Minutus

Shannon wrote:

Often an eczema patient has had a complete lack of proper fatty acids
and in that case any fatty acids will get the ball rolling towards
better health - and the "essential" ones will get to work making the
others. So you'd expect an immediate improvement from flax oil yes - but
long-term it is balance that's needed. Otherwise you get mental
depression, depressed immune system, heart disease, cancer, alzheimers,
etc (and wrinkles in case that matters most to the individual!)
A good ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 is 2 parts omega-6 to 1 part omega-3.

Options:
Omega-3 fatty acids:

* EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) from fish oil, and anti-inflamamtory
* DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) from fish oil, and anti-inflamamtory
* alpha-linolenic acid
* alpha-linoleic acid

Omega-6 fatty acids:

* linoleic acid (from plant oils)
* gamma-linoleic acid
* gamma-linolenic acid
* arachidonic acid (from animal fat)

EPA and DHA are active as they come. Alpha and gamma fatty acids are
activated forms of linoleic and linolenic acids and require an enzyme
called delta-6 desaturase to be activated. People with eczema do not
have it, making borage oil, evening primrose oil, blackcurrant oil and
CLA (C for conjugated, also an active form) supplements attractive as
they all provide active form fatty acid. GLA is gamma linolenic acid
from the 3 mentioned oils; it's not in fish oil.
Yes especially because those with eczema are not converting fatty acids
to active form, so they need them supplied in already activated form.
I think it's due to the inability to activate fatty acids that even
activated omega-6 will help them. We do need 2 parts omega-6 to one of
omega-3 - it's just that as you mentioned the typical diet is loaded
with plant oils full of omega-6 and almost devoid of fish oil in the diet.
Flax has inflammatory linolenic acid omega-3 - better than nothing,
as it can convert a LITTLE to other needed ones - provided there is
delta-6 desaturase to activate it - and that's missing in those with
exzema.
Yes borage is used for GLA content. It's the issue of needing activated
fatty acids and chronic illness often not doing that conversion - that
makes GLA attractive. Also fish oil.
Both are good - depends what you looking to get into balance.
EPA and DHA are ready to go in fish oil for ideal omega-3 source.
GLa enables you to better use other sources of fatty acids.
Apart from fat tissue, the brain contains more fatty acids than any
other part of the body, it's about half fatty acids. So ANY deficiency
will cause serious problems (of the kind ranging from behaviour problems
to alzheimer's problems). The main two brain fatty acids are arachidonic
acid (AA) as found in animal fat, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as
found in fish oil.
AA and DHA can also be synthesized from linoleic acid and
{alpha}-linolenic acid in the diet. The problem is they need to be
activated - hence the GLA issue.
Perhaps your son for some reason was short of delta-6-desaturase
enzyme to convert linoleic and linolenic acids to active form?
Deficiency of AA and DHA in the brain or of linoleic and linolenic acids
in the diet have been shown in animal studies to cause learning and
behavioural difficulties - and also that recuperation after deficiency
is very slow. A shortage of DHA especially during pregnancy when the
fetal brain is developing, is particularly problematic per research.

Basically I consider that our anti-fat society is the cause of a great
deal of suffering from brain damage!

Namaste,
IRene
--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."

Hi Irene thanks for this explanation – I am glad to see from your last comment ie

“Basically I consider that our anti-fat society is the cause of a great
deal of suffering from brain damage!”

that someone else holds this point of view. I feel that there are several problems aside of just the brain damage coming from the huge push over our consumption of fats – I am seeing too many young people showing hormone imbalances from too low fat diets (male and female)– no one in all the media info and role stereotyping has thought to point out to them that certain fats are needed, and that cholesterol plays many important roles in our bodies esp in making our hormones and maintaining the integrity of our cell walls. They are shocked when you explain these pathways to them. The roles that EPA and DHA play in making products of our immune systems like prostaglandins and thromboxanes etc. Man just cannot teach educated moderation it seems he has to bugger it up and then give a food source as a supplement to ‘promote health.’

Regards Pauline

Ah yes - you said it well.
....IRene

Pauline Ashford wrote:

--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."