There was a lot of social comment on the internet this week as a reaction to the publicity surrounding Target selling a homeopathic based asthma product. The comments were, as one might expect, wide ranging with very few intelligent remakes about homeopathy. The common misperception is that homeopathic remedies are nothing but water. They contain none or so little of the original ingredients they could not possibly have any therapeutic value other than as a placebo.
Homeopathic remedies are based on the concept of “like curing like” and that the more dilute the remedy, the more powerful it becomes. Both of these concepts are counterintuitive so the criticism comes quick. Early in the 20th century about 25% of practicing medical doctors in the United States were homeopaths. As acceptance of the germ theory grew and health care focused on killing bugs to cure disease, the popularity of homeopathy diminished.
MY TAKE:
Homeopathic remedies take a substance that is known to cause the very symptoms being experienced by the patient. Then, through a series of dilutions, the substances is reduced to infinitesimal amounts, or often removed completely. The resulting remedy is then induces the opposite effect, relieving those very symptoms. The theory is that as the molecules are removed, the energy of the substance is left behind and actually increased. For example, if you were bitten by an eastern diamond rattlesnake, the poison coursing through your body can be neutralized by injection a serial dilution of snake venom taken from the same species of snake. This works well, despite the fact that the antidote is obviously given after the snake bite rather than as an immunization prior to exposure. Strychine, a poison from the nuts of a tree creates nausea, vomiting, and potentially death. When diluted to homeopathic levels, it is called Nux Vomica, and is used to treat nausea, vomiting, and other digestive disturbances.
Recently, support for the homeopathic theory is coming from an unusual source – quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics states that the energy of molecules operates outside of time and space. In theory, the molecules in your body are in contact with molecules on the asteroid Pluto and also with the molecules of a wooly mammoth as you read this blog. Now that’s counterintuitive!
Current research indicates that the sense of smell may not require contact from molecules of a substance. When you smell jasmine in bloom, it has long been thought that molecules from the plant enter your nose, stimulate your sense of smell, and you are able to identify the substance. A recently released study indicates that the energy of the molecules is the stimulation, rather that the molecules themselves. Our nervous system then reacts to this unseen force. No physical contact is required.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Our knowledge is growing exponentially. However, we know very little about the world around us, and even less about how the human body works. I have found homeopathic remedies to be a very effective tool in my practice. In a similar vein, I also use herbs for which little or no research has been conducted. However, these herbs have been used successfully for six thousand years. Please keep an open mind.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
New Blood Pressure Guidelines
Fewer people should take medicine to control their high blood pressure, a new set of guidelines recommends.
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2013
Adults age 60 or older should only take blood pressure medication if their blood pressure exceeds 150/90, which sets the bar higher than the current guideline of 140/90, according to the report, published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The guidelines also recommend that diabetes and kidney patients younger than 60 be treated at the same point as everyone else that age, when their blood pressure exceeds 140/90. Until now, people with those chronic conditions have been prescribed medication when their blood pressure reading topped 130/90.
Blood pressure is the force exerted on the inner walls of blood vessels as the heart pumps blood to all parts of the body. The upper reading, the systolic pressure, measures the force as the heart contracts. The lower reading, the diastolic pressure, measures the residual as the heart relaxes between contractions. The normal adult blood pressure is 120/80.
The recommendations are based on clinical evidence showing that stricter guidelines provided no additional benefit to patients, explained guidelines author Dr. Paul James, head of the department of family medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
“We really couldn’t see additional health benefits by driving blood pressure lower than 150 in people over 60,” James explained. “It was very clear that 150 was the best number.”
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) did not review the new guidelines, but the AHA has expressed reservations about the panel’s conclusions.
About one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
MY TAKE:
These new guidelines are a step in the right direction. Although the existing guidelines from both the AHA and ACC call for lifestyle changes in additional to medication, the reality is most physicians just place their patients on medication with little or no attempt at reversing the cause of high blood pressure.
I loved the quote from Dr. James about no additional health benefit from driving the blood pressure down below 150. That’s what beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and ACE inhibitors do, drive down blood pressure.
One in three Americans has high blood pressure. Seventy-five percent remain undiagnosed, just treated with medication. Kidney, lung, and liver dysfunction are the most common causes. High blood pressure is also one of the indicators for metabolic syndrome.
High blood pressure is not a disease. It is not even a symptom, although symptoms are associated with it. Blood pressure is a test. Treating the test is not the answer. Finding out why the blood pressure is elevated and correcting the health problem causing this abnormal test is the real solution.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
If you have high blood pressure find a doctor who will investigate the cause and help you to reverse the problem. Take a good look at your lifestyle – Are you overweight? Do you exercise on a regular basis? Don’t settle for just medicating the test.
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2013
Adults age 60 or older should only take blood pressure medication if their blood pressure exceeds 150/90, which sets the bar higher than the current guideline of 140/90, according to the report, published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The guidelines also recommend that diabetes and kidney patients younger than 60 be treated at the same point as everyone else that age, when their blood pressure exceeds 140/90. Until now, people with those chronic conditions have been prescribed medication when their blood pressure reading topped 130/90.
Blood pressure is the force exerted on the inner walls of blood vessels as the heart pumps blood to all parts of the body. The upper reading, the systolic pressure, measures the force as the heart contracts. The lower reading, the diastolic pressure, measures the residual as the heart relaxes between contractions. The normal adult blood pressure is 120/80.
The recommendations are based on clinical evidence showing that stricter guidelines provided no additional benefit to patients, explained guidelines author Dr. Paul James, head of the department of family medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.
“We really couldn’t see additional health benefits by driving blood pressure lower than 150 in people over 60,” James explained. “It was very clear that 150 was the best number.”
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) did not review the new guidelines, but the AHA has expressed reservations about the panel’s conclusions.
About one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
MY TAKE:
These new guidelines are a step in the right direction. Although the existing guidelines from both the AHA and ACC call for lifestyle changes in additional to medication, the reality is most physicians just place their patients on medication with little or no attempt at reversing the cause of high blood pressure.
I loved the quote from Dr. James about no additional health benefit from driving the blood pressure down below 150. That’s what beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and ACE inhibitors do, drive down blood pressure.
One in three Americans has high blood pressure. Seventy-five percent remain undiagnosed, just treated with medication. Kidney, lung, and liver dysfunction are the most common causes. High blood pressure is also one of the indicators for metabolic syndrome.
High blood pressure is not a disease. It is not even a symptom, although symptoms are associated with it. Blood pressure is a test. Treating the test is not the answer. Finding out why the blood pressure is elevated and correcting the health problem causing this abnormal test is the real solution.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
If you have high blood pressure find a doctor who will investigate the cause and help you to reverse the problem. Take a good look at your lifestyle – Are you overweight? Do you exercise on a regular basis? Don’t settle for just medicating the test.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Probiotics Were Number One In 2013
More research articles were written about probiotics this past year than any other topic in nutrition. Vitamin D, number one for the past several years, was displaced by both probiotics and omega 3 fatty acids. Please review my recent blogs on vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids.
MY TAKE:
Probiotics are now recognized as having a profound influence on human health. Thanks to Jamie Lee Curtis the public is well aware of probiotics. However, there is some misinformation.
Each of us has between 500 and 1000 different bacterial strains in our digestive tract. Most of them can not be identified by simple stool testing. However that is beginning to change. Every month a few more species are isolated, identified, and then cataloged for future testing. If we could identify every microorganism in your gut, it would be as unique as a fingerprint.
The bacteria are divided into three categories – friendly, pathological, and comensal. The first two you understand. The third, comensal bacteria, can be friendly, neutral, or pathological. So even if you identify some of the bacteria are they friend or foe? Part of the answer can be determined by measuring the antibody response in the gut. If the secretory IGA is high or low, then the comensal bacteria are probably an issue. For example, some forms of Candida are friendly, others are comensal or pathological. If various strains of Candida are detected and the IGA is normal, they are probably not an issue. If the IGA is low, the immune system is being suppressed. If the IGA is high there is an overt infection that needs to be treated.
Probiotics can be friendly, pathological or comensal as well. Just because your body needs a specific probiotic, does not mean that I need or can even tolerate the same probiotic. We now know that all probiotics stimulate an immune response from the GALT (gut associated lymphatic tissue). If your secretory IGA is elevated, then many probiotics will further inflame the gut, even if the probiotic is dead on consumption.
Dead probiotics? There is a lot of hype in the ads about how many millions or billions of bacteria are in each probiotic tablet. But if they are not living they can not help you, but very likely will hurt you by adversely stimulating the GALT. Even if they are viable when taken, can you keep them alive? It’s pretty crowded in the gut with millions of bacteria in every square inch of the colon. New bacteria need to be fed to survive.
In general, healthy bacteria eat soluble fiber (contained in plants). When they digest the soluble fiber, they produce short chain fatty acids. Our cells that line the digestive tract then eat the short chain fatty acids. This relationship, including the stimulation of the GALT, is called “cross talk” and it is vital to our health and mutual survival. It establishes our initial immune response in the thymus. In fact, recent research suggests we should consider ourselves part of a collective of organisms rather than a host organism. These organisms actually modify our DNA and may even be the stimulus for evolution.
Unfortunately, we have taken what little we know of this complex relationship and commercialized it in the form of a daily probiotic. I estimate that 25% of my patient population takes probiotics daily despite my warnings. Just like vitamin C, vitamin D, and so many others, probiotics are not the cure all. However, the potential for harm is much higher with inappropriate use.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Take a probiotic after antibiotic therapy, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. Take it short term. Limit your probiotics to Lactobacillus acidophilus and/or bulgaris unless advised otherwise by a health care professional. Test your probiotic to see if it is viable. When dissolved in orange juice, it should lighten the color within 20 minutes as the bacteria digest the sugar in the drink. If you suffer from dysbiosis, consult with a qualified nutritionist about taking any probiotic.
MY TAKE:
Probiotics are now recognized as having a profound influence on human health. Thanks to Jamie Lee Curtis the public is well aware of probiotics. However, there is some misinformation.
Each of us has between 500 and 1000 different bacterial strains in our digestive tract. Most of them can not be identified by simple stool testing. However that is beginning to change. Every month a few more species are isolated, identified, and then cataloged for future testing. If we could identify every microorganism in your gut, it would be as unique as a fingerprint.
The bacteria are divided into three categories – friendly, pathological, and comensal. The first two you understand. The third, comensal bacteria, can be friendly, neutral, or pathological. So even if you identify some of the bacteria are they friend or foe? Part of the answer can be determined by measuring the antibody response in the gut. If the secretory IGA is high or low, then the comensal bacteria are probably an issue. For example, some forms of Candida are friendly, others are comensal or pathological. If various strains of Candida are detected and the IGA is normal, they are probably not an issue. If the IGA is low, the immune system is being suppressed. If the IGA is high there is an overt infection that needs to be treated.
Probiotics can be friendly, pathological or comensal as well. Just because your body needs a specific probiotic, does not mean that I need or can even tolerate the same probiotic. We now know that all probiotics stimulate an immune response from the GALT (gut associated lymphatic tissue). If your secretory IGA is elevated, then many probiotics will further inflame the gut, even if the probiotic is dead on consumption.
Dead probiotics? There is a lot of hype in the ads about how many millions or billions of bacteria are in each probiotic tablet. But if they are not living they can not help you, but very likely will hurt you by adversely stimulating the GALT. Even if they are viable when taken, can you keep them alive? It’s pretty crowded in the gut with millions of bacteria in every square inch of the colon. New bacteria need to be fed to survive.
In general, healthy bacteria eat soluble fiber (contained in plants). When they digest the soluble fiber, they produce short chain fatty acids. Our cells that line the digestive tract then eat the short chain fatty acids. This relationship, including the stimulation of the GALT, is called “cross talk” and it is vital to our health and mutual survival. It establishes our initial immune response in the thymus. In fact, recent research suggests we should consider ourselves part of a collective of organisms rather than a host organism. These organisms actually modify our DNA and may even be the stimulus for evolution.
Unfortunately, we have taken what little we know of this complex relationship and commercialized it in the form of a daily probiotic. I estimate that 25% of my patient population takes probiotics daily despite my warnings. Just like vitamin C, vitamin D, and so many others, probiotics are not the cure all. However, the potential for harm is much higher with inappropriate use.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Take a probiotic after antibiotic therapy, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. Take it short term. Limit your probiotics to Lactobacillus acidophilus and/or bulgaris unless advised otherwise by a health care professional. Test your probiotic to see if it is viable. When dissolved in orange juice, it should lighten the color within 20 minutes as the bacteria digest the sugar in the drink. If you suffer from dysbiosis, consult with a qualified nutritionist about taking any probiotic.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Top Nutrition Stories of 2013
Probiotics, omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamin D were the most popular topics for nutrition related stories in 2013. I’ve written a couple of blogs about vitamin D and I mention omega 3 fatty acids in almost every blog, but I decided to tell the omega fatty acid story today.
MY TAKE:
The omega 3 fatty acids and their cousin, omega 6 fatty acids are very long chains of carbon molecules with a fatty acid on one end. The term omega means “forever”. Just think of the biblical reference “I am the alpha and the omega”. Because they are so long, omega fatty acids are difficult to digest. The omega 3 fatty acids have a double bond between the third and fourth carbon atoms on the terminal end. The omega 6 fatty acids have the same double bond between the sixth and seventh carbons. That is very important because humans can not make that double bond at the third or sixth carbon. We must obtain omega 3s and 6s in the diet. That is why they are essential, hence the name essential fatty acids. We can make double bonds at several other locations, so the omega 5s, 7s, and 9s are not essential.
Essential fatty acids are used to make anti-inflammatory compounds. They help form the cell membrane in every cell of the body. The lining of the digestive tract, the liver, and the heart are extremely dependent on a constant, rich supply of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. NSAIDS, like Aleve and Advil, used to block inflammation, also block the chemical pathways of both these essential fatty acids. Each year in the US, over 16,000 people die from taking NSAIDS. Most of them bleed to death because they can not repair the digestive tract, the remainder die from liver failure or heart disease.
Omega 3 fatty acids are the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States. They were naturally occurring in red meat until we replaced the grass diet of cattle with grains. They do occur in fish, but not in farm raised fish like Tilapia. Farm raised fish are fed corn meal and just like the cattle can no longer produce omega 3 fatty acids. They are found in some seeds, like flax seed. However, the vegetable sources of omega 3 fatty acids contain no EPA or DHA, the most important of the omega 3 fatty acids. Although we can not make omega 3s we can convert omega 3s to DHA or EPA. However, just like the cattle and fish, the typical American diet inhibits that conversion.
Omega 6 fatty acids are common in our diet. But we have the same problem converting them into GLA (gamma linolinec acid). In addition, omega 6s can be converted to pro-inflammatory compounds. Because they are common in the diet and can promote inflammation, most nutritionists recommend against supplementation. However, if you look at the people who make inflammatory chemicals from extra virgin olive oil, they are the diabetics, people with hypothyroidism, and those with high serum lipids. These components of Metabolic Syndrome create the abnormal chemical pathways that promote inflammation. In these cases, omega 6 fatty acid metabolism needs to be corrected, not ignored.
The main drawback with omega 3 fatty acids is in processing. The vast majority of supplements are made from fish oil. We have contaminated our environment with mercury and it concentrates in the fish as it moves up the food chain. When you buy wholesale fish oil from Norway, you have the option of paying to have the mercury removed. Good companies pay the price and advertise “mercury free” or “high density molecular extraction” on the label. However, very few supplement companies have the laboratory resources to test for mercury removal. Several years ago 74 companies were indicted for mercury contamination in their fish oil products. Most had paid to have the mercury removed. The few companies that could test the wholesale oil refused to buy it and just stopped making fish oil supplements until clean fish oil was available again.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Almost any disease or condition is improved with the use of one or both of these essential nutrients. There are good studies on Parkinson’s disease, Senile Dementia, autoimmune disease, and even ADD and ADHD. The research is in, we need and we don’t get it. You absolutely must supplement omega 3 fatty acids. Don’t but the cheap stuff and look for “mercury free”. If taking omega 3 fatty acids upsets your digestive tract or you are interested in supplementing omega 6 fatty acids, seek professional nutritional advice. Correcting abnormal chemical pathways requires intimate knowledge of human nutrition.
MY TAKE:
The omega 3 fatty acids and their cousin, omega 6 fatty acids are very long chains of carbon molecules with a fatty acid on one end. The term omega means “forever”. Just think of the biblical reference “I am the alpha and the omega”. Because they are so long, omega fatty acids are difficult to digest. The omega 3 fatty acids have a double bond between the third and fourth carbon atoms on the terminal end. The omega 6 fatty acids have the same double bond between the sixth and seventh carbons. That is very important because humans can not make that double bond at the third or sixth carbon. We must obtain omega 3s and 6s in the diet. That is why they are essential, hence the name essential fatty acids. We can make double bonds at several other locations, so the omega 5s, 7s, and 9s are not essential.
Essential fatty acids are used to make anti-inflammatory compounds. They help form the cell membrane in every cell of the body. The lining of the digestive tract, the liver, and the heart are extremely dependent on a constant, rich supply of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. NSAIDS, like Aleve and Advil, used to block inflammation, also block the chemical pathways of both these essential fatty acids. Each year in the US, over 16,000 people die from taking NSAIDS. Most of them bleed to death because they can not repair the digestive tract, the remainder die from liver failure or heart disease.
Omega 3 fatty acids are the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States. They were naturally occurring in red meat until we replaced the grass diet of cattle with grains. They do occur in fish, but not in farm raised fish like Tilapia. Farm raised fish are fed corn meal and just like the cattle can no longer produce omega 3 fatty acids. They are found in some seeds, like flax seed. However, the vegetable sources of omega 3 fatty acids contain no EPA or DHA, the most important of the omega 3 fatty acids. Although we can not make omega 3s we can convert omega 3s to DHA or EPA. However, just like the cattle and fish, the typical American diet inhibits that conversion.
Omega 6 fatty acids are common in our diet. But we have the same problem converting them into GLA (gamma linolinec acid). In addition, omega 6s can be converted to pro-inflammatory compounds. Because they are common in the diet and can promote inflammation, most nutritionists recommend against supplementation. However, if you look at the people who make inflammatory chemicals from extra virgin olive oil, they are the diabetics, people with hypothyroidism, and those with high serum lipids. These components of Metabolic Syndrome create the abnormal chemical pathways that promote inflammation. In these cases, omega 6 fatty acid metabolism needs to be corrected, not ignored.
The main drawback with omega 3 fatty acids is in processing. The vast majority of supplements are made from fish oil. We have contaminated our environment with mercury and it concentrates in the fish as it moves up the food chain. When you buy wholesale fish oil from Norway, you have the option of paying to have the mercury removed. Good companies pay the price and advertise “mercury free” or “high density molecular extraction” on the label. However, very few supplement companies have the laboratory resources to test for mercury removal. Several years ago 74 companies were indicted for mercury contamination in their fish oil products. Most had paid to have the mercury removed. The few companies that could test the wholesale oil refused to buy it and just stopped making fish oil supplements until clean fish oil was available again.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Almost any disease or condition is improved with the use of one or both of these essential nutrients. There are good studies on Parkinson’s disease, Senile Dementia, autoimmune disease, and even ADD and ADHD. The research is in, we need and we don’t get it. You absolutely must supplement omega 3 fatty acids. Don’t but the cheap stuff and look for “mercury free”. If taking omega 3 fatty acids upsets your digestive tract or you are interested in supplementing omega 6 fatty acids, seek professional nutritional advice. Correcting abnormal chemical pathways requires intimate knowledge of human nutrition.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Multivitamins Are Worthless
Three studies published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine support the contention that multiple vitamins don’t help most people and can actually cause diseases that people taking them are trying to prevent, like cancer.
December 18, 2013
The first study found no benefit in preventing early death, heart disease or cancer. The second found that taking multivitamins did nothing to stave off cognitive decline with aging. The last study found that high-dose multivitamins didn’t help people who had had one heart attack avoid another.
“Enough is enough,” declares an editorial accompanying the studies. “Stop wasting money on vitamin and mineral supplements.”
MY TAKE:
Of course you have heard this information because medical doctors on all the major networks have played this story up all week. You might be surprised by this, but I agree, at least in part.
For over 30 years I have been saying that multiple vitamins are not worth the label printed on the bottle. You can not combine every micronutrient we know into a tablet and expect that it will have health benefits. Most multivitamins contain copper, iron, and zinc. These three minerals compete for absorption in the body and don’t belong together. In addition, the iron competes with the vitamin E as well. The B vitamin ratios are also all wrong, typically having too much thiamine (B1) and not enough riboflavin (B2) and niacinamide (B3). I had predicted that the multivitamin would be extinct by the year 2000. Wow, was I wrong!
Many supplements, including several multivitamins now add a phytofood base. This is nothing more than powdered plant food. For example, Standard Process grows 23 different crops on their organic farms in Racine, Wisconsin. They harvest and process those plant materials into a plant based supplement, using things like pea vine juice, carrots, and barley. Greens Plus and Sun Chlorella are other examples of phytofoods. This is what should have replaced the multivitamin. They provide a host of micronutrients, in very small doses as they are found in plants to supplement a good diet.
My biggest objection to the media coverage this week has been the universal leap from multivitamins are worthless to all vitamin supplements are therefore worthless. Every MD on every newscast, just like the editorial comment in the Annals of Internal Medicine, makes this absurd declaration. Just because aspirin, Aleve, and Advil kill over 16,000 people a year in the United States doesn’t make all drugs bad. In fact, it doesn’t even make aspirin, Aleve, and Advil bad. It just means they need to be used with good knowledge.
We all know the quality of our food decreases daily. Farm raised fish no longer contain omega 3 fatty acids, nor does red meat. Tomatoes are picked when they are still green and firm, and then shipped to local sites to be flooded with carbon dioxide to turn them red. Unripe tomatoes don’t bruise but they contain little of the nutrients we need on a daily basis.
A hundred years ago, if you had enough food to eat, then you got all the nutrients needed to promote health. Today, no matter how much you eat, you can not get those nutrients from the food available.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Throw away that multiple. Seek professional advice from a nutritionist with a degree in the field. Become educated yourself. There are a few givens – we all need omega 3 fatty acid supplementation. All women and many men need calcium supplementation. At least 25 percent of the population needs folic acid, B6, and/or B12 supplementation. Over 50 percent of us need to take some vitamin D. Simple laboratory tests can demonstrate these deficiencies. Have testing performed at least on a yearly basis.
December 18, 2013
The first study found no benefit in preventing early death, heart disease or cancer. The second found that taking multivitamins did nothing to stave off cognitive decline with aging. The last study found that high-dose multivitamins didn’t help people who had had one heart attack avoid another.
“Enough is enough,” declares an editorial accompanying the studies. “Stop wasting money on vitamin and mineral supplements.”
MY TAKE:
Of course you have heard this information because medical doctors on all the major networks have played this story up all week. You might be surprised by this, but I agree, at least in part.
For over 30 years I have been saying that multiple vitamins are not worth the label printed on the bottle. You can not combine every micronutrient we know into a tablet and expect that it will have health benefits. Most multivitamins contain copper, iron, and zinc. These three minerals compete for absorption in the body and don’t belong together. In addition, the iron competes with the vitamin E as well. The B vitamin ratios are also all wrong, typically having too much thiamine (B1) and not enough riboflavin (B2) and niacinamide (B3). I had predicted that the multivitamin would be extinct by the year 2000. Wow, was I wrong!
Many supplements, including several multivitamins now add a phytofood base. This is nothing more than powdered plant food. For example, Standard Process grows 23 different crops on their organic farms in Racine, Wisconsin. They harvest and process those plant materials into a plant based supplement, using things like pea vine juice, carrots, and barley. Greens Plus and Sun Chlorella are other examples of phytofoods. This is what should have replaced the multivitamin. They provide a host of micronutrients, in very small doses as they are found in plants to supplement a good diet.
My biggest objection to the media coverage this week has been the universal leap from multivitamins are worthless to all vitamin supplements are therefore worthless. Every MD on every newscast, just like the editorial comment in the Annals of Internal Medicine, makes this absurd declaration. Just because aspirin, Aleve, and Advil kill over 16,000 people a year in the United States doesn’t make all drugs bad. In fact, it doesn’t even make aspirin, Aleve, and Advil bad. It just means they need to be used with good knowledge.
We all know the quality of our food decreases daily. Farm raised fish no longer contain omega 3 fatty acids, nor does red meat. Tomatoes are picked when they are still green and firm, and then shipped to local sites to be flooded with carbon dioxide to turn them red. Unripe tomatoes don’t bruise but they contain little of the nutrients we need on a daily basis.
A hundred years ago, if you had enough food to eat, then you got all the nutrients needed to promote health. Today, no matter how much you eat, you can not get those nutrients from the food available.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Throw away that multiple. Seek professional advice from a nutritionist with a degree in the field. Become educated yourself. There are a few givens – we all need omega 3 fatty acid supplementation. All women and many men need calcium supplementation. At least 25 percent of the population needs folic acid, B6, and/or B12 supplementation. Over 50 percent of us need to take some vitamin D. Simple laboratory tests can demonstrate these deficiencies. Have testing performed at least on a yearly basis.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Idea of Healthy Obesity Is Tested
The idea that there are obese people who are nonetheless healthy may be a myth.
December 13, 2013
Although some overweight or obese people have normal cholesterol, glucose levels and blood pressure – elements of so-called metabolic health – a new study suggests that obesity itself increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and death.
Last week the Annals of Internal Medicine published a report that followed more than 61,000 adults, most for at least 10 years. About 9 percent of the subjects were obese and metabolically healthy – that is, they had normal LDL, HDL and total cholesterol, along with healthy blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Compared with metabolically healthy people of normal weight, the obese group had a 24 percent increase in risk for total and nonfatal cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke, and death by any cause.
Increased weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, and insulin resistance all rose together. However, increases in triglycerides, glucose, or LDL cholesterol were not associated.
“The message here is pretty clear,” said the lead author, Dr. Caroline K. Kramer, a researcher at the University of Toronto. “The results are very consistent. It’s not O.K. to be obese. There is no such thing as healthy obesity.”
MY TAKE:
The study appears to be pretty obvious – if you are overweight, your health suffers. However, if you look more closely, it says something more profound – They found no correlation between high triglycerides, high glucose, or high LDL cholesterol and increased cardiovascular events. Waist circumference was a better indicator of health risk! Please note they did see a correlation between insulin resistance and cardiovascular events.
More than 50 percent of Americans having their first heart attack have normal or even low cholesterol. We don’t need to put statin drugs in the drinking water; we need to focus on the real risk factors of metabolic syndrome – central obesity (weight around the middle), insulin resistance, and low thyroid function.
What is the difference between insulin resistance and fasting blood glucose? The fasting glucose tells you how well your body controls blood sugar levels without the stress of eating (adding more sugar) for at least 8 hours. That’s like an open book test, setting the bar too low. By the time the fasting glucose is high, insulin resistance is out of control and you are a full blown diabetic.
The glycohemoglobin A1c is a simple test that measures insulin resistance. It actually measures the percentage of red blood cells (RBCs) that are saturated with glucose. Normal is below 5.7 percent. Because RBCs live about 120 days, this test measures your average blood glucose over the course of the past two months.
BOTTOM LINE:
Watch your weight, especially your waist line. Have yearly laboratory tests, but insist on a glycohemoglobin A1c and don’t be too concerned with the serum lipids. If you want to see if your cholesterol is really a risk factor, have an L(p)a run. It is the only lipid test that really correlates with increased risk of cardiovascular events.
December 13, 2013
Although some overweight or obese people have normal cholesterol, glucose levels and blood pressure – elements of so-called metabolic health – a new study suggests that obesity itself increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and death.
Last week the Annals of Internal Medicine published a report that followed more than 61,000 adults, most for at least 10 years. About 9 percent of the subjects were obese and metabolically healthy – that is, they had normal LDL, HDL and total cholesterol, along with healthy blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Compared with metabolically healthy people of normal weight, the obese group had a 24 percent increase in risk for total and nonfatal cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke, and death by any cause.
Increased weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, and insulin resistance all rose together. However, increases in triglycerides, glucose, or LDL cholesterol were not associated.
“The message here is pretty clear,” said the lead author, Dr. Caroline K. Kramer, a researcher at the University of Toronto. “The results are very consistent. It’s not O.K. to be obese. There is no such thing as healthy obesity.”
MY TAKE:
The study appears to be pretty obvious – if you are overweight, your health suffers. However, if you look more closely, it says something more profound – They found no correlation between high triglycerides, high glucose, or high LDL cholesterol and increased cardiovascular events. Waist circumference was a better indicator of health risk! Please note they did see a correlation between insulin resistance and cardiovascular events.
More than 50 percent of Americans having their first heart attack have normal or even low cholesterol. We don’t need to put statin drugs in the drinking water; we need to focus on the real risk factors of metabolic syndrome – central obesity (weight around the middle), insulin resistance, and low thyroid function.
What is the difference between insulin resistance and fasting blood glucose? The fasting glucose tells you how well your body controls blood sugar levels without the stress of eating (adding more sugar) for at least 8 hours. That’s like an open book test, setting the bar too low. By the time the fasting glucose is high, insulin resistance is out of control and you are a full blown diabetic.
The glycohemoglobin A1c is a simple test that measures insulin resistance. It actually measures the percentage of red blood cells (RBCs) that are saturated with glucose. Normal is below 5.7 percent. Because RBCs live about 120 days, this test measures your average blood glucose over the course of the past two months.
BOTTOM LINE:
Watch your weight, especially your waist line. Have yearly laboratory tests, but insist on a glycohemoglobin A1c and don’t be too concerned with the serum lipids. If you want to see if your cholesterol is really a risk factor, have an L(p)a run. It is the only lipid test that really correlates with increased risk of cardiovascular events.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Acid-Suppressing Drugs Linked to Vitamin B12 Deficiency
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that people who use certain acid-suppressing drugs for two years or longer are at increased risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.
December 10, 2013
This can lead to anemia, neuropathy, depression, fatigue, or dementia. The drugs are proton-pump inhibitors, or P.P.I.’s and histamine 2 receptor antagonists. They are available by prescription and over the counter under names like Prevacid, Prilosec and Nexium. Nearly 157 million prescriptions were written for P.P.I.’s in 2012.
“People who are taking this medications are more likely than the average person to be vitamin B12 deficient, and it’s a potentially serious problem,” said Dr. Douglas Corley, senior author of the study. Of note, the study was funded by Pfizer, which makes a P.P.I. called Protonix.
Patients who took P.P.I.’s for more than two years were 65 percent more likely to have a vitamin B12 deficiency, the researchers found. Higher doses of P.P.I’s were more strongly associated with the vitamin deficiency, as well.
MY TAKE:
These drugs prevent the stomach from manufacturing hydrochloric acid (HCl) thus reducing the symptoms of acid reflux. However, HCl is the first major step in digestion. It breaks down protein, separates calcium ions from their substrate, and prepares vitamin B12 for assimilation in the small intestine. It is also the triggering mechanism for the gallbladder to release bile and the second major step in digestion once the food bolus enters the small intestine. We now know (and have predicted) that P.P.I.’s cause osteoporosis, anemia, dysbiosis, and chronic Candida infections. Clinically, I see frequent gallbladder congestion associated as well.
Unfortunately, if you burp once in a while, that seems to be enough criteria to prescribe one of these drugs. A simple test of the pH of the stomach will detect over-acid production, but the testing is seldom run. A lack of HCl production will also cause acid reflux, as the food putrefies, producing organic acids in the stomach. It is estimated that a lack of HCl accounts for 50 percent of the cases of acid reflux.
The cause in most cases is poor diet. Food sensitivities, over eating, excessive fat and sometimes even poor food combining are real issues. When a patient obtains relieve from the drug, they continue their poor eating habits further compromising general health.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Avoid these P.P.I,’s like the plague! Your symptoms are warning signals that the digestive tract is in trouble. Have your diet evaluated. Often just reducing caloric intake will dramatically improve or eliminate symptoms.
December 10, 2013
This can lead to anemia, neuropathy, depression, fatigue, or dementia. The drugs are proton-pump inhibitors, or P.P.I.’s and histamine 2 receptor antagonists. They are available by prescription and over the counter under names like Prevacid, Prilosec and Nexium. Nearly 157 million prescriptions were written for P.P.I.’s in 2012.
“People who are taking this medications are more likely than the average person to be vitamin B12 deficient, and it’s a potentially serious problem,” said Dr. Douglas Corley, senior author of the study. Of note, the study was funded by Pfizer, which makes a P.P.I. called Protonix.
Patients who took P.P.I.’s for more than two years were 65 percent more likely to have a vitamin B12 deficiency, the researchers found. Higher doses of P.P.I’s were more strongly associated with the vitamin deficiency, as well.
MY TAKE:
These drugs prevent the stomach from manufacturing hydrochloric acid (HCl) thus reducing the symptoms of acid reflux. However, HCl is the first major step in digestion. It breaks down protein, separates calcium ions from their substrate, and prepares vitamin B12 for assimilation in the small intestine. It is also the triggering mechanism for the gallbladder to release bile and the second major step in digestion once the food bolus enters the small intestine. We now know (and have predicted) that P.P.I.’s cause osteoporosis, anemia, dysbiosis, and chronic Candida infections. Clinically, I see frequent gallbladder congestion associated as well.
Unfortunately, if you burp once in a while, that seems to be enough criteria to prescribe one of these drugs. A simple test of the pH of the stomach will detect over-acid production, but the testing is seldom run. A lack of HCl production will also cause acid reflux, as the food putrefies, producing organic acids in the stomach. It is estimated that a lack of HCl accounts for 50 percent of the cases of acid reflux.
The cause in most cases is poor diet. Food sensitivities, over eating, excessive fat and sometimes even poor food combining are real issues. When a patient obtains relieve from the drug, they continue their poor eating habits further compromising general health.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Avoid these P.P.I,’s like the plague! Your symptoms are warning signals that the digestive tract is in trouble. Have your diet evaluated. Often just reducing caloric intake will dramatically improve or eliminate symptoms.
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