It is obvious that even congenital or developmental abnormalities can be traced back to nutrition.  Nutrition may be affected by the use of toxic substances or drugs that affect cell division leading to abnormalities and congenital defects.  One such chemical is thalidomide and the virus called rubella.  All these lead to birth degenerative diseases like diabetes, asthma, vascular/heart diseases are all traceable to some nutritional deficit, which causes the cell death in the organs concerned.  The pancreas loses the ability to secrete insulin as a result of the degeneration of the cells in the islets of langerhans.  These specialist cells die as a result of a nutrition lacking in vitamins and minerals.  Taking white sugar from which molasses containing vitamins and minerals are removed during processing leads to one such way by which diabetes develops.  When these nutrients are supplied to the person with diabetes, the situation improves rapidly back to normal.

All body cells develop from what are called stem cells in the embryonic stage. A stem cell requires proper nutrition as found in vegetable foods in their original unprocessed state in order to develop with the adult specialised cells as you find in various body organs like the brain, liver, glands, skin, muscle, bones, intestinal and respiratory tracts. The lack of liberal supplies of these nutrients we find in fruits and vegetables creates a deficiency in the availability of vitamins like A, B, C etc, minerals like iron, zinc, selenium etc, besides plant hormones, enzymes and chlorophyll all of which play an important role in the proper development and specialisation of body cells. Examples of congenital defects that can be traced back to nutrition include, heart defects, spina bifida, missing limbs, hydrocephalus and many others. A liberal supply of vitamins and minerals are vital in this respect.
Infections of the mother during pregnancy include viruses like rubella which only occur where antiviral nutrients like vitamin A, C and E are in short supply. The virus disrupts the proper cell divisions required to complete some body organs like the heart etc.

The immune system which protects us from all infections depends on nutrition to produce antibodies and the necessary defence cells like macrophages and lymphocytes. Any deficiency in the necessary nutrients results in weakening of the immune system which is followed by an invasion of the body of bacteria viruses, fungus and even degeneration of body cells. Nutrients help the body to clean itself by mopping up free radicals that we produce during cellular metabolism. These free radicals include hydrogen peroxide, which attacks cell structures if left in position for too long. It can attack vital structures like the cell membrane, the nucleus and mitochondria. The damage they inflict on the cells is what can cause conditions like diabetes when insulin-secreting cells (islets of Langerhans ) die in increasing numbers till it results in insulin deficiency called diabetes. When nutrients are replenished, the cells regenerate and diabetes can be cured. The same occurs in other body cells where cancer occurs because of the destruction of mitochondria making metabolism using oxidation of glucose impossible for lack of the necessary enzymes in the mitochondria (Kreb’s cycle) which power the process. This leads the cells to generate heat energy using fermentation processes and the production of lactic acid. This is the way cancer occurs in body tissues like in the breasts, uterus, lungs, glands and other tissues. The cure for cancer must, therefore, address this anomaly by reconstructing the damaged cell structures and restoring normal body metabolism. Powerful antioxidants, which act as free radical scavengers in the affected parts of the body help the tissues to detoxify itself and prevent further cell, damage from free radicals. The oxygen that is released by hydrogen peroxide can attack cell structures and cause the equivalent of iron rust in the body. In situations like these, one requires to drink a lot of water in order to enable the kidneys to excrete those impurities from the blood circulation where they may continue causing traumatic effects on tissues. Water is an essential part of our nutritional requirements. If the body is denied water supply, it deteriorates rapidly because of dehydration and accumulation of toxic impurities. These impurities which accumulate in tissues cause body damage by depleting the supplies of nutrients from the food taken in daily. The ageing process is perpetuated by this growing nutritional deficit. As we grow we cut down on our intake of the essential nutrients of vitamins and minerals. The sum total of the nutritional deficiency and chronic dehydration is the progressive ageing process we observe in everyday life. In such a situation, the body cells fail to reproduce themselves as they should by replacing themselves with identical copies. This is why the hair begins to lose pigmentation and grey and the skin loses its elasticity, eventually becoming rough and wrinkled. This is the reason why cancer incidence increases with age or pollution in the internal and external environment. If we look after ourselves properly by taking a well balanced diet consisting of unprocessed fresh vegetables and fruits, then drink the required amounts of water, then we would be able to maintain our health status close to ideal for many years. Medicinal herbs are no more than foods with the required nutrients to correct the cellular nutritional deficiency, that led to the diseased state. The use of Contraceptive pills, overuse of antibiotics and smoking are some of the forms of drug abuse which drain heavily on nutrients because of the increased need for detoxification. This is the reason why those who indulge in such practices develop cancer of the breast, lungs, uterus and prostate. Others develop diabetes, Asthma and blood pressure because of the nutritional deficit created by the increase in the demand for nutrients for the detoxification of free radicals

A disease state like AIDS is a complex manifestation of nutritional deficiencies that include vitamins, minerals, plant hormones, amino acids and enzymes.  The body needs plant ingredients found in leafy vegetables e.g. chlorophyll, lecithin and many others.  The HIV invades the body by penetrating its cells which are deficient in nutrients and abounding in free radicals.  This window of opportunity occurs in all people who indulge in junk foods, drug abuse, over use of antibiotics, fizzy drinks with artificial sweeteners.  These factors depress the immune system allowing the virus to successfully establish itself in the body.  If the free radicals are regularly mopped up using the free radical scavengers called antioxidants as found in fresh fruit and vegetables, then the virus and cancer cells are eliminated by the power of the immune system.

During sexual union, the male partner ejaculates about 2 ml of semen which carry the male spermatozoa.  This semen also carries with it nutrients to be used by the sperm and the early embryo.  To collect these nutrients in the semen, one pint of the male partner’s blood is stripped of all these elements which include vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones etc, etc.  Repeated ejaculations can deplete the male partner’s blood of essential elements required by his immune system.  The result of such a situation is to make him vulnerable to infections like viruses and STDs including HIV.  This is the reason why promiscuous males may easily develop AIDS which means Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.  Semen is rich in zinc and selenium both of which are very important for strengthening immunity by providing it with specialised cells called T helper  lymphocytes.  These T helper lymphocytes go through the thymus gland which prepares them for the battlefield capability against virus invaders.  The thymus gland requires a lot of zinc to do the job.  Selenium is needed to make the body’s antioxidant called glutathione peroxidase.  This natural antioxidant is very important in clearing out hydrogen peroxide from the body cells.  A diet rich in these nutrients will play an important role in protecting us against all infections and cancer.  The prostrate gland in the male is the equivalent of the uterus in the female.  Both these organs are prone to developing cancer if nutrition is deficient in these essential elements among others.

On the other hand, female partners stand to gain nutrients which are drained out of the male partners blood.  Most of the semen’s essential ingredients are absorbed into the female circulation through the birth canal.  This provides her with the elements mentioned above for added protection against nutritional deficiency diseases that come as a result of a weakened immune system.  This explanation could account for the survival phenomenon observed among professional female sex workers in Kenya and Uganda.  These prostitutes have been found to survive HIV infection despite their risk factors.  It has also been observed that these sex workers begin to succumb to HIV/AIDS when they retire from their profession.  This would eliminate the original theory that they have a special genetic makeup that protects them against HIV.  I am of the opinion that it is the constant liberal supply of essential nutrients that boosts their immunity to the optimum levels capable to resisting STDs.

Herpes Zoster which is a result of a chickenpox virus manifesting itself as blisters on the skin is another example of the power of the immune system.  This virus only surfaces when the body is malnourished and immune deficient.  The development of cancer cells starts when the natural killer cells that hunt and destroy them are weakened by poor nutrition.  This poor nutrition may be a result of ingesting overwhelming amounts of toxic substances that require large amounts of nutrients to excrete through the kidneys.  If such nutrients are not available then the immune system is weakened and the natural killer cells fail to cope with the cancer cell development in the tissues.  This if kept up for long enough, then the particular site develops cancer.  These toxic substances like aspartame (Nutrasweet), contraceptive pills, radioactive materials, alcohol, hydrocarbons, asbestos etc, etc.  These elements cause the production of free radicals to rise and stagnate in tissues.  This stagnation leads to the damage of cell wall, DNA cross-links and mitochondrial structural damages.  This DNA damage leads to genetic mutation and cancer changes.  The damage to mitochondria structure leads to the failure of the cell to metabolise glucose using oxygen.  As a result of this failure, the cell turns to fermentation to produce heat energy with the production of a toxic lactic acid.  This is what cancer cells do.  They multiply uncontrollably and destroy normal tissues in the neighbourhood.  Some of these uncontrollable cells breakoff and carry their characteristics to other parts of the body as metastasis that spread destruction and death.  This process can be halted by providing the tissues with the required nutrients to repair the cellular damage in DNA and mitochondria.  These nutrients must also strengthen the immune cells to be capable of destroying the cancer cells.  This is possible through the use of herbal nutrients which contain the necessary ingredients to do the job.  This has been achieved in cases of breast cancer, cancer of a uterus, melanoma and other cancers.

Hormone dependent disorders like diabetes, thyroid gland dysfunction, menopause, libido and many others can be eliminated by providing these necessary nutrients by using diet and where required, food supplements. Menopause and loss of virility comes because of the progressive reduction in our food intake as we grow older. As a result of eating processed foods like white sugar, white flour and processed grain where the nutrients are removed and fed to lower animals, we develop deficiency diseases like diabetes, scurvy, eczema, lupus and asthma. These come about because our body’s immune systems have been programmed wrongly because of introducing adverse antigens into the body through vaccinations and inoculations. All these immunity or autoimmune disorders could be corrected by providing the body with the nutrients the body needs to reprogrammed the immunity. By providing these supplements, we have been successful in eliminating all symptoms and signs of lupus, asthma, eczema, thyroid gland problems and so on.

Stroke which is a result of the blocking of blood clotting could be eliminated.  The underlying disorder is in the metabolism of cholesterol leading to partial or complete blockage of a blood vessel.  Where there is a blood clot or a ruptured blood vessel and bleeding, you find an accumulation of free radicals, white blood cells in the clot.  This pathology needs nutrients to put it right.  The cholesterol needs nutrients to facilitate its breakdown into energy.  The blood clot and the repair of the damaged blood vessel will be completed by the white blood cells.  We have seen this happen in many cases of stroke where paralysis disappeared within weeks or months when the necessary nutrients were provided to the patient.

Brain and nerve disorders may develop because of using too much alcohol or a diet deficient in vitamins and minerals.  Even psychiatric disorders are a result of the body’s failure to make the right nerve transmitters for lack of the proper nutrients.  Where these mental problems existed, we provided the patients with nutritional supplements and an improved diet.

The result was an improvement or recovery from the dementia of a psychiatric problem. As a result of the above observations as summarised, the following conclusion was inevitable. The unified field Theory of disease and nutrition (establishes) postulates that all disease states have their origin in some form of malnutrition at one stage or another. Even those arising from genetic defects could be attributed to the influence of a mutation that occurred because of a nutritional defect in the diet of the individual or alternatively the mutation persisted because of lack of proper nutrition. All disease states whether they are congenital, infective, and degenerative have a nutritional factor in their causation and promotion or elimination.

Mariandina ingredients have a wide spectrum of properties that include a positive impact on most of the diseases mentioned above because its formulation includes a wide range of nutrients as was considered essential for the maintenance of optimum nutrition of all types of body cell.
The Herbs that were selected for inclusion in the Mariandina formulation were those that our research had established to be composed of properties with great nutritional value which is the basis of their medicinal value and curative properties.