Q. How can I have more willpower?

A. The frontal lobe is located in the forehead. This is where reason, judgment and willpower is located. As the body begins to heal so does the brain. Reason, judgment and willpower becomes clearer and easier as it is exercised.

Q. Is my brain fully developed when I am born?

A. No, your brain is fully developed at the age of 30. The frontal lobe gives us the ability to see (think) ahead and make good decisions. It is said, humans use about 26-29% of their frontal lobe, while a cat and dog uses between 3-7%. Diet and lifestyle largely determines how much we use. Does lifestyle and diet play such for cats and dogs as well? What do you think?

Q. Is it true that I can use only 10% of the brain?

A. No, we have access to the entire brain right now! It is only when we fall into habit mode we use a small percentage of the brain. Continual habit mode makes the brain handicap in that it depends on existing neuro-pathways to get to point A to point B. This requires no thought. Do you need to think about how to drive your car down the road? No, this can be done without thinking. This is one reason why it is good to learn something new each day to exercise and generate new pathways. A deliberate act of thought is the only way to a new circut.

Q. What is the strongest muscle in the body?

A. The jaw is the most powerful muscle in the body. It can exert 180 pounds on each molar. The jaw shows its strength when it encounters hard or tough food. Have you ever bit your tongue? The mouth is the only place in the body that has teeth. Stomach does not have teeth, contrary to belief. That is why we chew our food in the mouth.

Q. When we swallow our food, does it just fall into the stomach?

A. Food is moved through the pharynx and then enters the esophagus. This is the muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach. The esophagus is about 10 inches long. Food moves through your esophagus by a wavelike series of muscular contractions called peristalsis. The sphincter opens and closes very quickly. Standing on head will not open it.

Q. How long does it take for food to move out of the stomach?

A. It takes approximately 3 to 4 hours for the stomach to digest a meal. Fruit, a little less. Meat, a little longer. Food should be out of body in 16 hours.

Q. Is it true when we are dehydrated, the body takes water from the stomach lining before any other place in the body?

A. Yes, the body performs its work in order of operations. It is better to take from the stomach first than the brain where we make decisions.

Q. I am taking a lot of minerals, but my test show that I am still low in them. What should I do?

A. Minerals are dissolved in the stomach only when there is strong acid. If the stomach is too weak, minerals are not dissolved and neither absorbed further down in the small intestines. For instance, low iron can cause anemia. Anemia is cured by simply strengthening stomach acid to dissolve iron and eliminate certain toxins that come in through our food that prevent the uptake of iron.

Q. I thought heartburn was a sign of too much acid. Is this true?

A. Heartburn is a sign of weak acid and indicates a bacterial overgrowth, which has weakened the upper portion of the stomach, the esophageal sphincter. When bacteria overtakes the lower portion of the stomach, food does not move out of the stomach in a timely fashion. This will further breakdown of the stomach.

Q. Why do we need a lot of acid in the stomach?

A. When acid is strong, it can kill pathogens, parasites and bad bacteria before they go further down the GIT. If stomach acid is weak, protein is not broken down properly. Undigested protein can lead to further poblems including joint pain and allergies.

Q. What about medications that can reduce or halt acid production?

A. Tums, Maalox, Rolaids, Nexium, Prilosec, Tagamet, Zantac, and Pepcid AC; proton pumps. Proton pumps have been shown to produce cancer in rats in 8 weeks! All these medications can lead to greater issues down the road, including death. It is essential we have lots of acid with our food. It is very dangerous to suppress acid conditions in the stomach.

Q. My doctor tells me I have a special condition because my stomach doesn't digest food as fast as others. Is this true?

A. No, once food is sufficiently pulverized and partly digested in the stomach, it is dribbled out into the duodenum in small quantities at a rate it can handle. If the duodenum is too acidic (and even if the contents of the stomach are too chuncky), it will not accept more food. It cannot risk being damaged by the acid. The pH regulation is very critical. Slow digestion is nothing more than too much acidity in the duodenum and not enough break down of food, both resulting from an ailing stomach. See #1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 below for solutions. Use 2 to 3 digestive enzymes with meal to help get food out of the stomach faster. Addressing stomach bacterial is a must.