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All disease has inflammation as a major part. Inflammation starts in the gut. When we understand this we realize the most important thing we can do to stop inflammation is to eat a healthy diet. Dr. Mercola explains it very well.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... =542811096

More typical Mercola- half truths, innuendo, scaremongering, and a big touch of inaccuracy.

The whole article hangs on the work of Oschman (2007), and while Oschman did at least mention free radicals (and you cannot discuss anti-oxidents with out talking of free radicals), Mercola seems to have missed this point.

Since inflammation inside the spine is the prime reason for a Dx of Transverse Inflammatory Myelitis (often the precursor of full-on MS), it would (at least) have been informative to know the mechanism by which this occurs.
It also evades the point that imflammation is more often a symptom and not a cause.

Geoff

I did not see anti-oxidants even mentioned. He did mention oxidized cholesterol at one point. Certainly does not seem to be the key point being discussed

Ak. Inflammation in the gut and brain does have connectivity....but published science always helps.
Here's a peer-reviewed, published scientist who has found a connection to the brain and the gut.
Dr. Alesso Fasano of the University of Maryland has been looking at the endothelial layer, and found out how a certain protein-zonulin found in gluten-- affects the permeability of the tight junctions in the gut and the blood brain barrier, allowing for inflammation and transport of plasmic particles into tissue.

Zonulin is the only physiological modulator of intercellular tight junctions described so far that is involved in trafficking of macromolecules and, therefore, in tolerance/immune response balance. When the finely tuned zonulin pathway is deregulated in genetically susceptible individuals, both intestinal and extraintestinal autoimmune, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders can occur. This new paradigm subverts traditional theories underlying the development of these diseases and suggests that these processes can be arrested if the interplay between genes and environmental triggers is prevented by reestablishing the zonulin-dependent intestinal barrier function.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21248165

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by tissue damage and loss of function due to an immune response that is directed against specific organs. This review is focused on the role of impaired intestinal barrier function on autoimmune pathogenesis. Together with the gut-associated lymphoid tissue and the neuroendocrine network, the intestinal epithelial barrier, with its intercellular tight junctions, controls the equilibrium between tolerance and immunity to non-self antigens

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22109896

Endothelial health and integrity is essential for healthy gut and healthy blood brain barrier. Inflammation occurs whenever there is a breach in this layer. There are many ways this occurs---zonulin is simply ONE factor, but the connection between the brain and gut is being elucidated. And there's peer-reviewed and published science, too!
pubmed!
cheer

agree, cheer. i like your input.

MattN wrote:

I did not see anti-oxidants even mentioned. He did mention oxidized cholesterol at one point. Certainly does not seem to be the key point being discussed

Funny, that. Mercola mentions antioxidants in his second paragraph of the section on "grounding".
Oschman however mentions antioxidants and free radicals quite early on. His 2007 paper is subscription to access, but the 2008 version (Oschman and Kessler, 2008) is available online:
http://www.ondamed.net/fileadmin/user_u ... essler.pdf
and you will find antioxidants coming up on the very first page.

Compare the two papers, and you will see that Mercola is no scientist. even when he is borrowing from someone else.

Geoff