correcting first.  Their dry blood picture may even indicate severe toxic bowel which would mean the routes of elimination need to be opened and supported first. 

For information on using Live Blood Analysis with your clients please CLICK HERE

Detox Case History

Below is an example of a case history showing blood analysis pictures before, during and after a detox program, tracking the progress and changes that the body goes through, as seen through the blood of a client.

A brief history

This client wanted to do a detox as she felt a bit sluggish. Her diet is a mostly gluten free and dairy free, predominantly organic, meat or fish once a day and loaded with vegetables. She drinks a litre and a half of water, a fresh green juice and one coffee a day. She regularly performs naturopathic techniques such as skin brushing, epsom salt baths and enemas and she exercises regularly. She experiences a cold or cough twice a year on average. She recovered from ME 20 years ago and is prone to migraines, brain fog, candida and chronic fatigue if she doesn't keep on top of her diet and lifestyle regime. She has been under some considerable stress for a few years now and wanted to do a cleanse to help release a sense of being overwhelmed, stuck and carrying some weight that was very stubborn despite her diet and activity levels. 

Pre-detox

Before any detox or dietary advice is given I always take a full case history to flag up any areas of weakness and strengths within the clients health and body systems. That allows me to get a sense of how their body is coping with things like digestion and elimination, how robust their immune system is, and how much energy they have. Importantly it also allows me to identify how much time, support and resources they have available in order to make the changes that may be necessary to their daily habits. Any changes will need to be continued for at least a month (usually longer) in order to get the results they are wanting.

I then look at their blood under the microscope to see the effects of their current lifestyle and I look for issues such as possible nutrient deficiencies, signs of toxicity, how stress is affecting them, inflammation and allergy response and to see how deep their symptoms go - are they superficial and transitory (acute) or are they longstanding and underlying all other health issues (chronic).

Pre-detox live blood pictures:

The pre-detox live blood pictures (all pre-detox aged) show corrugated red blood cell membranes with what looks like strings coming off from the membranes. It also shows smaller circles, vesicles, and other shapes with fainter outlines. These are congestive bacterial forms showing a trend towards pathogenic bacterial development - if allowed to continue then it could pave the way for more of the ME symptoms of candida and chronic fatigue. 

Pre-detox dry blood picture:

The dry blood picture shows that there are signs of parasites in her system and there are also signs of stress (the round white pin prick holes in the centre of the picture). The larger white shapes in the centre indicate an inflammatory process is occurring. There is also a darker patch of blood right in the centre too. This shows that there is an element of bowel toxicity. 

Considering that this client's diet was generally very good and there didn't seem to be any glaring nutrient deficiencies I felt that she could undertake a colon cleanse. The symptoms of fatigue, stubborn fat, sluggishness and the sense that her old symptoms of chronic fatigue, migraine and brain fog were just lurking ready to pounce if she relaxed her diet, made me confident that not only could her body cope with a cleanse but that she would be able to shift some stagnation and create movement and healing at a deeper level. 

The Detox

The detox that I recommended was a Colon Cleansing Kit by Blessed Herbs (click here for a 10% discount on all Blessed Herbs products). It contains a comprehensive booklet with full instructions, questions and answers, and guides for diet and for naturopathic techniques in terms of assisting the detox process. The kit contains a glass shaker jar in which one mixes up the sachets of "toxin remover" which is a mixture of apple pectin and psyllium husk. This is mixed with fresh pressed organic apple juice (that you make yourself). Digestive enzymes are taken to help break down and soften any tough residues in the digestive tract and to ensure movement of contents of the colon. Whilst on this cleanse you consume food in the form of liquid rather than solid - fresh juices, vegetable broths, coconut water, herbal teas and plenty of water alongside the regular shaker jars of the toxin remover ensure that you do not get hungry. This program can vary in length depending on your choice of detox intensity. In this client's case it was completed in seven days. 

The colon is the place where we absorb water and eliminate waste. It is also a place where bacteria colonise and proliferate in huge numbers. If the colon doesn't work properly, or efficiently - which can happen for many reasons such diet, stress etc - then we accumulate waste and unfriendly bacteria and parasites. Making this part of your body work better will make a huge difference to your health.

Blood re-test after colon cleanse

After my client had completed the cleanse, I wanted to check her blood to see if there were any changes. There was a huge difference in the red blood cell membranes and a reduction of the congestive bacterial activity on the membranes and in the plasma too. I also noticed that the white blood cells, the body's immune cells, were very active and I witnessed them moving around the blood chasing and engulfing bacteria. All of these changes were positive. 

Mid-detox live blood pictures:

I then looked at the dry blood and could see that there was increased evidence of parasites. This did not surprise me because the colon cleanse would have cleared away a lot of matter that provides a home and food for them. The colon cleanse will also have an effect on the tissues too, as clearing the routes of elimination allows the body to push out more toxicity from other tissues. Parasites can live anywhere in the body, depending on which type they are, but they are rarely in the blood itself. What we see in the dry blood are the by-products of their life cycle, their waste and their debris from dying.

Mid-detox dry blood picture:

This showed that the colon cleanse was working, however it created a release of toxicity that the body still needed to be supported in continuing to eliminate. Otherwise the danger was that this newly released toxicity would settle in the body rather than be ushered out of it. I advised that she continue the cleanse but added in herbs for treating parasites. 

Post colon cleanse and continued parasite cleanse

After two weeks of conducting a colon cleanse and parasite cleanse, my client reported a sense of clarity in her mind, she had more concentration and felt very motivated. Physically she felt that she had so much more energy and that she had lost weight. 

The blood pictures reflected this. The live blood picture shows really active white blood cells; a sign of a healthy immune system and a reflection on health and vitality in general. The aged blood picture is vastly different to the pre-detox picture - this shows how the cleanse changed the internal environment. The fluid around all the cells has been changed and no longer supports "bad" bacteria. The red blood cell membranes look stronger and the plasma is clear of debris. The dry blood pictures throughout the detox process tell a story of the toxicity being processed by the body. The final picture shows less stress, no inflammation or parasites but it does show heavier bowel toxicity which makes sense, as in order to cleanse and release toxicity it has to exit the body and the bowels are the primary channel!

Post-cleanse live & dry blood pictures:

I advised my client to keep focused on the fact that her body was still cleansing and so it was important to keep hydrated, keep up the "clean" diet and the naturopathic techniques that supported the release of toxicity. 

This case history illustrates the importance of understanding the demand that is placed on your body when you ask it to cleanse or detox. The body needs antioxidants, fibre, hydration, rest and time. A five day, seven day, ten day detox doesn't really exist.

Once the body is encouraged and supported in releasing toxicity it creates momentum and you want the body to continue until it is completed or else you could be left with more health issues. Using blood analysis is an ideal way to help clients prepare for a cleanse and track the progress to make sure it is followed through. 

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If you would like to know more about Live and Dry Blood Analysis Training so that you can use it to assess your clients’ health then please follow this link.

You are also invited to join our Facebook Group ‘Learning Live Blood Analysis’ - a private group of students, qualified analysts and anyone interested in learning.

If you have any questions about this topic or LDBA in general please email Shirah directly at info@naturecureacademy.com or add a comment below!

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