Mar
24
2013

Living In A Toxic World

By | Cancer, Health, Heart Disease, Hormones, Nutrition, Prevention, Vitamins and supplements

The following article is about living in a toxic world. In the past nobody worried about toxicities except parents when their children were gnawing on lead paint. Paint always contained lead and people thought that it was only children we had to worry about. We thought that adults were “immune” to this. We learnt a lot about lead toxicity from early studies in Germany and it was there that EDTA was developed in 1935 to treat children with lead toxicity. During the Second World War when ships were painted with lead containing paints many soldiers were poisoned with lead. EDTA treatment protocols that had been developed earlier for children were found to be also effective for these soldiers.

Lead poisoning from Chinese made toys and mercury poisoning from the air

Fast forward to 2013. We all have heard of lead poisoning from Chinese made toys, from Chinese fashion jewelry and we have heard of the melamine poisoning of baby food and candies. These are not the only poisonings. Mercury is in the air; it is also present in light bulbs and in cruise ship exhaust fumes from incineration of light bulbs and batteries. We have over 600 chemicals and carcinogens in cigarette smoke, which is perhaps the largest “legal” roulette game involving humans where several poisons are inhaled at once. Our water is chlorinated or fluoridated, which interferes with our thyroid gland function. Vegetables that are supposed to be healthy for us contain residues from insecticides and herbicides that have estrogen-like activities called xenoestrogens.

Xenoestrogens can cause breast cancer

They are known to cause breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Milk in the US often contains antibiotics and genetically modified bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which again can cause various cancers in humans as this link shows. rBGH is banned in Europe and in Canada. The problems do not stop at chemicals in our water, environment, food and air, the newest threat is genetically modified food like wheat, corn and high fructose corn syrup, which is manufactured from GMO corn. Other GMO foods are golden rice, sugar beet, yellow crookneck squash, cotton for cottonseed oil, soybeans, canola, Hawaiian papaya, just to name a few. GM food is illegal in most European countries, but the US is trying very hard to push for “fair trade practices” in order to expand the market for GM foods.

Living In A Toxic World

Living In A Toxic World

GMO and endometriosis

How does all of this affect your body? One of the publications from France found that genetically modified food is likely responsible for the increase of endometriosis in women. This link explains that xenobiotics-associated genetically modified foods contain glyphosate (a herbicide) and Cry1Ab protein that affects the women’s hormone metabolism and causes the lining of the uterus to become invasive to cause endometriosis. There have been attempts to study toxicity of GM foods in animal experiments, but the pitfall was a wrong testing time of only 90 days , which was chosen for these experiments, and “no differences” were found between test and control animals (all the official statements about GMO food “safety” in the US are based on these “standard tests”).

The effects of GMO food

However, there are other studies that found significant differences after only 4 weeks of feeding rats and mice 10% GMO food mixed with regular feed as this link shows. The full impact of genetically modified foods is not evident until 3 generations or more in animal experiments, which is the equivalent of 90 years or more in humans. This is 80 years from now because significant amounts of GM food were in the food chain from the food industry for about 10 years. The definition of one human generation generally is 30 years. The animal studies show that with GMO food there is a higher mortality in rats and mice and that infertility is getting worse from generation to generation.

Toxic effects of heavy metals

With respect to chemicals patients detect toxic effects on the body a lot faster than with GMO foods. The toxins such as carcinogens and xenoestrogens are often fat-soluble, which means that obese people have more toxins stored than lean people. Mercury, cadmium and lead were found in a study to have caused specific protein folding problems within the cells. This explains bone marrow toxicity, liver and kidney toxicity and brain and heart toxicity. In other words, these are the organs where cells contain most of the mitochondria in the body and heavy metals are blocking their energy metabolism leading to aberrant body functions. As a result auto-immune diseases have increased dramatically, inflammatory conditions are common, and cancer rates are up.

How do we defend ourselves in a toxic world?

1. Food preparation living in a toxic world

First you need to switch from regular foods to organic foods. Also throw out all the foods in your fridge that are not organic and that contain MSG in it’s many disguises. MSG is an excitotoxin, which kills brain cells. These suggestions are also what Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton is recommending. Organic foods do not contain any of the problematic GM foods. They are also free of rBGH, xenoestrogens, residual herbicides or residual insecticides. Switch to either organic milk and milk products or goat milk and goat milk products. As some toxins will be released from the fatty tissue, if you are obese or overweight and you loose weight, it is advisable to use psyllium seed husks as a supplement to bind the toxins in the gut for elimination. Fiber from organic fruit and vegetables or oat bran are also beneficial.

Buy organic, avoid restaurants

On the long term it is less money to buy organic foods and prepare your own meals than going out to restaurants to eat. It is also much healthier and tasty. Avoid fast food chains as their processed foods contain artery clogging trans fats, GM foods and other questionable ingredients like “pink slime”. You do not need a cooking class to prepare a decent dinner. Read cookbooks for inspiration and modify the recipes to suit your own style. Remember to use only organic ingredients. You can’t create a healthy meal with non-organic ingredients mixed in (it’s like you start adding poisons). Break the old habits, do it right! Replace butter with olive oil. Replace sugar with organic stevia (a plant sweetener).

Avoid wheat flour

Avoid flour (especially wheat flour). Replace it, if you must with flour from oats, spelt or farro (at this point none of them have undergone genetic changes). Because wheat has been chemically modified in the 1960’s and 1970’s and gliadin is about 7-fold higher, brain receptors react differently than to the “old” wheat. As a result many individuals find that they want more- bread, pasta, wheat cereal, bagels…you name it! The huge surge in obesity is just the final result. Cutting out wheat and otherwise reducing the intake of grains may be a big step, but  is well worth the effort! Another problem with bakery products is that the food industry is using bromine for rising and chlorine for bleaching so this adds to the toxic burden of the thyroid gland. Cut out wheat, pasta and bread and you will gain health.

2. Detoxification living in a toxic world

If you had a lot of exposure to heavy metals in the past, you may want to see a naturopath for intravenous chelation treatments with vitamin C (10 Grams) and glutathione (1250 mg) every two weeks for some time until they are out of your system. If you have a lot of silver/mercury amalgam tooth fillings, let your dentist remove them. Ask your dentist to replace them with non-amalgam ceramic, gold inlets or crowns. Don’t use fluoride toothpaste despite your dentist’s recommendation: it is toxic as it poisons enzyme systems in your body and causes cancer of the intestines over a longer period of time. Use  a fluoride-free toothpaste from the health food store. After dental cleanings refuse the fluoride gel for the same reason. Brush your teeth frequently and floss your teeth regularly after meals. Your heart and cardiovascular system will thank you for this.

3. Eliminate other toxins from your personal care products

Check your cosmetics, shampoos, hair conditioners as well as your underarm deodorants, body wash, lip balm and sun tan lotion. Do they have parabens, triclosan (often in deodorants) or phthalates in them? They are weak carcinogens or immune disruptors. If they do, replace them with a healthier product from the health food store that does not contain these harmful ingredients. Use BPA free plastic containers for water during sport activities, they are quite affordable and can be ordered online. BPA free food containers are also available in super markets, department stores and some drug stores.

4. Clean up your home environment

Avoid toxic cleaning agents, solvents, paints, and other chemicals. If you have to deal with chemicals, be sure to ventilate your living spaces. Use latex paint instead of oil-based paint, if possible and air out well until dry. Always use vinyl gloves to protect your skin.  The body absorbs thinners or paints through the skin within a few minutes and are toxic to your system. If there is construction in your house or you move into a new home, air out frequently by opening the windows on and off until the “new” chemical odors disappear. New clothes contain chemical agents from the factory; wash them frequently until the chemicals disappear. Avoid fabric softeners as they are chemicals (or use a biological product, if you feel you must use one).

5. Pay attention to your water living in a toxic world

The water utility company treats drinking water with chemicals (fluorine, chlorine or bromine) to make it bacteria free. It is best to drink only reverse osmosis water, bottled water, distilled water or mineral water. Home owners are doing well to remove for the rest of the household fluoride, chlorine or bromine from the tap water. with A good carbon filter can do that for you. Talk to your water treatment company.

6. Hormone balance living in a toxic world

The aging process and the toxins in our environment affect our hormone glands and we produce less hormones as we get older than our ancestors did, but our ancestors overall did not live as long as we are today. A lot of this is due to exposure to immune disruptors like BPA’s from the older water bottles and long-term exposure to xenoestrogens (from residues of artificial fertilizers on non-organic vegetables).

You need balanced hormones

We need balanced hormones; it is important to have them checked by a knowledgeable doctor. Either an A4M anti-aging physician, a naturopath or a functional medicine physician can help you. Replace missing hormones only by bio-identical hormone creams, not by synthetic factory produced pseudo-hormones. Common problems as we age are hypothyroidism, sex hormone deficiencies both in women and men, but also human growth hormone deficiencies in some (measured by IGF-1 blood levels). Without proper hormone balance all the organic food in the world will not be the answer to good health.

7. Vitamin and mineral supplements living in a toxic world

Finally, vitamin and mineral supplements are important to support the mitochondria in your cells. Although no vitamin and mineral list is ever complete, I have summarized what I consider to be essential here. Start simple with only vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D3 and a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement. You can always add more later.

The only other thought is to take a slow-release capsule of iodine twice per day. This would protect you from radioactive iodine in the environment or food.  Compounding pharmacies may be your best source. One capsule generally contains 5 mg of elemental iodine and 7.5 mg of iodide. As time goes on you may want to gradually investigate the other supplements.  See whether they would be suitable in your particular case.

How to age gracefully

We all would like to enjoy a long and happy, disease-free life. This goal is no longer achievable by sticking to the old eating habits. Needless to say, that smoking and drinking are out too, because they are toxic to your system. You may as well enjoy organic foods and gradually work yourself through the 7 points I mentioned above. This will ensure that the mitochondria of all your major organ systems will function at their best. As a result, you will feel energized and age gracefully!

More information on vitamins, minerals, supplements and detoxification:

http://nethealthbook.com/health-nutrition-and-fitness/nutrition/vitamins-minerals-supplements/

 

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Mar
17
2013

Calcium, Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 Are Needed For Bone Health

By | Fitness, fractures, Hormones, Osteoporosis, Prevention, Vitamins and supplements

Introduction

I am reviewing in this blog why calcium, vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 are needed for bone health. Recently there has been a lot of coverage in the press regarding postmenopausal treatment of women to prevent osteoporosis. It is all based on this original publication February 26, 2013.

Essentially, there are a number of studies where researchers did a meta-analysis of several trials. They studied osteoporotic bone fracture frequency in female subjects taking 400 IU vitamin D and 1000 mg calcium daily. The researchers measured the frequency of osteoporotic fractures as the indicator  for osteoporosis in these postmenopausal women. The conclusion was that there was no value in taking these supplements to prevent osteoporosis. Many other media publications carried this story.

No kidney stones in study with calcium and vitamin D3

Just two days earlier (Feb. 24, 2013) another study was released with a much larger patient base of 36,282 postmenopausal women of the Women’s Health initiative in the US who were followed up for 7 years. Initially there confusion how compliant the patients were taking their supplements. The required supplementation consisted of 1000 mg of calcium carbonate and 400 IU of vitamin D3. 7 years into the trial the researchers compared the supplement compliant group with the control group taking placebos.

Calcium and vitamin D3 supplementation significantly reduces risk of hip fractures

The study group had 35% to 38% less fractures of the hip than the placebo group. This supplementation did not cause kidney stones in the study group. This was in contrast to what previous smaller studies showed. Some physicians insisted citing the older studies that vitamin D3 and calcium supplementation would cause kidney stones. But the above study refutes the causation of kidney stones by supplementing with vitamin D3 and calcium. In other words, all of these kidney stone concern you have so often read in the media are not true.

Outline of this review

In order to make sense of supplementation as osteoporosis prevention I will first review what a normal bone metabolism requires.  I will then comment on what is missing in some of the studies and why it still makes sense to supplement to prevent osteoporosis. In addition, at the end of this blog I will also recommend a sensible supplementation regimen.  All this is based on a balanced review of the medical literature.

Calcium, Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 Needed For Bone Health

Calcium, Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 Needed For Bone Health

Bone metabolism

But vitamin D3, vitamin K2 and strontium together have also been shown to build up bone density within one year.

So, how does vitamin K2 deposit calcium into the bone? Vitamin K2 stimulates a hormone, called calcitonin, which is produced by specialized C cells (parafollicular cells) inside the thyroid gland and released into the bloodstream. Calcitonin arrives in the bone where it binds firmly with receptors of osteoclasts (bone remodeling cells), which stops breakdown of bone. Calcitonin is helped by another hormone, called osteocalcin, which is produced by the bone producing cells with the name osteoblasts.

Vitamin K2 controls osteocalcin, which is a calcium-regulating hormone

The physician can measure osteocalcin levels in the blood and use this as a research tool to see whether a medication is effective in building up bone mass density (BMD). Vitamin K2 control osteocalcin as a calcium-regulating hormone. If vitamin K2 is present, carboxylation of osteocalcin will lead to mineralization of the bone (new bone formation); if vitamin K2 is absent, osteoporosis sets in.

The skeleton of an average adult contains 1–1.3 kg of calcium and 99% of this is mostly in the form of hydroxyapatite.

The key vitamins for bone metabolism are vitamin D and vitamin K2

Calcium absorption from the small intestine requires vitamin D3 (Ref.1). To transport calcium from the blood into the bone we require both vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 (=menaquinone). This blog explains that several studies have shown that vitamin K2 (or MK-7) plays a double role of preventing calcification of the arteries and bringing the calcium into the bones of osteoporotic women.

Apart from Vitamin K2 that is necessary for osteoporosis prevention other factors have shown to be of importance. For instance, testosterone is an anabolic hormone (meaning a hormone that builds up) and it has clearly been shown that it is bone building: It does so by stimulating osteoblasts, which are bone producing cells that reside inside the bone.

Vitamin D3, vitamin K2, Calcitonin and osteocalcin

But vitamin D3, vitamin K2 and strontium together have also been shown to build up bone density within one year.

So, how does vitamin K2 deposit calcium into the bone? It does so by stimulating a hormone, called calcitonin, which is produced by specialized C cells (parafollicular cells) inside the thyroid gland and released into the blood stream. Calcitonin arrives in the bone where it binds firmly with receptors of osteoclasts (bone remodeling cells), which stops breakdown of bone. Calcitonin is helped by another hormone, called osteocalcin, which is produced by the bone producing cells with the name osteoblasts.

Vitamin K2 controls osteocalcin, which is a calcium-regulating hormone

Osteocalcin levels in the blood can be measured and used as a research tool to see whether a medication is effective in building up bone mass density (BMD). Vitamin K2 controls osteocalcin as a calcium-regulating hormone. If vitamin K2 is present, carboxylation of osteocalcin will lead to mineralization of the bone (new bone formation); if vitamin K2 is absent, osteoporosis sets in.

Vitamin K2 also prevents heart attacks and strokes

Vitamin K2 has a second function: it removes calcium from the arterial walls and tissues. How does it do this?

Matrix GLA protein is found in tissues of the heart, lungs, kidneys and blood vessels. When vitamin K2 stimulates carboxylation of this protein, it will function like a broom and clean out calcium deposits (calcification) from blood vessels and organ tissues. As vitamin K2 is needed for this carboxylation process, it appears that nature had in mind to remove calcium from soft tissue organs and blood vessels and form hydroxyapatite in the bone for bone strength.

Vitamin K2 is the key to deposit calcium into the bone

It seems that vitamin K2 is the key vitamin necessary to do this job. Another player is magnesium, which is part of of the normal function of more than 300 cellular enzyme systems. In terms of hormones the three hormones parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D3 and calcitonin need to interact normally, all requiring magnesium as cofactor. In addition, zinc, copper, boron, and manganese are also essential as trace minerals. They act as cofactors with regard to specific enzymes of the bone metabolism (Ref. 1).

Bioidentical hormone replacement essential after menopause and andropause

In the aging person hormonal deficiencies are also factors for causing osteoporosis to develop. As this link shows, Dr. John Lee found bioidentical progesterone topical cream very helpful in women with respect to increasing bone mass density by 15% over 3 years.

When bloods tests show testosterone depletion men need to replace what is missing with bioidentical testosterone. So, bioidentical hormone replacement in both men and women is part of a bone health management program to prevent osteoporosis.

Some trials that demonstrate how you can build up bone

  • In this paper parathyroid hormone  was used in combination with 1000 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D3 in a group of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Within 3 month of treatment there was an increase of bone mass density in the lower back (lumbar spine) of 4.7%, which translates into a yearly increase of bone mass density of 18.8%. In the past when physicians tested other agents for bone regeneration, this type of result never occurred. There is a  variation of this hormone,  a parathyroid hormone look-alike with the name Teriparatide (PTH 1-34). The patient administers this once daily as an injection of 20 mcg up to 2 years. Physicians found this useful in treating fractures of the vertebrae and other fractures in osteoporotic postmenopausal women (Ref.2).

Effect of Vitamin K2, estrogen and calcium citrate supplementation

Calcitonin and calcium strontium

  • Calcitonin is very effective in reducing bone pain when the patient has compression fractures from osteoporosis; the physician can prescribe it as an intranasal spray of 200 units daily (Ref. 2). However, on March 5, 2013 the FDA announced that salmon calcitonin would not be safe for humans as there is a slight risk that cancer can develop as a “side-effect”.
  • According to Ref. 2 physicians sometimes use strontium ranelate in Europe for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Researcher showed that strontium ranelate builds up bone and decreases the amount of bone resorption. Side effects include nausea and diarrhea.

The team players of bone metabolism to build strong bone

We are now in a position to analyze why the researchers of the first paper (citation above) concluded that calcium and vitamin D3 supplementation were not enough to make a statistical difference in the treatment of postmenopausal women in comparison to placebos. As explained bone metabolism is a complex process involving several team players, where the key player is vitamin K2, which the researchers of that study ignored completely. The examples I mentioned above in point form show that exercise and calcium are also important. Vitamin K2 by itself worked quite well as it is so powerful. Hormones like PTH and calcitonin are effective, but more difficult to take for the average consumer and the FDA now has banned calcitonin.

Importance of vitamin D3 as a supplement

Vitamin D3 is important for absorption of calcium from the intestine, but also for depositing calcium into the bone in addition to vitamin K2. The WHI study mentioned above is highly significant because of a 1/3 reduction of hip fractures after 7 years of vitamin D3 and 1000 mg of calcium per day supplementation. If you add vitamin K2, exercise and bioidentical hormone replacement in postmenopausal women who need it, the prevention of hip fractures, wrist fractures and vertebral compression fractures likely will be as high as 50% in those who are taking their supplements regularly (compliance issues like forgetting the supplements or deliberately not taking them were mentioned in several of the studies).

Vitamin K2 helps to reduce heart attacks, strokes and osteoporosis

With the right supplementation, which includes vitamin K2 as mentioned above, you achieve that you lower your heart attack and stroke risk as the vitamin K2 removes the calcium from the blood vessels and deposits it into the bones, while at the same time strengthening your bones. Attention to proper nutrition, exercise and your hormone balance (using only bio-identical hormones to replace what’s missing) will also reinforce osteoporosis prevention. The bonus of using bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is that you prevent heart attacks and strokes in addition to preventing osteoporosis. I think that this is a good deal!

An easy-to-follow osteoporosis prevention program

The best combination is 1000 mg (or 1200 mg as per National Osteoporosis Foundation recommendation) of calcium per day together with 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D3 (for cancer prevention you may want to take 4000 IU to 5000 IU of vitamin D3 per day instead monitored by a 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood level test through your physician) and 100 to 200 micrograms of vitamin K2 (also called MK-7). In the age group above 50 several hormones can be missing.

Hormone depletion in menopause and andropause

That’s why the doctor recommends bioidentical testosterone in men and bioidentical progesterone/estrogen combinations in women with hormone depletion. This works best, if you also watch your weight and cut down your alcohol consumption to a minimum. Cutting alcohol out completely would be even better. In addition, exercise regularly as this builds up bone and muscle strength.  It also helps, if you stick to a balanced diet (Mediterranean or Zone type diet). These diets are low-glycemic, low fat, wheat free and without sugar).

If you want to age gracefully, you need not only a healthy heart and a healthy brain. You also need healthy bones as this prevents disabilities.

References

  1. McPherson: Henry’s Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods, 22nd ed. Copyright © 2011 Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier
  2. Rakel: Integrative Medicine, 3rd ed. Copyright © 2012 Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

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I received the following feedback (Originally on Nov. 10, 2013)

 Dr. Ray, I read your March 17 Blog entry which suggested 100 ug of Vitamin K2 with 5000 IU of D3.   I have atherosclerosis and have radically changed my diet (plant only), but also now take an average of about 3000 IU of Vitamin D3. Dr. Kate Rhéaume-Bleue (book on K2) recommended taking about 200 ug per day of K2, but increasing K2 to about 1,000 ug if taking around 5,000 IU of D3 to ensure proper activation of MGP. What is your opinion with regard to a D3/K2 ration?  Thank you

 Answer from Dr. Ray (Originally on Nov. 12, 2013, modified April 29, 2021)

I appreciate your question about what doses of vitamin K2 to take. There are varied recommendations, but I like to go by human trials and what they have actually shown. In this review in 2010 from the Life Extension Magazine a study is cited that showed that only 45 micrograms of vitamin K2 was enough to get the calcium out of the arterial walls and into the bones.

200 micrograms of Vitamin K2 daily

Dr. Mercola reviewed the literature and found that most investigators were now using 180 to 200 micrograms. In the past I took 100 micrograms of vitamin K2 per day. However, a few years ago I increased it to 200 micrograms per day. With regard to vitamin D3 absorption my anti-aging doctor found that I have an absorption problem regarding vitamin D3. This is why I need 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily. This brings my vitamin D blood level up into the high normal range (between 50 and 80 ng/mL). Toxic vitamin D blood levels start only above 150 ng/mL.

Avoid sugar and too much starch consumption

Remember that other risks for cardiovascular disease are sugar and starch consumption. The liver turns this into triglycerides and too much LDL cholesterol, which plugs up your arteries. Avoid wheat because of the gliadin content. This causes an addiction to wheat and sugary foods. Here is a summary how leaky gut syndrome and autoimmune illnesses may develop from this. If you want to consume beef, reduce your consumption to once or twice per week. It id best to stick to only eat grass fed, antibiotic free beef). But I rather prefer to eat organic chicken, turkey and lean pork. I understand that you have a plant only based diet, but I would recommend to you to reconsider that. Ask your doctor to check your ferritin from time to time. This way you do not miss an iron deficiency that may develop. For other readers: Don’t forget your vegetables (organic, please).

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Mar
04
2013

Coffee, Tea, Vitamin C And E Prevent Stroke And Dementia

By | Health, Prevention, Stroke, Vitamins and supplements

Introduction

It is important to realize that several studies showed that coffee, tea, vitamin C and E prevent stroke and dementia. Elizabeth E. Devore, ScD, now with Brigham and Women’s and Harvard Medical School, did a long-term study involving 5,395 people aged 55 and older who were part of the long-term Rotterdam Study of medical conditions and other factors in older adults. Notably, over the 14-year observation period 601 patients developed strokes and 599 patients developed dementia. Surely, detailed dietary questionnaires were available from the study that helped the author to detect what the protective factors were in those who did not develop strokes or dementia. Researchers excluded other factors (including tea and coffee consumption) and they studied only antioxidant factors. They noticed that there were no differences in terms of stroke or dementia rates when they compared the lowest and highest percentiles of antioxidant groups.

Tea and coffee consumption protective of strokes and dementia

But when the lowest and highest percentiles of tea and coffee consumers were analyzed and compared, about 90% of strokes and of dementia disappeared meaning that tea and coffee consumption is protective for both.  Dr. Devore explained that other studies have shown that vitamin C helps prevent strokes and vitamin E helps to prevent dementia and that both vegetables and fruit as well as tea and coffee have been shown in other studies to help reduce both.

Here is another article that investigated the role that vitamin E plays in reducing brain aging and preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s.

In a meta analysis vitamin C was shown to help prevent hemorrhagic and embolic strokes.

Coffee, Tea, Vitamin C And E Prevent Stroke And Dementia

Coffee, Tea, Vitamin C And E Prevent Stroke And Dementia

More studies show health benefits of vitamin C, E, vitamin D3, coffee and tea

Vitamin C and E are not the only beneficial vitamins for the brain. Vitamin D3 can help prevent thromboembolic strokes as the Honolulu study going on for 34 years showed.

What about coffee and tea? There is a 10-year study involving 32,600 women where 1 or two cups of coffee per day led to a 25-32% reduction of strokes compared to non-coffee or tea consuming controls.

Black tea and coffee reduced stroke risk

Males also experience a reduction of thromboembolic strokes with tea or coffee consumption. There has been a Finnish study that consisted of 29,133 smokers (smoking 5 cigarettes a day) aged 50 to 69 who were stroke free when entering the study. It ended in 1993 and had lasted for at least 5 years. Drinking two cups of black tea or 8 cups of coffee reduced the stroke risk by 21 to 23%.

Fruit and vegetables contain a lot of vitamin B complex. As this link shows vitamin B can lower cysteine, a blood component that contributes to heart attacks and strokes.

So, what should you do to prevent strokes and dementia?

Stop smoking, if you do. Avoid alcohol and drugs as much as you can. Your brain cells have very sensitive mitochondria that give you energy, but they are very sensitive to toxins. Avoid brain injuries like concussions as they can accumulate and lead to dementia. Whatever you can do for your heart is good for stroke prevention. This includes weight loss (down to a body mass index of 22.0), exercise, and sensible food intake. Sensible food intake includes complex carbs, cut out sugar, have lean meat, more chicken, turkey, lean pork and only occasional beef. Take multiple vitamins including B, C, D3, E and drink tea or coffee. Some health-oriented people may not want to hear this latter point (tea, coffee), but the studies show it is brain and heart protective.

Further information

More information on dementia: http://nethealthbook.com/neurology-neurological-disease/alzheimers-dementia-and-delirium/dementia/

Links regarding the Elizabeth E. Devore, ScD study:

1) http://www.everydayhealth.com/stroke/how-antioxidants-really-protect-against-stroke-and-dementia-3194.aspx

2) http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20130220/high-antioxidant-diet-may-not-prevent-stroke-dementia-study-finds

Here is a link to the National Stroke Association about stroke prevention: http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=prevent

 

Feb
19
2013

Forget The Glass Of Red Wine For Good Health

By | Cancer, Health, Heart Disease, Medical Condition, Nutrition, Obesity, Prevention, Stroke, Substance abuse, Vitamins and supplements

This article is about the statement “forget the glass of red wine for good health”. For over 10 years there was the rule to limit alcohol intake. It said  “1 glass of red wine for women and 2 glasses of red wine for men” daily.  This was the recommendation in order to prevent a heart attack or a stroke. Now we are confronted with new research from Boston showing that even small amounts of alcohol are bad for you as alcohol is a carcinogen (=cancer producing substance). Misinformation like this occurs when science concentrates only on one angle of health. Researchers focussed on cardiovascular disease prevention.  The other part of the equation, the carcinogenic effect of alcohol, was disregarded.

Australian study about the risk of cancer from alcohol consumption

In 1996 this Australian study followed 1236 men and 1569 women 60 years and over for more than 5 years and studied their mortality rates as a function of alcoholic drink intake. The authors found that there was a short-term protective effect with regard to cardiovascular/stroke mortality. Mortality was the end point for both cardiovascular disease and for cancer. Researchers took the study as evidence that alcoholic beverages protect to a certain degree from strokes and heart attacks. The authors were aware that alcohol was cancer causing as they stated, “Those taking any alcohol exhibited an increased proportion of deaths due to cancer at the expense of a reduced proportion of CHD and stroke deaths”.

Popular press is often misleading

But the popular press never mentioned this part in popular articles. Also, alcohol/cardio-protective recommendations did not mention the cancer danger. The authors also were aware that the observation time of 5 years was on the short side. We know from other studies that alcohol toxicity requires a longer observation time such as 15 to 20 years or longer to show significance in a multitude of cancers.

Alcohol consumption linked to cancer risk

As already mentioned above, the new survey of alcohol-caused cancer went through the popular press. Dr. Timothy S. Naimi from Boston University Medical Center was the main investigator of an international team of scientists. The study found that alcohol consumption is responsible every year for 18,200 to 21,300 cancer deaths in the US (that is 3.2% to 3.7% of all US cancer deaths). The authors of the study determined that every person who dies from alcohol related causes lost on average approximately 18 years of his/her life (scientists call this “years of potential life lost”).  51% of women developed breast cancer from alcohol exposure, 62% of men came down with upper airway and esophageal cancers. Less than 1.5 drinks per day caused between 26% and 35% of alcohol-related cancer deaths. No safe lower margin existed. The authors concluded, “Reducing alcohol consumption is an important and underemphasized cancer prevention strategy”.

Other research supporting the statement: “forget the glass of red wine for good health”

Interestingly, in 2006 other research looked at alcohol caused cancer cases in the world based on WHO data and concluded that with the increased worldwide consumption of alcohol, particularly in East Asia, preventative steps regulating consumption of alcoholic drinks would be wise.

A recent study in 2012 where cancer rates in the US were compared between Hispanics and Caucasians showed that Hispanics had higher rates of stomach cancer, liver cancer, uterine/cervix cancer and gallbladder cancer. The authors concluded that more screening is necessary in Hispanics  such as Pap tests. Also this ethnic group requires effective vaccines (like Gardasil) against the human papilloma virus. In addition, patients need to reduce obesity, curtail alcohol consumption and reduce tobacco use.

There is no safe level of alcohol consumption, not even the “1 drink for women and 2 drinks for men” (heart attack prevention), because cancer incidence increases with increasing alcohol consumption in a linear relationship.

Effect of alcohol on the body

What does alcohol do in the body that it is so dangerous to your cells? Many cancer researchers have researched this question in detail. Essentially, alcohol is by itself a toxin for your cells (the targets being sub particles in your cells called microsomes and mitochondria). Your liver metabolizes alcohol into acetaldehyde, your kidneys excrete it and your lungs exhale it (this is how a breathalyzer can detect how much you have been drinking). All of these chemical changes in your cells release free radicals, which in turn attack other cells. This sets up a chronic inflammatory process, which breaks down your immune system, leads to cell mutations and finally to cancer.

Forget The Glass Of Red Wine For Good Health

Forget The Glass Of Red Wine For Good Health

Protection from cancer and cancer prevention

What protects you from cancer?  It is the antioxidants that stabilize the above-mentioned processes: vitamin C, glutathione, vitamin D 3, curcumin, multiple vitamins, magnesium, flavonoid foods, cruciferous foods (like broccoli), exercise and soluble fiber.

So, if you were serious about cancer prevention, you may want to stop any alcohol intake. Instead take the above mentioned supplements. The heart attack and stroke protection will be achieved by flavonoid foods (perhaps specifically adding resveratrol 250 mg per day as well) and exercise.

If you were less conscientious about cancer prevention, at least reduce your alcohol consumption. Perhaps you want to drink the occasional glass of wine or beer. But avoid high percentage spirits and remember, the less the better! You may be toasting to ill health with that glass of wine. Say no to false advertising of the wine industry! Your body will thank you for it.

More information on alcoholism: http://nethealthbook.com/drug-addiction/alcoholism/

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Feb
05
2013

News About Your Heart Health

By | Alzheimer’s disease, Arthritis, Cancer, Diabetes, Fitness, Health, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Hormones, Nutrition, Obesity, Prevention, Stroke, Vitamins and supplements, Weight loss

Introduction

Notably, this article is regarding news about your heart health. Specifically, February is heart month every year. So I thought why not review what is new regarding heart health in the last 15 years. In addition, this review also puts all the facts into perspective. I will start with a review of the older teaching about heart disease. First thing to remember, there was a paradigm shift in medical thinking. I will explain how this has changed the approach to heart disease prevention. The anatomy of the heart including coronary arteries and the heart valves has not changed over the years. The heart has always been at the center of life and will remain there.

A heart attack can develop from closing of one of the coronary arteries

It used to be thought that when a person ages one should expect to get problems with high cholesterol, which would be the cause of hardening of coronary arteries of the heart until one day the person would experience a heart attack from the closing of one or more of the three coronary arteries. Certainly, cardiologists can then offer an arteriogram, place a stent to reopen any blocked coronary artery and the patient would be OK for another 5 to 10 years. Alternatively, coronary bypass surgery can be offered by a cardiovascular surgeon to revascularize the coronary arteries.

Apart from cholesterol patients can get heart attacks from chronic inflammation

In contrast, in the mid 1990’s all this changed with the realization that 50% of heart attacks happened in patients who had normal cholesterol levels. In fact, research showed that inflammation of the heart vessels starts the process of subsequent blockage that causes heart attacks. A great deal of research in animal models and with humans took place. Indeed, this showed that a lot can be done in the area of prevention of heart attacks. Cure rates can only change very little when damage to the heart muscle has already occurred. The paradigm shift is in the understanding of what leads to a heart attack.

Too much sugar, starchy food and fat cause inflammation of the coronary arteries

We now know that too much sugar, too many starchy foods and too much animal fat will lead to inflammation of the arteries including the coronary arteries. The reason is that faulty nutrition leads to a lack of omega-3 fatty acids and a surplus of omega-6 fatty acids. This starts the inflammatory cycle, which causes inflammation in the arterial walls. Rising LDL cholesterol levels (that’s the bad cholesterol) follow and HDL cholesterol levels (that’s the good cholesterol) fall.

Nitric oxide production necessary to keep coronary arteries open

Associated with this is a lowering of nitric oxide production in the lining of the arterial walls, which leads to a narrowing of the arterial opening and simultaneous development of high blood pressure. Research of the metabolism of cells, particularly the subunits of cells called mitochondria, shed a new light on the heart as well. Mitochondria are the energy producing subunits of the cells. They are abundantly present in those organs that have a high metabolism. These organs are the heart, brain, liver and kidneys.

News About Your Heart Health

News About Your Heart Health

Life prolonging steps to prevent heart attacks

This newer knowledge allows the prevention-oriented physician to help patients not to get heart disease on the first place. The key is to prevent inflammation of the arteries and to add nitric oxide as a supplement. Also, the physician wants to change the food composition that the patient consumes. In addition, the physician wants to  intervene at the mitochondrial level. The patient achieves this with the help of supplements and by a regular exercise program. Over the years there have been impressive clinical trials that show that these preventative means when taken together can add 10 to 20 years of productive life without any disability. In the following I am going to describe the rationale for each of these life-prolonging steps:

Preventing inflammation of the arteries

Preventing inflammation of the arteries: at the moment many people eat the standard North American diet consisting of foods with too much sugar, processed foods with animal fat and lots of pasta. People need to eat a lot of leafy-green vegetables (kale, spinach, Swiss chard) and lean pork, turkey and chicken.  this will change the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio in favor of omega-3 fatty acids. This has a powerful effect on your body, as the surplus omega-3 fatty acids will suppress any inflammation in your blood vessels, which prevents heart attacks.

Eat organic foods

If you also eat as much organic food as possible, you will in addition reduce the toxic load in your body from heavy metals like lead and mercury and chemicals like herbicides and insecticides that often are contained in regular non-organic foods. By cutting out sugar and refined carbohydrates fasting insulin levels and triglyceride levels fall. This prevents diabetes and keeps your arteries open longer.

Adding nitric oxide and doing intermittent chelation therapy

By adding nitric oxide as a supplement such as “Neo40” (this supplement has hawthorn and red beet extract in it) the lining of the arteries gets a boost of nitric oxide production.  This lowers your blood pressure and widens the arteries in your body including the coronary arteries. The result is more oxygen and nutrients for your heart cells. By intervening at the mitochondrial level with the help of supplements and by doing occasional intravenous chelation therapyto remove heavy metals you can revive the sluggish metabolism of the mitochondria of your major organs. It’s like you are recharging the battery of your car, just here we are dealing with the microscopic energy packages, the mitochondria, in the cells of your vital organs including your heart.

Life prolonging supplements

Certain vitamins and supplements help in this process as follows: D-ribose, alpha-lipoic acid and CoQ10 support mitochondria; niacin lowers triglycerides and LDL cholesterol and elevates HDL-cholesterol (the good cholesterol); magnesium is an important cofactor of many enzymatic reactions in your cells and it also lowers blood pressure by widening the arteries making it easier for your heart to pump blood through them. Omega-3 and vitamin D3 both are anti-inflammatories, which makes these two important supplements for heart attack prevention. Vitamin D3 is also important for your immune system and helps to absorb calcium from the gut. Vitamin K2 has been found to be important to help transport the calcium into your bones preventing osteoporosis, so that it does not stay in your vascular system and cause hardening of your arteries by getting into your arterial walls.

Bioidentical hormone replacement

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is a powerful stimulus for the metabolism of your whole body, but particularly your heart. The heart needs adequate amounts of thyroid hormones and sex hormones (testosterone in males, balanced estrogen and progesterone in females). DHEA is a precursor hormone from your adrenal glands that your hormone balance requires for support of your heart muscle. The physician can order hormone tests and replace what is missing with bio-identical hormones.

Regular exercise program

A regular exercise program rounds up your heart support program. A regular exercise program by itself has been shown to be powerful heart attack prevention by cutting heart attack rates into half when compared to a non-exercise control group. Exercise builds up your heart muscle reserves and prevents clogging up of coronary arteries.

Lifestyle changes

Lifestyle changes can have a powerful effect in terms of preventing heart attacks. Everybody knows that those who smoke will not live as long as those who don’t. Smoking accelerates hardening of the arteries and causes not only heart attacks, but also cancer. Perhaps less known is the fact that alcohol can poison mitochondria. The fact that wine contains bioflavonoids is what prevents heart attacks.  Statistics show that 1 glass of wine for women and two glasses of wine for men prolong life. The wine industry was quick to exploit these statistics for the benefit of their sales. Fact is that even small doses of alcohol are a cell poison. Bioflavonoids are much more effective when taken as part of your daily supplements (resveratrol capsules) and it is much healthier for your heart and other body parts, if you do not consume any alcohol at all.

Apart from the Framingham Heart Study what we know

Originally the Framingham study showed that high LDL cholesterol was associated with heart attacks. But now we know that it is the overconsumption of sugar, high fructose corn syrup and refined carbohydrates in processed foods as well as animal fat overconsumption (mostly omega-6 fatty acids) that lead to inflammation of the lining of the arteries including LDL cholesterol overproduction from the liver. The focus has switched from lowering cholesterol and triglycerides to reducing and preventing inflammation and to supporting the mitochondria of the heart muscle cells.

Preventing 85% of heart attacks

Simple steps as outlined above have the power to prevent about 85% or more of heart attacks. They work by treating insulin resistance through the diet changes, which in turn lowers fasting insulin levels, blood sugars and triglycerides as well as cholesterol. Inflammation is kept at bay. You prevent heart disease and in addition also arthritis, high blood pressure, strokes and Alzheimer’s disease. One of the side effects is weight loss, extra energy and a sense of wellbeing.

More information on heart disease: http://nethealthbook.com/cardiovascular-disease/heart-disease/

Jan
22
2013

Long-Term Multistep Weight Management

By | Cancer, Diabetes, Fitness, Health, Heart Disease, Hormones, Nutrition, Obesity, Prevention, Stroke, Vitamins and supplements, Weight loss

In February of 2001 my wife and I attended an anti-aging conference in San Diego. The keynote speaker was Dr. Barry Sears who is the inventor of the zone diet. We had read a book from him before the conference and were excited to hear him speak in person. We liked the book; we liked the talk, so we cut out sugar, starchy foods and stuck to a diet where the calories derived 50% from low-glycemic, complex carbohydrates, 25-30% from lean meat, poultry and fish. Calories derived from fat were reduced to about 15-20% (there is hidden fat even in lean meat). No butter, but instead some lean cheeses and olive oil for cooking and in salad dressings. We shed both 50 pounds within 3 months without any hunger pangs. Our energy increased and this has stayed  this way ever since. There was no problem getting down with our BMI’s (body mass index) to 23.5 or 24.0, which is usually viewed as normal by the medical profession. We noticed, however, that when we did not exercise, there was a problem maintaining our normal weight.  We are under the care of an anti-aging physician who did special tests like fasting insulin, C- reactive protein, and hormone tests. They were all normal. We took up ballroom dancing really seriously having been inspired by “Dancing With the Stars”. This was 6 years ago. What started innocently with only a few basic ballroom lessons three times per week has now blossomed into dancing more than 10 different dance styles 5 times per week.

Long-term Multistep Weight Management

Long-term Multistep Weight Management

3 ½ years ago both of our energy levels were slowly going down, particularly after a long night of dancing. Hormone tests revealed the initial stages of age-related hormone deficiencies which did not come as a surprise , as  decreasing hormone levels was a topic discussed  in detail at the conference in San Diego in 2001 (we also attended several other anti-aging conferences on a yearly basis from 2009 onwards). With bioidentical hormone replacements these levels normalized within one year, our energy was back and our weight stayed normal. We enjoy travelling, but there can be problems with our multistep weight management program. We need to watch our diet (no toxins, preferably only organic food), and physical exercise may be less regimented. In 2008 we read Suzanne Somers’ book “Breakthrough”. We ordered urine tests for toxic metals and we were shocked that we had noticeable levels of mercury and lead. Since then we started to cut our salmon consumption from 3 to 4 times per week down to once or twice per week. To get rid of the heavy metals we started intravenous chelation treatments with vitamin C (10 Gm) and Glutathione (1250 mg) every two weeks. In July 2012 there were reports of radioactive salmon from the Japan nuclear disaster earlier that year in the Canadian media. After this news we stopped eating all fish and other seafood, not only because of radioactivity, but also because of other toxins like mercury, cadmium, PBC’s etc.  We do take high doses of molecularly distilled omega-3 fatty acids along with our other supplements. We also started eating mostly organic foods as we do not want to ingest insecticides, herbicides and other toxins.

We acquired body composition scales, which give information about fat percentage including visceral fat percentage, muscle mass percentage, BMI, weight and the basic metabolic rate. We wanted to define the end point of what our ideal body weight would be. We noticed that our dance program was not good enough to lower the BMI below about 23.5; using the body composition scales we noted that our body fat content was still too high and the visceral fat percentage was still in the 6% range. It took a prolonged trip to the US where we could not find enough dance events to decide that we would introduce a one hour gym program consisting of 30 minutes of treadmill, 15 minutes of upper body circuits, and 15 minutes of lower body circuits every day as a basis to our exercise program. Any dance activity would be just an additional exercise on top of the base exercise from the gym. It took only about 2 months before our fat composition decreased, our muscle mass increased, the visceral fat went to a normal at 5% and the BMI was now stabilized at the 21.5 to 22.0 range. We feel a lot more confident in managing our weight long-term without really thinking much about the weight. It is now a routine we follow, like an athlete would do to stay in shape. While nobody has a permanent guarantee to everlasting health, we do it to prevent the diseases we do not need in our retirement like diabetes, arthritis, heart attacks, strokes, cancer or Alzheimer’s.

What we did not know until after the 20th A4M Anti-Aging Conference in Las Vegas (mid December 2012) was that inadvertently we were protected from exposure to chemically modified wheat from 2001 onwards as we had cut out all refined carbohydrates and starchy foods (including wheat) since then. Unfortunately many Americans still expose themselves unknowingly to larger or smaller quantities of wheat, suffer from leaky gut syndrome with the associated changes in the immune system and the development of autoimmune diseases.

Personally, I believe that long term weight management is possible: you can turn older and hopefully wiser…not wider. The good news: it can be done. The bad news: this is not an instant fix, but a program that needs to be part of your lifestyle package.

More information on weight loss: http://nethealthbook.com/health-nutrition-and-fitness/weight-loss-and-diet/

Last updated Nov. 6, 2014

Jan
14
2013

Treat The Cause, Not The Disease

By | Allergies, Anti-aging medicine, Gastrointestinal Disease, Infectious Disease, Medical Condition, Vitamins and supplements

At an anti-aging conference the topic of one of the talks was: treat the cause, not the disease. Traditionally, in Western medicine the doctor listens to the patient’s complaints, examines the patient, does some tests and then comes up with a diagnosis. Meanwhile a specific treatment regarding this diagnosis is then developed and a cure is expected. When there is no treatment success, it is disappointing or frustrating to both the patient and the physician. With anti-aging medicine a different approach is suggested with the principal “treat the cause, not the disease”. It is noteworthy that with this approach the doctor can incorporate all of the aspects that play a role with regard to the causes.

Dr. Magaziner: “Treat the cause, not the disease”

Dr. Allan Magaziner gave a lecture regarding this topic at the 20th Annual World Congress On Anti-Aging And Regenerative Medicine in Las Vegas (Dec. 12 to 15, 2012). His talk was entitled “Treat the Causes, Not the Disease…With a Patient-Centered, Integrative Approach”. He explained that there are 12 different categories that need to be taken into account when it comes to delineating causes of an illness in a patient, which he called the “diagnostic dozen”.
1.      Is there oxidative stress?
2.      Is there nutrient imbalance?
3.      Is digestive absorption optimal?
4.      Are there food intolerances?
5.      Is there mitochondrial dysfunction?
6.      Are the hormones and neurotransmitters functioning properly?

More points to consider

7.      Is the patient under excessive stress?
8.      Are there specific electromagnetic field disturbances in the body and would biofeedback be helpful?
9.      Is the body’s toxic burden so high that it requires detoxification treatment?
10.    Has there been environmental exposure to heavy metals?
11.    Are genetic factors making the patient more vulnerable to disease?
12.    Is the immune system weakened and are there signs of inflammation or chronic infection?

Treat The Cause, Not The Disease

Treat The Cause, Not The Disease 

BPA from plastic bottles can cause cancer

A point often overlooked is that life in the 21st century has become more complex. That is to say, we are exposed to various degrees of pollution, such as lead and mercury, but also to BPA from plastic bottles. 93% of Americans, Dr. Magaziner said show measurable levels of BPA in urine. Surprisingly, research showed that many years of exposure to BPA causes breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men!
Specifically, Dr. Magaziner gave an example of a 3-year-old boy with autism with a full discussion of all the diagnostic factors. Notably, conventional medicine treats autism by giving the children special educational programs and speech therapy on the one hand. On the other hand, the physician refers the patient to a physiotherapist to treat their gait problems. That is to say, typically an autistic child does not respond to this approach.

Autistic children often have heavy metal toxicity

In this case, when Dr. Magaziner saw this autistic child, he ordered blood tests that showed heavy metal toxicity. In particular, he ordered several chelation treatments to remove the heavy meals. The child had a leaky gut syndrome, had chronic yeast infection and a gut dysbiosis. It is important to realize that the doctor addressed all of these problems separately. Surprisingly, within a few weeks there was improvement of the child’s condition. First, his balance problems disappeared. Secondly, in addition, there was improvement of his attention span, concentration and memory. Thirdly, the child also started taking an interest in what was happening around him.

A girl with Crohn’s disease

Dr. Magaziner discussed another case, namely a 13-year-old girl that presented with Crohn’s disease. The girl had blood in her stools and had terrible bowel cramps. Conventional medicine including steroid therapy had failed to show improvements. Going through the diagnostic dozen revealed several important positive findings that were unknown before. As a result, attention to these factors led to a complete cure. Important findings in this girl were food sensitivities that could be pinpointed with a battery of blood tests involving IG-G, IG-A and IG-E antibodies to various food groups.

ONDAMED and Lyme disease

The physician used ONDAMED, an electro-diagnostic tool to normalize abnormal electromagnetic fields in the gastrointestinal region.
Perhaps the most impressive case was a patient with Lyme disease. Traditional medicine has very little to offer to such a patient and often the patient will go on to develop a fibromyalgia like arthritic condition leading to chronic disability. The patient responded to a combination treatment consisting of such various things as Curcumin, vitamin D3, cinnamon, CoQ10, D-Ribose, L-Carnitine, magnesium and zinc to help various enzymatic reactions regarding the anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, the patient received  intravenous vitamin C to strengthen the Detox system. All of this helped to detoxify the patient and support the adrenal gland function.

Additional cases of Lyme disease

In addition, Dr. Magaziner gave 10 treatments of ONDAMED involving various frequency settings to assist the body in its recovery. The patient had a complete recovery from severe Lyme disease!
Dr. Magaziner was also one of the speakers in a company sponsored evening about the use of ONDAMED in the treatment of Lyme disease. He presented a total of 7 cases of Lyme disease where ONDAMED was successful in treating this difficult to cure condition! The common denominator in these cases was that various low-grade infections lingered on and other environmental factors weakened the immune system further. ONDAMED helped to strengthen the immune system together with detoxification treatments.

“Treat the cause, not the disease” is true even when multiple causes are present

There is nothing magic about the new approach of treating patients.  Proactive medicine treats the cause of the patient’s illness while conventional medicine focuses on symptomatic treatment of a disease. Often there are several causes that can hide behind a diagnosis and exist parallel in a patient. With treatment of all these causes the patient recovers and regains full health.

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Oct
01
2008

Lifestyle Can Be A Killer For Middle Age Women

By | Cancer, Fitness, Heart Disease, Nutrition, Vitamins and supplements, Weight loss, Women’s Diseases

Generally it is assumed that persons in their thirties and forties should be in their prime, and health concerns are cropping up in the higher middle age or only in old age.
Also, women were thought to generally enjoy better health and life expectancy, but the large Nurses’ Health Study on 77,782 women in the age group of 34 to 59 years shows other aspects.
Even in females who had no heart problems and no cancer at the onset of the study, lifestyle choices can make it or break it. At the end of the study that spanned 24 years, it became obvious that a total of 28% of all the mortalities could be attributed to smoking. If risky lifestyle choices were combined in the form of smoking, being overweight, having a lack of physical activity and a qualitatively poor diet, this number jumped to 55%. Alcohol intake did not change this estimate significantly.

Lifestyle Can Be A Killer For Middle Age Women

Lifestyle Can Be A Killer For Middle Age Women

It is obvious that for the benefit of better health and less mortality in middle age women, diet, exercise, a healthy body weight and eradicating smoking are key factors.

Reference: BMJ 2008;337:a1440

Comment on Nov. 18, 2012: So how many years longer will a woman live, if she quits at age 30? The Million Women Study found out that she will live 10 years longer than the control group of smoking women (see link). Nothing has changed since 2008. Lifestyle issues remain at the forefront.

Last edited December 3, 2012

Sep
01
2008

Ayurvedic Medicines Sold On Internet Can Contain Toxic Metals

By | Health, Prevention, Vitamins and supplements

In the wake of recalls on prescription drugs that showed hazardous side effects, many consumers seek alternatives. Often Ayurvedic medicine is seen as a less hazardous alternative, and medications are ordered on the internet or purchased in stores. There may be the notion that products that are manufactured in the US may be subject to stricter controls than imported items. All these assumptions leave the consumer confused as what to believe or trust. Investigators have tried to shed some more light on Ayurvedic medications. Six hundred and seventy three oral products were identified and random samplings of 230 products were purchased. Under the lead author Robert B. Saper of Boston University School of Medicine a technique called fluorescence spectroscopy was applied to examine the products for the presence of toxic metals. Of 193 products that were tested, 20.7% showed noticeable concentrations of toxic metals. Of those products that showed contamination 21.7% were US made and 19.5% were manufactured in India.The highest concentrations- namely 40.6%-were found in rasa shastra products, as compared to 17.1 % for non-rasa shastra products. The most prevailing contaminants were lead and mercury. Of these contaminated medicines 95% were sold by US websites, and shockingly 75% of the sites claimed “Good Manufacturing Products”.

Ayurvedic Medicines Sold On Internet Can Contain Toxic Metals

Ayurvedic Medicines Sold On Internet Can Contain Toxic Metals

All of the toxic metal levels exceeded standards for acceptable daily intake. Ayurvedic medicines are widely used in India and in other parts of the world. There are previous reports describing lead poisoning caused by these types of medicines. In rasa shastra products herbs are combined with metals such as lead, mercury, iron or zinc. Often mineral gems are also part of the compound. In view of the heavy metal levels the researchers suggest third party testing of the product and government-mandated daily dose limits.

More information on heavy metal poisoning:

1. From pollution: https://www.askdrray.com/protecting-yourself-from-environmental-toxins/

2. From cosmetics: https://www.askdrray.com/lead-still-poisoning-us/

Reference: JAMA. 2008;300:915-923

Last edited November 5, 2014

Aug
01
2008

Iron Intake Lowers Blood Pressure Readings

By | High Blood Pressure, Nutrition, Vitamins and supplements

Various possibilities exist to lower blood pressure. Reducing the intake of sodium is one effective way, exercising is also of importance. Detailed studies on various population groups have shown that the consumption of red meat has a direct relationship to blood pressure readings: a 102.6 gram in 24 hours increase in the consumption of red meat was related to an increase of 1.25 mmHg in blood pressure readings. The numbers may sound small and insignificant, but the fact remains that population groups, such as the Japanese, who traditionally consume little or no red meat have lower blood pressure readings.

Red meat is considered a valuable iron source, but the intake of iron containing foods (such as red meat) from animal sources is linked to higher blood pressure readings, based on the “International Collaborative Study on Macro-/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure” (=INTERMAP).

Iron Intake Lowers Blood Pressure Readings

Iron Intake Lowers Blood Pressure Readings

Current INTERMAP results suggest that the intake of non-heme iron, which is from non-animal sources has a blood pressure lowering effect. Further investigations are needed to detail these findings and to find out more about the reasons of the blood pressure increasing, respectively decreasing effect of iron from animal sources and iron from plant sources.

More information about high blood pressure: http://nethealthbook.com/cardiovascular-disease/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/

Reference: BMJ 2008;337:

Last edited November 4, 2014