But when we do, it’s quite annoying, itchy and uncomfortable. Some can be downright deadly. So how can you avoid a yeast or fungal infection?

First, you need to understand how they develop. Yeast (single cells) will proliferate into a fungal (long chains of yeast) skin rash when you have excessive and localized skin moisture or sweating. That’s why you see more fungal infections occurring during the hot and humid summer months, especially ringworm, jock itch and athlete’s foot.

With summer practically here you may need to take extra steps to keep problem areas dry. Don’t hang out in a wet bathing suit longer than needed, and don’t forget to dry all the nooks and crannies well after bathing.

But there are a few other things that increase your risk for a fungal infection, including:

• An imbalance in your skin’s pH level due to something you are eating, medication you are taking or excessive stressors (mental, emotional, physical)
• Consuming high amounts of simple carbohydrates (refined sugar feeds yeast)
• A repeated mechanical skin injury (e.g. chaffing, rubbing)
• A food sensitivity (e.g. gluten in wheat, rye, spelt, triticale)
• A sensitivity to something your skin is coming in contact with, like a topical ingredient (lotions, soap, perfume, cleansers, etc.)

There’s also some misunderstanding surrounding some fungal infections. Hopefully, you already know that “ringworm” (tinea corporis) is definitely not a worm; it’s just a common fungal infection that manifests as a pink, itchy, circular rash on your trunk or extremity skin. There is one other common “tinea” called pityriasis versicolor that also affects the skin.

Other body areas that are common places for fungal infections include feet (athlete’s foot), the groin (jock itch), scalp/beard area (tinea capitis/barbae), the vagina (yeast), mouth (thrush) and nails (onychomycosis).

Fortunately, skin fungal infections are easy to diagnose and treat…

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Treatment for fungal infections

Skin and nail fungal infections come in about 40 species. The most common ones are Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton which are easy to detect and treat.

Prescription treatment is pretty simple:

• Skin areas: Nizoral (ketoconazole) 2% cream applied twice daily for 2 weeks
• Nails: Lamisil (terbinafine) 250 mg pill taken daily for 3 months
• Mouth: nystatin oral suspension several times daily for 1-2 weeks
• Vagina: Diflucan (fluconazole) 150 mg pill taken every other day for 3 days
• Pityriasis Versicolor, typically on the trunk of the body or shoulders: topical selenium sulfide, ketoconazole, or pyrithione zinc

But if you’d prefer to try the natural route before resorting to pharmaceuticals, apple cider vinegar has a strong reputation as a fungal eradicator because of its antimicrobial properties. It’s mildly acidic, so depending on where your infection is, you might want to do a dab test first to test for skin sensitivity. You can dilute it a little with water, but of course that could cut down on its effectiveness. To be effective you would need to apply apple cider vinegar at least three times a day for several days.

Other natural remedies reported to be effective against fungal infections include plain yogurt, coconut oil and some essential oils such as tea tree oil, olive leaf extract and lavender oil.

Systemic infections

Most often, fungal infections are localized, affecting a specific body part or area. But a systemic infection is one that may affect many areas of the body, including internal organs and systems. Candida albicans, the yeast most commonly found on (and in) humans, has proven to be especially dangerous in this respect.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that is the 4^th leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. In this environment, it can become a serious infection of the blood, heart, brain, eyes, bones, etc. In this context, candidemia (candida in the bloodstream) is a life-threatening infection and commonly results in costly, long hospital stays with poor outcomes. For example, among 529 infected patients, death attributable to candidemia ranged between 19% and 24%. Treatment consists of aggressive IV antifungal medications and close monitoring.

Some common medications can upset your body’s pH and make your body ripe for candida to flourish, most notably broad-spectrum antibiotics and oral corticosteroids. An overabundance of sugar in your diet can also be problematic, leading to chronic candida.

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Chronic candida is a similar infection, in that its symptoms are systematic. But while certainly capable of dragging your health down and being responsible for myriad non-descript symptoms, it’s not often as severe, though recent research may link chronic candida with schizophrenia.

Chronic candida usually begins when candida overproduces in the digestive tract where it breaks down the intestinal lining so that large proteins can abnormally penetrate your bloodstream (this is known as Leaky Gut). This is mainly due to chronic unhealthy foods (refined sugars), medications (antibiotics, corticosteroids), diabetes or a weakened immune system. Any of these factors contribute to an environment perfect for candida to overpopulate.

Symptoms may be as simple as sugar cravings or new food sensitivities to dairy, eggs, corn or gluten. Or they may be more specific such as fatigue, mood disorder, recurring sinus or urinary infections, IBS or “brain fog.”

Treatment consists of a 3-7 day “candida cleanse.” This cleanse consists of:

• The “candida diet”: Eliminate simple sugar and foods that are rapidly broken down into sugars. Avoid gluten. Also avoid fermented foods because most are yeast-containing and you are trying to cut down on an overgrowth. Once the gut is in balance, fermented foods may slowly be reintroduced if tolerated.
• Probiotic supplementation.
• Bentonite clay, to bind and remove intestinal toxins.
• Coconut oil, clove, or oregano oil supplementation.
• Milk thistle, to boost liver detoxification.

Sources:

1. Definition of Ringworm — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2. Morgan J, Meltzer MI, Plikaytis BD, Sofair AN, Huie-White S, Wilcox S, et al. “Excess mortality, hospital stay, and cost due to candidemia: a case-control study using data from population-based candidemia surveillance.” — Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2005 Jun;26(6):540-7.

3. Manos NE, Ferebee SH, Kerschbaum WF. “Geographic variation in the prevalence of histoplasmin sensitivity.” — Dis chest. 1956 Jun;29(6):649-68.

The post Tips to treat and avoid the fungus among us appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

All the hormones interact and harmonize in a healthy balance. When they go out of balance, you need proper testing to help set you back in the right direction to better health.

If you start taking hormone supplementation, follow-up testing is particularly important. But when your doctor isn’t well-informed and savvy about all of these tests, you can be at risk.

The more you know, the better your chance of getting your vitality back when hormones go awry…

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The Hormone Symphony

The endocrine glands secrete hormones directly into the blood, and these natural chemicals communicate quickly with all the organs (target tissues) of your body.

The endocrine hormones control every part of health and disease. The master gland in your brain, called the hypothalamus, triggers the other hormones from the pituitary gland, thyroid gland and adrenal gland as well as testes in men and ovaries in women.

This cascading and interrelated system is known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system. (The testicles and ovaries are very much part of this system, even though their initials are omitted from HPA.)

The endocrine glands that release these hormones don’t just communicate with the organs and tissues of your body, they communicate with each other, too.

Let’s look at the various glands and the hormones whose function can be measured (directly or indirectly). These hormones are pertinent to your daily life. You can influence them beneficially through lifestyle measures (exercise, stress reduction and whole food nutrition), nutrient supplementation and by taking hormones.

• The hypothalamus makes gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH).
• The pituitary makes thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and growth hormone (GH).
• The adrenals make cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline) and aldosterone and the sex hormones dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), progesterone, testosterone and the estrogens (E1, E2, E3).
• The ovaries and testes make the estrogens, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
• The thyroid makes T4 and T3 (and reverse T-3, which blocks T3 effectiveness).
• The pancreas makes insulin.
• The pineal gland makes melatonin.
• The liver makes sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), sex hormone metabolites (i.e. harmful estrogens) and binding proteins such as albumin.

All these hormones influence one another, but few doctors understand that. Most medical schools do not yet teach doctors to measure all the hormones together. Manipulation of one hormone affects several others, whether it is through stress reduction, nutrient supplementation or medicating with a hormone.

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Testing For Hormones

Hormones can be tested in blood, urine and saliva. There are reasons for using each type of test, depending on your clinical condition and which hormone needs to be measured.

Generally, before hormone supplementation is considered, blood measurements are adequate. However, to do blood tests, you need the ready services of a phlebotomist, which can be challenging. For example, cortisol levels need to be measured at 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and bedtime to analyze the diurnal pattern of secretion. (Yes, this is important!) When you measure hormones, it is much easier for you to spit into a small tube every few hours than to get stuck with a needle four times in a day.

When using transdermal (topical) hormones, salivary testing is more accurate because it reflects tissue levels. Blood tests greatly underestimate this hormone because it mainly stays in the skin and fat tissues.

A 24-hour urine collection is best for measuring sex hormone metabolites and ratios of good-to-bad metabolites. It can also be most useful when serum measurements and salivary measurements are not reliable for a particular hormone (such as growth hormone).

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Hormones And Their Measurements

The most reliable tests:

• Growth Hormone: The blood test for IGF-1 is a reliable correlate of growth hormone. Salivary levels are not measurable. Urine can be a 24-hour sample or “spot” urine before and again after a stimulation test (insulin injection or 20 minutes of intense anaerobic exercise).
• Cortisol: Saliva testing is easiest and most reliable at morning, noon, evening and bedtime. Blood testing requires stimulation with an injection of ACTH followed by timed blood draws. Urine (spot or 24-hour collection) can tell overall cortisol but not a diurnal pattern.
• DHEA-S: Blood and saliva tests are both valuable and reliable tests. Urine (spot or 24-hour collection) can show downstream metabolites.
• Thyroid: Blood is the easiest test but can be unreliable. It can check for levels of reverse T3 and autoantibodies that can be useful in addition to TSH, T3 and T4. Saliva is not useful. Urine can be used to check only the T3 level.
• Melatonin: The saliva test shows the diurnal pattern and is reliable. Blood and urine tests are not clinically useful.
• Aldosterone: Blood testing is reliable if you account for salt and water intake at the time of the test. Saliva and urine testing are not clinically useful.
• Progesterone: Saliva and blood testing are accurate. Saliva best reflects the level of free (unbound) hormone and if you are on transdermal progesterone. Blood testing is also accurate and can correlate with binding proteins. It is accurate if you are taking oral progesterone (safe). Urine testing best shows progesterone metabolites.
• Estrogen: Testing is similar to that for progesterone. Saliva correlates best for free (unbound) hormone and if you are on transdermal estrogen (oral estrogen is not safe). Blood testing is also accurate and can correlate with binding proteins; it’s accurate if you are taking oral estrogen. (Plan to change to transdermal.) Urine testing is best to measure estrogen metabolites.
• Testosterone: Testing is similar to that for progesterone. Saliva correlates best for free (unbound) hormone and if you are on transdermal testosterone. Blood testing is also accurate and can correlate with binding proteins; it’s accurate if you are taking oral testosterone (safe). Urine testing is best to measure testosterone and other androgen metabolites.
• Insulin: Blood testing free insulin levels correlates with insulin resistance (prediabetes) if elevated. Saliva and urine tests are not useful.
• GnRH, CRH, TRH, ACTH and LH: All are best tested in blood but are not as clinically useful as the downstream hormones that they stimulate (listed above).

The post Testing for hormone imbalances appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Typically blood tests for a general health assessment are part of the annual health physical. Sometimes, though, tests may be needed beyond the basics, including more advanced and in-depth tests for disease risk profiling.

Unless something’s amiss, most of the time your doctor’s office will send your results in the mail with just numbers and abbreviations that may as well be Latin

Having a little information about the different types of tests available to you may ease your mind and help you be the best patient advocate for yourself or others.

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Tier 1 tests

The first and most basic screening blood tests I usually order for my patients with no known disease are the following:

CBC: the complete blood cell (CBC) analysis measures your red and white blood cells. Your red blood cells carry oxygen throughout your body; the most common disorder here is anemia. Your white blood cells are a measure of your immune system status and are rarely abnormal when you are not fighting an infection. White blood cell cancer is known as leukemia.

CMP: The comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) reveals the general function of your liver, gall bladder, and kidneys. It measures your blood sugar, mineral electrolytes (sodium, chloride, potassium, and calcium), acid-base balance, and blood protein (called albumin).

TSH: The thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is a measurement of the pituitary hormone (from your brain) that controls the secretion of your active thyroid hormones T3 and T4 (see thyroid details in the next section). When your TSH level is low, it is generally an indicator of hyperthyroidism and you are expected to have elevated thyroid hormones circulating in your blood. However, there is some recent science showing that genetic variances in nearly a third of our population cause thyroid hormone function not to be accurately reflected by measurable TSH and thyroid hormone levels.

Lipid Panel: This is your basic cholesterol panel, showing your total cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or “bad” cholesterol, and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or “good” cholesterol, with ratios. You must fast 8-12 hours preceding this test for it to be accurate. The lipid panel has general implications for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, elevated “bad” cholesterol or low “good” cholesterol levels have a poor correlation based on more recent scientific studies. In fact, the link between cholesterol, heart disease and statins has been inconsistent.

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Tier 2 tests

If you have an abnormal result from basic screening blood tests or if you want a more thorough assessment of your disease risk, I like to order these additional blood tests:

HbA1c: your blood glucose level can be in the normal range, especially if you were fasting 12 hours prior to the blood draw. You can have pre-diabetes or even long-standing diabetes and miss it on a fasting specimen. The HbA1c test reveals your average blood sugar level over the past 3-months. Results ranging from 5.7% to 6.4% demonstrate pre-diabetes (glucose intolerance), which means you are not metabolizing sugar normally and really should make some serious improvements in your diet and exercise (or begin the medication metformin). In the Diabetes Prevention Program, 58% of participants prevented progression to diabetes through diet and exercise interventions (compared to 31% who prevented progression to diabetes by taking metformin).

Vitamin D: At least 42 percent of American adults are deficient in Vitamin D, according to research. I find this estimate to be low from routinely testing my own patients. Therefore, I test the 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D level, and if low (below 30), supplementation will bring it into the optimal range (50-100). Click here for my article about Vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin B12 & Folate: B12 deficiency can cause serious problems. If you are over 50, you are automatically more prone to being deficient in B12. Elevated vitamin B12 can be an indicator of the common MethylTetraHydroFolateReductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphism which causes a host of symptoms of illness and can be corrected by supplementing with methylated folate or methylcobalamin.

Free T3 and T4: Triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) measurements will tell you how much thyroid hormone is circulating in your blood. It may not necessarily tell you if it is effective in your thyroid-sensitive organ tissues. That’s why standard thyroid tests may miss the mark, and you should be persistent if you have symptoms, especially of low thyroid.

Cortisol: A serum cortisol level will give you an idea of adrenal stress/fatigue and the need for treatment. Click here for my article “Tired, depressed and hurting? Could be adrenal fatigue.”

Testosterone, estradiol, progesterone: Low testosterone in men or women is treatable. Low estrogen or progesterone, or estrogen dominance is also treatable safely from natural sources. Learn more here.

C-reactive Protein: This is produced by your liver and indicates inflammation in your body. Although non-specific, an elevated level is considered a “marker” for disease.

The post Demystifying diagnostics: Blood tests and what they mean appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

So, I thought it would be helpful to look at the several different types and causes of coughs and their treatments since we’re not always sure when we should get checked out.

Just remember, it’s always best to err on the side of precaution, especially now that COVID is part of the picture. Some people who get COVID can develop pneumonia and need specific care. However, if you’ve tested negative for COVID and still have an annoying cough, you may find this list helpful…

1. URI with cough and congestion

Upper respiratory infection (URI) with cough and congestion definitely tops the list. It typically begins with a scratchy sore throat, worse at night, followed by a dry cough with a stuffy/runny nose. Appetite is unchanged, there is no fever or chills, and energy levels remain near normal. Lung examination reveals normal breath sounds.

Why do people come to see a doctor for this condition? They are either in fear of getting pneumonia (rare), mistakenly believe antibiotics will cure their viral condition, or simply want a strong prescription cough medicine so they can sleep.

My favorite prescription cough suppressants for this condition are Tessalon Perles (benzonatate) for the daytime (non-sedating) and Promethazine DM at bedtime (somewhat sedating). You can add Nyquil (over the counter) which contains the sedating ingredient diphenhydramine (a.k.a. Benadryl).

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2. Influenza A

The flu causes body aches, fever, chills, lack of appetite (“malaise”), severe fatigue and a painful bronchitis cough. Green, yellow, brown, or bloody sputum can present in the first few days (I had this two years ago). Lung examination reveals normal breath sounds.

My favorite prescription medicines for this condition are a) Tramadol for pain, b) suppressants used for URI cough (see above) and c) Tamiflu if started within the first 48 hours of symptoms onset.  

Related: The little berry that offers big protection against the spring flu

3. Bronchitis

Viral bronchitis is simply a chest cold in nearly all cases. It causes coughing with colored sputum and fatigue. However, appetite is normal and there is no lateral chest pain or shortness of breath. Lung examination reveals normal breath sounds.

My favorite prescription cough suppressants for this condition are Tessalon Perles (benzonatate) for the daytime and Promethazine DM at bedtime.

4. Allergic rhinitis

Appetite is unchanged, there are no fever or chills, and energy level remains near normal. Lung examination reveals normal breath sounds. Cough is dry or wet, with the hallmark symptom of stuffy/runny nose, lasting much longer than a virus (URI) lasts… often for months and usually worse during the spring season.

This is caused by something in the environment or even food. Consider doing a simple targeted “food elimination” experiment. Begin by eliminating gluten (bread, pasta, cereals with wheat flour, etc.) for 4 weeks. Then reintroduce gluten food products back into your diet for at least 3 days and watch for a recurrence of symptoms. You may have an answer quickly with the recurrence of a symptom involving your skin, joints, pain level, sleep, mood, or energy level.  Then, do the same with foods containing dairy, peanuts, soy, eggs, corn, and even with refined sugar foods (the top 7 allergy-causing foods).

For rapid treatment of symptoms, there are the over-the-counter antihistamines and Flonase nasal spray or move to the prescription prednisone as described for asthma below.

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5. Asthma

This is easy to diagnose by watching the patient breathe. Appetite is unchanged, there is no fever or chills, energy levels remain near normal and their cough is dry. Lung examination reveals wheezing on inspiration, expiration, or both.

This too is caused by something in the environment or even foods. Consider doing a simple targeted “food elimination” experiment as described above.

The treatment is almost always a short course of high-dose prednisone (corticosteroid) such as 60 mg daily for 3-4 days, and tapering, for 7 to 10 days. Also, albuterol, inhaled or nebulized, can open the small airways every 4-6 hours until prednisone is effective (takes 3 days).

6. Pneumonia

This is the easiest to diagnose and treat. There is a fever longer than 5 days, a lack of appetite, fatigue, and lateral chest pain with a wet cough. Lung examination reveals rough “rhonchi” sounds (or just decreased airway movement) in the affected lung.  The treatment is simple: antibiotics such as Amoxicillin, Doxycycline, or Azithromycin; and lots of fluids by mouth and rest.

7. COPD

This chronic dry or wet cough condition can turn to pneumonia when an acute exacerbation of symptoms occurs, typically due to a viral infection. The treatment is usually a short course of Prednisone to open the airways, and an antibiotic (e.g. Amoxicillin).

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8. Whooping cough (pertussis)

This is not a common condition, but in rare cases can be very scary (death) in babies.  The persistent coughing followed by an inspiratory “whoop” is the classic presentation. The challenge with whooping cough is that it is contagious in the very early stages of the illness… sometimes even before symptoms become evident. Therefore, antibiotics should be started even before test results are known.

9. Congestive heart failure (CHF)

This subtle chronic cough is accompanied by shortness of breath, weight gain, leg swelling, and wet-sounding lungs on examination.  Prescription diuretic medications and close follow-up by a cardiologist are needed. Cough suppressants don’t do much for this.

Natural cough remedies

As a doctor, I believe it’s important to diagnose the cause of any cough. I also have read the research behind old-fashioned or natural cough remedies and feel they can help in some situations…

Nattokinase is a naturally occurring enzyme discovered in a fermented soybean dish popular in Japan. Recent research has found it is capable of thinning mucus, which can make a cough more productive and ease symptoms. Because the enzyme effects are promising, researchers are now delving into how it could be used to improve symptoms of other respiratory problems, like bronchitis and even COPD.

Honey has much more than anecdotal evidence behind its cough-suppressing claims. An Oxford University review analyzed data from 14 clinical trials and found that honey was 36 percent better than over-the-counter cough and sinus medicines at reducing coughing, and  44 percent better at reducing the severity of a cough.

Black seed oil comes from the Nigella sativa plant and has been the subject of research into its effects as a therapeutic agent for respiratory problems, allergies and even asthma.

Keep this list close at hand, especially if you have a mild cough that lingers and you’ve ruled out infection as the cause. But as a side note, black seed oil may be worth taking year-round as a preventive. It has several immune-boosting properties that may reduce your risk of catching something that could leave you with a cough in the first place.

The post 9 types of cough and how to treat them appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

This simple treatment method has now been reported to be effective for diabetics.

But dramatic improvement for type 2 diabetes is really just the tip of the iceberg for what water fasting can achieve. I believe there are several reasons to go on a liquid cleanse, from losing weight to breaking food addictions to reversing a chronic illness.

Water fasting for type 2 diabetes

One of my favorite examples is ofthree men with type 2 diabetes who utilized “intermittent fasting” under medical supervision to reverse their dependence on insulin, according to a report in the British Medical Journal of Case Reports. The case report showed that in addition to lowering their HbA1C levels (the gold standard test of diabetes control), the three patients also lost weight.

According to study author, Dr. Jason Fung, “People are focused on giving drugs to type 2 diabetics, but it’s a dietary disease,” he said.

It’s true that the concept of reversing or curing diabetes is not well-accepted in mainstream medicine today. In fact, the study author’s colleague, Dr. Abhinav Diwan, echoes that, “It [curing diabetes] is not even a therapeutic goal when people start to treat diabetics.”

Patients in the study went on 24-hour fasts. This means they ate only dinner on fasting days but could drink water, coffee and broth throughout. This was much like a water fast, but done several times a week instead of the traditional consecutive days as I explain below.

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The participants were diabetic men, ages 40, 52 and 67 and all had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes more than ten years prior. In type 2 diabetes, your body becomes less responsive to insulin, the hormone required to allow blood sugar to enter into cells for processing.

It is true that in diabetes, there is a need for caution to be safe from a hypoglycemic episode, so a water fast should be overseen by a health professional. The American Diabetes Association doesn’t recommend fasting for diabetes management.

I also know that there are other symptoms common with fasting such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, and insomnia — all of which reverse after a few days. Although we can’t make hard conclusions from this study about intermittent fasting for diabetics, we can look to the successes of previous experts of water fasting.

Water fasting’s historical evidence

Here are some bullet points to help understand more about the physiological effects of water fasting on your body, which are all accurate from my professional experience in overseeing water fasting patients and by my own personal experience:

• After the third fast day, going without food becomes quite easy. Your hunger naturally dramatically reduces.
• Causes detoxification, breaking down fat reserves and mobilizing stored toxins to be eliminated.
• Allows the digestive system to rest, which begins to reverse leaky gut (hyperpermeable intestinal membrane) known to be a major underlying cause of chronic disease.
• Begins to dramatically resolve inflammatory processes, including painful arthritic conditions.
• Quiets down allergic reactions, such as asthma and hay fever.
• Dries up abnormal water retention.
• Clears the skin; sometimes skin eruptions will worsen during the fast and then the skin clears after several days of fasting (a.k.a. “Herxheimer reaction”).
• Wakes up your taste buds and prepares you for a lifestyle of consuming whole foods.
• Shrinks your stomach and prepares you to consume the normal amount of real food (rather than large amounts of nutrient-poor food) that will nourish you

Furthermore, water fasting has been reported to temporarily reverse anxiety, depression, and neurosis. One Japanese clinic achieved an 87 percent success rate in treating psychosomatic disease through water fasting, as reported in a 1979 issue of the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

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Water fasting and high blood pressure

In a 2001 study published in the Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapy, researchers measured blood pressure in 174 patients who drank only water for an average of 10 ½ days, followed by a 7-day re-introduction of food using a vegan diet.

The most impressive results occurred among those with systolic blood pressure greater than 180 mg Hg (normal is below 140) and with diastolic blood pressure greater than 110 mg Hg (normal is below 90).

On average, among this group, there was an amazing reduction of blood pressure by 60 mm Hg systolic and 17 mm Hg diastolic after seven days of eating the vegan diet.  All who entered the study on blood pressure medication successfully discontinued use with no adverse effects.

The most successful liquid cleanse begins with a desire from deep within for change — some physical and/or spiritual healing.  Remember that in the process of cleansing physically, expect to experience a mental and emotional reawakening too. You can find some tips on how to do a water fast and what to expect, here.

Just remember, if you’re on medications talk to your doctor about plans to try a water fast. I would not suggest stopping any medication without the prescribing physician’s approval.

Sources:

1. Therapeutic use of intermittent fasting for people with type 2 diabetes as an alternative to insulin — BMJ Case Reports
2. Dr. Herbert Shelton — National Health Association
3. Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction — Wikipedia

The post Water fasting: Its impact on type 2 diabetes and more appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

However, when you find yourself with feelings of frustration, anger, worry or despair, it’s time to intervene ASAP.

It’s easy to take the pills your doctor can prescribe to mask your symptoms and help you “feel” better. But I’m sure you’ve read about the potential problems with antidepressants and anxiety medications.

That’s why I prefer to try other options first, like this simple tapping technique that’s been proven effective, safe, and inexpensive for pain, depression, and anxiety (see the video testimonial below!)…

It works for depression

Prescription anti-depressant medications are your mainstream doctor’s primary treatment. for mood difficulties such as depression or anxiety. While these medicines often work well, they can also be costly and have potential adverse effects.

Let me share with you about EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), also referred to as “tapping.”  EFT is the most widely practiced “energy psychology” therapy for mood disorders. What does EFT look like? It is essentially a method of tapping on acupuncture points (acupoints) along with focused meditation to “reset” your emotional state.  I think of it as boosting your serotonin manually while calming the chemicals of stress such as epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Related: The fatal problem with antidepressants drug makers don’t share

Let’s look at a large meta-analysis of studies on EFT for depression which shows its effectiveness:

In a meta-analysis of studies from 2005 to 2015, 20 studies qualified: 12 randomized clinical trials and 8 outcome studies. The researchers used psychometric questionnaires at initial post-treatment, follow-up evaluations of progress less than 90 days later, and then more than 90 days later. There were 398 participants who were treated with EFT in randomized clinical trials and 461 where were treated in outcome studies.

Overall, the researchers found a 41 percent reduction in symptoms across all studies and concluded that the Emotional Freedom Technique is a “highly effective” treatment for depressive symptoms. It was equal or even better than “treatment as usual” (antidepressant drugs and/or psychotherapy).

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It works for anxiety

EFT is also effective in treating anxiety. In one meta-analysis researchers looked at randomized controlled trials retrieved through an online literature search and 14 studies (658 total participants) qualified for analysis as determined by the American Psychological Association’s Division 12 Task Force.

The researchers found that “Emotional freedom technique treatment demonstrated a significant decrease in anxiety scores.”  When they attempted to compare EFT directly to other standard-of-care treatment methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy, there was too little data available.

It works for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

In a smaller analysis of six studies of adults with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or anxiety, researchers showed that the acupressure component of EFT was an active ingredient in getting its results, apart from placebo or other non-acupressure aspects of the therapy.

Here’s what EFT looks like

In brief, the EFT looks like this: tap the various (9 total) tapping points on your body while repeating the phrase, “Even though I have this (insert name of health condition here), I deeply and completely accept myself.” You can watch the basic EFT protocol by its founder, Gary Craig below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wG2FA4vfLQ]

I think you will understand even better if you watch this short segment that was presented on Megyn Kelly on Today approximately two years ago:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbTTZlfvjkQ]

Why not consider learning about this and trying this as a first-line treatment for emotional or even physical health conditions?

To easy treatment options,
Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Nelms JA, Castel L. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized and Nonrandomized Trials of Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for the Treatment of Depression — Explore (NY). 2016 Nov – Dec;12(6):416-426. Review. PubMed PMID: 27843054
2. Clond M. “Emotional Freedom Techniques for Anxiety: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis” — J Nerv Ment Dis. 2016 May;204(5):388-95. Review. PubMed PMID: 26894319.
3. Church D, Stapleton P, Yang A, Gallo F. “Is Tapping on Acupuncture Points an Active Ingredient in Emotional Freedom Techniques? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Comparative Studies” — J Nerv Ment Dis. 2018 Oct;206(10):783-793. PubMed PMID: 30273275.

The post How to tap into drug-free depression and anxiety relief appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Hopefully, more women are realizing there’s no reason to say goodbye to a healthy and fulfilling sex life as they age. And no reason not to talk to others about it and seek help.

As promised, in this follow-up, I’d like to share natural treatments for female sexual dysfunction, including herbal and neurochemical supplements, sex aids, acupuncture, regenerative interventions, and more.

Nutrient supplements

When it comes to supplementing it’s generally a good idea to follow dosage recommendations per your supplement brand of choice. In some instances, as you’ll see below, I make specific recommendations on how much to use…

• L-arginine at higher doses stimulates nitric oxide (a vasodilator) to improve blood flow to genital organs.
• Niacin is a vasodilator that also increases blood flow to the pelvic region and promotes the regression of hardened arterioles.
• Omega-3 oils are anti-inflammatory and help cell-to-cell communication, and cell hormone receptivity in target tissues. I usually recommend 3 grams daily of EPA/DHA (pills).
• Antioxidants such as pycnogenol, grape seed extract, and Vitamin C 3000 mg twice daily should reduce inflammation and improve hormone function. (High doses of vitamin C are unlikely to be harmful but can cause unpleasant symptoms in some people. If you experience heartburn, headache, nausea, diarrhea, take less.)
• Zinc is the main mineral in the maintenance of human reproductive function.
• DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a hormone produced naturally by the adrenal glands: it is a precursor to testosterone (which then is converted to estrogen). Levels of DHEA naturally decline as you age and also with adrenal insufficiency. Studies have found that DHEA boosted sexual arousal in older women.

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Herbs

• Tongkat Ali works by increasing testosterone levels which is a prominent hormone that gives you energy level, mood, fertility, and sexual desire.
• Maca may have positive effects on sexual desire in healthy menopausal women and help reduce sexual dysfunction when antidepressant medications are being taken. Maca root can be found as a powder to add to smoothies and coffee.
• Yohimbe (surprisingly helpful for sleep apnea) relaxes and dilates blood vessels in the genital area; it may also stimulate sexual desire.
• Black Cohosh has estrogen-like properties and increases blood flow to the pelvis to increase arousal and response to sexual stimulation.
• Chasteberry (Vitex) increases sexual desire by boosting the hormone progesterone and the neurotransmitter dopamine; also, it decreases prolactin that is known to interfere with sexual desire.
• Ashwagandha and Ginseng (adaptogen herbs) increase nitric oxide production to improve blood flow
• Ginkgo biloba increases blood flow to tiny arterioles; it also directly triggers smooth muscle relaxation. It is helpful to treat female sexual dysfunction caused by anti-depressants.

Combinations

• ArginMax contains Panax ginseng, L-arginine, Ginkgo biloba, Damiana, multivitamins, and minerals. Two large clinical studies found ArginMax to improve sexual function in menopausal and other women with low sexual desire.
• Zestra is a blend of borage seed oil, evening primrose oil, angelica extract, coleus extract to apply directly to the female genitalia. A preliminary study showed it increased sexual sensation, arousal, pleasure, and satisfaction in “normal women” and women with arousal problems as well as helping with sexual side effects related to antidepressants.

Sex aids

The use of sex aids (more commonly known as sex toys) is not readily accepted by all. For the most part sex toys are designed solely to increase pleasure, but between partners may also help to create arousal.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture works for many things, including reversing the Chi blocking sexual desire and orgasm. Emerging research is establishing that acupuncture may be an effective treatment modality for sexual dysfunction including impotence, loss of libido, and an inability to orgasm.

A new drug (Bremelanotide) for low sexual desire in women

A study of more than 1,200 women showed that only about 25 percent of those who took bremelanotide experienced some increase in sexual desire versus 17 percent of those who took a placebo. Not very impressive in my view.

PRP “O” shot

You may remember Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) from my previous reports. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) from your own blood contains growth factors that stimulate stem cells to proliferate tissue wherever it is placed — even when injected into key areas of the female vagina and clitoris. This series of shots using your own PRP can be magical for desire, arousal, and orgasm. I don’t currently perform this procedure, but one experienced physician verbally reported just more than 50 percent success rate. It should be repeated every 1-2 years. The “O” shot name was coined by Charles Runnels, M.D., author of the “Vampire Facelift.” Now PRP and nanofat can be injected (sequentially) along with RF or laser devices to give the most effective regenerative intervention of all.

Radiofrequency

RF or LASER energy to the vaginal tissue along with PRP injection is cutting-edge and showing to be the best form of regenerative treatment to restore female sexual function due to aging.

Hopefully, one, or some of these suggestions together, will work for you.

To a healthy and sexual relationship,
Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Khamba B, Aucoin M, Lytle M, Vermani M, Maldonado A, Iorio C, Cameron C, Tsirgielis D, D’Ambrosio C, Anand L, Katzman MA. Efficacy of acupuncture treatment of sexual dysfunction secondary to antidepressants — J Altern Complement Med. 2013 Nov;19(11):862-9. PMID: 23790229
2. A new drug for low sexual desire in women: Bremelanotide — Harvard Health Publishing

The post Boost your sex life before, during and after menopause appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For some reason, it seems we pay a lot of attention to subjects like erectile dysfunction in men, but when it comes to sexual problems that women face, everyone is a little hushed.

No reason to be. So, let’s talk frankly about this important subject, starting with the many things that can contribute to it…

Types and causes of sexual dysfunction

There are various categories of female sexual dysfunction: problems with sexual desire/libido, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, vaginal pain, vaginismus, and more. These are usually caused by one or more of the following:

• Emotional factors, financial struggle, relationship issues
• Psychological factors—from body image and self-esteem to past religious indoctrination or sexual trauma
• Physical stress or just excess fatigue
• Past gynecological surgery
• Chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, depression, incontinence, and more.
• Menopause and lack of hormones
• Medication use (e.g. antihypertensives and antidepressants)

You can see that restoring healthy female sexuality might be a bit complicated.

However, for most of you looking for improved sexual health, consider the following medical treatments…

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Treatments that help

Here are some pretty good prescription treatments for low sexual desire and arousal:

1. Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy using Estradiol + Estriol (“Bi-est”) and Progesterone mimics your natural hormones, essential for muscle tone, skin firmness, hair texture, and sex drive.
2. Testosterone replacement will boost sexual desire and arousal. The main side effects reported in clinical trials are increased facial hair (a.k.a. hirsutism) and acne, although acne is not seen with testosterone cream. Hirsutism is dose-dependent and can be managed with a number of natural supplements or medications.
3. Sildenafil (Viagra) can be used for women: approximately 20 mg per dose would be equivalent to 50 to 100 mg in men. When blood flow is increased to the genitalia, so is arousal and the ability to perform sexually.  In women, Viagra causes swelling in the clitoris and vulva, initiates natural lubrication, and increases sexual tissue sensitivity. It needs to be taken 30 minutes or so before beginning sexual activity for it to be effective.
4. Wellbutrin (bupropion) is useful for psychology-induced female sexual dysfunction. You know this also as an anti-depressant and smoking-cessation medicine.
5. Alprostadil topical cream. This medicine has been by injection for male erectile disorder, but a new formulation of alprostadil topical cream 0.4 percent (Femprox, Apricus Biosciences Inc) significantly improved female sexual arousal disorder in younger and also postmenopausal women. This was reported in a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study.
6. Apomorphine (Uprima): stimulates dopamine production, which gives easier and better-quality erections men and libido for women. Dissolve it under your tongue and begin sexual activity in 20 minutes.

These will help with vaginal dryness/painful sex:

1. Lubrication
2. BHRT (see above) applied vaginally for increased saturation in genital organs

This is known to increase the feelings of bonding and also arousal:

1. Oxytocin: is the neuro-hormone of bonding, and is involved with the formation of loving relationships; also referred to as “love hormone”—it is released when we hug, touch, and experience orgasm. Interestingly, taking Viagra has been shown to cause oxytocin release from the brain.

Related: 5 natural ways to boost your libido

In my next article, I’ll discuss the natural treatments for female sexual dysfunction including the neurochemical supplements dopamine (for desire and libido), acetylcholine (for arousal), GABA (to calm anxiety) and serotonin enhancers (for a good mood), among other natural supplements. I’ll also share about the PRP shot that can be magical for desire, arousal, and orgasm.

To sexual health and relationships,
Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Shufelt CL, Braunstein GD. Safety of testosterone use in women — Maturitas. 2009 May 20;63(1):63-6. PubMed PMID: 19250779
2. Alprostadil for women — Alprostadil Reviews

The post Time to realize there is help for female sexual dysfunction appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The forehead lines, glabella (scowl lines), and lateral canthus (crow’s feet) are the usual areas that are easily fixed with botulinum toxin and lasts generally 3-5 months. For these places the effects of botox are perfect and the results are almost always exactly what’s expected.

Yet there are areas of the face where botox just isn’t the right solution. The preferred treatment for those areas is usually a dermal filler.

If you’ve been considering a dermal filler procedure but needed to know more, I’ll explain how it works on different areas of the face to show the most benefit…

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A Dermal filler makes profound face changes

Inevitably, with age, comes a loss of fullness and support in the face. Certain areas may appear to sag while others may look hollow. One noticeable example is when the muscle and tissue of the cheek area lose volume.

Dermal fillers can help “replace” that loss to recreate a fuller, more youthful-looking cheek contour that can be quite profound.

Dermal filler lasts 9-24 months depending on the type used and can fill in and re-shape a number of important facial areas.

Related: Is a ‘thread lift’ for you?

Dermal fillers are injected using either a traditional sharp needle or, a newer technique using what’s known as a blunt-tip cannula. The blunt-tip cannula is gaining in popularity because the bruising and pain are far less than with the traditional sharp needle. Sharp needles can even penetrate small face veins routinely which causes several weeks of bruising on the face.

So, when meeting with the doctor who will handle your procedures be sure to ask him about using a cannula needle where possible so you can look your new best without downtime.

Let’s look at these facial areas that are so well served by using a blunt tip cannula to inject dermal filler.

Where on your face can filler be used?

Before getting started, your doctor and his specially trained nurse will talk with you about areas you’re concerned about and make recommendations. They will literally map out a plan on your face by marking injection sites.

Your face will be cleansed to help deter infection and anesthetized. An anesthetic ointment can be applied to each site where you would receive a local anesthesia injection.

Then it’s time to being with the dermal filler. Here is a list of possible areas of treatment…

Source: Provided by Dr. Michael Cutler

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1. Deep glabellar or forehead lines. When botox does not fix the deep “11” lines of the glabella, then ask for filler with a blunt-tip cannula. It may take a sharp needle to fill in the more superficial skin area there.
2. Sunken temples. The temple areas that sink in over the years can be restored to a much more youthful appearance with the longer-acting Juvéderm Voluma using a blunt-tip (minimal if any bruising) or sharp needle.
3. Nose job. “Liquid rhinoplasty” is the new term used for a non-surgical nose shape correction using dermal filler. This is best done using both a blunt tip and a sharp needle injection.
4. Pre-jowl sulcus. You’ve seen the sunken divots on each side of the jaw that is created by sagging lower face skin there. Blunt tip cannula works wonderfully in this area. One full syringe of filler on each side will make a wonderful improvement.
5. Tear trough (a.k.a. infra-orbital hollow). I have treated this with filler using only sharp injection until very recently. Now I see how easy it is to use a cannula and avoid bruising. However, obstruction of lymphatic flow in this area is still possible with a cannula, therefore the placement must be deep just over the bone there.
6. Cheek hollow. Voluma fills this sunken mid-cheek area nicely
7. Lips: vermillion border, cupid’s bow (philtrum), and general volume
8. Oral commissure (down-turned mouth): can be turned up by injecting filler at the corners of the lower lip
9. Lip (“smokers”) lines: Tiny superficial sharp needle injections of filler will greatly soften these lines
10. Nasolabial folds: cannula works great here with only a single point of entry
11. Marionette lines: The same entry point can be used for this area
12. Chin crease
13. Neck creases front and back: a great place to use a cannula for filler
14. Back of hands: Radiesse via cannula makes the back of hands appear 20-30 years younger.

Once the procedure is complete, any marking the nurse made will be wiped away. You’ll likely be advised to apply an ice pack to reduce swelling and mild discomfort. You might be tender for a few days, and hopefully, experience little to no bruising.

To slowing aging, looking good and feeling good,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

The post What to expect during a dermal filler procedure appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

I hear from my own patients quite often that, when possible, they’d like to learn more about how to improve or manage their conditions using food as medicine. And I’m more than happy to share what I’ve learned along my own path to natural health, balanced against what I learned in medical school and real-life applications in my health practice.

Now that you know what cacao can do for cholesterol, let me share other benefits that will have you adding cacao to your coffee like I did this morning…

1. Cacao for improved cognitive function

There is increasing evidence that regular consumption of cacao promotes brain health and reduces your risk of neurodegenerative disorders in the aging population. We know there is a complex array of phytochemicals in cacao beans, much like coffee beans and tea leaves.

In particular, one class of phytochemicals called methylxanthines are present in high amounts and are known to improve neuroplasticity and nerve health. Caffeine is actually one of those phytochemicals and it clearly promotes sustained cognitive performance and is even neuroprotective against damage in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.

What’s more, cacao contains high concentrations of flavan-3-ols (which include catechins you read so much about in relation to green tea) and their derivatives with proven benefits on dementia prevention and cognitive function.

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So, when you think of the health benefits of coffee, remember that cacao has far more, especially if you sweeten it with stevia or other fruit extract sweeteners instead of sugar and creamer.

Raw cacao is also an excellent source of magnesium as well, another nutrient that supports its health benefits.

More benefits of cacao: Cacao’s metabolic pathways have now been properly mapped enough to establish its role in diabetes control, immune regulation, inflammation, obesity, and oxidative stress.

2. Diabetes control

Cacao increases the uptake of glucose from the bloodstream across the cell membrane and into the cells of skeletal muscle.

3. Immune regulation

Cacao lowers immunoglobulin E release in allergic responses. It can affect the immune response and bacterial growth at intestinal levels.

4. Inflammation

Cacao has been suggested as a way to reduce allergies. That’s because cacao reduces inflammation through the inhibition of the nuclear factor-κB pathway.  Nuclear factor NF-κB is a well-established metabolic pathway of inflammation including cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules that trigger proinflammatory genes to be expressed.

5. Obesity

Cocoa promotes weight loss by improving mitochondrial biogenesis.

6. Oxidative stress

Cacao has also been suggested for helping to prevent or treat cancer and reduce oxidative injury (a mechanism behind cancer formation).

7. Blood pressure

Furthermore, cacao lowers blood pressure largely because it is particularly rich in flavanols. Several human clinical trials using flavanol-containing cacao showed not only improved endothelial and platelet function, but lowered blood pressure as well. In one human dietary intervention study, the daily consumption of dark chocolate was associated with a systolic blood pressure reduction of 5.8 mmHg, showing the vascular effects of dark chocolate flavanols. Authors suggested that “…the regular consumption of cocoa products containing flavanols may reduce risk of CVD.”

With benefits like these, it just makes sense to enjoy raw cacao powder regularly. If you’d like to know more ways to incorporate it into your diet, fully understand the difference between cacao and cocoa, as well as discover some healthier holiday treat recipes, check out this link to nuts.com. I’m not affiliated with the site, nor do I endorse it — they just have some good information and tasty suggestions for enjoying this superfood.

Sources:

1. Camandola S, Plick N, Mattson MP. Impact of Coffee and Cacao Purine Metabolites on Neuroplasticity and Neurodegenerative Disease — Neurochem Res. 2019 Jan;44(1):214-227. Review. PubMed PMID: 29417473
2. Grassi D, Ferri C, Desideri G. Brain Protection and Cognitive Function: Cocoa Flavonoids as Nutraceuticals — Curr Pharm Des. 2016;22(2):145-51. Review. PubMed PMID: 26561075
3. Latif R. Health benefits of cocoa — Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2013 Nov;16(6):669-74. Review. PubMed PMID: 24100674
4. Lawrence T. The nuclear factor NF-kappaB pathway in inflammation — Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2009;1(6):a001651
5. Erdman JW Jr, Carson L, Dwik-Uribe C, et al. Effects of cocoa flavanols on risk factors for cardiovascular disease — Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:284-7. PMID: 18296357

The post 7 more reasons you need cacao in your life appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s not all that surprising, considering cacao has 40 times the antioxidants of blueberries.

But I decided to look further into cacao’s health benefits and was even more impressed… Cacao consumption has better cardiovascular disease reduction than statin drugs!

Let me show you the research. But first, do you know the difference between cacao and cocoa?

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Cacao powder versus chocolate

Although cocoa (chocolate) and cacao powder are both derived from the same cacao bean, there is a marked difference in health benefits between the two. Cocoa (typical chocolate found in stores) is obtained after cacao beans are roasted at high temperatures, thus destroying many antioxidant phytonutrients. Furthermore, cocoa goes through an alkalizing process to make the flavor and color more “chocolate” marketable, therefore losing much of the magnesium and calcium of the natural cacao bean.

Even worse, saturated fats and refined sugar (sucrose) are added to cocoa to make it a high-calorie dessert and not a superfood.

In contrast, cacao powder is a superfood. How so? Raw cacao powder contains hundreds of nutrient compounds, including phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals (magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium) and omega-6 fatty acids.

One of cacao’s phytonutrients is anandamide, a natural euphoric lipid compound. Anandamide binds to cannabinoid receptors in your brain and mimics the psychoactive effects of cannabis. In fact, several studies even demonstrate that anandamide is involved in the addiction-producing actions of other (abused) drugs, acting as a behavioral reinforcer.

Another mood enhancer found in raw cacao is the natural antidepressant, tryptophan.

This is just the beginning of what cacao can do for you. Let’s now look at cacao’s impressive track record for cardiovascular health and more.

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Cacao gives statins a run for the money

I am not “anti-statin,” but I don’t promote statins if there are better and safer (and less costly) ways to reduce cardiovascular disease.

I have previously written here about 7 better-than-statin methods to lower your risk of heart disease. Now I know that a generous daily dose of cacao power (in a smoothie is fine) is more effective in reducing heart attack and stroke risk than statins, according to a comparison of meta-analyses.

This has been known for longer than a decade, but why have we never heard of this before?

Well, for one, there is little money for Big Pharma if cacao consumption is on the headlines for all to see. Doctors are not promoting cacao as far as I know.

In a 2011 British Medical Journal, Italian researchers analyzed data from meta-analyses, which were cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional observational studies. They analyzed data from 114,009 participants. They discovered there was a 37 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease (more than statins, see below) and a 29 percent reduction in stroke among those who consumed the highest amounts of cacao compared with consumers of the lowest levels.

Now compare that to the meta-analyses looking at the cardiovascular risk reduction by statin pills. The Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ (CTT) Collaboration looked at 170,000 participants in the study on statin therapy and showed a 22 percent relative risk (RR) reduction in a heart attack or stroke. When participants took high or low dose statin therapy, they found a 14 percent reduction in death from vascular events and a 10 percent reduction in overall death.

A new meta-analysis reported in The Lancet showed that statins do help reduce the risk of a heart attack in those aged 75 years and older; however previously statins were not thought to help this age group. Researchers reported their analysis of 28 randomized controlled trials, including 186,854 patients with a mean age of 63 years. Of the total study participants, 14,483 were over age 75. The overall risk reduction ranged from 30 percent in those aged less than 55 years to around 20 percent in those aged over 75.

Because I love the taste of the raw cacao powder in my smoothie, I’d like to share a bit more about the other health benefits of cacao.

Sources:

1. James JS. Marijuana and chocolate — AIDS Treat News. 1996 Oct 18;(No 257):3-4. PubMed PMID: 11363932
2. Scherma M, Masia P, Satta V, Fratta W, Fadda P, Tanda G. Brain activity of anandamide: a rewarding bliss? — Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2019 Mar;40(3):309-323. Review. PubMed PMID: 30050084
3. Buitrago-Lopez A, Sanderson J, Johnson L, Warnakula S, Wood A, Di Angelantonio E, Franco OH. Chocolate consumption and cardiometabolic disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis — BMJ. 2011 Aug 26;343:d4488. Review. PubMed PMID: 21875885
4. Virani SS. Statins in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in women: facts and myths — Tex Heart Inst J. 2013;40(3):288–289
5. Jane Armitage, Colin Baigent, Elizabeth Barnes, et al. Efficacy and safety of statin therapy in older people: a meta-analysis of individual participant data from 28 randomised controlled trials — The Lancet, 2019; 393 (10170): 407

The post Cacao: The superfood to beat statins appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The good news is that lead poisoning is largely treatable, and the earlier it is detected the better. Let’s look closer at treatment methods…

Diagnosis, first

If you are suspecting lead toxicity as the cause of symptoms, have your doctor order a blood test to measure it. For example, the lab I use most is Labcorp. They have a whole blood lead level test or even better, the Heavy Metals Profile I. There is also a finger stick test.

Remember that there is no safe blood level of lead. It’s been tied to illnesses ranging from mystery military ailments to heart disease.

The most important first step to treating lead poisoning is to identify and remove the source of the contamination the best you can. For the majority of us, know that lead-based paints were routinely used in homes build before 1978 and that even household dust is a major source of lead.

Treatment for lead poisoning

Chelation is a method of binding up metal molecules so it can be eliminated via the urine. There are also antioxidants (e.g. N-acetylcysteine) that help to remove lead from the body which I’ll address below.

The first and safest chelation method is by taking a pill called DMSA (meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid) or DMPS (2,3-dimercapto-propanesulphonate). These are pills and have low side effects or toxicity. DMSA is less toxic than DMPS. It takes several months of taking these weekly or twice weekly to slowly release lead from tissues.

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was first patented in 1938 as a chelating agent capable of binding metallic and non-metallic ions and releasing them from physiological tissue.¹ Therefore, calcium disodium EDTA chelation is approved by the FDA for use in treating not only lead poisoning but also other heavy metals. It removes heavy metals and minerals from your blood such as lead, iron, copper, and calcium.

Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is given by IV injection, but oral pills are available, though they would work much more slowly.

The EDTA-metal chelate Edetate disodium (the sodium salt of EDTA) binds to calcium and first used to treat hypercalcemia and digitalis intoxication before it became popular in reducing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Once in your bloodstream, calcium disodium EDTA sheds its calcium bond and aggressively chelates toxic heavy metals such as lead and mercury, whichever metal molecule it comes in contact with first.

Calcium disodium is not very well absorbed from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract; only about 5-18% actually makes it into your bloodstream where it can chelate and remove toxins. Additionally, unabsorbed calcium disodium EDTA (the portion that does not get back into the bloodstream) continues to chelate toxic metals as it passes through your intestinal tract.

The GI chelating effect of oral chelation of other metals was demonstrated at the University of Michigan in a small study. They measured the excretion of unwanted heavy metals 14 patients after taking one dose of oral calcium disodium EDTA. It showed dramatic excretion of unwanted heavy metals by the following amounts: aluminum: 229%; Arsenic: 661%; Cadmium: 276%; Lead: 350%; Mercury: 773%; and Nickel: 9439%.

You should know that with oral chelation you may lose some beneficial trace elements such as zinc and calcium along with the toxic ones listed above.  However, with a diet of adequate fresh vegetables — or even supplementing with zinc and calcium, you can easily overcome this. Yet, some good news here is that EDTA appears not to deplete the trace minerals cobalt, chromium, and copper and even helps retain the beneficial trace mineral magnesium.  Furthermore, EDTA is an amino acid that enhances the absorption of zinc with protein and the amino acids cysteine and methionine.

Although the topic of another article, EDTA has been proven in many prior studies to reduce cardiovascular disease especially.  The more recently completed TACT trial by the NIH proved the tremendous benefit of EDTA for diabetics.  What’s more, EDTA and supplemental chromium have both been shown to improve blood glucose, lipids, and insulin activity in diabetic patients. This was demonstrated and reported in the December 1999 issue of Biological Trace Element Research.

The other chelators for lead

These two chelating agents (DMSA and EDTA) have been studied and compared. Here is what research has shown us about them:

• Sodium calcium edetate causes dose-related nephrotoxicity.
• Both agents (DMSA and EDTA) deplete zinc and copper. The effect on zinc is significantly greater with EDTA.
• A transient increase in liver function (transaminases) is more common with DMSA, but neither causes any clinically significant liver toxicity.
• Skin lesions during treatment with EDTA are unusual and have been attributed to zinc deficiency.
• DMSA has occasionally been associated with a severe mucocutaneous reaction necessitating discontinuation of therapy.
• DMSA pills and EDTA infusions are both effective chelators of lead and considered equally effective. Both antidotes resolve symptoms of moderate to severe lead toxicity fairly rapidly.

Chelator antioxidants

Chelator antioxidants have the ability to decrease blood lead levels and the oxidative stress that results from lead poisoning. Glutathione and N-acetylcysteine are two of these that have shown effectiveness. N-Acetylcysteine is a natural antioxidant. It is a precursor to cysteine and glutathione in metabolic pathways. Both are detoxifying agents for heavy metal ions.

However, as far as I understand them, they are proving their effectiveness in animal studies but used in mainstream medical practice due to the lack of human studies.

To long-term health and feeling well,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Lead, Whole Blood (Adult) — LabCorp
2. Heavy Metals Profile I, Whole Blood — LabCorp
3. Lead, Blood, Filter Paper — LabCorp
4. What can I do to protect my family from lead contamination that was found in my neighborhood? — Pollution Prevention and Toxics | U.S. EPA
5. Chen W, Ercal N, Huynh T, Volkov A, Chusuei CC. Characterizing N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) binding for lead poisoning treatment — J Colloid Interface Sci. 2012 Apr 1;371(1):144-9. PubMed PMID: 22284448
6. Bjørklund G, Mutter J, Aaseth J. Metal chelators and neurotoxicity: lead, mercury, and arsenic — Arch Toxicol. 2017 Dec;91(12):3787-3797. Review. PubMed PMID: 29063135
7. Waters RS, Bryden NA, Patterson KY, Veillon C, Anderson RA.  EDTA chelation effects on urinary losses of cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, magnesium, and zinc — Biol Trace Elem Res. 2001 Dec;83(3):207-21
8. Mohamedshah F. Mineral absorption: zinc, selenium, chromium, calcium — Slide presentation at National Institute of Health Bioavailability Conference; January 5, 2000.
9. Chelation for Coronary Heart Disease — National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
10. Anderson RA, Bryden NA, Waters RS. EDTA chelation therapy does not selectively increase chromium losses — Biol Trace Elem Res. 1999 Dec;70(3):265-72.
11. Bradberry S, Vale A. A comparison of sodium calcium edetate (edetate calcium disodium) and succimer (DMSA) in the treatment of inorganic lead poisoning — Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2009 Nov;47(9):841-58. Review. PubMed PMID: 19852620
12. Gurer H, Ercal N. Can antioxidants be beneficial in the treatment of lead poisoning? — Free Radic Biol Med. 2000 Nov 15;29(10):927-45. Review. PubMed PMID: 11084283
13. Sisombath NS, Jalilehvand F. Similarities between N-Acetylcysteine and Glutathione in Binding to Lead(II) Ions — Chem Res Toxicol. 2015 Dec 21;28(12):2313-24. PubMed PMID: 26624959
14. Chen W, Ercal N, Huynh T, Volkov A, Chusuei CC. Characterizing N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) binding for lead poisoning treatment — J Colloid Interface Sci. 2012 Apr 1;371(1):144-9. PubMed PMID: 22284448

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There is almost no human bodily function that lead toxicity does not affect. And the signs and symptoms can be quite perplexing…

I recently read about a U.S. Army veteran who went through years of misdiagnosis and was even accused of faking his health problems by the Army before finding chronic lead poisoning was making him so ill. I’d like to share his story with you and new findings about lead and heart disease…

Meet Army veteran Stephen Hopkins

Stephen Hopkins was first a U.S. Army enlisted soldier, then a Special Forces trainee at the age of 30.  He routinely endured physical hardship in rural Afghanistan and maxed fitness tests. Then in 2005, he began to experience blood pressure swings, nausea, persistent dizziness, and tachycardia (rapid heart rate).  Later, migraines, abnormal thirst, and mental confusion developed, but the medical tests were inconclusive for several years. The military doctors suspected depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Some even suggested malingering (faking).

Finally, in the summer of 2012 while preparing for a training course in the U.S. he collapsed in a parking lot and was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. Among the possible diagnoses was lead toxicity, but chronic lead poisoning is difficult to pinpoint (but short-term exposure is much easier to detect).

It wasn’t until age 42 when an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) test was done that he was found to have 2.5 times normal lead levels in his body. It should be noted that there is no safe blood level of lead. Later Hopkins discovered that unexplained symptoms such as neurological impairments, PTSD, poor concentration, anger, anxiety, impulsivity, tremors, high blood pressure, low sperm count, or peripheral neuropathy — just may be chronic lead toxicity.

Military service is, of course, a high-risk occupation for this. Billions of rounds of ammunition have been fired by the United States armed forces since entering Afghanistan 2001. Troops are exposed to lead while shooting both indoors and out. The Department of Defense (DOD) requires those exposed to high levels of airborne lead exposure for longer than 30 days/year to be tested for lead. Unfortunately, the DOD tested only 1,200 troops and civilian employees out of nearly three million and found few cases of lead poisoning. That’s likely because chronic lead toxicity is difficult to diagnose.

Worse, mainstream medical doctors generally believe that accumulated lead in the bones is locked in place and doesn’t circulate back into the bloodstream to cause symptoms. That’s not what Functional Medicine doctors say. In fact, lead toxicity more toxic than once thought.

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Lead is on the rise

Lead is still used heavily in developing countries. That’s because lead is strong, yet soft, malleable, resistant to corrosion and does not conduct electricity well. This makes it perfect for many applications. Unfortunately, lead is not biodegradable so it persists and accumulates in the environment.

In what ways would you be exposed to lead? Your highest risk is if you work where you are exposed to leaded gasoline, lead smelting or combustion, pottery, boat building, lead-based paints, lead pipes, battery recycling, ammunition, pigments, or book printing, and other industries.

Signs and symptoms of lead toxicity including heart disease

With lead levels on the continual rise in almost every country, it poses some serious health threats. This highly poisonous metal affects almost every organ in the body, but most prominently our nervous system, kidney, and reproductive organs.

Children are most vulnerable as lead more easily absorbs into their softer body tissues. Even barely detectable lead levels in infants and children are abnormal and can cause problems with behavior, learning, and lowered IQ. Long-term lead exposure also leads to anemia, blood pressure increases, and reduced fertility in men.

Related: How to recognize these 5 toxic dangers (slideshow)

But growing evidence indicates that even low levels of lead in the blood may raise the risk of heart disease in adults. A study published in Lancet Public Health found a link between lead exposure and a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease when they followed more than 14,000 Americans who were adults in the 1980s.

Chelation is a therapy approved by the FDA to help remove lead. And now as more and more research ties heavy metals — like lead — to cardiovascular damage at much lower blood levels than previously thought, perhaps they will wake up and realize what some doctors, myself included, know about chelation as a treatment for better heart health as well.

Testing for lead toxicity

A simple finger-stick blood test detects lead poisoning. However, if chronic lead poisoning is suspected due to symptoms, more diagnostic testing may be needed.

The good news is that lead can be eliminated, and the effects of poisoning reversed from your body by a number of techniques. In my next article let’s look at treatment for lead toxicity, including chelation therapy.

Sources:

1. Low-level lead exposure and mortality in US adults: a population-based cohort study — The Lancet
2. The Army Thought He Was Faking His Health Issues. Turns Out He Had Chronic Lead Poisoning — The New York Times
3. Wani AL, Ara A, Usmani JA. Lead toxicity: a review — Interdiscip Toxicol. 2015;8(2):55–64.
4. Rubin R, Strayer DS. Rubins pathology; Clinicopathologic Foundations of Medicine. 5th ed. — Lippincot, Williams & Wilkins; 2008.
5. Sokol R. Reversibility of the toxic effect of lead on the Male Reproductive Axis — Reprod Toxicol. 1989;3:310–316.

The post Chronic lead poisoning’s links to mystery military ailments and heart disease appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Like rapamycin that I wrote about last week, metformin has humble beginnings. It is derived from a kind of French lilac, reputedly used to treat diabetes-like conditions in medieval Europe.

In type 2 diabetes one of the fundamental problems is elevated blood sugar. Insulin is the hormone we all have that controls blood sugar. When cells become resistant to insulin we can inject more insulin. But it is much better to improve the effectiveness of the insulin we have. This is what metformin does. It is an insulin sensitizer, and it is the first medicine your doctor will prescribe if you have type 2 diabetes.

However, metformin does much more than lower blood sugar by making your insulin work better.

Let me review some ways that researchers are looking to — and finding ways — that metformin may be a pharmaceutical giant’s dream drug, and then explain why it has the effect it does on so many diseases…

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Metformin for anti-aging

Beginning in 1972 with Russian scientists, metformin was found to slow down aging, plus reduce obesity and prevent cancer in rodents. Then more studies corroborated this knowledge but for many years these publications were ignored. That’s because nobody believed that changing blood sugar metabolism could slow aging.

It became evident that metformin decreases death from all causes in people with diabetes. It is not as powerful for anti-aging as rapamycin, but it is certainly not without its own merit.

Of note is the effect it appears to have on AMPK signaling. Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK for short) is an enzyme found in every cell in the body. It is like the “master switch” that determines how our bodies process energy.

AMPK is an anti-aging enzyme and, of course, its signaling function declines with age beginning a cascade of cellular changes that are what we know as the signs of aging.

Research supports that metformin is able to kickstart AMPK signaling, which if this is so, slows the aging process which also impacts the diseases associated with aging.

Let’s talk about a few of those…

Metformin for Alzheimer’s disease prevention

We know that metformin improves metabolic dysfunction. Well, wouldn’t you know it… scientists have found that one of the two main proposed mechanisms of how Alzheimer’s dementia develops is through metabolic dysfunction.

At least since 2014 scientists have reported that metformin reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Just this month of October 2019 yet another study has shown how metformin reversed amyloid-beta (Aβ)-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in mice. They concluded, “Our results point to metabolic dysfunction as an early and causative event in Aβ-induced pathology [dementia] and a promising target for intervention.”

Previously in 2016, research showed that metformin improved memory recall in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Metformin to prevent cancer

Metformin also appears to inhibit the proliferation of a range of cancers, including breast, endometrial, colon and prostate.

In fact, the research on cancer is outstanding:

• One study found that diabetic patients who were taking metformin had a 46 percent lower risk of developing head and neck cancers compared to non-diabetic patients.
• Research has found similar positive effects of metformin on the risk of stomach cancer.
• Another study of more than 24,000 patients found that in people with early-stage colon and rectum cancers, metformin use improved overall rates survival by 31 percent, and cancer-specific survival by 42 percent.

Recently, a study showed that metformin was strongly associated with ovarian cancer prevention. The authors suggested, “…a potential use for metformin in ovarian cancer prophylaxis.” They quoted a Taiwanese study that had previously found that among patients with type 2 diabetes taking metformin there was an 82 percent reduction in ovarian cancer.

Metformin and heart health

Additionally, metformin appears to prevent androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)-induced metabolic syndrome during prostate cancer treatment, which can cause cardiovascular morbidity — meaning a patient could survive the cancer but die from heart problems. Studies have shown that even short-term use of ADT significantly increases fat mass and decreases insulin sensitivity in men with prostate cancer, so we can see how metformin can certainly help here.

Other research found metformin can help prevent the development of atherosclerosis — or hardening of the arteries.

Getting a prescription from your doctor

One of the problems for you will be to convince your doctor that you need metformin to help slow aging. That’s because mainstream medical doctors do not generally know that metformin treats more than diabetes or metabolic syndrome.

The dosage has not been established for these other potential indications, but in diabetes, the dosage ranges from 500 once daily to 1000 mg twice daily.

And there are side effects to consider, including nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness, constipation, heartburn, and flatulence to name a few.

So, it’s certainly a decision you’d need to weigh and discuss with your doctor. Additionally, there are non-prescription ways you can help boost your AMPK enzyme but I wouldn’t expect quite the same results as metformin.

Sources:

1. Metformin and Prostate Cancer: a New Role for an Old Drug — Current Urology Reports
2. Dil’man VM, Riabov SI, Tsyrlina EV, Kirsanov AI, Kovaleva IG. [A decrease in body weight, cholesterol and blood sugar under the influence of phenformin (phenylbiguanide) in patients with cancer and atherosclerosis] — [Article in Russian] Vopr Onkol. 1972;18:84–86
3. Anisimov VN, Berstein LM, Egormin PA, Piskunova TS, Popovich IG, Zabezhinski MA, Kovalenko IG, Poroshina TE, Semenchenko AV, Provinciali M, Re F, Franceschi C. Effect of metformin on life span and on the development of spontaneous mammary tumors in HER-2/neu transgenic mice — Exp Gerontol. 2005;40:685–693
4. Anisimov VN, Berstein LM, Egormin PA, Piskunova TS, Popovich IG, Zabezhinski MA, Tyndyk ML, Yurova MV, Kovalenko IG, Poroshina TE, Semenchenko AV. Metformin slows down aging and extends life span of female SHR mice — Cell Cycle. 2008;7:2769–2773
5. Novelle MG, Ali A, Dieguez C, Bernier M, de Cabo R. Metformin: A Hopeful Promise in Aging Research — Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2016;6:a025932
6. Gosmanova EO, Canada RB, Mangold TA, Rawls WN, Wall BM. Effect of metformin-containing antidiabetic regimens on all-cause mortality in veterans with type 2 diabetes mellitus — Am J Med Sci. 2008;336:241–247
7. Gosmanova EO, Canada RB, Mangold TA, Rawls WN, Wall BM. Effect of metformin-containing antidiabetic regimens on all-cause mortality in veterans with type 2 diabetes mellitus — Am J Med Sci. 2008;336:241–247
8. Blagosklonny MV. From rapalogs to anti-aging formula — Oncotarget. 2017 May 30;8(22):35492-35507. Review. PubMed PMID: 28548953
9. Ng TP, Feng L, Yap KB, Lee TS, Tan CH, Winblad B. Long-term metformin usage and cognitive function among older adults with diabetes — J Alzheimers Dis. 2014;41:61–68
10. Evans JM, Donnelly LA, Emslie-Smith AM, Alessi DR, Morris AD. Metformin and reduced risk of cancer in diabetic patients — BMJ. 2005;330:1304–1305
11. Koch L. Cancer: Long-term use of metformin could protect against breast cancer — Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2010;6:356
12. Memmott RM, Mercado JR, Maier CR, Kawabata S, Fox SD, Dennis PA. Metformin prevents tobacco carcinogen–induced lung tumorigenesis — Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2010;3:1066–1076
13. Pollak MN. Investigating metformin for cancer prevention and treatment: the end of the beginning — Cancer Discov. 2012;2:778–790
14. Zhang ZJ, Zheng ZJ, Kan H, Song Y, Cui W, Zhao G, Kip KE. Reduced risk of colorectal cancer with metformin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis — Diabetes Care. 2011;34:2323–2328
15. Engelman JA, Cantley LC. Chemoprevention meets glucose control — Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2010;3:1049–1052
16. How Metformin, A Diabetes Drug, Got Into the Aging Market — Elysium Health
17. McCloskey KM, Cook DP, et al. Metformin abrogates age-associated ovarian fibrosis — Clinical Cancer Research, Oct 9, 2019

The post Metformin: Prescription against age and disease? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Rapamycin and its cousin medicines (“rapalogs”) are currently prescription medications for organ transplant recipients and also cancer patients with the names of sirolimus (Rapamune), deforolimus (Ridaforolimus), everolimus, and temsirolimus (a rapamycin pro-drug).

But there is an indication that using it “off-label” could be an anti-aging breakthrough.

When a drug is used off-label, it means a physician has prescribed it for an approved use other than what it was developed for. For example, Wellbutrin is a brand drug developed for depression, but over the years it’s been found to aid smokers in quitting and work as a second-line treatment for ADHD.

How did Rapamycin get a reputation as an anti-aging drug? It was first discovered from a soil sample on Easter Island (Rapa Nui). This antifungal metabolite of Streptomyces hygroscopicus was subsequently found to have immunosuppressive and anti-proliferative properties in animal studies. Now years later, the mode of action of rapamycin has been identified in great detail and is proven to be an anti-aging drug and a lot more.

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Proven health benefits and safety of Rapamycin

Rapamycin and the rapalogs have been used in healthy volunteers, and even in pregnant women without detrimental effects. They have minimal side effects — which can be reversed by discontinuation of the drug.

Rapamycin and the rapalogs are well proven to have the following impressive health effects (and I have 88 scientific studies for this section — too numerous to cite):

• Rapamycin extends life span in diverse species from yeast to mammals. Even at safe doses, they have no noticeable side effects.
• It and other rapalogs are consistently shown to suppress the process of cell deterioration with age (a.k.a. geroconversion).
• It prevents age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, neurodegeneration, and retinopathy, cardiopathy in mice and primates including humans.
• It prevents cancer in mice and in humans.
• It decreases obesity in mice and humans.
• It prevents all age-related diseases in general.
• In some studies, rapamycin improves metabolic parameters.

After many years of research and animal studies, rapamycin was recently investigated as an anti-aging drug in a small human clinical trial.

Mechanism of action of Rapamycin

The molecular mechanisms of action that have been well studied are quite complex. I feel you deserve to know just a few of the key abbreviations that may become more popular in years to come:

• mTOR = mammalian Target Of Rapamycin. This is a protein with enzyme activity that controls cell growth, proliferation, and survival. This protein activity is upregulated in cancer. The rapalogs target this enzyme; they bind to it and block many of mTOR functions.
• mTORC1 = mammalian Target Of Rapamycin Complex 1. It contains mTOR and other enzymes that together break apart RNA and DNA chains (genetic code). mTORC1 regulates many cellular functions that are required for cell growth, cell proliferation, mRNA biogenesis, protein and fat synthesis, energy metabolism and autophagy (a “self-eating” detox process your body undergoes to clean out damaged cells and regenerate new ones)
• mTORC2 = mammalian Target Of Rapamycin Complex 2. It enzymes that are not sensitive to rapamycin and plays countering metabolic roles.

Figure. Effects of rapamycin in various diseases including cancer, diabetes, tuberous sclerosis complex, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and aging. FDA-approved cases are described. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3972801/

In summary

Now after decades of intense research on rapamycin, mTOR, and mTORC1, the direction of this research continues to be the implementation of anti-aging drugs that can delay age-related diseases.

The dilemma is that we don’t have long-term studies yet for the FDA to give their approval, though it’s certainly been demonstrated to be safe in many medical situations.

Some authors suggest the ideal anti-aging formula includes a nutrient-rich plant-based diet and physical exercise.

Anti-aging pill or not, there’s nothing holding you back from working on your diet and getting exercise. And it may not be too far down the road that off-label use for rapamycin could include a common anti-aging pill.

Sources:

1. Leung LY, Lim HK, Abell MW, Zimmerman JJ. Pharmacokinetics and Metabolic Disposition of Sirolimus in Healthy Male Volunteers After a Single Oral Dose — Drug Monit. 2006;28:51–61
2. Leelahavanichkul A, Areepium N, Vadcharavivad S, Praditpornsilpa K, Avihingsanon Y, Karnjanabuchmd T, Eiam-Ong S, Tungsanga K. Pharmacokinetics of sirolimus in Thai healthy volunteers — J Med Assoc Thai. 2005;88:S157–162
3. Veroux M, Corona D, Veroux P. Pregnancy under everolimus-based immunosuppression — Transpl Int. 2011;24:e115–117
4. Sifontis NM, Coscia LA, Constantinescu S, Lavelanet AF, Moritz MJ, Armenti VT. Pregnancy outcomes in solid organ transplant recipients with exposure to mycophenolate mofetil or sirolimus — Transplantation. 2006;82:1698–1702
5. Morrisett JD, Abdel-Fattah G, Hoogeveen R, Mitchell E, Ballantyne CM, Pownall HJ, Opekun AR, Jaffe JS, Oppermann S, Kahan BD. Effects of sirolimus on plasma lipids, lipoprotein levels, and fatty acid metabolism in renal transplant patients — J Lipid Res. 2002;43:1170-1180
6. Liu Y, Diaz V, Fernandez E, Strong R, Ye L, Baur JA, Lamming DW, Richardson A, Salmon AB. Rapamycin-induced metabolic defects are reversible in both lean and OBESE mice — Aging (Albany NY) 2014;6:742–754
7. Blagosklonny MV. Geroconversion: irreversible step to cellular senescence — Cell Cycle. 014;13(23):3628-35. Review. PubMed PMID: 25483060
8. Leontieva OV, Demidenko ZN, Blagosklonny MV. Dual mTORC1/C2 inhibitors suppress cellular geroconversion (a senescence program) — Oncotarget. 2015 Sep 15;6(27):23238-48. PubMed PMID: 26177051
9. Singh M, Jensen MD, Lerman A, Kushwaha S, Rihal CS, Gersh BJ, Behfar A, Tchkonia T, Thomas RJ, Lennon RJ, Keenan LR, Moore AG, Kirkland JL. Effect of Low-Dose Rapamycin on Senescence Markers and Physical Functioning in Older Adults with Coronary Artery Disease: Results of a Pilot Study — J Frailty Aging. 2016;5:204–207
10. Blagosklonny MV. Koschei the immortal and anti-aging drugs — Cell Death Dis. 2014 Dec 4;5:e1552. Review. PubMed PMID: 25476900

The post How close are we to a real anti-aging pill? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

There’s no denying there are many instances where they’re beneficial. But they are a temporary fix. So, if you find yourself talking to your doctor about yet another shot to ease the pain, it might be time to consider another option.

So, let’s talk about when steroid shots are needed and when to steer clear of them — and I’ll share again the value of PRP joint injections as an alternative…

Conditions treated well with a steroid shot

1. Anaphylactic allergic reaction: A Solumedrol shot is the initial drug of choice, often paired with Epinephrine (i.e. EpiPen) and Benadryl shots for hives with tightness in the chest/shortness of breath due to acute allergic reactions. These are life-savers.
2. Asthma: when you simply cannot breathe, and your Albuterol inhaler is not working — to the point where you can’t even sleep — you need a steroid shot. This shot should contain Solumedrol. It is not very painful going in but aches for ~25 minutes afterwards. One lady moaned and groaned for 25 min, while most can tolerate it just fine. Solumedrol begins working in a quickly as 30 minutes, peaks in 12 hours, and lasts 2-3 days. This is why I always recommend a short course of Prednisone beginning the next day, as this takes 2 days to get working.
3. Alopecia areata: This patchy hair loss (bald spots) responds well to small injections of Kenalog (triamcinolone acetonide) or Depo Medrol (methylprednisolone) into the scalp area of baldness. In this condition, your immune system attacks the hair-producing cells and causes inflammation at the root of the hair. This treatment is intended to block the local inflammation and allow for hair regrowth. These intralesional injections likely will need to be repeated about every four to six weeks until hair is growing back. They are simple to perform.
4. Severe allergic rhinitis: My former neighbor simply would not be able to breathe at night for weeks at a time during pollen season. Antihistamines, Flonase spray, and Cromolyn Sodium simply did nothing for him. He required an intramuscular (IM) shot of 40 mg Kenalog, and in 3 days he became nearly symptom-free for a month or longer, typically enough to get him through the season.
5. Large cystic acne lesions: Cystic acne lesions are more painful and harder to treat than other large pimples that come to the skin surface. If treated within the first 24 hours of onset, a cystic acne lesion will shrink quickly with a shot of Kenalog.
6. Plantar fasciitis: The plantar feet become painful when the meshwork of ligaments there (fascia) becomes inflamed. The first treatment is to stay off your feet completely, do gentle massage, and stretching. However, when this condition gets so painful despite your best efforts, small injections of Kenalog does the trick. I have don’t several of these in the Urgent Care setting with great results. The injections are tolerable if done using a tiny 30-gauge needle immediately following a 3-second spray at each injection site using ethyl chloride.
7. Shoulder bursa: When shoulder pain persists after adequate rest and immobilization, one steroid shot to the subacromial or joint space usually does the trick for many years to come. If not, read about PRP below.
8. Trigger finger: When a finger or thumb joint becomes stuck in flexion position, the tendon inflammation through the sheath gets locked up, like a knot in the rope of a pulley. The treatment that nearly always works before considering surgery is a small amount (10 mg, or 0.25 ml) of Kenalog injected directly into this joint area.
9. Scar reduction: A Kenalog (triamcinolone acetonide) shot into a raised scar (keloid) will shrink it down if the shots are repeated over several months. It reduces its size, tightness, and itchiness and the scar color fades naturally within a couple of years.
10. Ganglion cyst: This is an accumulation of synovial fluid into a pouch at a joint area from overuse. The wrist is the most common joint to cause this. It will eventually go away spontaneously, but it may take six to 24 months to do so. Using a large bore (18 gauge) needle the thick clear fluid can be aspirated out and steroid placed in to shrink it.

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When to be wary of steroid shots

Pain and swelling are that initial phase of inflammation — your body’s natural way of protecting and healing. For example, your ankle swells up after injury and the pain forces you to protect and rest it. After 3-5 days, the next phase of inflammation sets in to dissipate that initial fluid swelling. Therefore, you want to suppress the inflammation during the first several days and encourage the healing phase of inflammation thereafter, while preventing injury.

Now consider chronic non-healing joints such as the shoulder, elbow or knee. They can be injected with steroid to suppress the inflammation. However, they do not encourage the regeneration of tissue. That’s why if you are not healed after one injection, I would steer you away from more, and towards PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections instead.

Related: The joint regenerative power of stem cell therapy

PRP has been used widely over the last decade, especially in the field of orthopedics. PRP is autologous blood that, per this FDA definition, is collected from a patient, centrifuged, and contains at least 250,000 platelets per microliter. FDA clearance allows PRP to be used for a wide range of different orthopedic indications.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) from your own blood contains growth factors. Adding your own (PRP) to damaged tissue is like adding fertilizer to the seeds and plants already existing in your body. PRP has also long been well proven to be effective in joint regeneration.

If your symptoms have lasted more than a few months, here are some conditions you should consider getting treated with PRP:

• Shoulder tendonitis/tendinopathy or torn shoulder ligaments (rotator cuff)
• Tennis elbow
• Wrist or thumb tenosynovitis/trigger finger
• Plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis
• Knee tendonitis, torn knee ligaments (cruciate, meniscus)
• Patellar tendonitis
• Degenerative arthritis of the shoulder, back, hip, knee, ankle, or foot
• Scars
• Androgenic alopecia in men and women (but not effective for alopecia areata)

To healing and feeling good,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. The Economics and Regulation of PRP in the Evolving Field of Orthopedic Biologics — Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine
2. PRP and Stem Cells | Patient Information — Colorado Sports Doctor

The post When steroid shots are a good idea — and when they’re not appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s according to newer studies which measure correlations between these hormone levels and chromosomal telomeres.

First, let me explain about telomeres and their important relationship to biological age…

Telomeres shorten as we age

Chromosomes are the strands of DNA that contain your genetic blueprint. Telomeres are protective caps on the ends of the strands of your DNA chromosomes much like the plastic tips of your shoelaces.

In your youth, your telomeres are approximately 8,000 to 10,000 nucleotides (DNA coding proteins) long. As you age your cells are dividing; meanwhile your telomeres are shortening with each cell division and when they reach a critically short length the cell (that it is controlling) stops dividing and dies.

Therefore, biological age can be measured by the extent of your physical health, and also your telomere length, and is largely independent of your chronological age.

We also know that lifestyle factors such as poor diet, cigarette smoking, obesity, poorly managed stress and lack of physical activity accelerate aging and have each been linked to a shortening of telomere length. But what about the effects of your sex hormone levels on telomeres and aging?

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Testosterone, DHT, and estradiol regulate telomere expression

We know that testosterone is metabolized into DHT (dihydrotestosterone) by the enzymatic activity of 5α-reductase and then to estradiol (E2) by the enzymatic activity of aromatase.  It turns out that testosterone and estradiol regulate the enzyme that preserves telomeres, called telomerase.

According to the science presented at the 2019 Annual Endocrine Society Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, in men over 70 years, higher testosterone and estradiol levels correlate with younger biological age.

Related: Natural ways to boost testosterone

The researchers examined nearly 3,000 men aged 70 to 84 years who lived in their communities (not in long-term care facilities). These were generally healthy men; approximately a third had some form of heart disease (as you would expect for this age); 14 percent had diabetes; and they were not obese (average body mass index was 26.5).

I want to put a plug in for testosterone supplementation in men and estradiol supplementation for women to preserve telomeres and lower biological age, but that conclusion cannot yet be claimed, although it sure sounds logical. The research presented did open the door for further studies to see if hormonal intervention can slow biological aging in men.

Now here is something interesting about telomeres and biological aging in women.  Does having more children cause a woman to age faster?

Reproduction, telomere length and aging in women

We know that human pregnancy causes major changes to metabolism, immune cell proliferation, and oxidative stress. Researchers hypothesized that these changes could accelerate cellular aging. In 2018 they studied young Filipino women (aged 20-22 years) and examined the relationship of pregnancy to their telomere length (821 subjects) and also to their DNA-methylation age, another indicator of genetic illness (397 subjects).

They found that telomere length and DNA-methylation age both correlated with illness and cell death; telomere length decreased and DNA-methylation age increased the more pregnancies they had. In other words, reproduction in women came with a cost: it accelerated aging.

However, this was not demonstrated in a 2016 prospective, longitudinal study. These researchers noted that studies conducted in non-human species show a trade-off between reproductive effort and biological aging such that having more offspring accelerated cell deterioration and aging (loss of cell division and growth, aka senescence). But when they investigated the relationship between the number of surviving births and telomere length over 13 years in a group of 75 Mayan women, they found that the women who had fewer children had shorter telomeres than the women who had more children (p = 0.045).

Related: Menopause Q&A: Progestogens vs progesterone

Their explanation for this apparent “protective effect” of having more children is that having more children increases social support for mothers which reduces the physical costs of reproduction. Also, the levels of estradiol increase dramatically during pregnancy. As shown with men, estradiol in women is known to protect telomere length from the effects of oxidative stress and increases telomerase activity, the enzyme that repairs telomeres after cell division.

We need more studies in postmenopausal women to determine if hormone replacement can slow biological aging. I’m betting it will because we already know transdermal natural estrogens plus progesterone lower heart disease, breast and uterine cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s dementia, and hot flashes. I can’t imagine it does not preserve telomere length in the process.

To slowing biological age and living well,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Yeap BB, Knuiman MW, Divitini ML, Hui J, Arscott GM, Handelsman DJ, McLennan, SV, Twigg SM, McQuillan B, Hung J, Beilby JP. Epidemiological and Mendelian. Randomization Studies of Dihydrotestosterone and Estradiol and Leukocyte Telomere Length in Men — J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016 Mar;101(3):1299-306. PubMed PMID: 26789780
2. Yeap BB. Higher Plasma Estradiol Concentration is Independently Associated with Lower Biological Age, Assessed as Leucocyte Telomere Length, in Older Men — Presented at ENDO 2019, the 101^st annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, March 23-26, 2019, in New Orleans, Louisiana
3. Ryan CP, Hayes MG, Lee NR, McDade TW, Jones MJ, Kobor MS, Kuzawa CW, Eisenberg DTA. Reproduction predicts shorter telomeres and epigenetic age acceleration among young adult women — Sci Rep. 2018 Jul 23;8(1):11100. PubMed PMID: 30038336
4. Barha CK, Hanna CW, Salvante KG, Wilson SL, Robinson WP, Altman RM, Nepomnaschy PA. Number of Children and Telomere Length in Women: A Prospective, Longitudinal Evaluation — PLoS One. 2016 Jan 5;11(1):e0146424. PubMed PMID: 26731744
5. Szostak JW, Blackburn EH. Cloning yeast telomeres on linear plasmid vectors — Cell. 1982;29:245–55
6. Greider CW, Blackburn EH. Identification of a specific telomere terminal transferase activity in Tetrahymena extracts — Cell. 1985;43:405–13

The post How sex hormones slow biological aging appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s because they use only lab tests such as the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4) to evaluate your thyroid. The problem with that is there are many medications that affect your thyroid hormone and confound the interpretation of standard thyroid tests.

Let’s look at these medications and why you must correlate signs and symptoms with lab tests to properly balance thyroid hormone…

Drugs that adversely affect the thyroid

There are important steps in how thyroid hormone is synthesized, released, transported, absorbed, controlled and metabolized. All of these are susceptible to interactions with medications. Your doctor may not have considered drug-induced thyroid dysfunction when interpreting your thyroid level blood tests.

The list of medications known to throw off your thyroid hormone tests is increasing. Let’s begin with the over-the-counter medications you probably never thought could do this.

Several categories of medications will artificially drop the TSH (thyrotropin) level, but not change the circulating T₄ level:

• Metformin which is very commonly prescribed to reverse pre-diabetes and to help lose weight.
• Prednisone (all glucocorticoids) commonly used for many acute (asthma, allergic reactions, etc.) and chronic inflammatory conditions.
• Dopamine agonists (Mirapex, Parlodel, Requip) commonly used for various conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, restless legs, and to slow breast milk production after baby delivery.
• Somatostatin analogues (e.g. Octreotide) to treat acromegaly.

Low TSH (thyrotropin) level with a normal free T₄ level may be confused with subclinical hyperthyroidism, prompting incorrect interpretation and treatment.

Some interfere with thyroid hormone activation, metabolism, and excretion:

• Prednisone (again!) which is used for many conditions, inhibits conversion of T₄to the more active thyroid hormone T₃. Propranolol at high doses acts similarly.
• Chemotherapy medicines such as the synthetic retinoid bexarotene (Targretin) used to treat cutaneous T cell lymphoma. It rapidly and profoundly suppresses TSH (thyrotropin) in 40 – 70% of treated patients. Normal recovery occurs within weeks after drug discontinuation. Mitotane (Lysodren) used for adrenal gland carcinoma and Cushing’s syndrome. It causes hypothyroidism in most patients who take it.
• Seizure control medicines such as phenobarbital, phenytoin, carbamazepine, and rifampin sometimes cause the need to increase thyroid hormone dosing.
• Salsalate (an NSAID) has a similar effect as seizure control medicines listed above.
• Heparin displaces T₄ and T3 from their binding proteins; this causes a spuriously high value.

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Medications that affect thyroid hormone synthesis or release include:

• Amiodarone (for heart rhythm control) is 37.3% iodine by weight and induces hypothyroidism in susceptible patients, and hyperthyroidism in others.
• Sources of excess iodine include CT contrast agents, topical povidone, over-the-counter expectorants, vaginal douches, and kelp.
• Lithium (for bipolar) use causes goiter and hypothyroidism by decreasing thyroid hormone release

Several medications increase thyroxine-binding globulin:

• Estrogen by oral route increases in protein binding of T₄. Transdermal estradiol has minimal effects on thyroxine-binding and is always recommended over oral dosing as this circumvents the first-pass effect on the liver.
• Selective estrogen-receptor modulators
• Methadone

Several medications reduce this protein:

• Androgens
• Glucocorticoids (prednisone)
• Niacin

GI absorption of thyroid hormone pills is very common. Approximately 60 to 80% of thyroid hormone T₄ is absorbed within 2 – 4 hours after ingestion on an empty stomach. Here are medicines that will interfere with thyroid hormone absorption:

• Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as Nexium, Protonix, Prilosec generally will lower absorption and cause a need to increase thyroid dosing.
• Iron (ferrous sulfate)
• Calcium carbonate
• Aluminum hydroxide
• Sucralfate (Carafate)
• Bile acid sequestrants (e,g, Cholestyramine, Colestipol)
• Raloxifene (Evista) to prevent osteoporosis

Therefore, take thyroid hormone four hours before or after ingesting any of these; best on an empty stomach.

Medications causing abnormal thyroid tests in otherwise normal thyroid (euthyroid) patients

For a summary of medications causing abnormal thyroid tests in otherwise normal thyroid (euthyroid) patients, take a look at table 2 below.

Table 2

Sources:

1. Lupoli R, Di Minno A, Tortora A, Ambrosino P, Lupoli GA, Di Minno MN. Effects of treatment with metformin on TSH levels: a meta-analysis of literature studies — J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2014;99:E143-E148
2. Beck-Peccoz P, Rodari G, Giavoli C, Lania A. Central hypothyroidism — a neglected thyroid disorder — Nat Rev Endocrinol 2017;13:588-598
3. Duvic M, Martin AG, Kim Y, et al. Phase 2 and 3 clinical trial of oral bexarotene (Targretin capsules) for the treatment of refractory or persistent early-stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma — Arch Dermatol 2001;137:581-593
4. Curran PG, DeGroot LJ. The effect of hepatic enzyme-inducing drugs on thyroid hormones and the thyroid gland — Endocr Rev 1991;12:135-150
5. McConnell RJ. Abnormal thyroid function test results in patients taking salsalate — JAMA 1992;267:1242-1243
6. Mendel CM, Frost PH, Kunitake ST, Cavalieri RR. Mechanism of the heparin-induced increase in the concentration of free thyroxine in plasma — J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1987;65:1259-1264
7. Ross DS, Burch HB, Cooper DS, et al. 2016 American Thyroid Association guidelines for diagnosis and management of hyperthyroidism and other causes of thyrotoxicosis — Thyroid 2016;26:1343-1421
8. Perrild H, Hegedüs L, Baastrup PC, Kayser L, Kastberg S. Thyroid function and ultrasonically determined thyroid size in patients receiving long-term lithium treatment — Am J Psychiatry 1990;147:1518-1521
9. Arafah BM. Increased need for thyroxine in women with hypothyroidism during estrogen therapy — N Engl J Med 2001;344:1743-1749
10. Shifren JL, Desindes S, McIlwain M, Doros G, Mazer NA. A randomized, open-label, crossover study comparing the effects of oral versus transdermal estrogen therapy on serum androgens, thyroid hormones, and adrenal hormones in naturally menopausal women — Menopause 2007;14:985-994
11. Sachmechi I, Reich DM, Aninyei M, Wibowo F, Gupta G, Kim PJ. Effect of proton pump inhibitors on serum thyroid-stimulating hormone level in euthyroid patients treated with levothyroxine for hypothyroidism — Endocr Pract 2007;13:345-349
12. Drug Effects on the Thyroid — New England Journal of Medicine

The post 20+ medications that affect your thyroid appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s according to world-renowned physician-researchers who presented at a recent San Diego Academy of Regenerative Therapies (SDART) annual conference.  Let me share some of the science they presented and the real-world applications that are now available to you…

Mesenchymal stem cells from your own fat

Fat stored in your belly and thighs contains your largest and most effective supply of stem cells, also called “adult mesenchymal stem cells” or MSCs. These stem cells will differentiate into a variety of cell types, and therefore are often termed, “multipotent” stem cells. That is, they become blood vessels, connective tissue such as skin (collagen and hair), fat, cartilage, muscle, blood vessels, nerves or other tissue types — wherever it is transferred to.

When your fat is harvested and then processed properly, scientists call this the “Stromal Vascular Fraction” (SVF). Your own SVF contains all of the multipotent stem cells (like seeds to be planted) and the growth factors (like fertilizer for the soil) for optimal results.

Compare this with just fat that is harvested and not processed, serum-containing cytokines and growth factors from donor bone marrow tissue, or even stem cells that are derived from donor amniotic fluid.

Even though amniotic fluid contains more stem cells than adult bone marrow does, the SVC from your fat contains many more stem cells than even amniotic fluid, plus the growth factors to go with it (both seeds and fertilizer).

This is best for injection using a blunt tip cannula into your

• face areas needing lift and correction of age-related volume loss such as temples, cheek hollows, jaw, lower face, and even lips
• larger body areas such as breasts and buttocks

When your SVF is further processed, it is known as nanofat. As I previously reported, nanofat is a wonderful aesthetic tool for reshaping and regenerating the face. For example, nanofat transfer using a blunt tip cannula is used for:

• Reshaping the face from sagging, sunken, deep creases,
• smaller, more delicate facial areas such as under eyes (tear trough), nasolabial folds, lip lines (a.k.a. “smoker’s lines”), lip contouring, and dorsal hands.

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Add in the PRP

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) from your own blood contains growth factors that stimulate stem cells to proliferate wherever it is placed. PRP helps direct the stem cells to know where to repair tissue. Adding your own (PRP) to tissue where your nanofat is placed (done concomitantly, but not mixed prior to injecting it), is like adding more fertilizer and is therefore even more effective at causing healthy tissue to grow. Therefore, PRP is the perfect additional ingredient to add to the autologous fat transfer recipe for medical aesthetics.

PRP has also long been well proven to be effective in joint regeneration. Compare this to joint surgery, which comes with considerable cost, down-time, and scarring.

Therefore, PRP is used for any place you want tissue to grow or heal such as hair restoration, joints, and along with nanofat transfer anywhere in the body

Amniotic stem cells

Research shows us that amniotic fluid has become a promising source of mesenchymal stem cells for therapeutic transplantation. In 2007 researchers knew that a subset of cells found in amniotic fluid and placental tissue is capable of differentiating into multiple progenitor cell types in adults.

In 2012 researchers showed us that these cells stimulate the repair of injured tissue through a local cell to cell communication. In this model, a cell produces a signal which induces changes in nearby cells, thus altering the behavior of those cells.

While fat transfer has its many therapeutic applications, injecting it into your bloodstream would be dangerous if fat cells made it into the nanofat mixture. However, stem cells purified from amniotic fluid can either be infused by an IV route (where they will land in all your body organs and tissues) or injected directly into an otherwise non-healing joint, tendon or ligament (with or without ultrasound guidance). In a 2012 report, researchers summarize the viability of using amniotic fluid stem cells for the treatment of articular cartilage defects with the aim of joint regeneration.

Related: The joint regenerative power of stem cell therapy

Therefore, amniotic stem cells plus PRP can be used to regenerate non-healing joints or tendons in your:

• shoulder
• elbow
• wrist
• back or neck
• hip
• knee or patellar tendon
• ankle
• Achilles tendon
• foot plantar (fasciitis)

The main drawback to amniotic fluid-derived stem cells is the cost. Doctors can purchase it for $800 to $1,500 for just one ml of this fluid. The mark-up to the patient goes way up from there.

Stem cells for anti-aging

Two small recent human clinical trials show that stem cell therapy is both safe and quite effective in reversing symptoms of age-associated frailty.

In these studies, they measured physical performance before and then six months after their one stem cell infusion such as a 6-minute walk test, short physical performance exam, and a breathing test (forced expiratory volume in 1 second). They also measured their blood for immune markers of frailty (B cell intracellular TNF-α levels) six months after the infusion. And, they gave them a female sexual quality of life questionnaire.

In the more recent study, patients ages 76 years on average were given just one infusion with a high concentration of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (20 million, 100 million or 200 million cells) from donors aged 20 to 45 years old. They found that those who received 100 million cells had significant improvement in all parameters measured as described above. There were no adverse effects.

You can see why I am so excited to further my clinical skills using autologous nanofat transfer plus PRP in my growing medical aesthetics practice.

To aging beautifully and feeling good,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Lange-Consiglio A, Tassan S, Corradetti B, Meucci A, Perego R, Bizzaro D, Cremonesi F. “Investigating the efficacy of amnion-derived compared with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in equine tendon and ligament injuries” — Cytotherapy. 2013 Aug;15(8):1011-20. PubMed PMID: 23602577
2. Tonnard P, Verpaele A, Peeters G, Hamdi M, Cornelissen M, Declercq H. Nanofat grafting: basic research and clinical applications — Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Oct;132(4):1017-26. PubMed PMID: 23783059
3. PRP and Stem Cells | Patient Information — Colorado Sports Doctor
4. Delo DM, De Coppi P, Bartsch G Jr, Atala A. “Amniotic fluid and placental stem cells” — Methods Enzymol. 2006;419:426-38. Review. PubMed PMID: 17141065.
5. Prusa AR, Marton E, Rosner M, Bernaschek G, Hengstschläger M, “OCT4-expressing cells in human amniotic fluid: a new source for stem cell research?” — Hum Reprod 2003. 18:1489–1493.
6. In’t Anker PS, Scherjon SA, Keur CK, Noort WA, Claas FHJ, Willemze R, Fibbe WE, Kanhai HHH, “Amniotic fluid as a novel source of mesenchymal stem cells for therapeutic transplantation” — Blood 2003. 102:1548–1549.
7. In’t Anker PS, Scherjon SA, Keur CK, Groot-Swings GMJS, Claas FHJ, Fibbe WE, Kanhai HHH, “Isolation of mesenchymal stem cells of fetal or maternal origin from human placenta” — Stem Cells 2004. 22:1338–1345
8. Clonal Amniotic Fluid-Derived Stem Cells Express Characteristics of Both Mesenchymal and Neural Stem Cells — Biology of Reproduction
9. Rennie K, Gruslin A, Hengstschläger M, Pei D, Cai J, Nikaido T, Bani-Yaghoub M. “Applications of amniotic membrane and fluid in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine” — Stem Cells Int. 2012;2012:721538. PubMed PMID: 23093978.
10. Preitschopf A, Zwickl H, Li K, Lubec G, Joo G, Rosner M, Hengstschläger M, Mikula M. “Chondrogenic differentiation of amniotic fluid stem cells and their potential for regenerative therapy” — Stem Cell Rev. 2012 Dec;8(4):1267-74. PubMed PMID: 22869300.
11. Golpanian S, DiFede DL, Khan A, Schulman IH, et al. Allogeneic Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Infusions for Aging Frailty — J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2017 Oct 12;72(11):1505-1512. PubMed PMID: 28444181

The post Stem cell science available at your doctor’s office appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Many women — and some men — are taking advantage of this non-surgical, no down-time way to improve on the effects of gravity.

Most of the time, these cosmetic procedures go off without a hitch… but occasionally one of the top listed risks is an allergic reaction at the injection site that can affect the whole body.

But did you know that your own fat has the best source of growth factors and stem cells for tissue healing — and is a great dermal filler? And I’d be surprised to find anyone was allergic to their own fat!

Related: What are your choices for sagging skin?

I recently attended the San Diego Academy of Regenerative Therapies (SDART) annual conference. According to the world physician experts who presented there, fat is far better than dermal filler for all cosmetic applications and is the best healer of joints when combined with your own platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

Let me share some great things about fat transfer…

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Fat harvesting in the office

Autologous fat transfer is a two-part procedure. Fat is harvested from body areas such as your abdomen, hips, thighs, or back by a “mini” liposuction technique. It is said by surgeons that everyone has a pocket of fat somewhere on their body. Then, your fat is processed and re-injected where you need it.  Here are some cool details if you are wondering.

Sounds painful, however, all that is needed is local anesthesia using the tumescent infiltration technique. To begin the tumescent anesthesia technique, an entry point area is created where it is first numbed by injecting buffered lidocaine with epinephrine through a tiny needle, so pain is very minimal. Once numbed, the entry port is created using a 16- or 18-gauge needle so a blunt tip infiltrator cannula can be introduced, and large amounts of the tumescent anesthesia fluid are gently distributed all throughout the area of fat to be harvested. This also helps soften and prepare the fat to be harvested after a 20-minute wait time for the anesthesia to take effect.

Now the fat area is completely numbed, and the blunt tip harvester cannula can fit through that same entry port into your soft fat. Only then does the doctor go to work moving this specialized cannula back and forth under constant suction in a small fan-like pattern, slowly collecting liquified fat.

While you wait, your collected fat must be cleansed from the oils and also the liquid anesthesia that is mixed in the initial sample. This occurs by placing the syringe upright while the separation occurs by simple gravity effect. The tumescent anesthesia fluid is drained off from below, and the oils (with no cells or growth factors) are pushed off the top. All that’s left is “structural fat.”

Micro-fat

This structural fat is further liquified into micro-fat using a small device. The structural fat that is first harvested and cleansed could be re-injected into larger body areas such as breasts and buttocks, although leading-edge doctors will process it to micro-fat to prevent breast microcalcification and cysts.

Fat transfer breast enhancement reshapes and gives a modest size increase to breasts. This is especially great if you want to avoid breast augmentation using synthetic implants. Most patients gain from a half to a full cup size increase, although some surgeons are now teaching that full mounds can be created. The amount of fat needed to harvest is 200-400 ml.

Fat is similarly harvested and then grafted in even layers to enhance buttock size and reshape. This provides a more natural-appearing buttock profile compared to silicone implants, and can even achieve the desired size increase without the extended recovery period.

Micro-fat is also great for larger face areas needing lift and correction of age-related volume loss such as temples, cheek hollows, jaw, lower face, and even lips. After injection, it immediately produces subtle, natural enhancement.

Healing time from fat transfer to the face is approximately two weeks. However, you have almost no social downtime (i.e. could be seen in public comfortably the next day). Fat transfer to buttocks can take several months. For this, a compression garment is used for a few weeks following the procedure to facilitate healing and optimal results.

Nano-fat

The micro-fat is further liquified and processed into nano-fat using a similar device, to be injected to smaller, more delicate areas that need filling and regeneration (remember this fat contains stem cells and growth factors, the perfect substance to generate health to any tissue where it is placed). These areas include under eyes (tear trough), nasolabial folds, lip lines (a.k.a. “smoker’s lines”), lip contouring, or the even the back of your hands. All this is done using a blunt tip cannula.

Nano-fat is even better when mixed with your own blood’s platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Therefore, after nano-fat is introduced into these areas using the blunt tip cannula, PRP fluid is also introduced through the same cannula by switching off the syringe. Remember that it provides long-lasting volume compared to synthetic fillers that only last 1-2 years.

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Fat transfer better than dermal filler

In addition to reducing unwanted body spot fat areas, fat transfer can enhance the sagging areas of your face better than any dermal filler can. That’s because, for example, just 20 ml of fat will make several cosmetic improvements in one procedure, whereas such amounts of filler would be unthinkable.

Fat produces more natural-appearing changes and lasts many years longer than filler. That’s because after it has been processed down to micro or nano fat, it is much softer and therefore easy to move around and smooth out. Compare that with dermal filler that is deposited in lumps and only partially smooths out (over weeks). Fat is always placed using blunt tip cannulas and minimal if any bruising occurs.

Finally, while there is some initial volume loss after fat transfer because your body will absorb some of the grafted fat, any fat that remains past six months is a permanent enhancement.

In my next article, I’d like to share some of the impressive science about the healing and regenerative properties of our own fat, and autologous fat transfer.

To healing and feeling good,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

The post Using your own fat for plumper cheeks, lips and more appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

These are typically the first choice to control inflammation and pain from injury and much more.

These NSAIDs seem harmless enough, or why else would the FDA allow them to be available over the counter, right?

Well, there are a few safety concerns, including newer warnings about NSAIDs you should know about…

#1 NSAIDs 16^th leading cause of death from GI bleed

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) rank first among commonly prescribed drugs for serious adverse reactions.  In fact, NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen (but not Acetaminophen), were the 16^th leading cause of death in America just a few years ago, claiming more than 100,000 hospitalizations and 16,000 deaths from intestinal bleeding caused by NSAIDs.

That’s a problem for a doctor like me, who works in a busy urgent care where Ibuprofen is recommended all day long. Although I always recommend it be taken with food and for only 3 days to control the initial inflammation of the injury, still I wonder if I have hurt anyone with my recommendation. I’ll tell you why.

According to studies, from the first day of use NSAIDs increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. That’s only partly due to the systemic bleeding tendency they produce, by impairing platelet aggregation. While aspirin’s effect persists for the circulating lifetime of the platelet (8 days on average), NSAIDs’ effect persists depending on the dose of the NSAID (i.e. circulating time of the drug).  Fortunately, the Ibuprofen serum half-life is approximately 2 hours. Therefore, it is rapidly metabolized and then is eliminated via the kidneys, with excretion virtually completed by 24 hours after the last dose.

The are several other mechanisms by which NSAIDs cause stomach bleeding. They can damage your gastroduodenal mucosa (lining) by a topical irritant effect on the epithelium. They also impair important barrier properties of the mucosal lining cells (parietal cells) through suppression of gastric prostaglandins, reduce gastric mucosal blood flow, and interfere with the repair of the superficial injury there.

One study comprised of 1457 cases of upper GI bleeding and 10,000 control subjects in the UK. The relative risk of upper GI bleeding associated with NSAID use was 4.7 times that of the control group. The risk for bleeding was greater for higher NSAID doses compared to lower doses (7.0 vs 2.6).

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Whereas the older NSAIDs (i.e. Ibuprofen) are 4-fold more likely to cause GI bleeds, the newer COX-2 inhibitor (i.e. Celebrex) NSAIDs are only 3-fold more likely to cause GI bleeds, but more likely than older NSAIDs to cause heart attacks or strokes.  And, taking prednisone (a corticosteroid) along with an NSAID increases your bleeding risk 12-fold. Taking NSAIDs with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Zoloft, Prozac or Lexapro, your risk increases 7-fold.

Worse, GI bleeds are more likely to be fatal while taking NSAIDs (mortality of 21%) compared to when not taking NSAIDs (mortality of 7%).

These risks of bleeding with NSAIDs are enhanced by the use of alcohol, tobacco, other anticoagulants or bleeding problems, advanced age, or liver disease.

#2 Heart attack and stroke risk                   

NSAIDs including the newer COX-II inhibitors (i.e. Celebrex), diclofenac, and even higher-dose ibuprofen, significantly affect the cardiovascular, renal, and respiratory systems. These NSAIDs apparently have a thrombogenic effect (despite platelet impairment) and cause an excess risk of 7–9 non-fatal and 2 fatal cardiovascular events per 1000 patients per year.

They also increase systolic blood pressure by approximately 5 mmHg, increase your fluid retention, and double your risk of hospitalization due to heart failure.

The risk of heart attack and stroke with NSAIDs was first described in 2005. It was placed in the “Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions” on prescription drug labels. Since 2014, the prescription NSAID labels have been revised to be more specific about this, and state that:

• The risk of a heart attack or stroke increases slightly in patients with or without heart disease or risk factors as early as within the first weeks of using an NSAID; the risk increases with longer use, and with higher doses.
• Patients treated with NSAIDs after a first heart attack were found to be more likely to die within the first year after their heart attack compared to those not treated with NSAIDs following their first heart attack.
• There is an increased risk of heart failure with NSAID use.

#3 Kidney health

If you are over age 65 years, NSAID use more than doubles your risk of acute kidney injury in the first 30 days of use.

In fact, according to the National Kidney Foundation, as many as 3 percent to 5 percent of new cases of chronic kidney failure each year may be caused by the overuse of these painkillers. Once kidney disease occurs, continued use of the problem drug makes it worse.

#4 Bronchospasm

Apparently, from 8 to 20% of adult asthmatics get bronchospasm following ingestion of an NSAID or aspirin, called “aspirin-induced asthma, and it is potentially fatal. It begins with taking an NSAID and experiencing a rapid onset of malaise, sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, and a productive cough. Asthma and NSAID/aspirin sensitivity may appear in the following months, causing bronchospasm, runny nose, hives/angioedema or even respiratory arrest within half to 3 hours after a dose of an NSAID.

Topical NSAIDs are much safer

One good option, to begin with, is to use a topical NSAID for pains that are close to the skin, such as the fingers, hands, elbows, feet or toes.

Related: Doctor’s top picks for short-term pain relief

In a recently published peer-reviewed report, researchers assessed the safety of topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) used to control osteoarthritis (OA) pain. This meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials found that topical NSAIDs were only slightly more likely to cause adverse events (e.g. gastrointestinal side effects) compared to placebo. The big question is will it be effective for pain/inflammation control?

If in doubt always consult with your doctor about the use of over the counter pain relievers.

Sources:

1. Davis A, Robson J. The dangers of NSAIDs: look both ways — Br J Gen Pract. 2016 Apr;66(645):172-3. PubMed PMID: 27033477
2. Wallace JL. “How do NSAIDs cause ulcer disease?” — Baillieres Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2000 Feb;14(1):147-59.
3. García Rodríguez LA, Jick H. Risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and perforation associated with individual non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs — Lancet. 1994 Mar 26;343(8900):769-72. PubMed PMID: 7907735
4. Masclee GM, Valkhoff VE, Coloma PM, et al. Risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding from different drug combinations — Gastroenterology. 2014;147(4):784–792.e9. quiz e13–14
5. [Straube S, Tramèr MR, Moore RA, et al. Mortality with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and perforation: effects of time and NSAID use — BMC Gastroenterol. 2009;9:41
6. Bhala N, Emberson J, Merhi A, et al. Vascular and upper gastrointestinal effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: meta-analyses of individual participant data from randomised trials — Lancet. 2013;382(9894):769–779
7. Schneider V, Lévesque LE, Zhang B, et al. Association of selective and conventional nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs with acute renal failure: a population-based, nested case-control analysis — Am J Epidemiol. 2006;164(9):881–889
8. Sturtevant J. NSAID-induced bronchospasm–a common and serious problem. A report from MEDSAFE, the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority — N Z Dent J. 1999 Sep;95(421):84. PubMed PMID: 10561993
9. Honvo G, Leclercq V, Geerinck A, Thomas T, Veronese N, Charles A, Rabenda V, Beaudart C, Cooper C, Reginster JY, Bruyère O. “Safety of Topical Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Osteoarthritis: Outcomes of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” — Drugs Aging. 2019 Apr;36(Suppl 1):45-64. PubMed PMID: 31073923.

The post 4 big ways NSAID pain relievers can hurt your body appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For years it wasn’t given much thought. We were busy keeping hearts, brains, kidneys and other vital organs healthy… until research caught up and keyed us in on just how much the health of your entire body depends on your gut.

In the last decade, we’ve learned how the gut and its most important inhabitants — bacteria — impact autoimmune health, heart disease, mental health, inflammation, cancers and more.

Clearly, keeping your gut healthy keeps you healthy. Conversely, disrupting your gut microbiome sets you up for poor health.

What disrupts your gut microbiota? After antibiotics, the very foods you eat have the next most profound influence on healthy bacteria of your intestinal lining.

Related: 5 ways and 4 reasons to nourish your gut bugs

Let’s look at these two main offenders. I’ll also share what I’ve learned about the rising epidemic of Clostridium difficile gut infection…

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Clindamycin and Clostridium difficile

Antibiotics are mostly to blame for disrupting healthy gut bacteria. Most notably, Clindamycin kills off competing bacteria except for one particularly aggressive bacterium: Clostridium difficile. While Clindamycin is a great antibiotic for aggressive mouth and skin wound infections it is a later or last choice for me, often because of allergies to all the other antibiotics.

When I do prescribe, I always give close precautions to load up on probiotics and avoid refined sugar foods to help prevent C. difficile from emerging. As mentioned in a previous report, even one single dose of Clindamycin was found to induce profound changes in the gut microbiota of mice who even became chronically susceptible to getting C. difficile infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says Clostridium difficile intestinal infection is the most common hospital infection in America, causes half a million infections, and even kills 15,000 people yearly, most of whom are seniors.

Clostridium difficile is an opportunistic pathogenic gram-positive spore-forming bacterium. This bacterium produces two toxins that damage intestinal cells. The inflammation it causes can result in life-threatening diarrhea, colitis, toxic megacolon, and more rarely, organ failure and death.

C. difficile is apparently spread by the fecal-oral route. This means that C. difficile is in the feces of infected patients, and its spores will survive even if cleaned with alcohol, often for an extended period of time on surfaces that can be touched and then ingested accidentally.

The first-line treatment for C. difficile infection is another antibiotic, Metronidazole or Vancomycin.  Approximately 20% of infected patients have recurrent infections with it, even with hypervirulent strains that have emerged in recent years.

Even worse is that the incidence of C. difficile infection is rising over the past 20 years. Interestingly, according to the peer-reviewed science, epidemic strains of C. difficile have been found to grow on even very low levels of a very common sweetener food additive, trehalose. This may help explain the rising C. difficile outbreaks since 2001.

Trehalose is used often in foods such as nutrition bars and chewing gum. But was also reported in 2014 to be an ingredient in Taco Bell’s seasoned “beef.” Though it does not appear in their current ingredient statements on their site.

Foods that harm your gut microbiota

A diet high in processed foods and refined sugars feed yeast and also their conspirators, the pathogenic bacteria. Meanwhile, the good bacteria in your gut decrease, and you are susceptible to the many illnesses associated with an unbalanced gut microbiota I previously wrote about.

When you significantly alter the composition of your large intestinal microbiota you increase the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and intestinal permeability (leaky gut).  A leaky gut means you allow unwanted proteins to slip through the mucosal lining into your bloodstream. This is the beginning of the inflammation underlying chronic illness I previously described.

Fortunately, eating plenty of plant-based foods with fiber and lean protein can improve the gut acid-base balance (pH) and improve the health of your gut microbiome.

Add to that prebiotics (the food for healthy bacteria) and probiotic supplements (the healthy bacteria themselves), you can slowly clean up and optimize gut health.

Studies that suggest that even probiotic bacteria found in (plain) yogurt and other fermented milk products will improve your gut microbiome. This, in turn, changes your metabolism to lower obesity, insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, low-grade inflammation, and a host of chronic illnesses previously mentioned. It is proven that these illnesses are more prevalent in patients with a low diversity of bacteria in the gut microbiome than in patients with a high diversity. That’s why I recommend a blend of many probiotics of the lactobacilli and bifidobacterial strains. You can buy these at the local health food store or online. At least two months of daily supplementation will be needed to establish colonization.

To a healthy gut microbiome to help to prevent chronic illness,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Profound alterations of intestinal microbiota following a single dose of clindamycin results in sustained susceptibility to Clostridium difficile-induced colitis — Infection and Immunity
2. Clostridium Difficile — NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
3. Pathogens boosted by food additive — Nature
4. Factors Influencing the Gut Microbiota, Inflammation, and Type 2 Diabetes — Journal of Nutrition

The post How your gut influences full body health and how to help it appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Unfortunately for me, I know too much to let this claim stand without a rebuttal.

This study, published earlier this month, was aimed at finding the true effects of nutritional supplements or dietary interventions on all causes of death or heart disease outcomes such as heart attack death, heart attack, stroke, and heart artery disease.

These study authors looked only at randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and their meta-analyses — which indeed are the most powerful data to draw from — but this research “gold-standard” still misses a lot of data that should be considered.

While there are 14 investigators named in the study title, only two independent investigators abstracted data, assessed the quality of evidence, and rated the certainty of evidence.

At least one researcher received grant money and personal fees for other projects from the FDA, Aetna Foundation and several pharmaceutical giants including, Sanofi, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, and Bayer!

In all, 992,129 participants were included. The problem is that who knows what bias they had while selecting data and analyzing its quality?

The authors begin by stating, “The role of nutritional supplements and dietary interventions in preventing mortality (death) and cardiovascular disease outcomes is unclear.” Really? OK, then now they are going to build upon that false premise.

Their findings were that “Reduced salt intake (in people without high blood pressure), omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) use, and folate supplementation could reduce risk for some cardiovascular outcomes in adults” and that “Combined calcium plus vitamin D might increase risk for stroke.”

Then they accurately state, “Other nutritional supplements, such as vitamin B6, vitamin A, multivitamins, antioxidants, and iron and dietary interventions, such as reduced fat intake, had no significant effect on mortality or cardiovascular disease outcomes (very low- to moderate-certainty evidence).”

Can you detect here the confusion they created with this report? If not, let me explain.

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Confusion created

This study has led to prominent online postings with such titles as “Supplements and dietary interventions offer little (if any) protection against heart disease, study finds.”

They have confused many people to conclude that the supplements and the (limited) dietary interventions these authors evaluated were important data to evaluate.

Notice that the investigators did not study nutrient-rich whole (and mostly raw) foods, i.e. “plant-based” diets which are well known to cause a tremendous effect on lowering death rates, heart disease, and stroke.

The investigators did also not evaluate the supplements known to reduce cardiovascular disease risk.  I will show you what I mean, and why this recent online article is absolutely false and misleading, which stated, “Nutritional supplements and dietary interventions provide no protection against cardiovascular disease and early death, according to a major new analysis of dozens of studies on the topic, which was published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.”

And see how the subsequent sentence in that report is also incorrect: “The only possible exceptions were a low-salt diet and two supplements — folate (folic acid) and omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil).” That’s ridiculous. Let’s look at the data.

Supplements and dietary interventions are shown to be effective

Let’s look at some evidence proving the cardioprotective effects of nutrient-rich, plant-predominate diets.

First, there is the work of the Lifestyle Heart Trial directed by Dr. Dean Ornish and associates…

Their findings reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association nearly 20 years ago concludes, “In summary, these ambulatory patients were able to make and maintain comprehensive changes in diet and lifestyle for 5 years and showed even more regression of coronary atherosclerosis after 5 years than after 1 year as measured by percent diameter stenosis. In contrast, patients following more conventional lifestyle recommendations showed even more progression of coronary atherosclerosis after 5 years than after 1 year and had more than twice as many cardiac events as patients making comprehensive lifestyle changes.”

Then there is the work of T. Collin Campbell and colleague in the Cornel China Study who reported their findings approximately 20 years ago. More than 20 researchers spanning 40 years of compiled mortality data from both animal studies and approximately 650,000 rural Chinese was collected and analyzed from 130 villages in rural mainland China. This data was correlated with nutritional factors where fiber intake was 3 times higher and animal protein intake at approximately 10% of the U.S. intake. They found coronary artery disease mortality was 16.7-fold greater for U.S. men and 5.6-fold greater for U.S. women than for their Chinese counterparts. They stated that the coronary artery disease death rates for both genders in rural China were inversely associated with the frequency of intake of green vegetables and monounsaturated fatty acids. Correspondingly, they found blood biomarkers (apolipoproteins) were lowered as plant protein, legume, and light-colored vegetable intake increased. Plus, there was no evidence of a threshold beyond which further benefits did not accrue with increasing proportions of plant-based foods in the diet.

How about this interesting study reported in the British Medical Journal in 1996.  In this study, 4336 men and 6435 women were recruited through health food shops, vegetarian societies, and magazines. After a mean of 16.8 years follow up, overall the cohort of healthy eaters had a mortality about half that of the general population. Within the cohort, daily consumption of fresh fruit was associated with significantly reduced deaths from heart disease, stroke and all causes combined.

Supplements shown to help lower heart disease risk

We know that synthetic vitamins don’t do much for us. The study authors name vitamin B6, vitamin A, multivitamins, iron and antioxidants [but which antioxidants they did not say] as supplements that don’t make a difference for heart disease and death reduction.

Related: Foods and supplements for healthy circulation

Let’s look at ones that are proven to work:

• Nutrient IP-6: this is a food nutrient called inositol hexaphosphate (IP6, or “phytate”) that helps keep calcium out of the artery walls and in the bones where it should be. A 2006 animal study reported in Frontiers in Bioscience showed a highly significant reduction in the calcium content of aorta and heart tissue when treated with IP-6.  Human studies mirror this finding; 1,000 mg IP6 daily.
• Vitamin K2: In addition to IP6, vitamin K2 (menaquinone) activates proteins that prevent excess calcium deposition in your blood vessels. There are the two forms of vitamin K2 called MK-7 and MK-4 “shuttle” calcium out of your bloodstream and into your bones. Vitamin K2 at 100-150 mcg daily decreases C-reactive protein (a non-specific marker of inflammation), increases arterial elasticity, decreases arterial plaque, decreases coronary heart disease and total mortality. The 7-year prospective Rotterdam Study of 4807 subjects (2004), as well as a later 2009 prospective study of 16,057 women supplementing with Vitamin K2, showed a significant reduction in heart attack (at 22-50 mcg daily) and all-cause deaths (at 30-40 mcg daily).
• L-Arginine at 6 grams daily triggers the natural arterial secretion of nitric oxide which dramatically relaxes arteries for optimal blood flow and has anti-inflammatory effects, which is even more effective in salt-sensitive persons.
• L-Taurine has pronounced beneficial heart health effects including its blood pressure-lowering effect, best taken at 3 grams twice daily.
• R-(alpha) lipoic acid lowers blood pressure and improves arterial wall dysfunction through beneficial effects on nitric oxide (the vasodilator) and other mechanisms at the optimal dose of 100-200 mg daily.
• Alpha-lipoic acid lowers blood pressure; improves endothelial dysfunction; reduces reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress and has other cardioprotective mechanisms. The optimal dose is 300-600 mg twice daily.
• D-ribose improves angina, heart failure, arrhythmias, weakness, and fatigue at 5 grams 3-4 times daily for those already diagnosed with heart disease.

Well, and there are a host of other nutrients proven to lower risk of cardiovascular disease. The list is long but here is the quick version:

• Polyphenols: Resveratrol, de- alcoholized red wine, purple grape juice, red grape polyphenolic extract, dark chocolate, and other plant-derived polyphenols have been shown to safely reduce arterial wall inflammation, increase nitric oxide (a vasodilator), and thereby lower both blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
• Omega 3 fatty acids (fish or fish oil) at 5 grams daily with EPA/DHA at a ratio of 3:2 lowers endothelial inflammation and at 3 to 4 grams daily it lowers the heart rate by 6 beats/minute and lowers endothelial inflammation.
• Hawthorne berry mildly reduces systemic vascular resistance.
• Aged garlic (Kyolic) is clearly cardioprotective and there are multiple mechanisms for this. Clinical experience shows 600 mg twice daily reduces coronary artery plaque progression in people on statins.
• Berberine: effectively reduced cholesterol levels in hamsters fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet in an early study. A 2012 study in humans found that 500 mg three times daily for 12 weeks was more effective in lowering cholesterol than ezetimibe.
• Nattokinase from the Japanese natto bean is a natural clot buster and helps to keep optimal arterial blood flow.
• Potassium: a high potassium diet of 5,000 mg daily is recommended (unless you have kidney failure) for optimal heart health and blood pressure.

So much for trying to tell us that “supplements and dietary interventions offer little (if any) protection against heart disease.” In my opinion, that’s pure hogwash.

Sources:

1. Khan SU, Khan MU, Riaz H, Valavoor S, Zhao D, Vaughan L, Okunrintemi V, Riaz IB, Khan MS, Kaluski E, Murad MH, Blaha MJ, Guallar E, Michos ED. Effects of Nutritional Supplements and Dietary Interventions on Cardiovascular Outcomes: An Umbrella Review and Evidence Map. Ann Intern Med. 2019 Jul 9. PubMed PMID: 31284304. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=31284304
2. https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2019/07/supplements-and-dietary-interventions-offer-little-if-any-protection-against-heart-disease-study-finds/
3. Ibid
4. Ornish D, Scherwitz LW, Billings JH, Brown SE, Gould KL, Merritt TA, Sparler S, Armstrong WT, Ports TA, Kirkeeide RL, Hogeboom C, Brand RJ. Intensive lifestyle changes for reversal of coronary heart disease. JAMA. 1998 Dec 16;280(23):2001-7. PubMed PMID: 9863851. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9863851
5. https://www.ornish.com/wp-content/uploads/Intensive-lifestyle-changes-for-reversal-of-coronary-heart-disease1.pdf
6.  Campbell TC, Parpia B, Chen J. Diet, lifestyle, and the etiology of coronary artery disease: the Cornell China study. Am J Cardiol. 1998 Nov 26;82(10B):18T-21T. PubMed PMID: 9860369. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9860369
7. Key TJ, Thorogood M, Appleby PN, Burr ML. Dietary habits and mortality in 11,000 vegetarians and health conscious people: results of a 17 year follow up. BMJ. 1996 Sep 28;313(7060):775-9. PubMed PMID: 8842068. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=8842068
8. Grases F, Sanchis P, et al. Phytate (Myo-inositol hexakisphosphate) inhibits cardiovascular calcifications in rats. Frontiers in Bioscience January 1, 2006 (11)136-142
9.  A.A. López-González, F. Grases, P. Roca, B. Mari, M.T. Vicente-Herrero, and A. Costa-Bauzá. Journal of Medicinal Food. December 2008, 11(4): 747-752.
10.  Angel A. Lopez-Gonzalez, Felix Grases, et al. Protective effect of myo-inositol hexaphosphate (phytate) on bone mass in postmenopausal women. European Journal of Nutrition 2012, DOI: 10.1007/s00394-012-0377-6.
11.  Fodor D, Albu A, Poantă L, Porojan M.  Vitamin K and vascular calcifications. Acta Physiol Hung. 2010 Sep;97(3):256-66.
12.  Wallin R, Schurgers L, Wajih N. Effects of the blood coagulation vitamin K as an inhibitor of arterial calcification. Thromb Res. 2008;122(3):411-7.
13.  Geleijnse JM, Vermeer C, Grobbee DE, Schurgers LJ, Knapen MH, van der Meer IM, Hofman A, Witteman JC. Dietary intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: the Rotterdam Study. J Nutr. 2004 Nov;134(11):3100-5.
14.  Gast GC, de Roos NM, Sluijs I, Bots ML, Beulens JW, Geleijnse JM, Witteman JC, Grobbee DE, Peeters PH, van der Schouw YT. A high menaquinone intake reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2009 Sep;19(7):504-10.
15.  Higashi Y, Oshima T, Ozono R, Watanabe M, Matsuura H, Kajiyama G.Effects of L-arginine infusion on renal hemodynamics in patients with mild essential hypertension. Hypertension. 1995 Apr;25(4 Pt 2):898-902.
16.  Higashi Y, Oshima T, Watanabe M, Matsuura H, Kajiyama G. Renal response to L-arginine in salt-sensitive patients with essential hypertension. Hypertension. 1996 Mar;27(3 Pt 2):643-8.
17.  Siani A, Pagano E, Iacone R, Iacoviello L, Scopacasa F, Strazzullo P. Blood pressure and metabolic changes during dietary L-arginine supplementation in humans. Am J Hypertens. 2000 May;13(5 Pt 1):547-51.
18.  Campese VM, Amar M, Anjali C, Medhat T, Wurgaft A. Effect of L-arginine on systemic and renal haemodynamics in salt-sensitive patients with essential hypertension. J Hum Hypertens. 1997 Aug;11(8):527-32.
19.  Xu YJ, Arneja AS, Tappia PS, Dhalla NS. The potential health benefits of taurine in cardiovascular disease. Exp Clin Cardiol. 2008 Summer;13(2):57-65.
20.  Yamori Y, Taguchi T, Hamada A, Kunimasa K, Mori H, Mori M. Taurine in health and diseases: consistent evidence from experimental and epidemiological studies. J Biomed Sci. 2010 Aug 24;17 Suppl 1:S6.
21. Vasdev S, Ford CA, Parai S, Longerich L, Gadag V.Dietary alpha-lipoic acid supplementation lowers blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats. J Hypertens. 2000 May;18(5):567-73.
22.  Vasdev S, Ford CA, Parai S, Longerich L, Gadag V.Dietary alpha-lipoic acid supplementation lowers blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats. J Hypertens. 2000 May;18(5):567-73.
23.  Li CJ, Zhang QM, Li MZ, Zhang JY, Yu P, Yu DM. Attenuation of myocardial apoptosis by alpha-lipoic acid through suppression of mitochondrial oxidative stress to reduce diabetic cardiomyopathy. Chin Med J (Engl). 2009 Nov 5;122(21):2580-6.
24. Ghibu S, Richard C, Vergely C, Zeller M, Cottin Y, Rochette L. Antioxidant properties of an endogenous thiol: Alpha-lipoic acid, useful in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2009 Nov;54(5):391-8.
25.  Sudheesh NP, Ajith TA, Janardhanan KK, Krishnan CV. Palladium alpha-lipoic acid complex formulation enhances activities of Krebs cycle dehydrogenases and respiratory complexes I-IV in the heart of aged rats. Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Aug;47(8):2124-8.
26. Shecterle LM, Terry KR, St Cyr JA. The patented uses of D-ribose in cardiovascular diseases. Recent Pat Cardiovasc Drug Discov. 2010 Jun;5(2):138-42.
27.  Biala A, Tauriainen E, Siltanen A, Shi J, Merasto S, Louhelainen M, Martonen E, Finckenberg P, Muller DN, Mervaala E. Resveratrol induces mitochondrial biogenesis and ameliorates Ang II-induced cardiac remodeling in transgenic rats harboring human renin and angiotensinogen genes. Blood Press. 2010 Jun;19(3):196-205.
28. Chiva-Blanch G, Urpi-Sarda M, Ros E, Arranz S, Valderas-Martínez P, Casas R, Sacanella E, Llorach R, Lamuela-Raventos RM, Andres-Lacueva C, Estruch R. Dealcoholized red wine decreases systolic and diastolic blood pressure and increases plasma nitric oxide: short communication. Circ Res. 2012 Sep 28;111(8):1065-8.
29. Stein JH, Keevil JG, Wiebe DA, Aeschlimann S, Folts JD. Purple grape juice improves endothelial function and reduces the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidation in patients with coronary artery disease. Circulation. 1999 Sep 7;100(10):1050-5.
30. Lekakis J, Rallidis LS, Andreadou I, Vamvakou G, Kazantzoglou G, Magiatis P, Skaltsounis AL, Kremastinos DT. Polyphenolic compounds from red grapes acutely improve endothelial function in patients with coronary heart disease. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2005 Dec;12(6):596-600.
31.  Grassi D, Lippi C, Necozione S, Desideri G, Ferri C. Short-term administration of dark chocolate is followed by a significant increase in insulin sensitivity and a decrease in blood pressure in healthy persons. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Mar;81(3):611-4.
32.  Taubert D, Roesen R, Schömig E. Effect of cocoa and tea intake on blood pressure: a meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med. 2007 Apr 9;167(7):626-34.
33. Kanti Bhooshan Pandey and Syed Ibrahim Rizvi. Plant polyphenols as dietary antioxidants in human health and disease. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2009 Nov-Dec; 2(5): 270–278. Online at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835915/
34. Layne J, Majkova Z, Smart EJ, Toborek M, Hennig B. Caveolae: a regulatory platform for nutritional modulation of inflammatory diseases. J Nutr Biochem. 2011 Sep;22(9):807-11.
35.  Alexander JW. Immunonutrition: the role of omega-3 fatty acids. Nutrition. 1998 Jul-Aug;14(7-8):627-33.
36.  Sagara M, Njelekela M, Teramoto T, Taguchi T, Mori M, Armitage L, Birt N, Birt C, Yamori Y. Effects of docosahexaenoic Acid supplementation on blood pressure, heart rate, and serum lipids in Scottish men with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Int J Hypertens. 2011 Mar 8;2011:809198.
37.  Mori TA, Bao DQ, Burke V, Puddey IB, Beilin LJ. Docosahexaenoic acid but not eicosapentaenoic acid lowers ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate in humans. Hypertension. 1999 Aug;34(2):253-60.
38.  Alexander JW. Immunonutrition: the role of omega-3 fatty acids. Nutrition. 1998 Jul-Aug;14(7-8):627-33.
39.  Sagara M, Njelekela M, Teramoto T, Taguchi T, Mori M, Armitage L, Birt N, Birt C, Yamori Y. Effects of docosahexaenoic Acid supplementation on blood pressure, heart rate, and serum lipids in Scottish men with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Int J Hypertens. 2011 Mar 8;2011:809198.
40.  Toft I, Bønaa KH, Ingebretsen OC, Nordøy A, Jenssen T. Effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on glucose homeostasis and blood pressure in essential hypertension. A randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 1995 Dec 15;123(12):911-8.
41.  Ueshima H, Stamler J, Elliott P, Chan Q, Brown IJ, Carnethon MR, Daviglus ML, He K, Moag-Stahlberg A, Rodriguez BL, Steffen LM, Van Horn L, Yarnell J, Zhou B; INTERMAP Research Group. Food omega-3 fatty acid intake of individuals (total, linolenic acid, long-chain) and their blood pressure: INTERMAP study. Hypertension. 2007 Aug;50(2):313-9.
42.  Park Y, Oh SH, Rhee MY. Association between 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure and erythrocyte n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in Korean subjects with hypertension. Nutr Res. 2010 Dec;30(12):807-14
43. Schussler M, Holzl J, Fricke U. Myocardial effects of flavonoids from Crataegus species. Arzneimittelforschung 1995 45(8):842-5.
44. Bahorun, T. Antioxidant activities of Crataegus monogyna extracts. Planta Medica 1994 60:323-8
45.  Busse W. Standardized Crataegus extract clinical monograph. Q Rev Nat Med 1996 189-97.
46.  Khatua TN, Adela R, Banerjee SK. Garlic and cardioprotection: insights into the molecular mechanisms. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2013 Jun;91(6):448-58.
47.  Ginter E, Simko V. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) and cardiovascular diseases. Bratisl Lek Listy. 2010;111(8):452-6.
48.  Rai SK, Sharma M, Tiwari M. Inhibitory effect of novel diallyldisulfide analogs on HMG-CoA reductase expression in hypercholesterolemic rats: CREB as a potential upstream target.  Life Sci. 2009 Jul 31;85(5-6):211-9.
49.  Presentation by Mark Houston, M.D. (cardiologist) at the American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine fellowship module II.
50. Gonnelli S, Caffarelli C, Stolakis K, Cuda C, Giordano N, Nuti R. Efficacy and Tolerability of a Nutraceutical Combination (Red Yeast Rice, Policosanols, and Berberine) in Patients with Low-Moderate Risk Hypercholesterolemia: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2014 Nov 15;77:1-6. PubMed PMID: 26649075.
51. Personal notes taken from the American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine fellowship module II training, 2012.
52.  Poorolajal J, Zeraati F, Soltanian AR, Sheikh V, Hooshmand E, Maleki A. Oral potassium supplementation for management of essential hypertension: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS One. 2017 Apr 18;12(4):e0174967. eCollection 2017. PubMed PMID: 28419159; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5395164

The post Hogwash: New research says heart-healthy diets and supplements don’t work appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Now let’s look at the new and improved aspartame called Neotame, and then a quick look at the others: acesulfame-K, cyclamate, and alitame.

Neotame (the new aspartame) is not aspartame

It is interesting that an online scientific literature search at www.pubmed.com for “artificial sweeteners” results in 222,587 search results.

Just because aspartame has been shown to worsen depression, disrupt the gut microbiome, cause glucose intolerance, contribute to weight gain, be neurotoxic and even promote brain cancer, contribute to autoimmune thyroiditis, and lead to formaldehyde bio-accumulation in rats, does not mean that neotame will have the same adverse effects on health.

Moreover, aspartame is unstable if heated too long so it is not good to use in baking or cooking and it decomposes when stored in liquids. Does neotame have similar unwanted properties?

Let’s look at Neotame more closely and see what precautions we should be aware of, if any.

Neotame is known to be approximately 13,000 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar) and 30-40 times sweeter than aspartame. Neotame was developed in order to eliminate the PKU (phenylketonuria) warning that aspartame carries, by adding 3,3-dimethylbutyraldehyde to aspartame to reduce phenylalanine production in the body. 3-di-methylbutyl, which can be found on the EPA’s list of most hazardous chemicals.

It’s now used in more than 1,100 food products by approximately 150 million people worldwide.

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Unproven safety?

Neotame and the other artificial sweeteners taste great. There is still some concern that pre-approval safety studies were not all convincing. Apparently, the makers of Neotame only conducted a few one-day studies (which caused some adverse reactions)—but no long-term human safety studies were done.  To date, there are no independent double-blind scientific studies on toxicity in humans or animals to show neotame is safe.

Some even argue that all those industry-funded studies now have been shown to have very poor study design, be deceptive, and based on fraudulent research.

Nevertheless, neotame is completely eliminated so it does not accumulate in your body. Methanol is a metabolite of neotame, but apparently in exceedingly small amounts.

It’s also concerning that there is a connection between this private company that produces Neotame and the FDS (Food and Drug Administration), our government food safety oversight agency: 35 people have/had FDA positions and also have worked for Monsanto. Maybe that’s just all coincidence and not causal? It would help explain why Neotame was so quickly approved as a food by the FDA even though it’s the son of Aspartame.

I’m sure neotame is found in those tasty foods I eat and I don’t even realize it. Take a look at all the sweet foods powered by neotame here: https://www.neotame.com/.

Certainly, some people may be vulnerable to an adverse effect of neotame, but I don’t find such reports in the scientific literature. That’s why I don’t agree with the conclusions of some who state that neotame is “an even deadlier neurotoxin, immunotoxin and excitotoxin than aspartame.”

Acesulfame-K, Cyclamate, and Alitame

Acesulfame-k is approximately 120 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar) and dissolves well in water. It is heat stable so it can be used well in cooking and baking.  Because it can have a bitter aftertaste, it’s usually blended with other sweeteners (such as sucralose or aspartame) so as to mask it.  Weirdly, Acesulfame-k is not naturally metabolized in our body. The FDA approved it in 2003 as a general all-purpose sweetener.

Cyclamate, first discovered in 1937, is 30 times sweeter than sucrose. It was a popular low-calorie sweetener in the U.S. before 1970. Cyclamate has very low toxicity but its metabolite by human intestinal bacteria is cyclohexylamine, which has greater toxicity. Hopefully, all cyclamate is not metabolized to cyclohexylamine. A study in 2004 revealed that relatively few humans even metabolize cyclamate to cyclohexylamine greater than 2 percent, and the ones that do (only 14 of 261 study volunteers), metabolism rates ranged from 21 percent to 60 percent.

Alitame is 200 times greater than table sugar. It is rapidly metabolized and excreted.

There is no evidence that alitame is carcinogenic.

Still, I don’t see why anyone would want to consume artificial sweeteners when there are better sweeteners available (i.e. stevia, etc.).

To healthy sweeteners and long-term health,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. The Affordable Zero-Calorie Sweetener Bursting with Sweetness — Neotame
2. Walton RG, Hudak R, Green-Waite RJ. Adverse reactions to aspartame: double-blind challenge in patients from a vulnerable population — Biol Psychiatry. 1993 Jul 1-15;34(1-2):13-7. PubMed PMID: 8373935
3. Nettleton JE, Reimer RA, Shearer J. Reshaping the gut microbiota: Impact of low calorie sweeteners and the link to insulin resistance? — Physiol Behav. 2016 Oct 1;164(Pt B):488-493. Review. PubMed PMID: 27090230
4. Yang Q. Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings: Neuroscience 2010 — Yale J Biol Med. 2010 Jun;83(2):101-8. Review. PubMed PMID: 20589192
5. Feijó FM, Ballard CR, Foletto KC, Batista BAM, Neves AM, Ribeiro MFM, Bertoluci MC. Saccharin and aspartame, compared with sucrose, induce greater weight gain in adult Wistar rats, at similar total caloric intake levels — Appetite. 2013 Jan;60(1):203-207. PubMed PMID: 23088901
6. Rycerz K, Jaworska-Adamu JE. Effects of aspartame metabolites on astrocytes and neurons — Folia Neuropathol. 2013;51(1):10-7. PMID: 23553132
7. Sachmechi I, Khalid A, Awan SI, Malik ZR, Sharifzadeh M. Autoimmune Thyroiditis with Hypothyroidism Induced by Sugar Substitutes — Cureus. 2018 Sep 7;10(9):e3268. PubMed PMID: 30430057
8. Trocho C, Pardo R, Rafecas I, Virgili J, Remesar X, Fernández-López JA, Alemany M. Formaldehyde derived from dietary aspartame binds to tissue components in vivo — Life Sci. 1998;63(5):337-49. PubMed PMID: 9714421
9. Alternative Sweeteners, Fourth Edition — Lyn O’Brien-Nabors
10. NutraSweet — Wikipedia
11. Neotame: 13,000 Times Sweeter Than Sugar And Even More Toxic Than Aspartame — Sott.net
12. Nabors LO. Sweet choices: sugar replacements for foods and beverages — Food Technol. 2002;56:28–32.
13. Bopp BA, Sonders RC, Kesterson JW. Toxicological aspects of cyclamate and cyclohexylamine — Crit Rev Toxicol. 1986;16:213–306
14. Renwick AG, Thompson JP, Shaughnessy M, Walter EJ. The metabolism of cyclamate to cyclohexylamine in humans during long-term administration — Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2004;196:367–80

The post How does the newest fake sweetener on the block stack up? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You already know the secret: it is an artificial sweetener such as aspartame, saccharin, or sucralose.

Let’s look at why you’ll want to be careful or avoid consuming these based on what the science shows about their safety.

Aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose

Aspartame (NutraSweet) is approximately 180 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose). It might be helpful to understand a short history behind aspartame and the NutraSweet manufacturing plant.

It was invented by chemists G.D. Searle & Company in 1965; Monsanto bought it from Searle in 1985 then later sold it to a private equity firm who sold it to Manus Bio Inc in 2018. This information will be pertinent a little later in this report as I discuss studies used to get FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval.

I have read conflicting information about the safety of artificial sweeteners. Still, for years I have told my patients that diet soda is worse for them and that they may be sensitive to the artificial sweeteners. Let me tell you why I still recommend this…

First, you should know that the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has developed a way for citizens to report adverse effects from food additives. It is called the Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS). We know that aspartame is one of the two most reported additives causing adverse health reactions.

Related: 7+ sweeteners as sweet on your health as they taste

As of 1995 (when the FDA stopped accepting aspartame adverse effect reporting), more than 75% of the adverse reactions to ARMS were due to aspartame. We need to consider that, realistically, an extremely low percentage of adverse reactions are even reported to the FDA. Therefore, there are likely millions of people with aspartame toxicity reactions, most of whom are unaware of the connection to their symptoms. Or, they may not yet experience clinically-obvious symptoms from aspartame metabolites but who may eventually experience health problems from chronic exposure to it.

Some of the reported aspartame-caused symptoms include seizures, headaches, memory loss, tremors, vision loss, nausea, dizziness, depression, irritability, anxiety, heart palpitations, chest pains, loss of blood sugar control, arthritic pains, weight gain, and fluid retention.

For example, even the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has reviewed these reports, which largely included complaints of neurologic (including 251 reports of seizures) and gastrointestinal symptoms plus more classic allergic reactions.

So now, try and understand why other studies show “no adverse effect” from aspartame (more on this a little later). It just doesn’t make sense that it could be all in their heads.

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Studies showing harmful effects of artificial sweeteners

In contrast, the scientific literature has ample evidence of the harmful effects of aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose, especially on vulnerable people:

1. Depression: In a study, 40 subjects with depression who received aspartame 30 mg/kg/day or placebo for 7 days were compared to approximately 40 control subjects (individuals without a psychiatric history) who also received aspartame or placebo, 13 individuals in the depression group had severe reactions. The researchers concluded that “…individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to this artificial sweetener and its use in this population should be discouraged.”
2. Disrupted gut microbiome: there is mounting evidence that aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose disrupt gut microbiota balance and diversity.
3. Glucose intolerance: Fecal transplant experiments (microbiota taken from hosts consuming artificial sweeteners and then transferred into germ-free mice) results in impaired glucose tolerance. Yes, diabetics may control their blood sugar with artificial sweeteners better at first, but over time they will improve their blood sugar best if they exercise, use stevia (discussed in my previous article), and drink limited regular sodas or wean off sodas altogether.
4. Weight gain: While folks often choose “diet” products to lose weight, research studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may make you put on more weight. Researchers used a rat model and found that addition of either saccharin or aspartame to yogurt resulted in increased weight gain compared to the addition of sucrose (table sugar) with similar total caloric intake among the study groups!
5. Toxic to brain nerve cells: Astrocytes in the brain can be damaged by aspartame metabolites in the human body, which are phenylalanine (50%), aspartic acid (40%) and methanol (10%). An “excess of phenylalanine” has been found to contribute to reduced levels of the important brain neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, and “leads to the degeneration of astrocytes and neurons. The methanol metabolites cause CNS depression, vision disorders and other symptoms leading ultimately to metabolic acidosis and coma.”
6. Cancer-promoting in the brain: “Despite intense speculations about the carcinogenicity of aspartame, the latest studies show that its metabolite — diketopiperazine — is carcinogenic in the CNS [central nervous system]. It contributes to the formation of tumors in the CNS such as gliomas, medulloblastomas, and meningiomas.”
7. Connection to autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis): animal studies indicate that sucralose diminishes the thyroid axis activity. Researchers presented a case study of a 52-year-old female with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis caused by an excessive intake of artificially sweetened beverages. After they ruled out any other autoimmune disorder causing it, the patient had a quick return of thyroid function and antibody levels to normal just after eliminating the artificial sweetener from her diet — basically proving it was the culprit causing her Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
8. Aspartame accumulates: rats treated with non-radioactive aspartame during ten days resulted in the accumulation of even more radioactive aspartame and formaldehyde, suggesting that formaldehyde from aspartame in tissue proteins and nucleic acids may bio-accumulate.

Studies that show “no adverse effect” from aspartame

For what it’s worth, the European Food Safety Authority (a government organization) had a panel of scientists provide their opinion on the safety of aspartame.  The panel concluded that:

• “Developmental toxicity in animals was attributable to phenylalanine
• “Phenylalanine at high plasma levels is known to cause developmental toxicity in humans”
• “Aspartame was not of safety concern at the current aspartame exposure estimates…therefore, there was no reason to revise the acceptable daily intake (or ADI, the amount that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without appreciable health risk) of aspartame.

There are other studies done by organizations (not independent research as far as I know) that will make the claim of complete harmlessness of artificial sweeteners.

Maybe this final paragraph will give a bit more insight. Ralph G. Walton, M.D. the former chairman of The Center for Behavioral Medicine, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine did an analysis of the peer-reviewed literature on the subject. He reported that he analyzed 164 relevant studies regarding human safety; of the 90 non-industry-sponsored (independent) studies, 83 (92%) identified one or more problems with aspartame. Of the 74 industry-sponsored aspartame studies, all 74 (100%) claimed that no problems were found with aspartame. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

In my next report, let’s take a look at the new and improved NutraSweet that is now even more prevalent: neotame

To healthy sweeteners and long-term health,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Biotech firm buys former sweetener plant in Richmond County, Ga. — Atlanta Business Chronicle
2. Tollefson L. Monitoring adverse reactions to food additives in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 1988 Dec;8(4):438-46. PubMed PMID: 3222485
3. Tollefson L, Barnard RJ. An analysis of FDA passive surveillance reports of seizures associated with consumption of aspartame — J Am Diet Assoc. 1992 May;92(5):598-601. PubMed PMID: 1573143.
4. Garriga MM, Metcalfe DD. Aspartame intolerance — Ann Allergy. 1988 Dec;61(6 Pt 2):63-9. Review. PubMed PMID: 3061324
5. Walton RG, Hudak R, Green-Waite RJ. Adverse reactions to aspartame: double-blind challenge in patients from a vulnerable population — Biol Psychiatry. 1993 Jul 1-15;34(1-2):13-7. PubMed PMID: 8373935
6. Nettleton JE, Reimer RA, Shearer J. Reshaping the gut microbiota: Impact of low calorie sweeteners and the link to insulin resistance? — Physiol Behav. 2016 Oct 1;164(Pt B):488-493. Review. PubMed PMID: 27090230
7. Yang Q. Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings: Neuroscience 2010 — Yale J Biol Med. 2010 Jun;83(2):101-8. Review. PubMed PMID: 20589192
8. Feijó FM, Ballard CR, Foletto KC, Batista BAM, Neves AM, Ribeiro MFM, Bertoluci MC. Saccharin and aspartame, compared with sucrose, induce greater weight gain in adult Wistar rats, at similar total caloric intake levels — Appetite. 2013 Jan;60(1):203-207. PubMed PMID: 23088901
9. Rycerz K, Jaworska-Adamu JE. Effects of aspartame metabolites on astrocytes and neurons — Folia Neuropathol. 2013;51(1):10-7. PMID: 23553132
10. Sachmechi I, Khalid A, Awan SI, Malik ZR, Sharifzadeh M. Autoimmune Thyroiditis with Hypothyroidism Induced by Sugar Substitutes — Cureus. 2018 Sep 7;10(9):e3268. PubMed PMID: 30430057
11. Trocho C, Pardo R, Rafecas I, Virgili J, Remesar X, Fernández-López JA, Alemany M. Formaldehyde derived from dietary aspartame binds to tissue components in vivo — Life Sci. 1998;63(5):337-49. PubMed PMID: 9714421
12. Scientific Opinion on the re‐evaluation of aspartame (E 951) as a food additive — EFSA Journal

The post 8 ways artificial sweeteners harm your body appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

There are two especially egregious offenders that Americans have a love affair with: table sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS, from corn starch).

These have no micronutrients and if eaten in excess, cause a variety of diseases. Unless you go exercise shortly after eating these, the more refined sugar foods you consume, the faster diseases develop.

Here’s what the science shows about sucrose:

• Contributes to obesity
• Increases systolic blood pressure
• Spikes insulin, promoting metabolic syndrome, heart disease and diabetes
• Feeds cancer including cancers of the pancreas, stomach, biliary tract, gall bladder, colon, lung, prostate, breast, small intestine, larynx, rectum, kidney, liver, and uterus.

There are better sweeteners than refined sugar.  Let’s look at the healthy sweets that actually have nutritional value in contrast to the empty-calorie high glycemic ones…  

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Artificial sweeteners

These cannot promote health over the long term because they are not natural molecules. These synthetic chemicals have a super sweet taste, but science is uncovering the link between artificial sweeteners like aspartame (NutraSweet), saccharine and sucralose (Splenda), and disruption of healthy intestinal bacteria and obesity.

Related: 9 ways fake sweeteners can lead to disease

I tell my patients that diet colas may be worse for them than regular ones if they are sensitive to artificial sweeteners. Diabetics may have lowered blood sugar from these, but over time they cannot benefit as much as if they exercise and use stevia (discussed below). I’ll cover artificial sweeteners in more detail in a future article.

Healthier sweeteners

1. Whole foods

Fried fruits and vegetables are the healthiest sources of sweet food. I previously highlighted the health virtues of low glycemic foods. Yet even though dried fruits such as raisins and dates may be higher glycemic foods, they are also full of nutrition (fiber, enzymes, complete vitamins, organic minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals).

2. Stevia

The sweet herb stevia is my favorite here. Some species are up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. Stevia has proven itself healthy for a number of health conditions:

• Immune system strengthening.
• Blood pressure reduction. In a pilot study reported in the June 2008 issue of Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology, they used stevia in two treatment groups: individuals with low blood pressure, and in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. In the November 2003 Issue of Clinical Therapy, researchers reported their 2-year study in Chinese patients with mild hypertension. Oral stevioside significantly decreased systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure compared with placebo.
• Blood sugar control. Stevia is shown to slightly improve blood sugar control in diabetics. In the November 2003 issue of Phytochemistry, it was shown that stevia is safe for diabetics. There were no allergic reactions to it in those studied.

Rebiana is the isolated molecular form of the natural stevia leaf, and is a major ingredient in Truvia.

3. Raw honey

Honey contains more fructose than glucose, plus trace amounts of enzymes (glucose oxidase), amino acids, minerals, vitamins B and C, and even antioxidants.

Raw honey (before it gets heated and processed) has antibacterial activity when applied topically to wounds. it creates gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide, both destroyers of bacteria and fungi. That’s why it can be used quite effectively as an antibacterial soap for acne treatment. It also helps heal burns and abrasions, mouth canker sores, and staphylococcal skin infections.

It also has anti-allergy effects when eaten. One allergist from Oklahoma has used it with approximately 22,000 patients across America to treat allergy symptoms. Dr. William G. Peterson is quoted as saying, “It must be raw honey because raw honey contains all the pollen [and propolis], dust and molds that cause 90 percent of all allergies…not be strained, not even through a cloth.” He prescribes a daily teaspoon of raw honey to control allergy symptoms and also to prevent a recurrence.

4. Agave nectar

They also report human clinical trials on Blue Agave Nectar which showed it does not elevate blood glucose or insulin levels in diabetics; also it does not trigger fat storage in adipose cells. Agave naturally contains Iron, Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium.

5. Black strap molasses

Molasses is made from young sugar cane.  When sulfur dioxide is added during the sugar extraction process, it acts as a preservative. However, the unsulfured molasses is made from mature sugar cane and is closest to its natural, whole food source (sugar cane). The dark molasses (with or without sulfur) is also known as blackstrap. Both are nutritious, containing high levels of calcium, iron, and potassium. As reported in the January 2009 Journal of the American Dietetic Association, blackstrap molasses was measured to have the most antioxidant content of the sweeteners in their study. They found that refined sugar, corn syrup, and agave nectar contained minimal antioxidant activity; maple syrup, brown sugar, and honey showed intermediate antioxidant activity; raw cane sugar had a higher level, and dark and blackstrap molasses had the highest levels.

6. Xylitol

Xylitol looks and tastes just like sugar even though it is chemically not sugar, but rather an alcohol molecule. It is naturally found in some fruits, vegetables and various trees such as birch. It is not a whole food by the time it gets to you in the commercially available white powder forms but is still a very healthy sugar source.

7. Truvia

Truvia is a combination of rebiana (extract of stevia) and erythritol and is manufactured by Cargill Inc. headquartered in Minneapolis. They steep the stevia leaves and “further purify it” to get to their desired ingredient (rebiana). Therefore, it is really a refined and processed version of stevia with erythritol added for sweetness.  Therefore, it is much like stevia, but without the clinical studies to prove its healthful value.

Other sweeteners

There are others including:

• Grade B maple syrup (unrefined) — from maple tree sap. Still contains some vitamins and minerals.
• Turbinado — raw sugar cane juice that has been dehydrated, colored and crystallized. It should be considered a partially refined sugar.
• Date, mango fruit or kiwi sugar — made from dehydrated ground dates, mangos or kiwis.
• Fructose (levulose) — found in many foods such as honey, tree fruits, berries, melons, beets, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and even onions. Fructose is a lower glycemic index
• Sugar Alcohols — sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol (wood sugar or birch sugar). Because it decreases infection from tooth-harming bacteria in the mouth, xylitol gums have actually been well proven to reduce dental cavities.
• Rice Syrup — from rice and sprouted grains. Maltose is the main sugar type here.
• Fruit Juice Concentrate — remaining sugar from apples, devoid of most of its fiber, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals.
• Sucanat — from cane sugar that has not had the molasses removed from it. It contains nine minerals and six vitamins as it is only minimally processed.
• Rapadura is essentially pure dried sugarcane juice much like sucanat.
• Yacon root — is a non-glycemic, natural, raw, organic, low-calorie sweetener.

To your healthy sugar eating habits,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Keen, H., et al. Nutrient Intake, Adiposity, and Diabetes. British Medical Journal. 1989; 1: 655-658.
2.  Preuss, H. G. Sugar-Induced Blood Pressure Elevations Over the Lifespan of Three Substrains of Wistar Rats. J Am Coll of Nutrition, 1998;17(1) 36-37.
3. Quillin, Patrick. “Cancer’s Sweet Tooth.” Nutrition Science News. Ap 2000. Also: Rothkopf, M. Nutrition. July/Aug 1990;6(4).
4. Michaud, D. Dietary Sugar, Glycemic Load, and Pancreatic Cancer Risk in a Prospective Study. J Natl Cancer Inst. Sep 4, 2002 ;94(17):1293-300.
5. Cornee, J., et al. A Case-control Study of Gastric Cancer and Nutritional Factors in Marseille, France. European Journal of Epidemiology. 1995;11:55-65.
6.  Moerman, C. J., et al. Dietary Sugar Intake in the Etiology of Biliary Tract Cancer. International Journal of Epidemiology. Ap 1993;2(2):207-214.
7. Moerman, C. et al. Dietary Sugar Intake in the Etiology of Gallbladder Tract Cancer. Internat J of Epi. Ap 1993; 22(2):207-214.
8. Bostick, R. M., et al. Sugar, Meat and Fat Intake and Non-dietary Risk Factors for Colon Cancer Incidence in Iowa Women. Cancer Causes & Control. 1994:5:38-53.
9. De Stefani, E. Dietary Sugar and Lung Cancer: a Case Control Study in Uruguay. Nutrition and Cancer. 1998;31(2):132_7.
10. Deneo-Pellegrini H, et al. Foods, Nutrients and Prostate cancer: a Case-control study in Uruguay. Br J Cancer. 1999 May;80(3-4):591-7.
11. Potischman, N, et.al. Increased Risk of Early-stage Breast Cancer Related to Consumption of Sweet Foods among Women Less than Age 45 in the United States. Cancer Causes Control. 2002 Dec;13(10):937-46.
12. Negri. E. et al. Risk Factors for Adenocarcinoma of the Small Intestine. Int J Cancer. 1999:82:I2:171-174.
13.  Bosetti, C. et al. Food Groups and Laryngeal Cancer Risk: A Case-control Study from Italy and Switzerland. Int J Cancer, 2002:100(3): 355-358.
14. De Stefani E, Mendilaharsu M, and Deneo-Pellegrini H. Sucrose as a Risk Factor for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum: a Case-control Study in Uruguay. Int J Cancer. 1998 Jan 5;75(1):40-4.
15. Mellemgaard A. et al. Dietary Risk Factors for Renal Cell Carcinoma in Denmark. Eur J Cancer. 1996 Apr;32A(4):673-82.
16. Rogers AE, Nields HM, Newberne PM. Nutritional and Dietary Influences on Liver Tumorigenesis in Mice and Rats. Arch Toxicol Suppl. 1987;10:231-43. Review.
17. Levi F, Franceschi S, Negri E, La Vecchia C. Dietary Factors and the Risk of Endometrial Cancer. Cancer. 1993 Jun 1;71(11):3575-3581.
18. Geuns JM. Stevioside. Phytochemistry 2003 Nov;64(5):913-21. CONCLUSIONS: Stevia is safe when used as a sweetener. It is suited for both diabetics, and PKU patients, as well as for obese persons intending to lose weight by avoiding sugar supplements in the diet. No allergic reactions to it seem to exist.
19. Sehar I, Kaul A, Bani S, Pal HC, Saxena AK. Immune up regulatory response of a non-caloric natural sweetener, stevioside. Chem Biol Interact 2008 May 28;173(2):115-21.  CONCLUSIONS: Present study, therefore, reveals that the drug holds promise as immunomodulating agent, which acts by stimulating both humoral as well as cellular immunity and phagocytic function.
20. Hsieh MH, Chan P, Sue YM, Liu JC, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of oral stevioside in patients with mild essential hypertension: a two-year, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Clin Ther 2003 Nov;25(11):2797-808. CONCLUSIONS: In this 2-year study in Chinese patients with mild hypertension, oral stevioside significantly decreased Systolic BP and Diastolic BP compared with placebo. Quality of life was improved, and no significant adverse effects were noted.
21. Barriocanal LA, Palacios M, Benitez G, et al. Apparent lack of pharmacological effect of steviol glycosides used as sweeteners in humans. A pilot study of repeated exposures in some normotensive and hypotensive individuals and in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008 Jun;51(1):37-41. CONCLUSIONS: No side effects were observed in the two treatment groups. This study shows that oral steviol glycosides, taken as sweetener are well tolerated and have no pharmacological effect.
22. Geuns JM. Stevioside. Phytochemistry 2003 Nov;64(5):913-21.
23. Testing Volcanic Nectar on Diabetics — Global Goods Inc.
24. Phillips KM, Carlsen MH, Blomhoff R. Total antioxidant content of alternatives to refined sugar. Source.  J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Jan;109(1):64-71.

The post 7+ sweeteners as sweet on your health as they taste appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Polypharmacy is the result of a complex medical system — one where physicians are more than eager to pull out their prescription pads for patients who, perhaps unbeknownst to them, are likely seeing other physicians who may be treating them with different medications for the same and other medical conditions.

The problem is widespread and dangerous… International research indicates that polypharmacy in most prevalent among those residing in nursing homes, but it’s not restricted to nursing home residents.

In 2017, adults over 65 made up just 13 percent of the population, but they used 30 percent of all prescription meds — most taking five or more medications daily, many of which are not even medically necessary!

Worse, the research shows a strong relationship between the number of medications (extent of the polypharmacy) and negative health consequences. Moreover, each additional prescription medicine adds additional financial burden.

Most seniors and near-seniors simply follow their doctor’s recommendations when it comes to prescriptions. They take all of them and don’t question their doctors, but I recommend that you question your healthcare providers, especially about each medicine.

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How your doctor can reduce or eliminate prescription medications

I don’t advocate that anyone just stop taking a medication they’ve been prescribed. After all, I am a medical doctor. I write prescriptions every day.

But I do my best to diligently know my patient’s history and what other medications they take and what other doctors they may be seeing.

As an integrative physician, I’m also aware of safe alternative means of treating some conditions that don’t require resorting to pharmaceuticals. But any decision to stop medications requires a healthcare provider well-versed in a person’s medical history. And even then some medications may be necessary depending on the individual.

There are certain medications that are more concerning than others, especially when used long-term. Those are the ones to engage with your doctor in a conversion about, such as:

1. The most potentially dangerous for long-term use. For example, Lisinopril for blood pressure control is quite harmless, has only one uncommon side effect I’ve ever seen (cough) and has many studies to show it reduces heart disease and extends life. Whereas Proton-pump inhibitors (PPI’s), such as Nexium, Protonix, and Prilosec, for one month, can raise stomach pH (less acidity) to help allow for healing, but long-term use is fraught with several unwanted adverse effects such as:
   • Disrupts healthy bacteria: taking omeprazole causes you to have higher counts of “bad” bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter infections
   • Increases stomach cancer risk
   • Reduces absorption of magnesium, associated with sometimes seriously low calcium and potassium within one year of taking a PPI. Also, it can impair the absorption of vitamin B12.
   • Increases risk of heart-related and other complications. One author stated, “Being highly lipophilic drugs, they may potentially affect several pathophysiological pathways involved in cardiovascular and kidney morbidity [disease], immune response and infections, absorption of selected nutrients, bone metabolism and cognitive function.”
2. Easily removable with little to no ill-consequences, under a physician’s guidance. Examples are:
   • Blood pressure medicines often do very little to “control” blood pressure; stress, diet, and exercise play a huge role here. I know because most patients who come to the Urgent Care with pain or distress have elevated BP but tell me it is usually normal at home when they are relaxed.
   • Statins can be removed if the patient is over age 75 (not effective) or is willing to do any number of lifestyle cardiovascular risk reduction methods
   • Any medicine that simply is not necessary to maintain health
3. Costly but do very little in the way of disease reversal (do any drugs actually reverse disease?) and symptom control. Ask your doctor what every medication you take does. With his help, you can judge if every medication is either making an improvement, preventing something from getting worse… or doing little to nothing.

It does take a person who is willing to take a close look at all the lifestyle habits that are turning on disease genes. It is a process, but after a year most medications can be eliminated by establishing natural and healthier habits.

Sources:

1.  Clinical Consequences of Polypharmacy in Elderly — Expert Opinion on Drug Safety
2.  Polypharmacy — U.S. Pharmacist
3. Ribiere S, Guillaumot MA, Barré A, Abou Ali E, Barret M, Chaussade S, Coriat R. [What is the REAL long-term risk of proton pump inhibitors?] — Presse Med. 2019 May;48(5):503-510. PubMed PMID: 30926204
4. Hoorn EJ, van der Hoek J, de Man RA, Kuipers EJ, Bolwerk C, Zietse R. A case series of proton pump inhibitor-induced hypomagnesemia — Am J Kidney Dis. 2010 Jul;56(1):112-6. PubMed PMID: 20189276
5. Corsonello A, Lattanzio F. Cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular concerns with proton pump inhibitors: Are they safe? — Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2018 Oct 21. Review. PubMed PMID: 30389278

The post The pitfalls of polypharmacy and how to avoid this dangerous trap appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In this article, the writer, a physician with the Keck School of Medicine of USC (University of Southern California), minimized the adverse effects of Atorvastatin (Lipitor) almost like I might expect a pharmaceutical representative would do.

Let me clarify the facts…

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The myths, the excuses, and the facts

The author began by defending Atorvastatin, writing it… “is great at lowering cholesterol but often gets a bad rap.”

First off, lowering heart disease risk is what you and I are concerned with, not lowering cholesterol. In 2009 it was revealed by the American Heart Journal that nearly 75 percent of patients who are hospitalized for a heart attack have LDL cholesterol levels within the recommended target for LDL cholesterol.

Moreover, researchers of the Framingham Heart Study tells us that “Total cholesterol was not associated with the risk of coronary heart disease” and a 1994 JAMA article reported that hypercholesterolemia or low HDL-C are not important risk factors for deaths by a heart attack in persons over age 70 years.

Her next comment did not make much sense to me…

She explains that muscle pain, cramps, diarrhea, and upset stomach are some of the known adverse reactions to Atorvastatin and that approximately 50 percent of Atorvastatin users quit taking it within 6 months…due to side effects. Not reassuring for sure. Even though 60 percent of those 50 percent restart it later, side effects are still quite high.

She then addresses other “rumored side effects of atorvastatin” as she plays them down.

1. “Atorvastatin causes cancer” is clearly a myth and hardly mentionable
2. “Atorvastatin is bad for your liver” is clearly a possibility: liver enzymes rise in 0.5-3 percent of patients taking the drug. Know that liver enzymes rise as a late (not early) manifestation of damage to your liver. Symptoms manifest long after the disease has progressed, not at the onset.
3. “Atorvastatin causes joint pain or arthritis” in 9-12 percent of takers and “we’re not sure why that is.” She offers a weak explanation: “…one theory is that joint aches are more common in older folks who also happen to take more statins.” Remember the 1994 JAMA article I reported earlier which reported that high cholesterol or low HDL-C are not important risk factors for deaths by a heart attack in persons over age 70 years? So, why prescribe them in the elderly? What’s more, she quietly inserts that muscle aches occur in 48 percent of takers! This is certainly not a “rumored side effect.” This is a major concern and reason for discontinuation of the drug!
4. “Atorvastatin causes depression.” She wrongly asserts, “Atorvastatin is not associated with an increased risk of suicide or depression.” To the contrary, there is growing evidence that statins may actually cause depression, as cholesterol itself plays an important role in neuroprotection. The authors of a 2013 review of the literature concluded that in clinical practice, “we should be alert to the risk of mood disturbance in the increasing number of patients receiving lipid-lowering therapy, especially in patients with depressive tendencies or patients with normal or low serum cholesterol level.” For example, the more lipophilic statins simvastatin and lovastatin have been associated with depression.
5. “Atorvastatin causes sleepiness, headaches or rash/hives.” True, yet how about we focus on the more serious adverse effects that are not just “rumored side effects.”

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Not just rumored side effects

Beatrice Golomb, MD, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and director of UC San Diego’s Statin Study group has reportedly cited nearly 900 studies on the adverse effects of statins in various published articles. The adverse effect that is certain is that statins damage mitochondrial function.

In her 2008 article published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs Dr. Golomb gives scientific evidence that statins lower the antioxidant Coenzyme Q10 (“Q10”) in your body through the same pathway that they lower blood cholesterol and thereby damage mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are our energy-producing cells, which control harmful molecules called oxygen free radicals.

Furthermore, aging and chronic illness correlate with fewer and weaker mitochondria, Therefore, the longer you take a statin drug the more you’ll worsen chronic illnesses. The manufacturers and studies show that the risk of statins is worse than their benefit in patients over age 75 years, even in those with known heart disease.

Dr. Golomb shows that by damaging your mitochondria, statins contribute primarily to the following:

• Cognitive problems, behavioral and emotional disorders, chronic nerve and muscle damage and even neuromuscular degeneration (much like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a.k.a. ALS) are all reported from taking statins. Some have even reported memory loss or confusion after taking statins.

• Peripheral neuropathy (pain or numbness in the extremities): Thousands of statin users have reported peripheral neuropathies, and there is a tendency toward resistance to all traditional medical treatment for this.
• Blood glucose elevations or type 2 diabetes may increase when you take a statin.

Safer alternatives to statins

Indeed, there are safer alternatives to statins for cardiovascular disease risk reduction.

I have written previously in more detail on this. Here are those highlights summarized:

• First eliminate these more dangerous risk factors: persistent uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, tobacco smoking, and excessive visceral adipose tissue (VAT), a.k.a. belly fat
• Nutrient-rich foods
• Exercise
• Stress management
• Teeth and gum health
• Amla; safer and as effective as statins
• Thyroid gland functional balance
• Testosterone balance

Sources:

1. 7 Common Myths about Atorvastatin — GoodRx
2. Sachdeva A, Cannon CP, Deedwania PC, Labresh KA, Smith SC Jr, Dai D, Hernandez A, Fonarow GC. Lipid levels in patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease: an analysis of 136,905 hospitalizations in Get With The Guidelines — Am Heart J. 2009 Jan;157(1):111-117.e2
3. Gordon T, Castelli WP, Hjortland MC, Kannel WB, Dawber TR. High-density lipoprotein as a protective factor against coronary heart disease. The Framingham Study — Am J Med. 1977 May;62(5):707-14. PubMed PMID: 193398
4. Krumholz HM, Seeman TE, Merrill SS, Mendes de Leon CF, Vaccarino V, Silverman DI, Tsukahara R, Ostfeld AM, Berkman LF. Lack of association between cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality and morbidity and all-cause mortality in persons older than 70 years — JAMA. 1994 Nov 2;272(17):1335-40
5. You H, Lu W, Zhao S, et al. The relationship between statins and depression: a review of the literature — Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2013;14(11):1467-1476
6. Mailman T, Hariharan M, Karten B. Inhibition of neuronal cholesterol biosynthesis with lovastatin leads to impaired synaptic vesicle release even in the presence of lipoproteins or geranylgeraniol — J Neurochem. 2011;119(5):1002-1015
7. First Comprehensive Paper on Statins’ Adverse Effects Released — University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
8. Golomb BA, Evans MA. Statin adverse effects: a review of the literature and evidence for a mitochondrial mechanism — Am J Cardiovasc Drugs. 2008;8(6):373-418. Review. PubMed PMID: 19159124
9. Key TJ, Thorogood M, Appleby PN, Burr ML. Dietary habits and mortality in 11,000 vegetarians and health conscious people: results of a 17 year follow up — BMJ. 1996 Sep 28;313(7060):775-9
10. Neil M Johannsen, Elisa L. Priest, et al. Association of White Blood Cell Subfraction Concentration with Fitness and Fatness — BJSM  Published Online First: 17 October 2008
11. Stampfer MJ, Hu FB, Manson JE, et al. Primary prevention of coronary heart disease in women through diet and lifestyle — N. Engl. J. Med. 2000 Jul 6; 343(1):16-22.
12. Denollet J, Brutsaert DL. Reducing emotional distress improves prognosis in coronary heart disease: 9-year mortality in a clinical trial of rehabilitation — Circulation. 2001 Oct 23;104(17):2018-23.
13. Denollet J, Pedersen SS, Ong AT, Erdman RA, Serruys PW, van Domburg RT. Social inhibition modulates the effect of negative emotions on cardiac prognosis following percutaneous coronary intervention in the drug-eluting stent era — Eur Heart J. 2006 Jan;27(2):171-7. Epub 2005 Oct 24.
14. de Oliveira C, Watt R, Hamer M. Toothbrushing, inflammation, and risk of cardiovascular disease: results from Scottish Health Survey — BMJ. 2010 May 27;340:c2451.
15.  Antony B, Benny M, Kaimal TN. A Pilot clinical study to evaluate the effect of Emblica officinalis extract (Amlamax) on markers of systemic inflammation and dyslipidemia — Indian J Clin Biochem. 2008 Oct;23(4):378-81. PubMed PMID: 23105791
16. Khanna S, Das A, Spieldenner J, Rink C, Roy S. Supplementation of a standardized extract from Phyllanthus emblica improves cardiovascular risk factors and platelet aggregation in overweight/class-1 obese adults — J Med Food. 2015 Apr;18(4):415-20. PubMed PMID: 25756303
17. Gopa B, Bhatt J, Hemavathi KG. A comparative clinical study of hypolipidemic efficacy of Amla (Emblica officinalis) with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A reductase inhibitor simvastatin — Indian J Pharmacol. 2012 Mar;44(2):238-42. PubMed PMID: 22529483
18. Usharani P, Fatima N, Muralidhar N. Effects of Phyllanthus emblica extract on endothelial dysfunction and biomarkers of oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, double-blind, controlled study — Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2013 Jul 26;6:275-84. PubMed PMID: 23935377
19. von Eiselsberg, AF: “On the Vegetative Disturbances in Growth of Animals after Early Thyroidectomy,” — Archives Klinik Chirurgie, 49:207, 1895
20. Pick, EP, Pineless, F: “Research on the Physiologically Active Substance of the Thyroid,” — Exp Path Ther 7:518, 1910
21. http://easyhealthoptions.com/thyroid-disease-part-iii/
22. Barnes, Broda O: Solved: The Riddle of Heart Attacks, Robinson Press, Fort Collins, CO, 1976
23. Nettleship JE, Jones RD, Channer KS, Jones TH. Testosterone and coronary artery disease — Front Horm Res. 2009;37:91-107
24. Morris PD, Channer KS. Testosterone and cardiovascular disease in men — Asian J Androl. 2012 May;14(3):428-35

The post The dark truths about Atorvastatin that some doctors play off as myths appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You already know meat is a great source of protein, but so are some vegetables.

The good news here is that high protein foods reduce obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, muscle wasting (in the elderly), and more.

And studies back up the role of protein in weight loss and maintenance…

In fact, several meta-analyses of shorter-term feeding studies of high protein energy-restriction diets resulted in greater weight and fat loss, and preservation of lean mass compared to low protein energy-restriction diets.

For example, one meta-analysis of 24 tightly controlled feeding trials compared high protein with low protein weight-loss diets lasting 12 ± 9 weeks in duration, including 1063 overweight or obese individuals aged 18 and 80 years of age. The high protein diets had from 27% to 35% of daily calories as protein, compared to the low protein diets with only 16–21% protein. The high protein diets caused significantly more weight loss and fat loss compared with low protein diets.

High protein foods reduced not only waist circumference but also triglycerides and blood pressure. Similar findings were found and reported in a meta-analysis among people with type 2 diabetes.

Even better news is longer-term studies also show persistent body weight and fat mass loss from high protein weight-loss diets.  Let’s look at some interesting ways protein foods helps in weight loss.

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Protein’s effect on appetite

When you eat high protein food, you’ll get a stronger feeling of fullness than from dietary fat or carbohydrates. This leads to reduced daily food intake.

This is because dietary protein stimulates peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). These two hormones are associated with satiety and reduced food intake Also, the quantity of protein is related to the magnitude of PYY and GLP-1 secretion.

Correspondingly, protein inhibits ghrelin, the hormone that enhances hunger.

What’s more, there is a meal-related minimum quantity threshold of from 25 to 30 grams of protein required to stimulate protein synthesis, which builds lean muscle. Also, there is a meal-related minimum quantity threshold for satiety (feeling of fullness) too, which ranges from 20 to 207 grams per meal.

Interestingly, studies also show a graded effect on lowering appetitive after higher-protein meals (along with increased GLP-1 and PYY measurements) and raising postprandial fullness (along with decreased ghrelin measurements) after consuming 24, 44, and 88 grams of protein per meal.

There also appears to be a ceiling effect on satiety — a point at which additional protein consumption in any one meal does not further increase satiety.

Finally, it should be noted that whey protein suppressed hunger more effectively than casein protein or soy protein sources.

How much protein for weight loss?

To improve lower your body weight, keep it off, and improve heart health, studies indicate you must eat the following quantity of protein:

• 89–119 grams of protein per day for women
• 104–138 grams of protein per day for men

Let’s take a closer look at what foods contain the most protein.

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Foods highest in protein

Here are some of the highest protein foods to consider (in decreasing % of calories): generally highest in meats, but also dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes, veggies, and some grains:

• Tuna, 1 cup contains 39 grams of protein (94% of calories).
• Whey protein powder contains from 20-50 grams of protein per/serving (90% or more calories)
• Shrimp, 85 grams (3 oz) contains 18 grams of protein (90% of calories)
• Chicken breast, 100 grams (3 oz) contains 31 grams of protein (80% of calories)
• Turkey breast, 85 grams (3 oz) contains 24 grams of protein (70% of calories)
• Cottage cheese, 1 Cup 2% milkfat contains 27 grams of protein (59% of calories)
• Lean beef, 100 grams (3 oz) contains 22 grams of protein (53% of calories)Non-fat Greek yogurt, 6 oz contains 17 grams of protein (48% of calories)
• Salmon, 85 grams (3 oz) contains 19 grams (46% of calories)
• Eggs, 1 large contains 6 grams of protein (35% of calories) but egg whites are almost all protein
• Milk, 1 cup of whole milk contains 8 grams of protein (21% of calories)
• Quinoa, 1 cup cooked contains 8 grams of protein (15% of calories).
• Oats, half cup, contain 13 grams of protein (15% of calories)
• Almonds, 1 oz contains 6 grams of protein (13% of calories)—as other nuts

Remember you can put protein powder in any smoothie to boost the protein content with so much fiber you’ll be sure to lose weight, lower disease and feel your best. Now it is your job to be creative in preparing high protein, high fiber meals, and snacks.

Sources:

1. Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A, Wycherley TP, Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Luscombe-Marsh ND, Woods SC, Mattes RD. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance — Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Jun;101(6):1320S-1329S. PubMed PMID: 25926512
2. Wycherley TP, Buckley JD, Noakes M, Clifton PM, Brinkworth GD. Comparison of the effects of weight loss from a high-protein versus standard-protein energy-restricted diet on strength and aerobic capacity in overweight and obese men — Eur J Nutr  2013;52:317–25.
3. Dong JY, Zhang ZL, Wang PY, Qin LQ. Effects of high-protein diets on body weight, glycaemic control, blood lipids and blood pressure in type 2 diabetes: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials — Br J Nutr 2013;110:781–9.
4. Holt SH, Miller JC, Petocz P, Farmakalidis E. A satiety index of common foods — Eur J Clin Nutr  1995;49:675–90
5. Skov AR, Toubro S, Ronn B, Holm L, Astrup A. Randomized trial on protein vs carbohydrate in ad libitum fat reduced diet for the treatment of obesity — Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord  1999;23:528–36.
6. Weigle DS, Breen PA, Matthys CC, Callahan HS, Meeuws KE, Burden VR, Purnell JQ. A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations — Am J Clin Nutr  2005;82:41–8.
7. Batterham RL, Heffron H, Kapoor S, Chivers JE, Chandarana K, Herzog H, Le Roux CW, Thomas EL, Bell JD, Withers DJ. Critical role for peptide YY in protein-mediated satiation and body-weight regulation — Cell Metab  2006;4:223–33
8. Verdich C, Flint A, Gutzwiller JP, Naslund E, Beglinger C, Hellstrom PM, Long SJ, Morgan LM, Holst JJ, Astrup A. A meta-analysis of the effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36) amide on ad libitum energy intake in humans — J Clin Endocrinol Metab  2001;86:4382–9.
9. Batterham RL, Bloom SR. The gut hormone peptide YY regulates appetite — Ann N Y Acad Sci  2003;994:162–8.
10. Belza A, Ritz C, Sorensen MQ, Holst JJ, Rehfeld JF, Astrup A. Contribution of gastroenteropancreatic appetite hormones to protein-induced satiety — Am J Clin Nutr  2013;97:980–9.
11. Wren AM, Seal LJ, Cohen MA, Brynes AE, Frost GS, Murphy KG, Dhillo WS, Ghatei MA, Bloom SR. Ghrelin enhances appetite and increases food intake in humans — J Clin Endocrinol Metab  2001;86:5992.
12. Leidy HJ, Mattes RD, Campbell WW. Effects of acute and chronic protein intake on metabolism, appetite, and ghrelin during weight loss — Obesity (Silver Spring) 2007;15:1215–25.
13. Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A, Wycherley TP, Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Luscombe-Marsh ND, Woods SC, Mattes RD. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance — Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Jun;101(6):1320S-1329S. PubMed PMID: 25926512
14. Veldhorst M.A., Nieuwenhuizen A.G., Hochstenbach-Waelen A., et al. Dose-dependent satiating effect of whey relative to casein or soy — Physiol. Behav. 2009;96:675–682.
15. Soenen S, Martens EA, Hochstenbach-Waelen A, Lemmens SG, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Normal protein intake is required for body weight loss and weight maintenance, and elevated protein intake for additional preservation of resting energy expenditure and fat free mass — J Nutr 2013;143:591–6.
16. McConnon A, Horgan GW, Lawton C, Stubbs J, Shepherd R, Astrup A, Handjieva-Darlenska T, Kunesova M, Larsen TM, Lindroos AK, et al. Experience and acceptability of diets of varying protein content and glycemic index in an obese cohort: results from the Diogenes trial — Eur J Clin Nutr  2013;67:990–5.
17. Leidy HJ, Carnell NS, Mattes RD, Campbell WW. Higher protein intake preserves lean mass and satiety with weight loss in pre-obese and obese women — Obesity (Silver Spring) 2007;15:421–9.
18. 10 Foods That Are Almost Pure Protein — Healthline

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In case you’re unfamiliar, a proctocolectomy is the complete removal of the large intestine and most of the rectum.

Had I known that high-fiber food and fiber supplementation actually heals intestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis, I might have been spared major surgery… and years of incontinence.

As a doctor, you may wonder, how could I not have known. Well, as I’ve written here before (as have some of my colleagues), medical school provides scant little as far as nutritional education.

That’s why I’d like to share some interesting studies with you… starting with underlying triggers that will worsen a genetic weakness in the intestine.

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How gut inflammation develops

Consider what factors add to susceptible genes to cause ulcerative colitis and other intestinal diseases:

• Unhealthy intestinal flora: overgrowth of unhealthy bacterial strains and yeast cause inflammation
• Foods that disrupt normal intestinal flora: refined sugar (feeds yeast); bread (contains yeast and promotes yeast); digestive enzyme deficiency or low stomach acid (undigested foods in the colon become food for unhealthy gut bacteria and yeast)
• Foods that can be allergenic to the intestinal lining: wheat protein (gluten), dairy (cow) protein, chemical food dyes and preservatives
• Foods that irritate the intestinal lining: excessive alcohol and/or caffeine; spicy hot foods
• Foods low in fiber: fiber ferments to produce the short-chain fatty acids acetate, propionate and butyrate that help heal the intestinal mucosa
• Foods that are inflammatory in all body cells: refined sugar foods, carbonated soda drinks, trans-fats, and hydrogenated oils, and foods causing allergy
• Lack of abundant micronutrients in the bloodstream. These are omega-3 fatty acids, organic vitamins, organic minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, and plant-derived chemicals.

Now for some science on how fiber heals…

How high fiber heals

I previously wrote that a high amount of dietary fiber normalizes your blood sugar, reduces your body fat, significantly reduces heart disease, is vital for intestinal health and can even heal intestinal diseases.

Let’s now look at the mechanism of action behind fiber’s healing effects…

In one study, pectin, a soluble dietary fiber, was studied in rats and found to directly heal the intestinal lining. Plus, it generates short-chain fatty acids as major metabolites of dietary fiber.

These short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate and acetate are well-proven to have a potent anti-inflammatory effect on intestinal diseases.  In fact, butyrate or acetate enemas, plus high-fiber foods and supplements, are an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis.

Yet, researchers are still discovering more about how fiber actually does so many great things for health.  As I mentioned, fiber is the perfect food for healthy bacteria to feed on (fermentation) which generates the gut-healing short-chain fatty acids called butyrate, acetate, and propionate.

And when the gut heals there are immune system benefits. The decreased antigenic load along the intestinal lining cells lowers autoimmune and chronic inflammation. There is more…

In a mouse study, researchers found that fiber and acetate supplementation decreased gut dysbiosis (imbalance of bacteria); but also significantly reduced blood pressure, cardiac fibrosis, left (heart) ventricular hypertrophy, and markedly reduced kidney disease (renal fibrosis).

They even measured some important biomarkers to prove the correlation between high fiber and acetate with these findings. They found downregulation of important master regulators of cardiac hypertrophy, cardiorenal fibrosis, and inflammation (namely, cardiac and renal Egr1).  Correspondingly, they observed an upregulation of various related genes that control the circadian rhythm in heart and kidney tissues, and downregulation of kidney renin-angiotensin hormones (which controls blood pressure) and downregulation of heart protein kinase molecules.

In summary, the high fiber generated short-chain fatty acids, which apparently caused molecular changes that improved cardiovascular and kidney function.

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A diet for colitis

Patients with unresolved ulcerative colitis must learn the principles of nutrient-dense whole foods. Colitis patients already have decreased absorption due to the inflammation there. Therefore, they need optimal nutrition that can be absorbed easily and that does not further irritate (by physical contact) or inflame (immunologically) the tissue.

As an example, a smoothie containing fresh apples, strawberries, spinach, rice milk, flax oil, and ice is nutrient dense and healing to irritated mucosa. Many additional foods can be added to such a smoothie for flavor (i.e. liquid stevia) or calories (i.e. almonds, avocado, raw eggs).

A smoothie is also an easy way to introduce nutrient supplements. I remember my first time drinking a generic brand of Aloe Vera juice.  It tasted terrible! At that time, I knew almost nothing about nutrient-dense and whole-food nutrition.

I’m glad my own personal experience served as a catalyst to investigate healing through fiber… and I’m happy to share it with you.

Sources:

1. Reynolds A, Mann J, Cummings J, Winter N, Mete E, Te Morenga L. Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses — Lancet. 2019 Feb 2;393(10170):434-445. PubMed PMID: 30638909
2. Marques FZ, Nelson E, Chu PY, et. al. High-Fiber Diet and Acetate Supplementation Change the Gut Microbiota and Prevent the Development of Hypertension and Heart Failure in Hypertensive Mice — Circulation. 2017 Mar 7;135(10):964-977. PubMed PMID: 27927713
3. Andoh A, Bamba T, Sasaki M. Physiological and anti-inflammatory roles of dietary fiber and butyrate in intestinal functions — JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 1999 Sep-Oct;23(5 Suppl):S70-3. PubMed PMID: 10483900

The post The amazing healing power of fiber appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Before reading and concerning yourself with which vegetables or fruits have high carbohydrate amounts (since I have been hammering the concept that excessive sugars are harmful to health), please remember this: complex carbohydrates, which from whole-food sources, are complexed with dietary fibers (starch, cellulose, lignans, etc.), which create health in the body.

Now let’s look at the powerful health benefits of high fiber food and which ones you’ll want to be wary of.

Fiber: What kinds and in what foods

If you’re like me, soluble versus insoluble fiber (and the foods containing each) can be a bit confusing. However, let me explain the general differences. Good effects of soluble fiber are that it:

• Binds fat in the intestinal tract, thereby lowering cholesterol
• Prolongs (slows) stomach emptying time so that sugar is absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream
• Normalizes insulin surges, therefore lowering the tendency toward metabolic syndrome and diabetes

Soluble fiber is found predominately in fruit (e.g. strawberries, apples, pears, oranges, lemons) and most non-starchy vegetables. It is also found in grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils.

Insoluble fiber is a bit different. Insoluble fiber doesn’t become absorbed easily, so it cleans out the intestinal system by moving stool on through. In this way, it also balances intestinal pH so that healthy organisms are maintained there. Insoluble fiber is highest, starchy and leafy vegetables, and whole grains. Foods high in fiber will generally have some of both fiber types.

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Fiber: How much for disease prevention

While it is estimated that on average Americans eats 13 grams (for women) to 17 grams (for men) of fiber daily, the U.S. Government recommends from 28 (for women) to 38 grams (for men).

If you are reading this, then you know that for real health changes to occur, your daily fiber intake must be much higher. Leading experts on health (me included) recommend 75 or more grams of dietary fiber daily to reverse or prevent disease. That could equal as few as nine large total daily fiber food servings.

Let’s look at some of the higher fiber foods and you can do the math:

FOOD                                             GRAMS

Fruits

Honeydew melon 1 cup (pieces)                    1.0

Peach 1 medium                                             1.7

Pineapple 1 cup (pieces)                                2.0

Orange 1, medium                                          3.0

Apple with skin                                                3.3

Pear 1, medium                                              4.0

Vegetables

Brussels sprouts, 1/2 cup                               2

Spinach, 1/2 cup                                             2.2

Carrot, 1/2 cup                                                2.3

Broccoli, 1/2 cup                                             2.6

Potato, baked w/ skin 1 medium                    5.0

Winter squash, 1 cup                                      5.7

Whole-grain products

White rice 1 cup                                              1

Oatmeal, 3/4 cup                                            3

Brown rice, 1 cup                                            3.5

Spaghetti, whole wheat 1 cup                        6.3

Quaker Shredded Wheat 3 biscuits               7

All-Bran, Kellogg’s ½ cup                              10

Beans, peas and other legumes

Kidney beans, 1/2 cup                                    5.7

Baked beans, 1/2 cup                                     6.3

Black beans boiled, 1/2 cup                           7.5

Nuts and seeds

Split peas/lentils boiled, 1 cup                        16

Chia seeds, 1 ounce                                       10

Almonds, 1 ounce (23 nuts)                             3

Pistachios, 1 ounce (49 nuts)                           3

Sunflower kernels, 1 ounce                              3

Let me add that this is not the case with fiber supplements such as psyllium of Metamucil, Citrucel, and Fibercon, etc. These insoluble fiber supplements treat constipation well but are devoid of almost all nutrients.

Related: How the food industry fools you into settling for fake fiber

High fiber food–claims to fame

It has been proven that high fiber foods have the following health benefits:

• Normalizes bowel movements; increases weight/size and softens stool. Also, if you have loose or watery stools, it bulks stool as it absorbs water.
• Reduces hemorrhoids by reducing the need for straining.
• Treats ulcerative colitis.
• Reduces IBS symptoms.
• Lowers your risk of colorectal cancer.
• Lowers cholesterol levels (soluble fiber found in beans, oats, flaxseed, oat bran).
• Lowers your heart disease risk significantly.
• Reduces stroke risk: It has been estimated by researchers that for every 7 grams more fiber you consume daily you reduce your stroke risk 7 percent.
• Helps control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes (slows sugar absorption).
• Reduces excess body: Fiber-rich foods are more filling, take longer to eat, and have fewer calories for the same volume of food.
• Improves rashes: Psyllium husk helps move yeast and fungus out of your body, thought to trigger the skin reaction of acne or rashes.
• Reduces the risk of gallstones and kidney stones.

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Fiber from grains may make you sicker

Contrary to what you’ll read on Mayo Clinic websites, grains may not be a good source of fiber for everyone.

That’s because not only are grains relatively poor in vitamin and mineral content compared to fruits and vegetables (and even compared to meat and fish), they contain what some call “anti-nutrient” substances such as gluten and lectins.

These proteins are well known to be responsible for immune hypersensitivity through the mechanism of increased intestinal permeability (aka leaky gut syndrome). Gluten and lectins are known to cause fatigue, skin rashes, arthritic pain, allergies, autism, psychological symptoms, and more — and removal of grains often reverses these conditions.

Moreover, high fiber foods could make you feel worse at first. This happens if your gut is filled with yeast and fungi, or overloaded with the gas-producing bacteria. In this case, high fiber in your diet can actually worsen your intestinal symptoms as pathogenic organisms will feed on fiber and proliferate.

For example, the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet calls for carefully eliminating fiber for a period of time to starve out pathogens by implementing probiotic-rich fermented vegetables and soups, along with well-cooked, peeled and de-seeded vegetables (e.g. zucchinis and squash).

I am also curious as to how high fiber food heals intestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis, which I suffered with for many years and ultimately resulted in my total proctocolectomy surgery in 1997. Therefore, I’d like to share with you some very interesting studies about this in my next article.

To healing through foods and feeling good,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1.  Kanauchi O, Suga T, Tochihara M, et al. Treatment of ulcerative colitis by feeding with germinated barley foodstuff: first report of a multicenter open control trial — J Gastroenterol. 2002 Nov;37 Suppl 14:67-72. PubMed PMID: 12572869.
2. Kanauchi O, Iwanaga T, Mitsuyama K. Germinated barley foodstuff feeding. A novel neutraceutical therapeutic strategy for ulcerative colitis — Digestion. 2001;63 Suppl 1:60-7. PubMed PMID: 11173912.
3. Reynolds A, Mann J, Cummings J, Winter N, Mete E, Te Morenga L. Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses — Lancet. 2019 Feb 2;393(10170):434-445. PubMed PMID: 30638909.
4. Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet — Mayo Clinic
5. Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s
6. https://www.med.umich.edu/mott/pdf/mott-fiber-chart.pdf
7. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/high-fiber-foods/art-20050948

The post High fiber foods: The good and the bad appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

There are many reasons for thinning hair and hair loss as you may have read here.

Luckily, there are also many different treatments that may help, including natural ingredients that can be made into home remedies, as well as commercially sold shampoos and conditioners to strengthen and restore hair. Hopefully, one or more of them can work for you.

Home remedies

If you’re not one to pay for expensive hair restoration treatments such as platelet-rich plasma, low-level laser light therapy, or hair transplant surgery, consider these remedies made using natural products right at home:

The post 8 ways to save your thinning hair appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But in my last post, I hope I made it clear that the glycemic index is also about measuring disease risk.

That’s because insulin, produced and excreted from your pancreas, is the all-important hormone for each cell of your body; it is the “key” that opens the gate (on the cell membrane) for glucose to enter.

In addition to causing sugar to enter the cell for energy production, it also stimulates your liver to store glucose (as glycogen).

We know that consuming high glycemic foods spikes your blood sugar, which in turn stimulates insulin secretion.

What’s so bad about these repeated insulin surges?

The repeated insulin surges lead to insulin resistance (insulin stops being effective). What happens to blood sugar in this case? It remains elevated in the bloodstream — a condition known as diabetes.

Insulin resistance, therefore, is the main problem behind metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that increase your risk for many other diseases.

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Metabolic syndrome

In 1998 the World Health Organization defined “metabolic syndrome” as the combination of hypertension, low HDL, high triglycerides, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance or type 2 diabetes, high waist-to-hip ratio, and albumin protein in the urine (microalbuminuria).

Remember that high-glycemic food consumption causes:

• Increased production of free fatty acids and fat storage (obesity). It is thought that your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch (starch is a complex carbohydrate that does not surge insulin nor cause obesity)
• Decreased fat oxidation (i.e. fat does not get used as an energy source)
• 2 hours after consuming high glycemic foods (e.g. a glazed donut) the nutrients are gone but the insulin surge remains… so you get a drop in your blood sugar, which then triggers hunger even more
• It is known that high glycemic foods increase the amount of food that you eat

Therefore, high-glycemic food consumption directly promotes metabolic syndrome, obesity and disease.

The high-glycemic foods

The Glycemic Index (GI) gives a number value to foods relative to glucose itself, which is 100 on the GI scale. It ranks food as to how quickly they get absorbed across your intestinal wall and into your blood. As a general rule:

• Low-GI foods are below 55
• Moderate-GI foods are 56-70
• High-GI foods are above 70.

Here are some examples of foods and their GI score:

• Glucose                     100
• Mashed potato         87
• Rice milk                    86
• Baked potato            85
• Cornflakes                 81
• Watermelon              76
• White bread              71
• Sucrose                     65
• White rice                  64
• Honey                        61
• Pineapple                  59
• Muesli cereal            57
• Sweet corn                54
• Banana                      51
• Spaghetti                   42
• All-bran cereal          42
• Boiled carrots            39
• Raw apple                 36
• Soy milk                     34
• Kidney beans            28
• Peanuts                     16
• Fructose                    15

You will find it interesting to see the GI of many other foods listed on the Harvard Health website.

Note that foods high on the glycemic index (GI) not only produce more sugar in your bloodstream, but they are low in fiber and micronutrients.

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Advantages of a low-glycemic diet

People dieting on a Low-GI diet had many advantages over those on a high-GI diet even though both groups lost the same amount of weight:

• Low-GI dieters lost more body fat
• Low-GI dieters lost less muscle
• Low-GI dieters’ decline in calorie burning was half that of high-GI dieters
• Low-GI people kept weight off better after calorie restriction was lifted
• Low GI diet people had better satiety

Furthermore, in a crossover study of two groups of men who spent equal time on a low-glycemic diet as they did a high-glycemic diet, there was equal weight loss, but the low-GI diet period resulted in greater fat loss and lower waist circumference compared to their high-GI diet period.

Now when you add in a high fiber component to the diet, you have even more benefits — and we’ll talk about that in my next article.

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Beck, Nielsen H, Pedersen O, Schwartz S. Effects of Diet on the Cellular Insulin Binding and the Insulin Sensitivity in Young Healthy Subjects — Diabetologia. 1978;15:289-296.
2. Nutrition Health Review. Fall 85. “Sugar Changes into Fat Faster than Fat”
3. Allen S. Levine, Catherine M. Kotz, and Blake A. Gosnell. Sugars and Fats: The Neurobiology of Preference — J. Nutr.2003 133:831S-834S.
4. Yoo, Sunmi, et al. Comparison of Dietary Intakes Associated with Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors in Young Adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study — Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Oct;80(4):841-848.
5. “Bupropion SR in obesity: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.” Gadde KM, et al. — Duke University Medical Center. Presented at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, May 18, 1999.
6. Munro, JF, et al. Comparison of Continuous and Intermittent Anorectic Therapy in Obesity — British Medical Journal 1:352-354,1968.
7. Munro JF. “Clinical aspects of the treatment of obesity by drugs: a review” — Int J Obes. 1979;3(2):171?180.

The post Unsugarcoated: The high glycemic path to metabolic disease appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It all depends on the way sugar is presented to your body.

That’s where glycemic index comes in.

Let’s look at the ways sugar heals… or kills you.

Sugar is not sugar is not sugar

Your brain cells must have enough sugar for you to stay conscious. Your heart and muscles require sugar to be active.

In fact, the basic molecule that every cell in your body absolutely must have… is sugar.

Then why all the fuss about sugar? I’ll tell you why…

Depending on the way sugar gets to your cells, it will heal you or kill you. That’s why it’s important to understand the measure of the glycemic index (GI).

Since the glycemic index was first described in 1981 by Dr. David Jenkins, who was investigating the impact of carbohydrates on blood sugar in hopes of developing a tool for the management of type 1 diabetes, it has become the new standard for diabetes management in France, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Related: This best high-carb food for your blood sugar and weight

But the GI is of value to anyone and everyone. Because once blood sugar spikes begin occurring regularly, you’re just a hop and skip from prediabetes. And you know what the next step brings.

Here’s how it works…

The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly 50 grams of carbohydrates in a particular food is converted to glucose (the simplest sugar molecule) in your body.

Unless you go exercise shortly after eating, the higher the glycemic index of the food you consume, the faster it can lead to all sorts of diseases.

In fact, consuming high glycemic foods has been biochemically proven to promote obesity, diabetes, cancer, poor immune system, and generalized body inflammation.

Now that you are getting a hint about the power of consuming sugar. Before I explain more about how the glycemic index can guide you in preventing and reversing disease, let’s look at just a few of the proven adverse effects of consuming sugar.

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Sugar can do all this damage?

There are multitudes of illnesses that are caused by ingesting sugar. Let me just give you a few.

First off, we know that sugar contributes to obesity. Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.  Sugar spikes insulin which leads to metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and diabetes (explained more in my next article).

Moreover, sugar basically feeds cancer.  In fact, sugar consumption plays a key role in the development of many cancers, including:

• Pancreatic cancer in women
• Stomach cancer
• Biliary tract and gall bladder cancer
• Colon cancer
• Lung cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Breast cancer
• Small intestinal cancer
• Laryngeal cancer
• Rectal cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Liver tumors and
• Endometrial cancer

Have I gotten your attention?

Essentially, high glycemic foods load your body with dangerous sugar, while low glycemic foods give nutrients that naturally convert to the amount of sugar your body needs.

This pathway to providing sugar to your cells makes all the difference!  That’s why I want so badly to explain glycemic index in a bit more detail here.

Understand glycemic index (GI) for your health

Interestingly, GI does not take into account portion size and the total amount of carbohydrate in a meal or food type. Instead, it is the measure of how quickly carbohydrates are converted to glucose in your body.

Glycemic index (GI) scores are 100 for glucose in most scales and 100 for white bread in other scales. It actually is not a measurement of calories. The GI goes beyond the simple versus complex carbohydrate classification. It actually will guide you to health.

In my next article, I’ll explain which are the high GI foods, and how they cause obesity, metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease.

Wow, did I mention sugary foods promote even heart attacks? Yes, that’s right!

To nutrient-rich, low-glycemic foods for health,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Jenkins DJ, Wolever TM, Jenkins AL. Starchy foods and glycemic index. — Diabetes Care. 1988 Feb;11(2):149-59.
2.  Keen, H., et al. Nutrient Intake, Adiposity, and Diabetes. — British Medical Journal. 1989; 1: 655-658.
3.  Preuss, H. G. Sugar-Induced Blood Pressure Elevations Over the Lifespan of Three Substrains of Wistar Rats. — J Am Coll of Nutrition, 1998;17(1) 36-37.
4. Quillin, Patrick. “Cancer’s Sweet Tooth.” — Nutrition Science News. Ap 2000. Also: Rothkopf, M. — Nutrition. July/Aug 1990;6(4).
5. Michaud, D. Dietary Sugar, Glycemic Load, and Pancreatic Cancer Risk in a Prospective Study. — J Natl Cancer Inst. Sep 4, 2002 ;94(17):1293-300.
6. Cornee, J., et al. A Case-control Study of Gastric Cancer and Nutritional Factors in Marseille, France. — European Journal of Epidemiology. 1995;11:55-65.
7.  Moerman, C. J., et al. Dietary Sugar Intake in the Etiology of Biliary Tract Cancer. — International Journal of Epidemiology. Ap 1993;2(2):207-214.
8. Moerman, C. et al. Dietary Sugar Intake in the Etiology of Gallbladder Tract Cancer. — Internat J of Epi. Ap 1993; 22(2):207-214.
9. Bostick, R. M., et al. Sugar, Meat and Fat Intake and Non-dietary Risk Factors for Colon Cancer Incidence in Iowa Women. — Cancer Causes & Control. 1994:5:38-53.
10. De Stefani, E. Dietary Sugar and Lung Cancer: a Case Control Study in Uruguay. — Nutrition and Cancer. 1998;31(2):132_7.
11. Deneo-Pellegrini H, et al. Foods, Nutrients and Prostate cancer: a Case-control study in Uruguay. — Br J Cancer. 1999 May;80(3-4):591-7.
12. Potischman, N, et.al. Increased Risk of Early-stage Breast Cancer Related to Consumption of Sweet Foods among Women Less than Age 45 in the United States. — Cancer Causes Control. 2002 Dec;13(10):937-46.
13. Negri. E. et al. Risk Factors for Adenocarcinoma of the Small Intestine. — Int J Cancer. 1999:82:I2:171-174.
14.  Bosetti, C. et al. Food Groups and Laryngeal Cancer Risk: A Case-control Study from Italy and Switzerland. — Int J Cancer, 2002:100(3): 355-358.
15. De Stefani E, Mendilaharsu M, and Deneo-Pellegrini H. Sucrose as a Risk Factor for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum: a Case-control Study in Uruguay. — Int J Cancer. 1998 Jan 5;75(1):40-4.
16. Mellemgaard A. et al. Dietary Risk Factors for Renal Cell Carcinoma in Denmark. — Eur J Cancer. 1996 Apr;32A(4):673-82.
17. Rogers AE, Nields HM, Newberne PM. Nutritional and Dietary Influences on Liver Tumorigenesis in Mice and Rats. — Arch Toxicol Suppl. 1987;10:231-43. Review.
18. Levi F, Franceschi S, Negri E, La Vecchia C. Dietary Factors and the Risk of Endometrial Cancer. — Cancer. 1993 Jun 1;71(11):3575-3581.

The post More than measuring carbs: The glycemic index and disease risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You know… the ones that feel like “chicken skin,” even when you’re not cold.

Well, these rough patches of skin with tiny bumps can develop in other places too, including your cheeks, thighs or buttocks. They feel a bit like sandpaper.

Fortunately, they’re not painful or itchy, just annoying and maybe a little embarrassing.

Those bumps amount to a common skin condition known as keratosis pilaris, resulting in hair follicle openings getting plugged with keratin.

Let’s examine what causes this common, benign skin condition and how to treat it…

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Keratosis pilaris causes

Although we know keratin overproduction and plugging are involved, dermatologists don’t really know why these hair follicles plug up.

One clue is that keratosis pilaris is often found in persons with dry skin, seasonal hay fever, rhinitis, asthma, eczema, or atopic dermatitis. That means this skin condition could result from immune hypersensitivity to something in a person’s environment.

Therefore, the underlying causes of keratosis pilaris can include:

• Subtle allergy to a food or chemical. This triggers inflammation to manifest in vulnerable skin areas
• Stressful emotions that release stress chemicals of inflammation (e.g., inflammatory cytokines)
• Dry skin from personal hygiene products
• A genetic predisposition
• Friction from tight clothes

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First step to relief

Some first steps can reduce the severity of keratosis pilaris:

• Limit bath/shower time and lower water temperature to reduce skin oil loss
• Use moisturizing soap or moisturizing ointment. Lanolin, petrolatum, glycerin, and combination products such as Eucerin and Cetaphil can moisturize if applied several times daily. Other products could include cocoa butter, shea butter, and coconut oil.
• Use a humidifier, although it may not be practical to highly humidify your home.
• Reduce friction or tight clothing in the affected area; this could be a cause

In most cases, simple moisturizing creams will have a minimal effect but are helpful to maintain a healed skin state. You’ll probably need to remove the dead cells (exfoliate) from the affected skin area. Exfoliation helps get rid of the small keratin plugs of keratosis pilaris.

Medicated creams that exfoliate skin contain urea, lactic acid, alpha hydroxy acid, or salicylic acid. These are purchased over the counter or by prescription.

Prescription relief

Most effective prescription topicals are from a few different ingredient categories and include:

Vitamin A creams (topical retinoids) promote cell turnover and prevent plugging of hair follicles:

• Tretinoin (e.g., Retin-A) inhibits microcomedo formation and eliminates the lesions present. It makes keratinocytes in sebaceous follicles less adherent and easier to remove. Tretinoin topical is available as 0.025%, 0.05%, and 0.1% creams and 0.01%, 0.025%, 0.04%, and 0.1% gels.
• Tazarotene (e.g., Tazorac) is a synthetic retinoid drug with less skin irritation than Tretinoin. Its active metabolite stimulates differentiation and proliferation of epithelial skin with anti-inflammatory properties.

Adapalene (Differin): Adapalene acts on retinoid receptors. It treats acne by its effect on cellular differentiation, keratin formation, and inflammation. It normalizes the formation of follicular epithelial cells to comedone formation. Comedones are small acne bumps; blackheads are open comedones, while whiteheads are closed comedones (the follicle is completely blocked). Adapalene is often tolerated by those who cannot tolerate tretinoin creams. Expect a therapeutic response after 8-12 weeks of therapy.

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Alpha hydroxy acid is a normal constituent of tissues and blood. Alpha hydroxy acids such as Lac-Hydrin act as humectants (to moisturize) and break down keratin plugging when applied topically. Use the 12% cream or lotion.

Urea promotes hydration and removal of excess keratin of hyperkeratosis. It is available in 10-40% concentrations. Topically applied urea increases water retention in skin and decreases itching.

Corticosteroid creams range in potency more than 1,000-fold from hydrocortisone 1% (over-the-counter) to betamethasone 0.05% or clobetasol 0.05%. These have profound anti-inflammatory and vasoconstrictive properties. The way to make steroid cream/ointment super potent is to cover the area with a plastic (sandwich) wrap for an hour or more to drive the medicine much more fully into your skin.

Remember that high potency topical steroids should not be used longer than three weeks to prevent tolerance (it stops working) and tachyphylaxis (your symptoms rebound worse after you stop). Use the pulse-dose method to circumvent that problem: stop using it after 1-2 weeks to avoid rebound symptoms; allow for a steroid-free period of at least a week.

Once steroid cream has dramatically improved the irritated skin, urea and salicylic acid cream can be used to maintain it.

Topical immunomodulators such as tacrolimus (Elidel) or pimecrolimus (Protopic) are also effective in treating keratosis pilaris.

Procedures

If creams aren’t effective for keratosis pilaris, in-office procedures may help. These include:

• Dermabrasion or microdermabrasion
• Chemical peels
• IPL (intense pulsed light) or laser light therapy
• Blue light therapy (less effective)
• Surgical extraction of trapped hairs or keratin plugs

Source:

1. Choosing Topical Corticosteroids — American Family Physician

The post Keratosis pilaris: The bumpy skin on the back of your arms and how to make it go away appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The thought of going under the knife and experiencing weeks of downtime and pain is a serious decision.

But there are so many different procedures shown to be safe and effective these days, with little to no downtime, that women who’d like to do a little something to feel more confident as they age — or look as young as they feel — have more choices than ever.

If you’ve thought about lifting your laugh lines, let me tell you about a very minimally invasive procedure known as a PDO thread lift. It’s been popular in South Korea and Italy for many years and has now made it to the USA.

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PDO thread lift basics

When botulinum toxin or dermal filler won’t work, then consider what a PDO thread lift can do.

PDO threads can correct horizontal and vertical forehead wrinkles, lift your brow, smooth out your lower eyelids and creased cheeks, lift sagging cheeks, minimize nasolabial folds and marionette lines, smooth out crow’s feet lines and “smokers’” lines, and redefine your jawline.

Related: What are your choices for sagging skin?

That’s because PDO (polydioxanone) threads are placed into just below our skin and stimulate the following effects to skin:

• Instantly lifts skin via a mechanical effect
• Stimulates fibrin and elastin to produce collagen which improves skin texture, fine lines, and elasticity
• Stimulates new small blood vessel formation that supports skin tissue growth that
• Tightens skin by contracting the underlying fat and muscle

PDO threads are also effective for tightening sagging skin and adding volume in areas other than your face, including the neck, decollete, breasts, abdomen, buttocks, and legs. At a price of $750 to $3,000, the thread lift procedure is the most cost-effective and safe way to get a “facelift.”

Sound intriguing?

What is PDO and how are threads placed?

PDO (polydioxanone) is a biodegradable synthetic polymer thread (suture) inside the lumen of a needle. Threads come in a few different types for different areas and targeted effects: smooth, twisted, and barbed. Threads range from tiny thin to heavy and thick; from ~ 1.5 to 6 inches in length.

Barbed threads have the ability to immediately pull the skin up to 1 cm, in addition to the gradual tightening and volumizing effect they provide.

When implanted into the subcutaneous layer of the skin (at about 5mm deep) these sutures create micro-injuries that stimulate new collagen production, blood vessel growth, and tissue contraction. They remain there until it naturally dissolves over 6-8 months by simple hydrolysis, but they leave behind lasting effects long after the sutures have dissolved for 18-24 months.

Threads are placed with very little discomfort due to topical cream anesthesia that is applied for 20 minutes prior. The downtime is generally none, but you will feel face tightness for 3-5 days after the procedure. There is no scarring and minimal if any bruising. The procedure can last from 15 to 60 minutes depending on the size and complexity.

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Expected and adverse effects of a thread lift

You should expect some mild swelling and soreness for 3-5 days after your thread lift procedure. The sensation of mild tightness will last up to 2 weeks.

With smooth and twisted threads, there are very few adverse effects. If they migrate or their placement is somehow right, they can be simply removed at the time of insertion. If they extrude out the skin, they can be pulled taught and cut to keep the end under the skin or simply removed entirely and replaced.

With barbed threads the potential adverse effects are more involved: temporary and mild dimpling of the skin (and it resolves in a few days), facial asymmetry, prolonged pain, prolonged dimpling, and depressions if not placed carefully.

More serious side effects are extremely rare but can include infection, nerve damage, formation of granuloma (a nodule of thick skin where the thread remained protruding), or even (heaven forbid) damage to the salivary ducts.

Before the procedure

• No alcohol, caffeine, or smoking 48 hours pre and post-surgery.
• Take Arnica tablets and apply Arnica cream for 3 days before to 7 days after to help minimize bruising and swelling.
• Avoid Vitamin E, fish oil, green tea, Aspirin, Ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatories for 1 week before the procedure. Blood thinners are a problem.
• If you suffer from cold sores please discuss this with the Doctor.  You may need to take anti-viral therapy (e.g. Acyclovir) for 3 days before and after the procedure.
• The sedative Lorazepam (Ativan) can be prescribed by the doctor if you have anxiety about the procedure, to be taken 30 minutes before your procedure. Plan for a driver to bring you and take you home.

After the procedure

• For the first 24 hours please reduce speaking/laughter to minimize facial movements (can be painful); for the first 48 hours gently apply cold compresses on and off to the threaded skin areas. No pressure to the face; use extra pillows and support when sleeping; sleep on your back.
• Do not pull your face down, raise your eyebrows or smile for the first 3 days.
• No drinking with straws as this distorts the facial muscles. Drink plenty of fluids. Avoid very hot drinks.
• Do not use makeup (women) for 2-3 days; avoid shaving your face (men) for 10 days after the procedure (because of involuntary grimacing).
• No heavy or strenuous exercise, just light exercise (e.g. walking) for 14 days.

To aging beautifully and feeling good,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

The post Is a ‘thread lift’ for you? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Think for a moment about this.

How does it feel to communicate/show kindness, forgiveness, acceptance, or love?

You should feel an energy shift inside your body.  We call this shift an emotion, which is literally energy in motion (e-motion).

Similarly, negative emotions such as fear, anger, or frustration cause tension in your jaw, limbs, chest or gut.

That’s because they change your body chemistry. Moreover, we know that negative emotions held too long are harmful to your physical health.

For example, depression causes internal sensory impulses in the brain and gut via neurotransmitters.

If it weren’t true, antidepressant medications such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) would not work.

Related: How somber moods trigger serious disease

Take heart disease as another example. Heart disease is now recognized as having a highly significant psychosomatic component.

In fact, based on a 20-year review of the medical literature, emotional disturbance has been proven to impact both heart disease development over time and also acute myocardial event (heart attacks).

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Are there measurable chemical changes from positive emotions?

Consider these various ways that physical healing chemicals have been produced by positive emotions:

1. Dopamine is your “feel good” brain hormone. In 2001 Harvard scientists found on imaging studies that certain areas of the brain will release dopamine when you listen to your favorite music and music has been shown to relieve anxiety and depression. The good mood from music therapy was found to be comparable to prescription medications for reducing anxiety before surgery.
2. Good mood (positive emotions) is best for a strong immune function. That’s because specialists at Penn State found that negative moods are associated with exacerbated inflammation which impacts how the immune response functions.
3. Good mood improves sleep quality. A study of 94 students with sleep complaints found that those who listened to relaxing music for 45 minutes at bedtime for three weeks had significantly improved sleep and also decreased depression.
4. Good mood increases your exercise stamina (every athlete knows this).
5. Positive emotions have been shown to improve cognitive tasks and test taking by students.
6. Good mood reduces pain. This is why some serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as venlafaxine (Effexor XR) and duloxetine (Cymbalta) that are mood boosters are also successfully used to control chronic pain. We know that serotonin and norepinephrine play a major role in both nociception (pain) and mood regulation. They are linked.
7. Good mood improves recovery from a heart attack. It decreases blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of anxiety because of endorphins (natural morphine-like molecules) that are spontaneously released.

How to harness this natural medicine

There are a multitude of ways to bring into you this natural medicine called positive emotions.

While I was running in my neighborhood this morning, I felt little shots of this natural medicine by simply waving to passerby runners. Just that friendly gesture shifted chemicals inside me that really felt good.

Then I returned home to tell my wife how I love and appreciate her, which again gave me a shot of this natural medicine called positive emotion.

In fact, it naturally releases whenever I communicate friendly words, use safe humor, or perform acts of kindness. It’s great to know I can generate positive emotions whenever I choose to do so. And I’m sure you can, too!

To healing and feeling positive emotions,

Michael Cutler, M.D.

Sources:

1. Tennant C, McLean L. The impact of emotions on coronary heart disease risk. — J Cardiovasc Risk. 2001 Jun;8(3):175-83. Pubmed ID 11455850.
2. Antidepressants: Another weapon against chronic pain — Mayo Clinic

The post 7 ways the chemistry of positive emotions can make you well appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And because stroke victims are getting younger these days, I’ve been writing about stroke risk and how to recognize it for a couple of weeks. Start by reading my earlier posts, “Middle-aged? What you need to know about your stroke risk” and “8 strange stroke risks explained.”

Today, I want to discuss nutrients proven to reduce the development of cerebrovascular disease — which can lead to stroke.

These will include anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory foods, herbs and other nutrient supplements that could help push your stroke risk far away.

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The stroke-preventing foods

To function well, your brain needs the omega-3, -6 and -9 essential fatty acids.

The omega 3 fats are most anti-inflammatory and build healthy brain and nerve tissue.

Foods highest in omega-3 oils are wild fish/seafood and plant oils such as avocado oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, hemp oil, and flaxseed oil.

Also, your brain thrives on nutrients from raw foods and produce (fresh, frozen, steamed).

Raw foods slow the process of inflammation in your body according to a study by the late Swiss doctor, Paul Kouchakoff, M.D.

His scientific paper was entitled, The Influence of Food Cooking on the Blood Formula of Man and was presented in Paris at the First International Congress of Microbiology in 1930.

In this work, Dr. Kouchakoff showed that with eating cooked food, the human body has a white blood cell (leukocytosis) reaction much like in a bacterial or viral infection.

Moreover, he showed that this inflammatory (leukocytosis) reaction also occurs when we ingest foods that are manufactured, processed, or have chemical preservatives or dyes added.

However, when humans ate raw foods there were no leukocytosis reactions detected.

Think of the constant inflammation we are causing to our brains by eating cooked and processed foods day in and day out.

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How raw should you go to avoid a stroke?

Raw foods act as “cleansing foods” to reduce unwanted metabolic byproducts that get stored in fat cells, including nerve tissue and throughout your body.

Eating at least 50 percent of your food raw could provide big benefits. And it’s not that hard…

• Just start with raw fruits and raw vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains.
• Graze on nuts and seeds as raw food snacks. Nut milks are also raw foods.
• Make fruit and nut smoothies for meals or desserts.
• Salsa (made with garlic and onion, and other fresh foods) works great for snacks on chips.

You’ll find that many fruits and vegetables (herbs, too) have the highest antioxidant activity, mineral content and overall best healing and disease-reversing ability. You can be sure of their superfood status by checking their ORAC score.

In contrast, anyone with stroke or neurodegenerative disorder risk must stay away from excessive alcohol, artificial food colorings, artificial sweeteners, sodas and high-sugar drinks, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, candies, cakes, cookies, pies, hydrogenated fats, white bread, and tobacco.

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Stroke-preventing nutrients that can be supplemented

These are powerful nutrients that can help reduce stroke risk:

• Nattokinase is a potent fibrin inhibitor that reduces arterial blood clots
• Coenzyme Q10 is the spark that ignites the formation of ATP in the cell’s mitochondria. The stroke prevention dose is 100 mg, treatment dose 200-400 mg/day
• Alpha-lipoic Acid boosts the levels of the endogenous antioxidant, glutathione
• L-Carnitine enhances mitochondrial production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Stroke prevention dose is 1,000 milligrams three times/day
• D-Ribose is a sugar-like molecule that enhances CoQ10 and L-Carnitine function
• Green tea (Camellia Sinensis) is the ultimate brain drink and has antioxidant properties and a proven history among the Chinese to prevent stroke
• Quercetin inhibits oxidized LDL-Cholesterol. Quercetin supplementation showed a 73% reduction in stroke risk in one study.
• Hawthorne berry lowers blood pressure and helps prevent stroke
• Ginkgo Biloba increases blood flow to brain arterioles and is an antioxidant. According to a preliminary study presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2024, ginkgo may help patients recovering from ischemic stroke recover their cognitive ability.
• Garlic is an antioxidant that also reduces arterial plaque development, reduces blood clotting, increases vessel elasticity, lowers fibrinogen levels, lowers cholesterol and lowers blood pressure. Use as a spice in meals or as a capsule
• Magnesium is best obtained in a high-vegetable diet
• L-Taurine is an amino acid that is found to reduce heart arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) that can contribute to stroke. The stroke-preventing dose is 1000 mg/day
• L-Lysine at 1000 milligrams daily inhibits lipoprotein-a and slows clotting
• L-Arginine at 6,000 milligrams daily has been shown to dramatically lower cholesterol and relax blood vessels via the production of nitric oxide (NO). Eating beets is also an excellent way to increase NO.
• EDTA chelation (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), taken orally or intravenously as a chelator, is well known to open up small blood vessels and allow them to be more elastic

• Vitamin E 800 to 1600 IU daily provides low-grade fibrinolysis (blood thinning)
• B-complex vitamins, especially B6, B12, and folic acid
• Policosanol extract made from plant waxes 1-2 times daily can decrease LDL-cholesterol and increase HDL-cholesterol
• Vinpocetine (from the periwinkle plant) 30 mg daily vasodilates brain vessels, improves memory and concentration
• Grape seed extract 150 mg daily reduces high blood pressure, reduces cholesterol, helps prevent arterial plaque build-up, and lowers stroke risk.
• Healthy fats high in omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is anti-inflammatory to nerves

Sources:

1. Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research. Milwaukee 1, Wisconson
2.  Safari, M. R., et al.  Effects of flavonoids on the susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein to oxidative modification — Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids.  69(1):73-77, 2003.
3.  Rivera, F., et al.  Some aspects of the in vivo neuroprotective capacity of flavonoids: bioavailability and structure-activity relationship — Neurotox Res.  6(7-8):543-553, 2004.
4.  Michelle H. Loy and Dr. Richard S. Rivlin of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York quoting Nutrition in Clinical Care August 2000; 3:145-152.

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In particular, elevated systolic blood pressure, diabetes and smoking, which are the strongest risk factors for stroke deaths in middle age.

But there are some less obvious risk factors… and some you might find very odd. But the more you know, the better you can take steps to protect yourself from ever experiencing the often life-changing — and often deadly — stroke.

Not-so-obvious and odd risk factors for stroke

Environmental exposures and lifestyle habits significantly influence your risk for a stroke. So, let’s look at these in detail, along with ways to reduce these other risk factors.

We can all agree that smoking and expecting to live a long healthy life are two incompatible things, right? Take my father…

He is 86 years old, takes no prescription medications, has never smoked and swims a mile a few times per week. I give credit for his stellar health largely to his good genes, but also to how he has actually modified his genetic expression through his healthy and active lifestyle.

I say that because genetic code is what causes the development of all your body cells and chemistry, and my father has far outlived most men.

The good news is, genes that code for a disease expression can be partially or completely turned off — or on — based on one’s lifestyle and environment. This is called epigenetics.

So, if you have (or have a genetic risk for developing) high blood pressure or diabetes, it’s in your hands to modify your genetic risk.

Just consider the following contributors to cerebrovascular disease, and as you read each one, think about the level of control you may have over each:

1. Stress, anger and depression are independent risk factors for a stroke. Hostility is the “Achilles’ heel” of the heart. Your brain arteries (just like your heart arteries) are adversely affected by stress and frustration via the stress hormones adrenalin, cortisol and the chemicals they trigger.
2. Radiation exposure oxidizes LDL-cholesterol and makes it sticky on the wall of heart or brain arteries. Sticky cholesterol is a major component of atherosclerosis development.

The children of the terrible Chernobyl, Ukraine nuclear accident had the highest levels of oxidized LDL.

There is no doubt that ionizing (higher energy) forms of radiation include plain x-rays, Computed Tomography (CT) scans, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans, and radiation therapy which are known to damage healthy DNA. Even laptop computers do pose some risk of excessive radiation that can adversely affect health.

Furthermore, you may have read that you don’t need to worry too much about cell phones, hair dryers or microwave radiation exposure because these are non-ionizing (lower energy) forms of radiation and have not been proven to cause cancer in humans.

However, these low-intensity electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) subtle and accumulative. As reported in the Lancet there is real concern about EMFs as they apparently have an oscillatory similarity to certain electrochemical activities of the body and can be disruptive on the cell level

3. Heavy metal exposure (chronically): The metals mercury and antimony are concentrated through the food chain and become toxic to blood vessels.
4. Hormones and antibiotics: Anabolic steroid implants are routinely used to maximize animal livestock growth and therefore profitability.

Such ‘foreign’ hormones are called xenoestrogens and are also found in plastics, spermicidals, detergents, and personal care products.

These all are potential causes for the immune system to react slowly with inflammation leading to atherosclerosis.

5. Refined sugar: The average American consumes 32 teaspoons of added sugar per day according to 1999 U.S. Food and Drug Associations estimates. Refined sugar consumption in higher amounts:
   • Can increase your systolic blood pressure
   • Contributes to diabetes and metabolic syndrome
   • Can cause atherosclerosis
   • Correlates strongly with peripheral vascular disease

6. Hydrogenated oils and trans-fats promote atherosclerosis even more than saturated (animal) fats do.  Several studies have clearly shown that trans-fats are closely associated with heart attacks.
7. Diet high in animal products and low in plant fiber: Atherosclerosis rates apparently begin to climb with animal protein consumption above 10% of the diet.

In the 1998 Journal of Cardiology, the researchers of the China Study reported their analysis of 65 counties and 130 villages in rural China. There, animal protein intake was very low at only 1/10^th of the U.S. average.

Also, their fat intake was less than half of that found in the U.S., and fiber intake was three times higher than in the U.S.

The average cholesterol levels comparing Chinese to Americans were 127 mg/dL versus 203 mg/dL in the U.S. They found the death rate to be 16.7-fold greater for U.S. men and 5.6-fold greater for U.S. women compared to their Chinese counterparts.

8. Chlamydia bacteria apparently trigger an inflammatory response inside the artery wall. Chlamydia pneumoniae is present in atherosclerotic lesions throughout the arterial tree and almost always absent in healthy arterial tissue. Testing and treatment for this bacteria are available through your doctor.

If you can work to eliminate or reduce these contributors, you’ll certainly modify your genetic expression for cerebrovascular disease. In other words, you could change your fate.

Sources:

1. Rastenyte D, Tuomilehto J, Domarkiene S, Cepaitis Z, Reklaitiene R. Risk factors for death from stroke in middle-aged Lithuanian men: results from a 20-year prospective study. — Stroke. 1996 Apr;27(4):672-6. PubMed PMID: 8614928.
2. Tuomilehto J, Rastenyte D, Jousilahti P, Sarti C, Vartiainen E. Diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for death from stroke. Prospective study of the middle-aged Finnish population. — Stroke. 1996 Feb;27(2):210-5. PubMed PMID: 8571411.
3. Mittleman MA, Maclure M, et al. Educational attainment, anger, and the risk of triggering myocardial infarction onset. — Archives of Internal Medicine 1997, 157:769-775.
4. Jiang W, Babyak M, Krantz DS, et al. Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia and cardiac events. — JAMA 1996, 275:1651-1656.
5. Per Stephen Sinatra, M.D. the preventive Cardiologist presentation at The Fourth World Conference on Nutritional Medicine, May 2004, Nikko Hotel, San Francisco, CA.
6. Risk Factors: Radiation — National Cancer Institute
7. Bellieni CV, Pinto I, Bogi A, Zoppetti N, Andreuccetti D, Buonocore G. Exposure to electromagnetic fields from laptop use of “laptop” computers. — Arch Environ Occup Health. 2012;67(1):31-6. PubMed PMID: 22315933.
8. Cell Phones and Cancer Risk — National Cancer Institute
9. Hyland GJ. Physics and biology of mobile telephony. — Lancet 2000 Nov 25;356(9244):1833-6.
10. Kantor, LS. A dietary assessment of the U.S. food supply. — Nutrition Week 1999; 29(3):4-5.
11. Preuss, H. G. “Sugar-Induced Blood Pressure Elevations Over the Lifespan of Three Substrains of Wistar Rats.” — J Am Coll of Nutrition, 1998;17(1) 36-37.
12. Sucrose Induces Diabetes in Cat. Federal Protocol. 1974;6(97).
13. Yoo, Sunmi, et al. “Comparison of Dietary Intakes Associated with Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors in Young Adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study” — Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Oct;80(4):841-848.
14. Schmidt A.M. et al. “Activation of receptor for advanced glycation end products: a mechanism for chronic vascular dysfunction in diabetic vasculopathy and atherosclerosis.” — Circ Res.1999 Mar 19;84(5):489-97.
15. Postgraduate Medicine. Sept 1969:45:602-07.
16. Valenzuela A, Morgado A. Trans fatty acid isomers in human health and in the food industry. — Biol. Res. 32(4):273-87.
17. Willett WC, Sampfer MJ, Manson JE, et al. Intake of trans fatty acids and the risk of coronary artery disease among women. Lancet 1993. 341: 581-85
18. Ascherio A, Hennekens CH, Buring JE, et al.Trans-fatty acids intake and risk of myocardial infarction. — Circulation 1994. 89 (1):94-101
19. Lichtenstein AH, Trans-fatty acids and cardiovascular disease risk. Curr. Opin  Lipidol. 2000. 11(1):37-42.
20. Campbell TC, Parpia B, Chen J. Diet, lifestyle, and the etiology of coronary artery disease: the Cornell China study. — Am J Cardiol 1998 Nov 26;82(10B):18T-21T.
21. Grayston JT, Kuo C-C, Campbell LA, Wang SP, Jackson L. Chlamydia pneumoniae and cardiovascular disease. — Cardiologia 1997;42:1145-51.

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But this may shock you even more: Middle-aged Americans are the fastest rising age group for stroke risk.

Let’s look at what causes a stroke and the risk factors involved, especially if you are between the age of 35 and 64 years of age…

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Some statistics

Annually more than 795,000 Americans have a stroke. Worse, stroke kills about 133,000 Americans each year — ranking No. 5 among all causes of death in the US — that’s approximately 1 out of every 20 deaths. We also know that stroke risk increases with age.

What is surprising to me is the increasing stroke risk in the middle age group. In 2009, 34% of people hospitalized for stroke were less than 65 years old. And according to an American Stroke Association conference presentation (no source for this), results from a national study revealed that stroke rates among young men had increased by 51 percent since the mid-1990s.  In males aged 35 to 44, stroke occurrence had increased by 47 percent; for females in the same age bracket, it rose by 36 percent.

We’ll look closer at the risk factors a bit later.

First signs of a stroke

The first five major signs of stroke are the following:

1. Sudden weakness in an arm, leg, or face (e.g. drooling, facial paralysis) that lasts longer than 10 minutes. In the case of facial paralysis, know that Bell’s Palsy (almost always temporary for weeks only) is a far more common cause of facial droop than a stroke in the brain.  A brain stroke can cause paralysis to the lower face only, while Bell’s palsy causes paralysis to the entire side of your face. Bell’s palsy patients cannot close their affected eyelid completely and also show paralysis of the affected forehead muscles.
2. Sudden numbness in an arm, leg or your face that lasts longer than 10 minutes
3. Sudden confusion; or difficulty speaking and/or comprehending speech
4. Sudden visual changes in one or both eyes; this often takes an ophthalmologist to distinguish between a stroke in the brain from a retinal or intrinsic eye problem
5. Sudden balance or coordination change

A sudden severe headache could be associated with a stroke, but would not generally be the reason for a stroke work up in the emergency department.

Of course, it is best when a victim of stroke symptoms can get to an Emergency Room (ER) as fast as you can. Why? Every minute counts!

The sooner you get to the ER for a computed tomography (CT) scan to rule out bleeding or masses, and get clot busters, the better your prognosis will be. It could mean the difference between complete resolution and permanent disability. That’s because, after 3 hours from the onset of stroke symptoms, clot busters begin to lose their effectiveness rapidly and are not effective at all after 6 hours. The thrombolytic medicine Tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA) works to totally reverse stroke symptoms in more than 33 percent of patients, but can also cause bleeding in 6% which worsens a stroke. As you can see, stroke prevention is super important. Let’s look further into that.

The mechanism of stroke

Let me first describe how a stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurs. Blood supply to a part of the brain is disrupted and brain cells to die. This happens in two general ways. Clot (embolism) from the heart (e.g. in atrial fibrillation) or an artery that travels to the brain accounts for approximately 85 percent of strokes. Bleeding (hemorrhage) into the brain from a broken blood vessel (usually related to atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries) accounts for the other 15 percent and is considered more deadly — resulting in about 40% of all stroke deaths.

A transient ischemic attack (TIA, mini-stroke) is on the other end of the stroke spectrum. It is similar to a stroke but is only a short-lived (less than 24 hours) impairment of brain function that resolves without any permanent disability.

The risk factors for a stroke

Major risk factors for stroke at any age are also the major risk factors for coronary artery (heart) disease.  These include:

• Tobacco smoking. This doubles your risk of stroke
• High blood pressure. This is caused by inflammatory foods, stressful lifestyle, smoking, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle.
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus. This is promoted by inflammatory foods, stressful lifestyle, obesity, sedentary lifestyle.
• High total cholesterol (above 200 mg/dl) high LDL cholesterol (above 100) or low HDL cholesterol (below 45). Remember: more important than the level of cholesterol are the factors that cause inflammation and sticky cholesterol.
• Lack of physical activity or exercise. Even independent from body weight, exercise and activity are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
• Obesity

The risk factors for stroke in the middle years of life are just a bit different, however.

Apparently, in younger and middle-aged patients who suffer from a stroke, there is more intense pressure from swelling after the event because the brain hasn’t shrunk as it does in older people. The thought is that younger adults have less space available to alleviate building pressure.

An interesting study was done on middle-aged men in Eastern Europe (Lithuania) revealed that serum cholesterol and body mass index were not even related to the risk of death from stroke. The followed 2295 men for an average of 17.5 years and found it was systolic blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking that were the strongest risk factors for stroke deaths in these middle-aged men. Twenty-five percent of strokes in this age group were attributed only to hypertension and 19 percent of stroke deaths were attributed only to smoking.

Another similar study among middle-aged men and women in Finland followed 8077 men and 8572 women prospectively for an average of 16.4 years. It revealed that diabetes was the top risk factor for stroke, especially in women.

Sources:

1. Stroke Facts — U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
2. Hemorrhagic stroke — National Stroke Association
3. Ridker PM, Rifai N, Rose L, Buring JE, Cook NR. Comparison of C-reactive protein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the prediction of first cardiovascular events — The New England Journal of Medicine. 2002 Nov 14;347(20):1557-65.
4. Guize L, Benetos A, Thomas F, Malmejac A, Ducimetiere P. [Cholesterolemia and total, cardiovascular and cancer mortality. Study of a cohort of 220,000 people] — Bulletin de L’Académie Nationale de Médecine. 1998 182(3):631-47.
5. Rastenyte D, Tuomilehto J, Domarkiene S, Cepaitis Z, Reklaitiene R. Risk factors for death from stroke in middle-aged Lithuanian men: results from a 20-year prospective study — Stroke. 1996 Apr;27(4):672-6. PubMed PMID: 8614928.
6. Tuomilehto J, Rastenyte D, Jousilahti P, Sarti C, Vartiainen E. Diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for death from stroke. Prospective study of the middle-aged Finnish population — Stroke. 1996 Feb;27(2):210-5. PubMed PMID: 8571411.

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