Читать книгу Edgar Cayce's Everyday Health - Carol Ann Baraff - Страница 7

Remember the silly old song that goes “The old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be”? Now we can make a well-educated guess about that elderly nag’s problem. Chances are she was losing her reserves of collagen—a term used to define both the multiple types of connective tissue that keep the body from dissolving into a shapeless mass and the protein-packed supplement found on store shelves.

Though the word collagen may be new to some, the substance itself has been part of our diets since our prehistoric forbears kissed their fruitarian diets goodbye. Meat and poultry are primary sources of collagen protein. It is in meat broths, in particular, (remember Mom’s for-what-ails-you chicken soup?) that we encounter a highly nourishing form of collagen known as gelatin. Yes, those clear supplement capsules and the rainbow-colored undulating dessert that “there’s always room for” come from the same source. Beside the Jell-O packages and the plain gelatin sold at most supermarkets, one can find gelatin mixtures for strengthening brittle nails—a use that’s been recognized for over fifty years!

It turns out that gelatin—a sticky, rather tasteless powder typically derived from cow hides—is a super source of the two most abundant types of collagen in the human body: Types I and III. For those who have studied the Cayce material on diet and health, the mention of gelatin should ring some very large bells. A look at the readings on raw vegetables, in particular, reveals that at least one out of ten specifically recommend gelatin as an accompaniment:

In building up the body with foods, preferably have a great deal of raw vegetables for this body, as lettuce, celery, carrots, watercress. All would be taken raw, with dressing, and oft with gelatin. These {vegetables} should be grated, or cut very fine, or even ground, but do preserve all of the juices with them when these are prepared in this manner in the gelatin.

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The readings seem to regard gelatin as a type of catalyst that helps the body to access or utilize nutrients from the diet:

It isn’t the vitamin content {in gelatin} but it is ability to work with the activities of the glands, causing the glands to take from that absorbed or digested the vitamins that would not be active if there is not sufficient gelatin in the body. See, there may be mixed with any chemical that which makes the rest of the system susceptible or able to call from the system that needed. It becomes then, as it were, “sensitive” to conditions. Without it there is not that sensitivity.

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Gelatin’s extraordinary catalyzing capacity, which seems to stem from its rich amino acid content, has been recognized for some time. As health writers James and Phyllis Balch point out: “The enzymes and hormones that catalyze and regulate all body processes are proteins. Proteins help to regulate the body’s water balance and maintain the proper internal pH. They assist in the exchange of nutrients between the intercellular fluids and the tissues, blood, and lymph.”¹

As we know, proteins are made up of chains of amino acids. The writers go on to remark, in an amazing echo of Cayce’s statements: “Amino acids also enable vitamins and minerals to perform their jobs properly. Even if vitamins and minerals are absorbed and assimilated by the body, they cannot be effective unless the necessary amino acids are present.”²

With gelatin valued so highly, the more easily assimilated hydrolyzed or “predigested” collagen protein seems like more of a very good thing. Created and patented by an American pharmacist in the early 1970s, this form of collagen has become available to the general public only recently. However, doctors, clinics, and hospitals have been using it for the last few decades in weight loss programs, healing of burns and wounds, joint and connective tissue support, and as a nutritional aid for the elderly and those with degenerative diseases.

As a hot new supplement on the retail scene, collagen protein is the latest “fountain of youth” with some basis in fact. Collagen of Types I and III is the most basic building block of our bones, ligaments, joints, tendons, muscles, blood vessels, and tissues. Type II collagen sources, such as glucosamine, MSM, and chondroitin, build cartilage, which is especially weak in arthritics because they don’t produce it well. Another effective Type II source seems to be chicken cartilage soup! Recent studies with rheumatoid arthritis patients have shown a huge decrease in joint swelling and tenderness. In other research, chicken collagen helped to prevent attacks on healthy joints.³ One is reminded of Cayce’s recommendation to cook chicken well and then chew on the bones!

Besides serving as a special kind of internal cement, collagen is the primary building material of our skin, hair, and nails—all features that cosmetics have been invented to “improve.” In aging bodies, the internal collagen manufacturing plant begins to slowly break down. If a lack of healthy collagen causes our appearance to slide, as evidenced by wrinkles; thin, sagging skin; dull, brittle hair; easily broken nails, stiffening joints, poor muscle tone, and flab, then perhaps the right collagen supplement would help to keep that old gray mare kicking.

The benefits claimed for hydrolyzed collagen are so many, varied, and dramatic that it’s impossible (and inadvisable) to list them all here. However, they include the best complexion of one’s life; thicker, faster growing hair; hard, durable nails; more restful sleep, weight loss (when needed), relief of arthritis symptoms, improved muscle tone, faster healing of surgical wounds, and much more.

Some supplements include Vitamin C because its presence has been found to enhance collagen synthesis. Perhaps this would explain Cayce’s preference for consuming gelatin with fresh raw vegetables, which naturally supply this vitamin.

If simply consuming gelatin is the method of choice, there are easy, and in some cases, delicious ways to make the plain powder go down. One is to sprinkle it directly on salads, using a shaker container that can be found in health food stores. A teaspoon or two over soup, perhaps along with a little parmesan cheese, is another easy option. The obvious healthy alternative is to make one’s own fruit (or vegetable) juice gelatin concoction. Here’s the basic recipe:

To one cup of juice in a saucepan on the stove add one tablespoon or one package of plain gelatin. Allow this mixture to soften for five or ten minutes. Then heat over a low flame, stirring often, until steam begins to rise and the gelatin has dissolved. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, and stir in another cup of juice. Chunks of fruit (avoid fresh pineapple) or raw, shredded vegetables can be added if desired. Chill until firm. To make a more exotic and dessert-like whipped version using fruit juice only, chill until the mixture starts to thicken, whip in a blender, and return to the bowl for further chilling. It’s a delightfully light finish to any meal and a welcome way to help keep us from becoming unglued at the same time!