LECITHIN
DEFINITION OF LECITHIN
An Emulsifier
Lecithin is an emulsifying substance found in the human body and in some natural foods including soy, sunflower oil and egg yolks. It is essential for life.
Anti-Oxidant Properties
Lecithin is also a very important anti-oxidant nutrient that is more yang than most other anti-oxidants, which is an important benefit.
Adrenal Effects
Lecithin protects the adrenal hormone adrenalin (also called epinephrine) from oxidation. Oxidation of adrenalin results in the formation of adrenochrome – a toxic hormone that causes fear, anxiety, and can even cause psychosis.
Lecithin also helps correct adrenal insufficiency or burnout.
Cholesterol Effects
Lecithin is also required for cholesterol metabolism and will help lower an elevated cholesterol level, along with chromium and zinc.
Seizures
Lecithin may also help some people who have seizures or epilepsy.
USE IN NUTRITIONAL BALANCING PROGRAM
Lecithin has been added as a supplement for some people on the Nutritional Balancing Program, even if they are eating egg yolks, which also contain lecithin.
It is especially helpful if one is experiencing anxiety on the program. It helps one calm down, which is very important for many people’s healing.
It is also helpful to balance estrogen and helpful to reduce cholesterol and great to clean bile.
Sympathetic Dominance and Lecithin
People with a sympathetic dominance pattern on their hair mineral test may have a greater need for lecithin than others. This pattern is one of several associated with more anxiety.
Nutrients in Lecithin
Lecithin is a natural source of two B-complex vitamins, choline andinositol, among other nutrients.
Choline is a precursor for the calming neurotransmitter and very important substance, acetylcholine.
USING LECITHIN
Capsules versus Granules
Lecithin is sold as capsules or granules. So far, we find that the capsules are a little more powerful than the granules. Either one will work, however.
Lecithin also comes as a liquid. This is a little more messy to use, but is less expensive than capsules.
Sunflower Oil versus Soy
We believe that lecithin from sunflower oil is a purer and better than soy lecithin. This is the one we recommend.
Dosage. At this time, (June 2019), the adult dose is:
Dr. Eck and Lecithin
Dr. Paul Eck recommended lecithin years ago if one needed to slow down the elimination of toxic metals. However, we do not find that adding lecithin to one’s development program slows toxic metal elimination. It can reduce some symptoms of toxic metal elimination, especially anxiety.
Dr. Eck’s company, Endomet Laboratories, formerly sold a product called ICMN. We used it for anxiety. It contained inositol, choline, methionine and niacinamide. Unfortunately, they no longer sell this product. However, it is related to lecithin, which is a source of inositol and choline.
CAN SOY LECITHIN CAUSE REACTIONS OR FOOD ALLERGIES?
Some health authorities say that soy lecithin can cause allergic reactions. We have not encountered this, so far. Here is an article about it:
Here is an excerpt from a book by Kayla Daniels entitled The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food (2004).
Sources: Dr. L Wilson
An Emulsifier
Lecithin is an emulsifying substance found in the human body and in some natural foods including soy, sunflower oil and egg yolks. It is essential for life.
Anti-Oxidant Properties
Lecithin is also a very important anti-oxidant nutrient that is more yang than most other anti-oxidants, which is an important benefit.
Adrenal Effects
Lecithin protects the adrenal hormone adrenalin (also called epinephrine) from oxidation. Oxidation of adrenalin results in the formation of adrenochrome – a toxic hormone that causes fear, anxiety, and can even cause psychosis.
Lecithin also helps correct adrenal insufficiency or burnout.
Cholesterol Effects
Lecithin is also required for cholesterol metabolism and will help lower an elevated cholesterol level, along with chromium and zinc.
Seizures
Lecithin may also help some people who have seizures or epilepsy.
USE IN NUTRITIONAL BALANCING PROGRAM
Lecithin has been added as a supplement for some people on the Nutritional Balancing Program, even if they are eating egg yolks, which also contain lecithin.
It is especially helpful if one is experiencing anxiety on the program. It helps one calm down, which is very important for many people’s healing.
It is also helpful to balance estrogen and helpful to reduce cholesterol and great to clean bile.
Sympathetic Dominance and Lecithin
People with a sympathetic dominance pattern on their hair mineral test may have a greater need for lecithin than others. This pattern is one of several associated with more anxiety.
Nutrients in Lecithin
Lecithin is a natural source of two B-complex vitamins, choline andinositol, among other nutrients.
Choline is a precursor for the calming neurotransmitter and very important substance, acetylcholine.
USING LECITHIN
Capsules versus Granules
Lecithin is sold as capsules or granules. So far, we find that the capsules are a little more powerful than the granules. Either one will work, however.
Lecithin also comes as a liquid. This is a little more messy to use, but is less expensive than capsules.
Sunflower Oil versus Soy
We believe that lecithin from sunflower oil is a purer and better than soy lecithin. This is the one we recommend.
Dosage. At this time, (June 2019), the adult dose is:
- For the liquid or capsules, between 1200 mg and 9600 mg daily. This is usually 1 to 8 capsulesdaily. At this time, we believe this is safe. Always start with a lower dosage and don’t take more than you need to reduce anxiety.
- For lecithin granules, the dosage is 1 to 8 tablespoons daily. Each tablespoon is usually about 7500 mg of granules. This can be put over vegetables or with other foods.
Dr. Eck and Lecithin
Dr. Paul Eck recommended lecithin years ago if one needed to slow down the elimination of toxic metals. However, we do not find that adding lecithin to one’s development program slows toxic metal elimination. It can reduce some symptoms of toxic metal elimination, especially anxiety.
Dr. Eck’s company, Endomet Laboratories, formerly sold a product called ICMN. We used it for anxiety. It contained inositol, choline, methionine and niacinamide. Unfortunately, they no longer sell this product. However, it is related to lecithin, which is a source of inositol and choline.
CAN SOY LECITHIN CAUSE REACTIONS OR FOOD ALLERGIES?
Some health authorities say that soy lecithin can cause allergic reactions. We have not encountered this, so far. Here is an article about it:
Here is an excerpt from a book by Kayla Daniels entitled The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food (2004).
- Lecithin is an emulsifying substance that is found in the cells of all living organisms.
- The French scientist Maurice Gobley discovered lecithin in 1805 and named it "lekithos" after the Greek word for "egg yolk."
- Until it was recovered from the waste products of soybean processing in the 1930s, eggs were the primary source of commercial lecithin.
- Today lecithin is the generic name given to a whole class of fat-and-water soluble compounds called phospholipids.
- The levels of phospholipids in soybean oils range from 1.48 to 3.08 percent, which is considerably higher than the 0.5 percent typically found in vegetable oils, but far less than the 30 percent found in egg yolks.1-6
- Soybean lecithin comes from sludge left after crude soy oil goes through a "degumming" process. It is a waste product containing solvents and pesticides and has a consistency ranging from a gummy fluid to a more solid substance.
- The hexane extraction process commonly used to make soybean oil yields less lecithin than the older ethanol-benzol process, but produces a more marketable lecithin with better color, reduced odor and less bitter flavor.7
- Historian William Shurtleff reports that the expansion of the soybean crushing and soy oil refining industries in Europe after 1908 led to a problem disposing the increasing amounts of fermenting, foul-smelling sludge.
- German companies then decided to vacuum dry the sludge, patent the process and sell it as "soybean lecithin". Scientists hired to find some use for the substance cooked up more than a thousand new uses by 1939.8
- Today lecithin is ubiquitous in the processed food supply. It is most commonly used as an emulsifier to keep water and fats from separating in foods such as margarine, peanut butter, chocolate candies, ice cream, coffee creamers and infant formulas. Lecithin also helps prevent product spoilage, extending shelf life in the marketplace. In industry kitchens, it is used to improve mixing, speed crystallization, prevent "weeping," and stop spattering, lumping and sticking.
- In cosmetics, lecithin softens the skin and helps other ingredients penetrate the skin barrier.
- A more water-loving version known as "deoiled lecithin" reduces the time required to shut down and clean the extruders used in the manufacture of textured vegetable protein and other soy products.9,10
- In theory, lecithin manufacture eliminates all soy proteins, making it hypoallergenic. In reality, minute amounts of soy protein may remain in lecithin as well as in soy oil. Three components of soy protein have been identified in soy lecithin, including the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor, which has a track record of triggering severe allergic reactions even in the most minuscule quantities. The presence of lecithin in so many food and cosmetic products poses a special danger for people with soy allergies.11-1
Sources: Dr. L Wilson