If you're not familiar with Dr. Weston A. Price, let me introduce you. He was a dentist that went in search of the causes of dental decay and physical degeneration (physical degeneration meaning crowded, crooked teeth due to deformed dental arches) in the 1930's. He studies isolated human cultures throughout the world. He found that their diets contained much higher mineral content (calcium and other minerals), and TEN TIMES the amount of fat-soluble vitamins sourced from animal foods than current diets in our culture. He found that the people of these cultures not only had no cavities, they also had straight teeth (no orthodontics needed!!), no fertility issues, and were resistant to disease. You can read more about it here: http://www.westonaprice.org/nutrition-greats/weston-price
So we've been following a Weston Price diet for some time, but I've gotten lax on a couple of points (buying a few too many boxes of convenience snacks, forgetting to give the kids their cod liver oil, etc). I thought we were doing 'mostly ok'. BUT, like I said earlier, the boys still got cavities...Mason has 3 tiny ones in 3 out of his 4 permanent molars. And Isaac has a big one, only visible by x-ray, between two of his baby teeth, almost to the pulp...but it's not causing him any pain. So, I revisited what we've been doing and I read this:
Ok, ok...I've probably lost most of my readers at this point that think I'm just WAY wacky, but for those of you that are still with me, be ready to be rocked. I have to believe that God made us in a way that our bodies are resilient to what this world throws at us, if we treat our body the way God intended. We've been taught to believe that cavities are caused by 'sugar bugs' that eat away at our enamel and cause cavities...but what if that's wrong? Wrong like butter is bad? Wrong like eggs are unhealthy? Wrong like saturated fat clogs your arteries? If you know me at all, you know I'll take a strong stand and have several references ready to show any of these statements are false.
What if our teeth are weak because they aren't getting what they need to stay strong and resist decay (like minerals and fat-soluble vitamins)? What if our diet played a significant role in preventing and healing decay? What if your teeth were strong enough to withstand anything that might come at them and tried to eat away at the enamel? What if you could actually HEAL cavities...and not just the little ones, the big honkin' ones that are root canal worthy? These, I believe, are all true.
I've known several people, quite personally - some of you are reading this right now have had great success healing cavities through nutrition. Matt was told he had a cavity that needed to be treated...instead of scheduling the appointment to get it filled, we waited...and made sure to include the above mentioned things in his diet. At his next cleaning, 6 months later, guess what? NO CAVITY! It was the same dentist that saw him the first time, now telling him there was no cavity where there was one before. So, my boys have cavities, and here's what we're doing:
1) adding fermented cod liver oil/butter oil supplement to their diet. Two tsp per day for the boys, only one for Charlotte, and 1/2 tsp for Maggie.
They prefer the chocolate cream flavor, and I freeze them in 1 tsp portions and just dole them out at breakfast (and dinner for the boys)
2) I'm adding liver...sometimes sneaking it in foods, but I also ordered these:
Liver from grass-fed/pastured animals is a great source of vitamins and minerals. From the book above (Cure Tooth Decay by Rami Nagel) "Liver Stops Cavities - Liver helps your body live. It contains nearly every vitamin and mineral needed to build healthy teeth and bones except for fat-soluble vitamin D, magnesium and calcium."
3) We are limiting grains, and properly preparing (soaking or sprouting) any that they do eat...and yes, this means no more boxed snacks.
4) We are limiting sugar...we used to be kinda crazy with the honey, but we're laying off a bit now :)
So, now I bet you feel bad for my kids....making them eat fish oil, liver capsules, and not having candy. However, I do make exceptions on occasion, and we do make homemade chocolate, and cupcakes, and frosting. But to be honest, my kids don't WANT candy like they used to...partly because they know it's bad for them, but mostly because they would enjoy a clementine, watermelon, or a glass of fruit kefir just as much.
But what about everything in moderation, you ask? Well, our bodies don't know HOW to handle much of the processed stuff that is out there...high fructose corn syrup, artificial dyes, vegetable oils, etc...so I don't believe 'moderation' is applicable for something that is destructive and poisonous to our bodies in the long term. Look at the rates of cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart issues in our society now versus 100 years ago? Our food system has changed...and it's affecting our health. I'm trying to get it back for our family. But I digress....
So, the boys will have checkups in 6 months...and I'll update then so y'all can see if it worked or not! Stay tuned :)
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