It is a bright sunny day.  I am anxious with the anticipation of sun on my face and then,

“Mark”

“Yes dear.”

“Will you take out the trash before you go into the sun?”

Our cells just like my wife are constant in their alerting you cells have become clogged with trash that needs to be removed.  You feel down and out or have not waked completely from that long restful sleep.  So how does the body get rid of this cellular trash?  There are many mechanisms that are responsible at the cellular level for removal of left over fragments  from the normal respiration of the energy engines of the cells – mitochondrial bodies.

Over looked in this array of ‘trash removal’ is the need for sulfate to form water soluble esters that latch onto the fragments and remove them through the normal process in the kidneys.  The esters will grab onto anything that is a carbon radical or metal that should be removed.  This includes things like the method used to detoxify the liver when one has taken too much acetaminophen.  The common practice is to use methionine, a high sulfur protein.  Sulfur, as sulfate, also acts to remove metal from the brain such as toxic aluminum.  Aluminum is one of the toxins implicated in Alzheimer disease.  I suspect that other diseases that are hard to define are also a result of the clogging of energy engines in the cells like fibromyalgia.

Municipalities spends millions each year in removing the hardness from our water that most commonly occurs as sodium and calcium sulfate.  If the content of this ‘essential’ mineral is too high in the water, above 500 ppm, it will lead to an uncomfortable taste.  If the high mineral water comes into contact with a carbonate, it will precipitate in the pipes as a hard calcium deposit.  This is not that dissimilar to what happens in your arteries when you develop plaque, which is mostly a calcium plaque.

Vitamin D controls the balance of minerals in our bodies.  Vitamin D3 and its metabolites along with vitamin K2 act to help the body take care of calcium in the metabolic process of the body.  Vitamin D is particularly beneficial in controlling the sodium sulfate co-transporters that can be found in the dermal linings of all parts of the body as well as all the organs.    “Critical role of vitamin D in sulfate homeostasis: regulation of the sodium-sulfate cotransporter by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ ” Bolt, et.al. Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, May 27, 2004. 

Are you getting enough sulfur as inorganic sulfur?  The science is very thin on this subject.  You may find this article helpful from the USDA website:  “Sulfate” (pdf) The authors state that most of the sulfur in our diets comes from the turnover of sulfur rich proteins both from plants and meats.  However, it also describes the body’s need for the inorganic sulfate.   How can you assure that you are getting enough sulfur?  Many nutritionist that ascribe to the paleo diet suggest you need at least three cups of cruciferous and allium vegetables per day in addition to the other proteins that you get from your normal diet.  Here is a helpful post from the Dr. Mercola website:  “Dr Reverses MS in 9 Months by Eating These Foods”    Also this full free text article from Pub Med “Allium vegetables and organosulfur compounds: do they prevent cancer?”     Please note the volatile compounds listed in this article are all sulfates.  This is what causes your eyes to tear when you cut into an onion.  The volatile sulfate forms sulfuric acid in your eyes and results in the ‘burn.’

Listen to your Mom when she says, “Eat your vegetables.”   If you want to become fully awake in a hurry or get over a handover, try an onion.   – Pandemic Survivor