Dr. Health - Holistic Medicine
HEALTH GALLERY NUTRITION CENTER NEWSLETTER
September 2008
Red Flag Concerns To Good Health!!!
Red Flag #1: All Sugars
Sadly, the average consumption of fructose (which is sweeter than cane sugar) has doubled between 1980 and 1994. Soft drinks and some fruit drinks are a major source of fructose and corn syrup, but it is also found in many other products, from crackers to salad dressing. Fructose, as well as other sugars, contains zero enzymes, vitamins or minerals and they leech micronutrients from your body.
Why is sugar used in so many products? Because, after air, water, and salt, it's the cheapest ingredient in the American food chain (and we know how the food industry likes to save money). I'd also urge you to be on the lookout for sugar in its many disguises conveniently (for the food industry) labeled as chicory, inulin, corn syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, fruit fructose, and others.
Walt Edwards, Ph.D. - Dr. Health
Red Flag #2: Gluten
Another major "health torpedo" you want to watch out for. Wheat (and other grains containing gluten) is NOT your friend. My experience has shown that you could well be one of the estimated 1 in 10 people who have at least a subclinical intolerance to gluten protein. This is actually a food allergy. I recommend avoiding gluten, even the organic whole-grain types for at least 10 days and see for yourself if you may have a problem with gluten. Another idea would be not to eat gluten products every day.
Gluten intolerance has been linked to miscarriage, autism, intestinal disease (including irritable bowel syndrome), malnutrition, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, and developmental delay in children, just to name a few. Oftentimes, your gluten sensitivity may be expressed by various unexplained symptoms, even weight gain or a gut ache due to bloating.
Red Flag #3:
According to Dr. Tim Reynolds, MD, who is a practicing physician and a health and lifestyle expert, the two most important predictors of your cardiac risk is homocysteine and C-reactive protein (CRP). My previous newsletters have covered these two very important subjects, but Dr. Reynolds's comments may provide the reader some additional information.
Homocysteine is an amino acid that occurs naturally and can be measured in the blood. The correlation between homocysteine and coronary artery disease is not completely understood but it has been noted that homocysteine levels higher than 14 are associated with a higher risk of heart disease. The best way to prevent elevated homocysteine levels is to ensure you are taking sufficient amounts of the B vitamins and folate either through diet or supplementation.
C-reactive protein is a marker for inflammation of the arteries. It is now thought that inflammation plays a large role in contributing to heart disease. CRP is not routinely measured, but it should be. Elevated levels can identify individuals at increased risk for heart disease. If you find that your CRP levels are high, increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables along with antioxidant supplements. Allergies, asthma, eczema, autoimmune disease and some types of arthritis are chronic forms of low-grade inflammation. The immune system mounts defenses that go beyond what is necessary, reaching an elevated plateau where inflammation becomes damaging to otherwise healthy tissues.
Inflammation may explain why women taking Premarin have slightly increased risk of heart attack; Premarin causes C-reactive protein levels to climb. Data from the Framingham cohort correlated high C-reactive protein with calcification of the coronary arteries. Well-established cardiac risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, smoking, hypertension and chronic periodontal disease all increase inflammation and C-reactive protein levels in the body. Fat cells literally pump out C-reactive protein, which could explain why an over-weight condition adds stress for the heart.
Vitamin E and aspirin are thought to protect against heart disease because their blood-thinning (anti-platelet) effect to which this decrease in risk has been attributed. However, they both also have anti-inflammatory activity which may be their true value in reducing heart disease. Customer reports on Sedona Lab's Seraphase have been positive as well as vitamin C, Omega 3 fish oil and Nattokinase supplements taken daily are also helpful in controlling inflammation. All antioxidant supplements help to control free radicals produced by inflammation.
Red Flag #4: Gardasil vaccine
A month after 13 year old Jenny Tetlock was vaccinated against the HPV virus, she missed the lowest hurdle in gym class. It was the first sign of a degenerative muscle disease that 15 months later left her nearly completely paralyzed. Her father, Philip Tetlock, a professor at UC Berkeley, has embarked on an odyssey to find out whether the vaccine, Gardasil, is to blame. Tetlock is not the only one concerned. The public watchdog group Judicial Watch has been periodically obtaining adverse event reports on Gardasil from the FDA. Ten deaths have been linked to Gardasil since September 2007, and there have been 140 reports so far this year of serious side effects such as miscarriage and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Red Flag #5:
It's an unfortunate truth that many of your so-called natural health "advocates" are in fact working for Big Pharma's benefit, not for yours. Just as the Natural Products Association and the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) have been instrumental in forcing drug-like rules on dietary supplements in the United States, most of the vitamin trade associations, including the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA), in essence being the voice of government within the industry, rather than the voice of industry to the government. These large companies like Bayer, Monsanto, BASF, and Archer Daniels Midland benefit from increased regulatory hurdles because it helps them squelch smaller competitors. Not exactly the most nutritionally responsible group imaginable!
Nutritional companies that participate in the CRN are in most cases owned by pharmaceutical companies, or are heavily invested in pharmaceutical companies. These include well-known names like: Mannatech, Shaklee, Herbalife, The Vitamin Shoppe and GNC. These large nutritional companies, who have pharmaceutical industry ties, are more than happy to promote legislation that helps eliminate competition from small companies and start up ventures.
Red Flag #6: Can Fungus Cause Cancer?
Dr. T. Simoncini, MD (Oncologist) has conducted research on this subject and believes that something as simple as a fungus, Candida, is the leading cause of cancer; that cancer itself is in fact a fungus. What we refer to as a tumor, is nothing more than your body's attempt at protecting itself from that fungus. He brings up an analogy between psoriasis—an "incurable" disease of the skin that many treat as a fungus—and tumors, which are also an "incurable" disease of your body have linked the presence of Candida with cancer, showing that anywhere between 79 to 97 percent of all cancer patients also have Candida. For more information about this interesting connection between fungus and cancer check out http://candida-international.blogspot.com/2007/03/is-cancer-caused-by-candida-fungus.html.
Daily Message To Your Higher Self: Help me to say to others what is needed! Let me be to others what is needed! Let me do to others what is needed! Let me take time today to smell the roses! Let me be glad I can do all of the above!
Contact Dr. Health:
Walt Edwards, Ph.D.
29820 Ellensburg Avenue
PO Box 283
Gold Beach, OR 97444
541-247-7077
walt4health@gmail.com
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