Fast Oxidation

INTRODUCTION

Metabolic typing is the classification of body chemistry according to certain parameters. While not perfect, it gives a lot of information about the body quickly, and is used to guide the correction of body chemistry.

Metabolic typing is a very ancient idea used by famous physicians such as Hippocrates (four metabolic types), the ancient Taoists (yin and yang), in Indian medicine (the 3 gunas) and in Ayurveda (3 types).

Nutritional and mineral balancing makes use of this idea, and one of the common metabolic types is called a fast oxidizer.

DEFINITION OF FAST OXIDATION

1. A state of body chemistry in which there exists an enhanced adrenal and thyroid glandular effect. This is rarely revealed on blood tests, but can be assessed from a hair mineral analysis.

2. A more yang body type, in macrobiotic terminology.

3. On a hair mineral analysis (only when the hair has not been washed at the lab), a calcium/potassium ratio less than 4 AND a sodium/magnesium ratio greater than 4.17.

4. On a blood test, the pH tends to be more acidic (from George Watson).

5. One of the most important metabolic types in nutritional/mineral balancing science, characterized by too much sympathetic nervous system activity.

6. An alarm stage of stress, according to the stress theory of disease proposed by Hans Selye, MD.

History. The term fast oxidation was coined by George Watson, PhD in the book, Nutrition And Your Mind, Bantam Books, 1972. Dr. Watson used odor tests and later, the pH of the blood, to determine the oxidation rate.

Dr. Paul C. Eck applied the concept to his nutritional research soon afterwards. He found he could use hair mineral testing to assess the oxidation rate accurately and simply. We use his method and it works well.

Dr. Eck also figured out that fast oxidation is identical to an alarm stage of stress, and is characterized by a lot of activity of the sympathetic nervous system. I added the connection with a more yang body chemistry.

Symptoms. Those with a fast oxidation rate tend to be anxious, irritable, in a hurry, and aggressive if their oxidation rate is very fast. They are usually somewhat emotional, short-tempered and high-strung. They easily become anxious and wound up, and may need sedative drugs to slow down.

Their blood sugar can be on the high side due to higher cortisol levels. Their blood pressure tends to be on the high side because of salt and water retention. For the same reason, their tissues often have a watery appearance.

They are often warm and sweat easily. Their brains often work well, with fast thinking.

They usually have oily skin, and some tendency for frequent or loose bowel movements. They may gain weight in the area of the abdomen due to high levels of cortisol and cortisone.

They are in a fight-or-flight mode too much of the time. This uses up certain nutrients and eventually can result in symptoms and illnesses associated with this metabolic type. These include high blood pressure, fatal heart attacks, anxiety, panic attacks, arthritis, and others.

Interestingly, most health conditions can occur due to fast or slow oxidation. The medical name for the condition is the same, such as arthritis, osteoporosis or cancer. However, the physiology and pathology are different, and the corrective program for each type must be different as well.

For example, one can have a fast or a slow oxidation cancer, heart attack, arthritis or diabetes. Medical science does not distinguish the difference in most cases, but they are different, and each requires a different corrective program.

II. CAUSES FOR FAST OXIDATION

1. Stage of life. All babies are born in mild fast oxidation. Usually, before they leave the hospital, the oxidation rate speeds up tremendously. This can be due to stress or due to administering vaccines that stress the body.

Most children remain in fast oxidation until age 3 to 10. Then their level of etheric energy decreases and many experience nutritional depletion, as well. As a result, most of them become slow oxidizers, which is considered normal for older children and adults.

2. Dietary factors. Some people remain or go into fast oxidation because they do not eat enough fats and oils – foods that slow the oxidation rate. Some are vegetarians, or semi-vegetarians who do not like to eat meat, eggs or full-fat cheese that all contain fats.

Some also eat fruit, sugars and other high-carbohydrate foods such as chips, pasta or bread. These can keep some people in fast oxidation. Fruit and all sweet food items are truly poisons for fast oxidizers and make the condition much worse.

Some do this unconsciously, while others know what they are doing, and prefer to stay in fast oxidation by eating certain foods and avoiding others that slow their oxidation rate. This has to do with personality, which is discussed below.

3. Stress fast oxidation. Some adults or some older children have a fast oxidation rate because they are under stress of a type that forces their bodies into faster oxidation. Here are some possible stress factors that can cause this:

Dietary factors include the use of caffeine in any form, or eating sugar, fruit, juices, kombucha tea, hot spices, or alcohol.

Some medical drugs are stimulants, particularly thyroid hormones (Synthroid, Armour thyroid, Levothyroxine, Naturethroid or other brands), anti-depressants, cortisone-containing drugs, amphetamines used as ADD drugs, and a few others.

Some nutritional supplements aggravate fast oxidation such as DHEA, or a lot of vitamin C or E, B-complex vitamins, ginseng, maca, and thyroid or adrenal glandulars. These must be avoided by anyone with a fast oxidation rate.

Some recreational drugs are stimulants such as cocaine, crack, crystal meth, Ecstacy, or a few others.

Some toxic chemicals such as certain pesticides have a stimulating effect. Excess toxic metals in the body can also act as a stressor that pushes a person into a fast oxidation rate. These are discussed below.

Other stimulants are lack of rest, too much work, fears, anger, hatred, working in noisy environments, domestic arguments, or financial stress.

When the stress, which is often biochemical, is relieved, these individuals move into slow oxidation. If it happens quickly, it is called a crash landing, which is somewhat unpleasant, although it can be taken care of easily with the proper diet and nutritional supplements.

4. The fast oxidizer personality. Some people enjoy having a fast oxidation rate, though it is largely unconscious. They are often smart, energetic, fast-paced people that love “speed” and thrills. Some are in denial, and may be somewhat emotionally immature.

These people will do things to remain in this mineral pattern. For example, the person may seek out stressful situations, use stimulants, and drink coffee, tea or energy drinks. They may also eat fruit, drink sweet juices, or eat sugar or other sweets.

They need to realize that this personality type needs to avoid stimulants and learn to relax, face their issues, and take it easy.

5. Excessive toxic metals. Certain toxic metals in the body cause a fast oxidation rate. The most important of these is cadmium. However, others can contribute such as nickel, copper, mercury, or others. It depends on the compound and where the toxic metal lodges in the body.

Another type of toxic mineral compound that can contribute to a fast oxidation rate are called “the amigos”. These are oxide forms of aluminum, iron, manganese, boron, chromium, selenium, copper, cobalt, boron, molybdenum, lithium and cobalt. Rarely they include oxides of calcium and magnesium. These are widely distributed in the environment and are in our food.

They are powerful irritants that can cause a faster oxidation rate. They accumulate in the kidneys, the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, nervous system, brain or elsewhere.

Some people are born with too many toxic metals. One can also acquire them from food, drinking water, vaccines, from one’s occupation, or other places.

Toxic fast oxidation can always be corrected with a proper nutritional/mineral balancing program, though it may take months or occasionally several years of following a properly designed nutritional/mineral balancing program. When the toxic metals are removed, the oxidation rate slows down.

6. Back or neck tension. This can cause a fast oxidation rate because tightness or tension in these areas can pinch off and stimulate the sympathetic nerves that come off the spine. This, in turn, stimulates the fight-or-flight nervous system.

7. “Running away”. This can be part of a fast oxidizer personality type, or it may occur by itself. Some fast oxidizers are running away from an issue in their lives. This could be called an avoidance of life pattern.

An extreme case of this is a Step Up Mineral Pattern, a dangerous and quite common hair mineral pattern associated with heart attacks, strokes and other health catastrophes.

A properly performed hair mineral test will reveal this pattern. It is important to reverse this pattern before a serous health condition occurs. This is not hard to do if one identifies the pattern.

8. Infections. Some infections speed up the oxidation rate. These are often bacterial infections that cause high fevers, for example.

9. Vampire fast oxidation. Some children and adult fast oxidizers are energy vampires. This means they steal energy from others.

A hair mineral analysis often reveals a fast oxidation rate with a normal or even elevated sodium/potassium ratio. A double pattern, or more pronounced pattern of this type, occurs if the sodium/potassium ratio is high and the calcium/magnesium ratio is elevated as well.

10. Excitement fast oxidation. These people are in fast oxidation because they are extremely excited. This happens, at times, during a nutritional/mineral balancing program as a person begins to get well, often after years of trying different programs and going to doctors with little or no success.

11. Farmer fast oxidation. A more rare cause of fast oxidation is working as a farmer. The earth radiates certain energies, which these people pick up, that contributes to a faster oxidation rate.

This type of fast oxidation may also be due, in part, to handling farm chemicals, especially superphosphate fertilizers and pesticides. Many farmers are also exposed to toxic metals used in farm implements such as nickel-plated machinery, and cadmium or lead found in lubricants, gasoline and elsewhere.

12. “Beam me up, Scottie” pattern. This is a less common type of fast oxidation due to eating a lot of fruit. It may be due, in part, at least, to eating toxic potassium that is found in most fruit, today.

CAUSES FOR FAST OXIDATION ON A RETEST HAIR MINERAL ANALYSIS

1. Toxic potassium fast oxidation. This is a very temporary fast oxidation rate caused by the elimination from the body of large amounts of a toxic form of potassium. Usually, this only occurs during a nutritional/mineral balancing program.

2. Kidney stress. During a program, elimination of certain toxic metals or chemicals stress the kidneys in a way that causes sodium and potassium retention and a fast oxidation rate.

The most extreme cases involve boron elimination. However, it can occur with the elimination of many other toxins from the body. It usually resolves after several weeks to several months and the person returns to a slow oxidation rate.

3. Retracing. At times, during a program, a person may move into a fast oxidation rate as part of a healing process.

III. IDENTIFYING FAST OXIDATION

HAIR MINERAL ANALYSIS

High hair sodium and potassium levels. Fast oxidation or an alarm stage of stress is characterized by excessive activity of the thyroid and adrenal glands. More adrenal activity and thus a higher level of aldosterone raises the hair or soft tissue sodium and potassium levels.

Lower hair calcium and magnesium levels. One result of this excessive adrenal and thyroid activity are lower hair tissue levels of calcium and magnesium. Essentially, increased solubility of calcium and magnesium occur when the sodium and potassium levels rise. Sodium and potassium are highly water-soluble and antagonistic to calcium and magnesium.

NOTE: The hair must not be washed at the laboratory in order to obtain accurate hair mineral readings.

Visualization difficulties. In some cases, fast oxidation is not easy to recognize visually. The difficulty occurs when all four macrominerals are elevated. This is called a four highs pattern.

In these cases, one cannot tell visually if fast oxidation is present. One must calculate the ratios to assess the oxidation type.

Factors that can skew the hair mineral readings:

1. A water softener. This falsely raises the hair level of sodium or potassium. If one has a water softener on one’s shower or bath, one must wash the hair with spring, distilled, reverse osmosis or unsoftened tap water twice before sampling the hair for a hair analysis. The two washings can be during the same shower or bath.

2. Washing the hair at the hair analysis laboratory. Most hair analysis labs wash the hair at the lab with alcohol, detergent or acetone. This will wash out some of the sodium and potassium, in particular, as these are very water-soluble minerals.

This will change the oxidation rate, in some cases. For accurate assessment of the oxidation rate, the hair must not be washed at the hair testing laboratory.

The only labs who do not wash the hair are Analytical Research Labs in Phoenix, Arizona, USA and Trace Elements, Inc. in Addison Texas. At this time (2018).

3. Release of toxic calcium on a retest. This can rarely cause the calcium and magnesium levels to rise sharply, at times, on a retest mineral analysis. This is not completely an artifact, however.

4. Release of toxic potassium on a retest mineral analysis. This can cause a faster oxidation rate. This is not entirely an artifact, however.

BLOOD TESTS

Blood serum mineral levels may, but usually do not correspond to the levels of these minerals in the hair. This is because the serum mineral levels are kept extremely stable, and are affected by meals and other short-term factors. Blood is also regulated by very different means than hair

The hair is a storage and excretory tissue. Minerals that the body is deficient in are retained, or not permitted into the hair. Minerals that are in excess in the blood are often pushed off or stored in non-essential soft tissues such as the hair.

OTHER METHODS TO IDENTIFY FAST OXIDATION

Some doctors attempt to use questionnaires to assess fast oxidation. We do not find this method accurate.

One can also attempt to identify fast oxidation based upon symptoms. However, this method is also not very accurate.

OTHER TOPICS

VARIANTS OF FAST OXIDATION

It is helpful to distinguish true fast oxidation from temporary fast oxidation:

1. True fast oxidation is found mainly in babies and children under the age of about 3- 8 years of age. They have high levels of etheric energy in the body, and this tends to push their oxidation rate into the fast range.

2. Temporary fast oxidation (also called a slow oxidizer under stress). This is almost always the case in anyone over the age of about 8 to 10 years old.

It is also helpful to distinguish healthy fast oxidation from what is called tired fast oxidation.

A healthy fast oxidizer has a sodium/potassium ratio of 2.5 or higher.

A tired fast oxidizer has a sodium/potassium ratio less than 2.5. At times, he or she may also have a calcium or magnesium level that is above the ideal values of 40 mg% for calcium and 6 mg% for magnesium.

IMPORTANT HAIR MINERAL PATTERNS THAT INVOLVE FAST OXIDATION

1. Stuck in fast. In this pattern, a person is in fast oxidation, but does not want to be there. The oxidation rate is fast, but the sodium/potassium ratio is often less than 1.

2. I’d rather die. Some people love fast oxidation. Their hair tests do not change to slow oxidation easily, even when they follow a complete program. They may require a heavier program, or relief from some kind of stressor.

3. Belligerence pattern. This is a low magnesium level.

4. Vampire patterns. These are a fast oxidation rate and usually an Na/K ratio of 2.5 or greater. The patterns are stronger if the CA/Mg ratio is also elevated, or if the oxidation rate is very fast.

5. Kidney stress. This is an increase in the oxidation rate due to the elimination of toxic metals through the kidneys. It is quite common on hair mineral retests when a person is on a nutritional/minerall balancing program. Usually, the oxidation rate quickly slows down again when the toxic metal elimination is complete.

6. An oxidation rate surge. This is a sharp increase in the oxidation rate. It may be due to kidney stress, or to something else such as other stress, excitement or something else.

7. An oxidation rate collapse. This is a sharp decrease in the oxidation rate. It is often due to the elimination of a toxic metal that was keeping the oxidation rate fast or somewhat fast.

QUANTIFICATION OF FAST OXIDATION

This is not too important. If one wishes, a rough and somewhat arbitrary way to do this is to divide fast oxidation into mild, moderate and extreme. Criteria are:

1. Mild fast oxidation = Na/Mg – Ca/K less than 5.

2. Moderate fast oxidation = Na/Mg – Ca/K between 5 and 16.

3. Extreme fast oxidation = Na/Mg – Ca/K greater than about 16.