Similar to Traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine considers sugar, as a sweet flavor, to be part of overall dietary balance, provided it isn’t used to excess. Ayurveda, the medical approach used in India since ancient times, is primarily concerned with constitutional attributes known as the three ‘doshas’. Individual dietary regimens are based on a balanced approach to the requirements of each dosha, and imbalances are generally addressed through diet and herbal medicine.
Western medicine is more concerned with the biochemical effects of sugar, the fact that cane sugar is a type of sucrose: a combination of the simple sugars fructose and glucose. Because of the energy required by the digestive system, particularly the liver, to break down sucrose, the body experiences a spike in energy and then a crash.
The Glycemic Index is measurement of how fast and how high a particular food will cause blood sugar to rise and fall. It is also a determinant of how much insulin will be released in order to remove toxic sugar loads from the bloodstream for use as energy within the cells. Because of the high and the inevitable low, the 1975 health classic “Sugar Blues” likened sugar to an addictive drug.
In 1957, Dr. William Martin classified sugar, a pure refined carbohydrate devoid of any vitamin and mineral content, as a poison. In her 1995 book, Hypoglycemia: The Disease Your Doctor Won’t Treat: The Classic Healthcare Handbook, Jeraldine Saunders, who also wrote the original Love Boat, (on which the TV show was based,) exposed hypoglycemia as a serious health issue. Included is an excellent breakdown of how to properly interpret the results of the glucose tolerance test.
Current research shows that drinking sugars, such as soda and even sweetened fruit juice, is even more toxic to the system due to the blood sugar spike and crash after ingestion. A 2009 video released on youtube by Dr. Robert Lustig, embedded below, discussed the relationship between sugar and pediatric obesity.
Carey O’Rielly DDS has been a practicing dentist for 35 years. He went to USC Dental School and Duke University for his undergraduate degree. He grew up in Laguna Beach and now lives in La Costa with his wife Victoria, who runs his office.
He began his career by owning and operating a network of six offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. Presently he owns a private holistic practice in North County San Diego’s Encinitas.
Dr. O started looking for solutions to his health challenges that resulted from the stress and environmental toxicity that built up over a ten year period running his dental network. He has dedicated himself to learning about oral systemic problems and how dentistry can affect your health. He has applied what he has learned over the last twenty years to ensure he, his staff and his patients are protected from the chemicals and toxic materials found in most dental offices. He has produced an environmentally friendly office that is also peaceful and calm.
He is an expert on dental materials having looked at hundreds of biocompatibility lab tests over the years. He has identified the most bio-friendly materials to use in his practice and which dental materials can be used to replace metal fillings and crowns, including BPA free and fluoride free ‘white’ fillings. He also uses metal-free Zirconia or ceramic implants and PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) grafting materials which come from the patient’s own blood.
Dr. O’Rielly teaches C.E. courses on the systemic effects of gum disease. He is an expert in using phase contrast microscopy for analyzing dental infections, where he shows patients what kind of microbes, i.e. bacteria, amoeba, and yeasts like candida are populating the mouth and affecting the body as a whole.
He has an educational blog and is writing a book on dental health called ‘Hidden Dental Infections: Healing Root Canals and Infected Teeth with the Erbium Laser’ where he discusses dental nutrition, toxic dental materials and the effects of old root canals on inflammation and overall health.
