After the attack: How to rebuild your heart in 3 easy steps

If you’ve ever had a heart attack, your post-care was probably a scene right out of the Six Million Dollar Man. A primary care doc, cardiologist, surgeon and nutritionist all standing around promising “We can rebuild you. We have the technology.”

The truth is, you can rebuild your heart after an attack—but not with mainstream medicine’s technology. Why? Because doctors looking to treat something as serious as heart attacks tend to fall back on their two best and potentially harmful friends—surgery and drugs.

If you suffered a heart attack, there’s a good chance you went under the knife for an often-useless bypass surgery or stent. And I’d darn-near guarantee they have you choking down a baby aspirin, beta blocker, statin cholesterol drug and possibly an ACE inhibitor every day.

What no one is telling you, of course, is that research shows that both bypass and stents rarely prevent more heart attacks or prolong life. Drugs may cause more problems than they solve as many doctors minimize or deny their common side effects. Drugs alone do not supply your injured heart with the important nutrients it needs to pump more blood and support a higher level of general fitness and health.

What you need is a plan that will not only prevent another heart attack, but will allow you to rebuild your heart stronger than ever.

Step #1: Turn back the clock on this ticking time bomb

When it comes to heart attacks, the plaque in your arteries is literally a ticking time bomb. You see, the plaque builds up and becomes unstable. Next thing you know, a piece of it breaks off or ruptures, creating a blockage that keeps blood and oxygen from reaching your heart.

More than half of all heart attacks happen this way.

To prevent this type of heart attack, you need to stabilize your plaque. The good news is that there’s mounting evidence that the omega 3 fats found in fish oils are perfect for this.

I know, I know…You’ve heard me tell you at least 1,000 times about how effective fish oils can be at lowering your triglyceride levels and the number of dangerous, small, dense LDL cholesterol particles. But it turns out fish oil also reduces inflammation in your arteries and makes your artery plaque more stable. That means less chance of it breaking off or rupturing and suddenly blocking an artery.

Fish oils can even protect your heart from fatal arrhythmias! A dose as low as 1000 mg total EPA and DHA (be sure to read the label for the amounts) can be enough to protect you. Most 1000 mg capsules contain only 300 mg DHA and EPA (30 percent potency), so you’re looking at about three capsules a day.

I wouldn’t recommend capsules for reducing inflammation or stabilizing your plaque. You need 2000 to 3000 mg total DHA and EPA, and I’m guessing you don’t want to take 7-10 capsules a day. Consider the liquid form from Carlson’s (www.carlsonlabs.com) or Nordic Naturals (www.nordicnaturals.com).

Vitamin D is another excellent anti-inflammatory, and most Americans are deficient. Low levels are associated with a risk of heart problems. Have your doctor check your 25 OH Vitamin D level, and try to keep your level between 40 and 60 nanograms per milliliter. That’ll probably require 2000 IUs or more of vitamin D3 daily.

Step #2: Change your diet—and slash your heart-attack risk by 70%!

I really can’t believe that there are still nutritionists and doctors putting heart attack survivors on very low-fat diets. If you’re on one now, you’ve been given some terrible advice.

Here’s the fact: Your body needs adequate, healthy fat after a heart attack to rebuild and repair damage. At least 30 percent of your total calories need to come from healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, and avocadoes—and there’s nothing wrong with small amounts of saturated fats from healthy organic-source meats, poultry, butter, and cheese.

If you’ve had a heart attack, eating the right foods (and getting enough fat) can work two to three times as well as the best cholesterol-lowering statin drug. Back in the late 1990s, the famous Lyons Heart Study took patients who had just had a heart attack and put them on a sensible Mediterranean-style diet, with loads of fruits and vegetables, chicken, fish, nuts and beans—plus an omega 3-rich margarine.

The results were eye-opening —a full 70 percent reduction in further heart attacks. Deaths dropped by 45 percent!

Statin drugs, under the same circumstances, typically lower the risk of future heart attacks by about 25-35 percent—so they’re about half as effective as the Mediterranean diet. Plus, you’ll end up spending around $1,000 a year while dealing with side effects that are serious enough that 10-15 percent of patients who are prescribed statins eventually stop taking them.

There are plenty of useful and affordable books on the Medi­terranean diet—most containing delicious recipes. Visit www.amazon.com, type in “Mediterranean diet,” and you’ll be off and running.

Step #3: Put your heart on an energy plan

The number-one complaint I hear from people after they’ve had heart attacks is that they just don’t feel like themselves any more. They can’t find the energy to perform everyday tasks, let alone start an exercise regimen to strengthen their hearts.

If you’re going through this, it’s completely normal. Your heart likely suffered some damage and is not operating at full efficiency, which is sapping your energy. But sitting around is only going to make things worse. You need to give your heart the nutrients it needs to pump more efficiently, and you should start to see your energy levels improve.

The supplements your heart needs fall into three classes—I call them The Fuel, The Cleanup Crew, and The Muscle Builders.

• The Fuel: Your “motor” can’t run without it

I’m sure you’ve heard your heart referred to as your body’s engine. And just as your car’s engine runs on gasoline, your heart runs on a little molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP for short). Now stay with me here, because this gets a little scientific.

As ATP is broken down, it releases energy and then is recycled. This cycle is important to giving your busy heart the energy it needs.

To recycle ATP, you need our first “fuel” supplement—ribose. A good supply of ribose will allow you to use ATP more efficiently, which helps your energy levels improve. Ribose is taken in powder form—5 to 20 mgs a day, depending on your need (You can order it at www.corvalen.com).

Magnesium also helps in the regeneration of ATP and has a calming effect that can help prevent irregular rhythms and a fast heart. You should avoid magnesium oxide, the usual Rx from most doctors—it’s poorly absorbed. Look for magnesium citrate, glycinate, orotate or lactate. Take 400-800 mg in the evening—it promotes healthy sleep.

Finally, carnitine helps you burn fat (and, remember, you’re going to be eating more fat) for energy. Try 2-4 grams of carnitine every day to get an energy boost.

• The Cleanup Crew: Clear out the waste to protect your heart from damage

When your car burns energy, it produces waste—the exhaust that comes out of your tailpipe. Your heart, too, produces waste when it burns energy, and this waste—known as free radicals—can cause damage and lead to chronic disease if you don’t get rid of it.

Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant that sops up the free radicals normally generated by energy production. Your heart needs large amounts of CoQ10, but if you’re on a statin drug it can lower your body’s levels by up to 50 percent. CoQ10 supplementation is important for anyone with an ailing heart and should be mandatory for anyone on a statin —take 100 to 300 mg a day (try the gel cap formulation for proper absorption).

Vitamin E can limit the production of free radicals, making it an important part of your cleanup crew. You need a full, natural, complex vitamin E that includes gamma tocopherol (NOT alpha tocopherol, which is ineffective).

You can get it from unrefined, minimally-processed wheat germ oil (see www.spectrumorganics.com). In this form you probably need less than the widely recommended 400 IUs daily—a tablespoon or two a day may be all you need.

Grape seed extract in capsule from is an excellent choice, too. Try 100-200 mg daily. Really, you can’t go wrong if you find a product that contains “Masquelier’s Own OPC.” OPC is short for oligogomeric proanthro-cyanadins, the scientific name for the antioxidants doing the heavy lifting.

• The Muscle Builders: A strong heart is a healthy heart

This may sound like a country music song, but it takes more than love to make a heart strong. Now that we’ve focused on giving your heart the fuel it needs and sopping up the damaging waste, we can turn to some proven muscle builders that can boost your heart’s strength.

Taurine is an amino acid that improves heart muscle contraction, can normalize blood pressure and supports a healthy balance between excitatory and calming brain neurotransmitters. I recommend 2-4 grams daily.

The hawthorn plant also can strengthen heart muscle contractions and improve blood flow to the heart. It’s commonly used in Europe, and clinical trials show it’s particularly effective for people with milder forms of early-stage heart failure. These people saw their quality of life and exercise capacity improve after just eight weeks.

I recommend an easy-to-use, fast-acting syrup (www.hawthornsyrup.com), which is safe for long-term use.

IMPORTANT: Heart disease requires a health care professional in the picture. Although all of the above measures are safe, I do not recommend you self treat, except for your diet. Please keep your doctor in the loop.

Take a peek inside my “medicine cabinet”
Here are the 10 supplements I wouldn’t be without—you can use them to enjoy your best health ever.

If you’ve been reading Health Revelations for a while, you know by now that I recommend a lot of different products. Let’s face it—we all have unique health needs, and there’s a large market out there to serve them.

But I get asked all the time which supplements I use or prescribe the most—which are the core products that I feel are most important to good health…the ones I wouldn’t want to live without. In general, I think the best supplement is the one you’re not getting enough of. The American diet is notoriously short on omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D, magnesium, zinc and vitamin B6, for example. These deficiencies have been linked to everything from heart disease to Alzheimer’s.

So, a good whole-foods diet and a quality multi-vitamin can solve—or prevent—many of your health problems. Beyond that, I’m a big believer in the following 10 supplements, which have been proven to promote general health and fight many of the ailments we face as we age.

1. The miracle Aztec grain

If you’ve read a bit about salba, you know it almost sounds too good to be true. It’s an ancient Aztec grain that has been rediscovered by modern science because of its impressive nutrition credentials. In the interest of full disclosure, the parent company that publishes Health Revelations also sells salba. And I support it whole-heartedly because this stuff is the real deal.

Salba provides omega 3 fatty acids, magnesium, calcium, folate and antioxidants packed into a whole-food form. What this supercharged food seems to do best is supply a steady energy boost that lasts all day. This may be due to its ability to stabilize blood sugar and keep you out of the “hunger zone.” That means it’s great for diabetics and pre-diabetics, but also great for healthy people who want to stay that way.

I throw a couple of tablespoons on my morning oatmeal or barley, along with some nuts and blueberries.

2. The “apple a day” cure for arthritis and colds

A Vermont doctor, D.C. Jarvis, started experimenting with apple cider vinegar in the 1950s, and it’s clear now he was on to something. Apple cider vinegar is potentially useful for the relief of arthritis pain, heartburn and the prevention and treatment of colds and sore throats. It is often teamed up with honey—preferably raw.

Studies from the United States and Sweden show that a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a meal can blunt your post-meal blood sugar spikes, so it makes sense to include it in any diabetic care program (minus the honey). Mix it with a little water or use it on your salads with some olive or flax-seed oil.

3. A nutrient powerhouse for people on the go

Green drinks are mixable powders that preserve the nutritional value of the original fruits and vegetables. They deliver more antioxidants to your blood and, in my experience, people tend to feel energized when they drink them.

It’d be great if we all ate ideal diets with a daily rainbow of fruits and vegetables. The truth is, many of us don’t. Green drinks offer a valid back-up that can help make up the difference.

My favorite green drinks are VitaminMineral Green (www.healthforce.com), Berry Green (www.newchapter.com) and Nano Greens (www.nano-greens.com). I think Nano Greens is the best tasting of the lot.

4. The root that started a revolution

Rhodiola rosea is a plant root harvested from the mountain slopes of Russia, Mongolia and China. It is used to boost energy and libido, promote healthy aging, improve mood, memory and cognition, and enhance athletic performance.

Because it supports the adrenal and thyroid glands, it’s an excellent first-line therapy for the typical stressed out, fatigued, mildly depressed casualty of our modern pedal-to-the-metal lifestyle.

For more info, get your hands on The Rhodiola Revolution by Richard P. Brown MD and Patricia L. Gerbarg MD (husband and wife). I strongly recommend RhodiolaForce 100 (www.newchapter.com).

5. Let this mood-booster go straight to your head

If you want to gently boost your mood, think more clearly and calm down, consider theanine. Theanine is an amino acid found in green tea. It increases your brain’s levels of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter associated with motivation, reward, mood, sleep attention, learning and speech.

Theanine also moderates levels of the stress hormones adrenalin and noradrenalin (aka epinephrine and norepinephrine) and may protect against the degeneration of brain cells. Look for products with Suntheanine, which can be easily located on the Internet. Take 100 -200 mg once or twice day. It may even help you sleep.

6. Become an alpha male (or female)

Alpha lipoic acid, referred to as the “universal antioxidant,” is one of the most useful supplements in my practice. It helps regenerate several major antioxidants—such as vitamins E and C, glutathione and Coenzyme Q10—back to their active states.

It is useful for the treatment of diabetes, liver disease and liver failure, glaucoma and peripheral neuropathy—usually a loss of feeling in the feet or hands—in folks with diabetes. I’d recommend 100- 200 mg a day for general health support, and up to 600 mg daily or more for specific conditions. I use Designs for Health, but Jarrow and NOW make more widely available versions. You can find all these products on the Internet.

7. Forget dying on the vine…

Grape-seed extract (GSE) is a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation. It helps prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and forming plaque on your blood vessel walls.

It makes platelets more slippery, helping prevent the formation of artery-blocking clots. It’s also useful for high blood pressure, wound healing, arthritis and brain cell support and protection.

I prescribe it in supplement form, usually Grape Seed Supreme from Designs For Health, although you can’t go wrong with any product that contains “Masquelier’s Own OPC.” Masquelier is the French scientist who did much of the early research on GSE.

8. Plant the seeds for pain relief

Zyflamend is a botanical anti-inflammatory made by New Chapter. It includes a total of nine traditional and well-studied plant extracts, including ginger, curcumin, rosemary and green tea. Use Zyflamend instead of dangerous NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen for arthritis treatment.

Because Zyflamend is an anti-inflammatory, it may be an effective support for early prostate cancer. If you have prostate issues in general, it’s worth a try.

9. Increase your dependence on oil

Wheat-germ oil is loaded with vitamin E and a fatty alcohol, octacosanol. Together they pack a powerful punch that may lower cholesterol and improve your performance and endurance when you exercise. I recommend wheat-germ oil from Spectrum Naturals (www.spectrumorganics). A tablespoon or two a day should be plenty for most people.

10. A sweet solution for heart health

I’ve written quite a bit about dark chocolate in past issues and it remains something of a darling of the medical media.

Chocolate is a rich source of bioflavonoids and, ounce for ounce, is one of the best sources of anti-oxidants out there. Even small amounts can lower your blood pressure and protect your heart. The main fat in chocolate, stearic acid, is cholesterol neutral, meaning it will not increase your cholesterol levels. Chocolate also has phenylethylamine (PEA), which can serve as a mild and short-acting antidepressant.

Because of the calories and, in some people, the risk of overstimulation, I recommend no more than an ounce or two of dark chocolate a few times a week. Plain cocoa powder and chocolate nibs are a low-calorie, sugar-free alternative, which you may prefer.

So there you’ve had it—a look inside my “medicine cabinet” at the 10 supplements I couldn’t be without. But I always point out that good self-care should go beyond supplements and focus on the fundamentals—good nutrition from whole foods, exercise, less stress, adequate sleep, attending to relationships with family, friends and workmates, and last, but not least, taking care of your spiritual needs.

Forgotten cures
The “magic” spice that could ward off dementia

Hundreds of years ago, explorers would sail for months to reach the Far East so they could trade for its various “magical” spices. Well, as the mysticism has died down and the science has ramped up, it turns out that one of these spices may be pretty magical after all.

The scientific community is rushing to learn more about curcumin, a component of turmeric, which is a cooking spice used to flavor curry in India. Tumeric gives curry its characteristic yellow color, and it’s been used for healing in the Indian Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese cultures for centuries. And it just may be the secret to keeping your brain sharp and your body cancer-free.

Dementia figures lead to curry connection

What initially caught scientists’ attention was the fact that India has such a low incidence of dementia among its elderly population. This is a mostly-impoverished nation that has large geographic areas with very poor health care. So how were India’s seniors managing to avoid the ailments associated with aging that are so common in America?

The answer, people realized, must be in the diet. And, sure enough, research is uncovering very strong evidence that the curcumin in turmeric may help prevent or slow down the progression to Alzheimer’s dementia. It appears to attack the beta amyloid protein plaques that form in response to inflammation in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.

You see, inflammation is an important—but sometimes dangerous—body function. It’s how your immune system reacts to an immediate danger, such as an invasive bacteria, physical injury or toxic chemical. But when your body can’t bring the inflammation back under control once the threat is neutralized, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia can develop.

Curcumin also supports nerve groups in the brain that promote memory and combat the effects of physical and emotional stress, depression and anxiety.

Fight arthritis, asthma and even cancer

Because curcumin fights inflammation, it also can prove useful against arthritis. It even helps prevent the degradation and loss of cartilage by specific enzymes that destroy cartilage cells. That’s basically the same function of much stronger—and particularly dangerous—prescription drugs used to treat more severe forms of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Other research shows curcumin may be helpful in stabilizing mast cells in allergic diseases like asthma. Mast cells are like big bags of nasty chemicals that are discharged in response to an allergen, such as dust mites or pollen. It’s these chemicals that are responsible for many allergic symptoms.

Cancer researchers are looking into curcumin for its ability to both prevent and treat cancer. It may be useful in helping stop or slow the spread of already active breast cancer. It also may help prevent something called angiogenesis, which is the formation of blood vessels that cancer cells use to obtain nourishment and support their growth.

Cancer cells live too long, which is one reason tumors grow. Curcumin helps regulate cell death, which is desirable for cancer prevention.

Turn your spice rack into a medicine cabinet

Probably the best thing about curcumin is that it’s incredibly safe in amounts normally ingested in the diet. Overdo it and you may be looking at a bit of diarrhea or indigestion, but such cases are rare. So enjoy the benefits of curcumin in your diet by using curry as a flavoring. Cooking it in oil (as most curries are) may actually improve its usefulness in your body.

Not surprisingly, curcumin has found its way into a number of botanical anti-inflammatory remedies. The one I prefer to use in my own practice is Zyflamend (New Chapter), which includes curcumin along with eight other well-researched components.

Your Questions Answered
End the Stone Age: Follow this regimen to prevent kidney stones for good

Q. I recently passed a kidney stone and if I never pass another, it’ll be too soon. How can I make sure this never happens again? I’m 72 years old and don’t take any medications.

––Anne S., Wellington, FL

A:First off, you should see if Uncle Sam will send you a Purple Heart. Passing a kidney stone is no small matter. At some point in their lives, up to 5 percent of Americans will experience the often-excruciating back pain—sometimes radiating down to the groin—that accompanies kidney stones.

Contrary to what Bob Dylan may have preached, everyone does not need to get stoned. Kidney stones are often entirely preventable, and can be addressed through some dietary or lifestyle changes. By understanding how these stones form, you can get a handle on exactly which steps you need to take to prevent them.

Keep those stones from rolling

Kidney stones result from the crystallization of salts that separate out from the urine. To keep kidney stones from coming back, you need to know what your particular stones are made from.

Your doc can find this out by screening your urine during the pain episode until you pass the stone.

Over 70 percent of all stones are made from calcium in combination with something called oxalate or phosphate.

Your doctor may also want to check to see if you absorb abnormally high amounts of calcium—what is called a “hyperabsorber.” This can be determined by measuring the calcium levels in your urine over 24 hours, or by checking your body’s response to a calcium load. If you are, there’s a specific treatment that is beyond the scope of this discussion.

You can’t get water from a stone—and vice-versa

I notice you live in Florida, and kidney stones may be more common in warmer states. You need to keep yourself well hydrated, especially when you get physically active and sweat.

Whatever you’re drinking now, make sure you drink more—add at least another liter of fluid a day. Make it water or low-sodium vegetable juice. Vegetable juice is rich in magnesium and potassium, both of which can help protect you from further stones.

Add more servings of potassium- and magnesium-rich fruits and vegetables. Their high antioxidant content will also support general health, vitality and longevity.

If you are consuming large amounts of animal protein—fish, chicken, beef, lamb and dairy—cut back to 50 percent on the serving size. Notice I did not say cut out—just cut back. Large amounts of protein are associated with kidney stones.

Salt also can lead to kidney stones—especially the processed industrial table salt sold in supermarkets and commonly used in processed, packaged foods. A little bit of sea salt at the table, however, should be fine.

Grapefruit juice and soft drinks both may increase the risk of another stone, so I’d skip them both. There’s some controversy over whether coffee and tea make matters worse. They’re mostly water—but in some folks they have a mild diuretic effect, causing you to lose more fluid than you take in. Cut back if you’re drinking more than a cup a day.

This mineral trio can keep you stone-free

Three minerals can help you avoid kidney stones—calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Unless you are a hyperabsorber of calcium, increasing dietary calcium actually helps prevent stones. This is because calcium binds oxalate in the gut, allowing it to be excreted through your bowels.

Get your extra calcium from fruits, vegetables and nuts—kelp, collard and turnip greens, almonds, brewer’s yeast, brazil nuts, dried figs, beet greens and broccoli are excellent sources. These foods will also supply healthy amounts of magnesium and potassium, two other nutrients that help prevent kidney stones. If you are taking a calcium supplement, make sure it’s calcium citrate and make sure you take it with meals. Taking it on an empty stomach promotes excessive absorption, which you want to avoid since the goal is to get calcium to bind oxalate in your gut and then excrete it.

Potassium (1600 mg) and magnesium citrate (500 mg) are available in a combined supplement form, and are effective at reducing the risk of kidney stones. High quality products are available from Thorne Research and Pure Encapsulations—you’ll find their products plenty of places online.

Several herbs, including borage, gravel root, horsetail and buchu have traditionally been used to treat and prevent kidney stones. Unless you are working with an experienced health care professional, I do not recommend you try them on your own. Give the other measures I’ve discussed a shot. They are safe, well supported by science and they help promote general health.

Wean off of antidepressants and still feel better—every single day

I’m against the overuse of drugs, and antidepressants are especially overused in the treatment of low mood and depression. There’s mounting evidence that they don’t work for anyone but the most severely depressed patients. Yet if you tell your doctor you’ve been feeling down, it’s likely he’ll have a script written before you finish your sentence.

Think of depression as a symptom that may signal an underlying physiological condition. By taking a drug that could potentially band-aid a more serious condition, the result is you receive a non-diagnosis.

If you have a clear family history of depression, understand that genes play a large role and you may benefit from medication. Behaviors learned as a child in a depressed family may compound the problem. The right medication or combination of drugs in the hands of an experienced practitioner can literally give you back your life.

But take a close look at your life situation first. Prolonged stress due to economic hardship, work demands, unhealthy relationships and social isolation can result in a huge load that affects your ability to manage your mood. Then there are the things you may be doing to yourself—such as eating poorly, leading a sedentary lifestyle and not getting enough sunshine. Even exposure to toxic chemicals in your water, food, and the air you’re breathing can contribute to your mood.

See why it’s not as easy as taking one pill for relief?

Looking beyond the tip of the iceberg

Trouble handling stress over the years can have a snowball effect, taking a serious toll on your brain and mood. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol disturb normal neurotransmitter functioning and proper balance. Adding fuel to the fire can be a lack of good nutrition. The combination of a prolonged stress response and a poor diet can result in insulin resistance, throwing off your sex hormone balance, which in turn can aggravate your mood problems. Excess cortisol and insulin will continue to drive sex-hormone imbalance—and those mood challenges. The cycle will continue until it feels insurmountable. But there are ways to get control back—without spending your life on prescription drugs.

Sleep habits impact mood

Sleep issues are often linked to depression­­––but not in the way you might think. Although a small percentage of patients (15 percent or so) have the desire to sleep too much, the most common sleep disturbance is actually insomnia.

Lack of sleep can cause your serotonin levels to dip. Research has yet to discover whether dips in serotonin cause depression or whether depression leads to dropping serotonin levels. And if you aren’t getting enough sleep, your body is missing out on the very important restorative process that allows your systems to regenerate and recalibrate while you snooze.

Another sleep disturbance that has been strongly linked to depression is obstructive sleep apnea. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter needed by the nerves that control your breathing. As you can imagine, a lack of this neurotransmitter can lead to the breathing problems associated with sleep apnea. And having this condition can wreak havoc on your ability to conquer depression. Go to www.google.com and type in “Epworth Sleepiness Scale” where you can self-evaluate for this condition. Report your results to your doctor and have him work with you on the various, excellent non-drug treatments that are available.

Put the brakes on—or your thyroid will

Low mood commonly goes hand in hand with a sluggish thyroid, or hypothyroidism—another commonly missed problem.

Hiding at the root of most thyroid issues is overwhelming stress. If you run your engine at maximum speed for too long, you put your body into a prolonged stress response. Your thyroid gland acts as a kind of speed trap, regulating your metabolism. It can potentially slow it down in order to slow YOU down.

I recommend having your thyroid checked so you can rule it out as a culprit in your depression. If you’re feeling low, a TSH level above 2.0 could spell thyroid problems. Ask your doctor to check your Free T3 thyroid-hormone level. T3 is the active form, and T4 is the less-active storage form. A low or even a low-normal T3 could spell a problem. Your treatment options range from mind-body therapies (more on this in a minute) such as ginseng, ashwagandha or rhodiola—all of which promote hormonal balance—to thyroid hormone replacement or to some combination of these, depending on your individual case.

Depression relief from the inside

While you’re working on solving any of the various physiological factors that could be potentially affecting your mood, there are some healthy habits you can begin developing right away. These include managing your reactions to events so that you won’t have a bout of those low-mood symptoms.

There are natural, effective treatments that don’t involve risky drugs. Some of the side effects of the commonly prescribed drugs can include dizziness, anxiety, loss of libido, insomnia, excessive tiredness, and nausea. That’s just the short list. I’m happy to report that the following treatments share none of these ill effects. I believe that the cornerstone of any depression-treatment plan should include one or more of the following:

• Deep breathing
• Meditation and prayer
• Biofeedback (see www.heartmath.com)
• Guided imagery and hypnosis

These are just some of the things that can help you regain your balance and learn to take control of your response to life’s challenges (and there will always be some). The key here is to determine which therapy (or combination) will work best for you. I’ve found with many patients, including those who are already practicing prayer and meditation, that adding biofeedback can make a big difference in their mood. This method trains you to recognize stress signals and relax when you feel their onslaught.

The power of talk

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can successfully treat mild and moderate depression without a need for medication. In more severe cases, CBT plus medication can work better than medication alone. With the guidance of a therapist, you have the opportunity to examine negative thought patterns you may not even realize you have. When you recognize such thought patterns and practice new, more positive ones, you will feel and function better. Your brain actually undergoes the physical changes associated with the healing of depression. The key word here is practice. Don’t count on a magic-wand effect—there’s no such animal. Ask your doctor for a referral to someone specializing in CBT.

Exercise—the next blockbuster drug?

Big Pharma doesn’t want this information to leak out, but here you have it: Study after study confirms that regular exercise—even as little as 30 minutes of walking five days per week—can improve depression as much as medication. Now, a depressed person may think “That’s the last thing I feel like doing.” If you get moving, the dividends for that investment in time and effort will pay off.

For one thing, your breathing changes with the exertion of exercise, and the deeper breathing can help expel tension your body is holding. Exercise has also been linked to improved sleep—giving your body that shot at restoration it needs each night. And endorphins are also released—your body’s natural painkiller—helping you to literally feel better. These resultant good feelings begin a new cycle toward a greater sense of well being.

Start out slowly and set small goals for yourself. The best exercise is one that you enjoy doing. Dancing, riding a bike, and walking your dog around the neighborhood are just some ideas to get you thinking about what’ll work for you.

Get your essentials

By nourishing yourself with the unprocessed whole foods your body was designed for, you’ll give your brain the nutrients it needs to run itself and balance your neurotransmitters. Nutrients you’ll particularly want to include are:

Omega-3 fatty acids: Take at least 2,000 mg total EPA plus DHA daily. They regulate and improve brain-cell functioning. For the most detailed explanation of how this works, I recommend you read The Omega 3 Connection, by Andrew Stoll, M.D., a Harvard psychiatrist who treats both depression and bipolar disorder with doses ranging from 1,000 mg to over 5,000 mg daily.

B vitamins and folate: Make sure you get enough from food (including blackstrap molasses and brewer’s yeast) and supplements. In one study with depressed patients on antidepressants, researchers looked at the effect of taking 10 mg each of B1, B2 and B6 compared to a placebo. The participants given the B-vitamin treatment showed improvement in their cognitive function and their symptoms of depression. I recommend you get one of the 50 mg formulations that are available. Up to 100 milligrams (1,000 mcg for B12) are certainly safe, as B vitamins are water-soluble and get excreted promptly in the urine. Make sure you also take 400 to 800 micrograms of folate per day. The need for folate in depression is well established.

Vitamin D: Low levels of vitamin D disturb normal neurotransmitter functioning in the brain. Ask your doctor to test your 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels. You’ll want to get your blood level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D to between 50 and 60 nanograms per milliliter with 1,000 to 2,000 IUs of D3 daily.

These are fundamental supports for basic good health and have a direct bearing on your mood and sense of well being, whether you take antidepressants or not.

Go beyond the basics

I recommend that anyone who uses supplements for depression, be sure you work with an experienced professional. You’ll save time and money, and have a much better chance at success. That said, I also recommend the following remedies as useful in safely treating fatigue, low mood and depression (especially in its milder, more prevalent forms).

Rhodiola rosea: This is an herbal adaptogen from Russia that helps normalize and balance your stress hormones and brain neurotransmitters. I see many patients with mild to moderate fatigue, low mood and poor sleep that’s due to the crippling combination of too much stress and a bad diet. Most of these patients’ adrenal glands are overworked and their thyroids are borderline sluggish. Rhodiola can help correct these imbalances while you work on the all-important diet, exercise and stress-handling issues. Most people will experience benefits with a daily dose of 100 to 400 mg. New Chapter’s Rhodiolaforce 100 (www.newchapter.com) comes with instructions on how to build your dose.

• SAMe: An essential molecule found in your body, SAMe is considered a methyl donor. Methylation plays a role in numerous key pathways, including brain neurotransmitter function. Unlike commonly used SSRIs, which can take anywhere from two to six weeks to produce an effect, you can feel improvement with SAMe in a few days to a week. That’s all the time some folks may need. And if you’re severely depressed, SAMe can augment standard drug therapy. Start with 200 mg and gradually adjust upward over 2 to 4 weeks to as high as 800 mg twice daily. Costco actually sells the least expensive, high quality SAM-e.
  
• St. John’s wort: This is the most commonly prescribed antidepressant treatment in Germany for mild to moderate depression. And it’s usually used as an alternative to conventional meds—not in addition to them. There was a highly publicized study in JAMA a few years ago that showed results no better than placebo. (Many studies actually show consistent benefit.) But here’s the story the media didn’t tell you: the popularly prescribed Zoloft tested out lower than St. John’s wort! Also, St. John’s wort is not recommended for severe depression—so it was a waste to even test for that. But there’s no denying the lengths that some will go to make a point to discredit a natural remedy. Quality products are Nature’s Way Perika, Puritan’s Pride St. John’s Wort (www.puritan.com) and New Chapter’s St. John’s SC27.
  
• 5-HTP: 5-hydroxy-tryptophan is a precursor compound to serotonin, the “contentment and healthy sleep” neurotransmitter that’s the target of SSRI drugs like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Lexapro. 5-HTP can be an effective agent (alone or in combination with other treatments) for mild to moderate depression. (It’s also a safe sleep aid—that same tryptophan that causes the post-Thanksgiving-dinner snooze effect.) Dose: Try 5 to 50 mg at bedtime. Jarrow, NOW, Swanson and Nature’s Way are all widely available and reliable products.
  
• Theanine: This amino acid from green tea does some very interesting things in the brain. It can create a “calm focus” by 1) boosting brain dopamine, which stimulates thoughts, language and motivation, 2) acting gently at the GABA receptors in a way that decreases anxiety, and 3) reducing blood levels of the stress hormone epinephrine. The overall effect is subtle but pronounced—especially on people who are neither calm nor focused. Use it alone, with other supplements, or with medication. Caution: green tea does contain caffeine, which can contribute to those sleep problems I just mentioned, as well as the jitters. To avoid those effects, choose decaffeinated green tea.

10 ways to forget dieting—and start losing

Type the word “diet” into www.google.com, and 281 million results pop up. At least, that’s what the number was when I sat down to write this article. It’s probably more than that already.

There’s an entire industry built around weight loss. We’re bombarded with hundreds of diet books every year, each one promising an end to your weight woes.
Please, save your money.

I’m against the commonly understood idea of dieting—“magic-cure”––because the science doesn’t support it. Generally, the primary focus of such diets is deprivation and semi-starvation. It’s one thing to make permanent lifestyle changes in terms of your overall diet. But it’s another thing entirely to briefly overlay a temporary fix atop your life and expect it to maintain sweeping changes indefinitely. Deprivation diets stress your body, which perceives a threat and winds down your metabolism in order to conserve energy. This completely defeats the purpose of what you’re trying to accomplish.

Another casualty of dieting is the ability to feel good about food. You have to try to tough out the cravings brought on by a lack of the nutrients needed to run your body. As soon as you start associating “healthy food” with hardship, rather than as pleasurable and beneficial, it’s a recipe for failure.

Here’s something I hear frequently: “Dr. Inglis, Weight Watchers (or any similar diet) worked for me last year. I’ll try that again.” I ask, “Have you been able to keep the pounds off?” The usual reply is a puzzled, “No… I gained it all back and then some.” This is an example of a diet that doesn’t work. And research shows that over 90 percent of people who go on diets regain their weight by the end of one year. The mostly low-fat, high-carb diets touted by the so-called “experts” may result in weight loss on a short-term basis. They’re notorious, however, for high rates of dropout over the long term. You’re better off just cutting the carbs and making sure you get enough natural fat, which for many people actually means adding fat to their diet. (I’ll delve deeper into that in just a minute.)

The worst thing you can do is to keep losing weight just to put it back on again. You’ll end up with a metabolic nightmare that will raise your risk for all those chronic, degenerative diseases you’re trying to avoid in the first place, including heart disease, diabetes, dementia and cancer.

Here are some key tips on normalizing your body weight while supporting good health and keeping yourself off the dead-end and dangerous diet bandwagon.

This food group is beneficial—really

One of the more common problems I see is with people who are now on a “healthy diet” but aren’t getting enough fat. They believe cutting way back on fats is the answer to losing weight. It’s an assumption born of media misinformation. Here are the scientific facts: too many processed and refined carbs and sugary snacks tell your body to store fat—not fat itself. Now, that doesn’t mean to run out and indulge every chance you get on a fast food, burger-and-ice-cream meal. Cutting back on fatty foods and all the bad stuff they harbor, such as antibiotics, hormones and pesticide residue (and who knows what else), is a very smart idea. Skip processed cooking oils (the soy and corn varieties, for example) and trans fats (aka hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats) in any amount. Healthy omega-3 fats from fish and nuts are perfect alternatives. Monosaturated fats from things like nuts and olive oil are also very healthy. Moderate amounts of saturated fats from organic dairy products and meats are also good.

An emotional bond with food

Your overwhelming hunger may stem from a chokehold bond with your emotions. Symptoms run the gamut. You may be self-medicating a mood problem by using food. You may eat more when you’re angry, or when you’re stressed. In some homes, food is used either as a special reward or as punishment for children. This conditioning can continue to follow you long into adulthood. If these underlying problems aren’t addressed, no amount of “scientific dieting” or learning to eat this food or that one will help you to accomplish your goal. I think you would find it beneficial to work with a behavioral psychologist or an eating-disorders professional.

Rest to reduce

If you’ve tried to get rid of extra pounds that just won’t budge, evaluate your sleep habits. One study showed that women getting five hours or less of sleep each night were 32 percent more likely to gain a significant amount of weight over a 16-year period, and 15 percent more likely to become obese.

Scientists theorize that your basal metabolic rate (which is how many calories you burn while resting) may be affected. Also, a minimum amount of sleep can cause more cortisol to be released. Your body feels it’s under attack, not able to do its normal nighttime repair work. And more cortisol can cause an increase in hunger pangs, leading to overeating.

Return to old-school ways

Folks used to cook a meal and sit down together at the table. Now it’s a rare occasion for families to do that. What a shame! Many Americans have lost touch with traditional, healthy ways of eating, thanks to the industrialization of our food supply by greedy corporations. If you eat standing up or on the go, while watching TV, or while paying your bills, turn your attention to learning (or relearning) how to cook. It will help you to reestablish a healthy relationship with wholesome, real food. If you have a nice-sized local hospital, it may offer healthy-cooking classes. Hospitals with a good program for heart-disease patients tend to offer classes to help their patients make healthy lifestyle changes. You can make such changes before you become a heart patient.

Fill up on fiber

You need fiber, and I’m not talking about a fiber supplement. (Yech!) By eating filling fiber-rich foods, you’ll be less likely to suffer from cravings that draw you to the refrigerator in the late afternoon or before you go to bed at night. By consuming a reasonable amount of natural fats and protein, your body will be supplied with an optimum amount of vitamins and minerals in order to function. This will help you fend off any odd cravings you may get, which are really your body’s way of telling you that you’re probably low on some vital compound. Nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables are terrific fiber choices. Other good choices are beans, nuts, brown rice, bran and whole grains, like barley and brown rice.

Build up your muscles

When you cut calories and do only regular aerobic exercise, here’s what happens: You lose muscle. And because muscle burns calories, you’re actually working against yourself. Muscle will even burn calories while you’re at rest, making it metabolically active—unlike fat. Plus, strength training (whether it’s weightlifting, elastic bands, yoga or chopping wood) makes it easier for you to do the myriad of things you work to accomplish every day, such as getting up out of a chair, lifting a package dropped off by the postman, and cleaning up the yard after a heavy downpour. And few things assure healthy aging like the healthy muscles you gain by strengthening them. The beauty of a strength-training program lies in the results—which you’ll notice in just a few short weeks. Won’t the kids be impressed when you can remove the lid from your own pickle jar again?

Count your steps

Here’s the perfect tool to help you reach your weight-loss goals: a pedometer. You’ll have the opportunity to figure out smart ways to increase your daily steps. Most of you should aim for 10,000 steps per day, which comes to about three to five miles—depending on the length of your stride. Adding just 30 extra minutes of brisk walking, evenly spread throughout the day, can translate into a 2- to 3-pound weight loss per month. You’ll notice that you feel better, and your risks of heart attack, diabetes, dementia and premature death will all go down. You can pick up a pedometer at most local sports shops or at a Wal-Mart or similar store.

Avoid overly packaged foods

If Americans simply cut out packaged, processed baked goods, snacks and frozen foods, along with the oceans of soft drinks we consume, we’d lose the big bellies. Big Food would in turn go belly up, and half the doctors might have to start pounding the pavement looking for a new line of work. The more real food you enjoy, the less junk food you’ll put in your body—and that will help eliminate the cycle of cravings that nutrient-poor foods induce. If you can grow some of your own food, you’ll also get a healthy amount of exercise in the bargain.

Give yourself two weeks

Speaking of cravings, it helps to be mindful of your behavior patterns. When people change their diets to include real, wholesome and healthy foods, they may sometimes find their old habit of bingeing still lingers. If this sounds like you, start by slowing down and chewing your food a bit more thoroughly. Pay attention to the sight, sounds and pleasures that eating can bring. Think of your meals as more of a ritual. Watch your portions, and learn your cues for feeling satiated. You may be used to a second portion, but do you really need it? Wait 15 minutes before putting more food on your plate. This gives your body time to register satisfaction and to reduce hunger. The good news is that if you stick with this practice of mindfulness, you may find that within two weeks you’ve gotten used to less food than before. And hopefully they’re better-tasting, healthier, more fulfilling choices.

Natural supplements

Don’t get the wrong idea—I’m not about to recommend the latest weight-loss “miracle pill.” If those pills were such a miracle, no one would suffer from weight problems and a Google search would only turn up 281 listings—not 281 MILLION. But I do recommend a good dose of omega-3 fatty acids from fatty, cold-water fish. Omega-3s actually support normal fat burning, and they help to regulate your appetite and burn fat to boot. Some adaptogens, such as Rhodiola rosea, can also help normalize your metabolism by balancing your stress hormones. More to the point, make sure you get enough key multitasking micronutrients that you need to run your body, such as magnesium, zinc and B vitamins. A good daily multivitamin/mineral supplement ideally taken twice per day is a blanket insurance policy to help prevent deficiencies and the cravings they induce. I prefer food-based multis. Good products can be purchased from New Chapter, Mega Food, Garden of Life and Standard Process.

Forgotten cures
Scrap the tranquilizers and brew this instead

Tranquility in a mug? You bet. Specifically, you’ll need to concoct a strong brew of green tea if you want to calm jittery nerves.

And whose nerves aren’t jittery these days? Especially if you regularly feed at the doom-and-gloom news trough served daily on your television. It’s hard to avoid—and that’s just one stressor in these modern times that have us all running on empty and worn to a frazzle.

Green tea offers a whole host of excellent health benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as well as cancer protection, brain support, weight-loss promotion and arthritis relief. There’s one compound in green tea in particular that I want to tell you about: theanine. It’s a remarkable multitasking amino acid that’s abundant in this healthful drink.

Theanine crosses the blood-brain barrier, so it’s able to directly affect neurotransmitters that regulate your mood and sense of well-being. It also promotes the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), which slows brain aging and possibly protects against Alzheimer’s disease.

But if you’re taking an antianxiety medication, such as Ativan, Valium or Klonopin, here’s the link you should know about. GABA receptors are the targets for benzodiazepines, the widely used class of tranquilizers that includes the trade names I just mentioned.

Well, theanine also acts on GABA receptors­­––without the addiction and side-effect potential of those drugs. By increasing GABA activity, theanine helps calm anxiety. In the brain, the calming GABA and excitatory glutamate convert into each another and ideally coexist in a healthy balance based on your individual and specific needs. Theanine, the structure of which is similar to both, supports that balance.

In addition, theanine increases brain dopamine (a neurotransmitter that improves motivation and concentration). If your dopamine level is low, you just don’t feel like doing much. Theanine also promotes alpha-wave production in the brain. Alpha waves predominate when you’re in a calm, rested meditative state. Also, the theanine in green tea helps calm the excitatory effect of caffeine and reduces blood levels of the stimulating stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine (aka adrenalin and noradrenalin) in the brain. For all of these reasons, the term “calm focus” is often applied to indicate the mental state it can put you in.

To tie in with the first article in this month’s newsletter, here’s a way to help treat low mood and depression. Most cases of depression are accompanied by anxiety. For this reason, theanine can be an excellent support for people suffering from mild to moderate depression symptoms, whether or not they’re taking a medication.

Be aware, though, that theanine may lower serotonin levels slightly in some people. Studies have shown both lowering and heightening effects. This needs to be kept in mind if you’re already on an SSRI antidepressant, as these are used to boost serotonin levels. I find that theanine in combination with St. John’s wort, which definitely supports healthy serotonin levels, is often effective in alleviating mild to moderate depression.

Another benefit you can expect from theanine is restful sleep, and it may also help to increase growth-hormone secretion during sleep. Growth hormone helps build muscle, burn fat and supports bone health. Theanine has been shown to shrink tumor tissue in test-tube studies due to the benefits it supplies to the immune system.

For general brain support, I recommend taking 100 to 200 mg of theanine. Take it in conjunction with omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil or cod-liver oil for a total of 1,000 to 2,000 mg total DHA and EPA.

And for mood support, take 100 to 200 mg up to twice per day. Another reasonable use is simply 100 to 200 mg up to twice per day on days you need it, when you’re feeling especially anxious. As always, you’ll be better off working under the supervision of a health professional who has the relevant experience and knowledge to guide you in treatment.

Your Questions Answered
Creatine—not just for uber-athletes

Q. I’ve been reading reports on a supplement called creatine. It’s supposed to build muscle and make you stronger. Is it just for weightlifters? I’m 58 this year and am a basically healthy guy, but with a growing paunch I try to manage with running and a little strength training. What would this supplement do to help with that?
––J. G., N.C.

A.Creatine isn’t just for athletes, though it has no doubt become associated with them. And because of that connection, it is one of the best-studied sports supplements and is generally regarded as effective for most users. Athletes like it because it allows them to train harder and for a longer period. Also, it delays fatigue—thus encouraging muscle growth and gains in strength.

Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid created in your body that boosts levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is a fundamental player in the production of energy in the cell. It works as a source of quick energy over the first 30 seconds during intense physical exertion to increase the force of muscle contractions. Creatine can also increase lean muscle mass through a likely combination of fluid retention in the muscle cells and its ability to boost production of ATP.

This close connection to muscle strength is drawing the attention of researchers. They’re interested in using creatine to treat Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), and a wide variety of other severe inborn neuromuscular diseases in which normal energy production is impaired. Well-designed studies are under way in all these areas. It might be reasonable to expect a meaningful treatment effect from creatine, with a reduction in symptoms and a slowing of the disease process—if not a total cure.

But it’s not just for building stronger muscles. This amino acid may have a positive effect on thinking and memory as well. Studies have been done with students and the elderly that have clearly shown benefits for both groups.

You can get creatine naturally in fish and meats. The supplement form is usually used for physical training or for other broad health purposes. For instance, vegetarians and people who don’t eat much meat are likely to notice more benefits when they supplement. The usual dose for athletes involves taking a 20-gram-daily loading dose for a five-day period and then dropping down to a 5-gram daily maintenance dose. I recommend the more prudent approach of using a steady 5-gram dose. Levels may take a bit longer to build up, but side effects are less likely. Side effects are related to the ability of creatine to attract water to the tissues it permeates. This can result in rapid weight gain of a few pounds due to fluid retention and, if you don’t consume enough water when you take it, dehydration and stress on your kidneys. For these reasons, anyone with kidney or liver problems should not take creatine. It may be prudent for people with liver disease to avoid it as well, although there is no clear-cut research thus far showing liver toxicity.

Other side effects may include bloating, cramps and diarrhea. Again, skipping the loading dose can reduce the possibility of side effects. Most experts agree that creatine is safe at normal doses over the long term. In this case, little is known about real safety beyond 12 months—although there are many people who have now been using it for years without experiencing any difficulty. And creatine does not alter hormone levels.

If you choose to take supplemental creatine, I should mention that it’s usually taken in cycles—even though there’s some debate on how to do this. A plan that calls for two months on and one month off is reasonable for most people. What happens is that once you stop taking it, your body’s receptors notice that and respond by increasing in number. So when you restart your creatine-supplementation cycle, you get a kind of recharging effect. Some companies that offer a good product are Jarrow (www.jarrow.com) and Twin Lab (www.twinlab.com).

For maximum energy and muscle support, you should include a regular program of strength training two to three times per week. Ideally, you should take creatine about one hour before you work out. The liquid forms can be taken even 20 minutes before. But also take it on days you’re not exercising, as it may help with muscle recovery. As a rule, stick with pure monohydrate formulas. Always consume an 8 oz. glass of water, or water mixed with fruit juice, when you take creatine. Continue to drink fluids throughout the day.