SPECIAL EDITION

Drug-free in 90 days

You may feel like you’re sentenced to a lifetime of dependency on a pile of prescription meds, but think again. Just 90 days from today, you could be off your drugs for good.

If I’ve proven one thing in my years of practice, it’s that I can help my patients finally be well again—without resorting to a prescription pad.

And if your mainstream doc hasn’t devised a plan to get you off drugs, blame it on the company he’s keeping. A barrage of drug reps and a dogmatic medical association have convinced him (wore him down) into believing that drugs are the answer—the only answer.

Let’s start with cholesterol, hypertension and GERD. For each of these conditions, I am offering you here the general guidance that will help you to free yourself from medications that you don’t truly need. Keep in mind that some recommendations will overlap, because, as I frequently tell you, your body is a wondrous, interconnected creation. And that’s why mainstream medicine fails. It looks at you as a heart, a blood vessel, or—God forbid—just a number on one of those slippery, sliding scales that were created by drug company medicine.

The first thing you need to do is to have a conversation with your doctor. Tell him that you have a goal of being medication-free. He may look as if he has been struck, protest loudly, and may even say “Absolutely not!” Stick to your guns. Let him know that you’re not deserting him, but have come to enlist his help on your journey back to wellness.

If he tells you that it can’t work or that he won’t work with you, find a new doctor.

It can work. I’ve seen it work with my own patients. It might not work the way some doctors practice medicine, but I treat people—not their symptoms.

Once I have a handle on a patient’s lifestyle, family history and interests, I recommend a course of action to get them back in balance—and to wean them off drugs. And just as often, I’m greeted with an incredulous look as if I’d suggested something scandalous.

If getting people off drugs is considered scandalous, well then, I’m happy to be guilty as charged. I get to know my patients face-to-face, not chart-to-chart—and you deserve a doctor who does the same.

Get off cholesterol drugs before the kids get back to school

The biggest gun on the market is statins. If your doc put you on one, you probably thought, “That’s it. I’m now a statin-lifer!” At least, that’s what all the TV commercials and magazine ads would have you believing.

Cholesterol is the main building block for all of your sex and stress hormones. It also helps maintain the integrity and function of every cell in your body. For starters, it’s a repair molecule. If you get a rip in the inner lining of one of your coronary arteries, maybe due to damage caused by high blood pressure, cholesterol leaps into action to plug up the wound. Think of it as your body’s self-produced glue, manufactured by your liver. You need adequate amounts of cholesterol to run your body. So it flies in the face of common sense and good science to aggressively scrape your body clean of every drop of it. But mainstream medicine doesn’t let these pesky facts get in its way.

Statins are criminally overused—up to twice as much as they are needed, and to the tune of $22 billion per year. We’ve become a nation cuckoo over cholesterol.

If you don’t already have heart disease or multiple risk factors, including a parent or sibling with heart disease at a young age (under 60), the studies clearly show statin drugs are of minimal benefit.

Big Pharma and its M.D.s-for-hire have taken a complex issue and slapped an oversimplified (but profitable) drug “solution” on it based on very faulty science.

Cholesterol has become the most maligned and poorly understood element of the human body. High cholesterol has been targeted as the cause of heart disease—a misconception that shows a grotesque ignorance and distortion of the medical science. As I discuss in a moment, cholesterol particle size and type are much more important than cholesterol levels.

Skip a cure that’s worse than the disease

About half of all first heart attacks occur in folks with so-called “normal” cholesterol levels. That blows any idea of “normal” right out of the water! It’s just an arbitrary guideline. And yet, this guideline is what most docs still rely on to “treat” your cholesterol condition.

Statins lower levels of coenzyme Q10. This would make me laugh at the irony if the problem weren’t so deadly serious. CoQ10 is a key player in energy production, and your heart requires a ton of it. This is why so many patients on statins suffer from muscle weakness and breakdown and why —irony of ironies—there’s increasing concern over heart failure from these drugs.

Also, dropping your cholesterol levels too low and too fast can cause a host of problems, such as memory loss, erectile dysfunction (ED), and nerve damage, and may even increase the risk of cancer.

So the idea that you need a statin drug in order to be healthier just because your numbers are high is absurd. It’s a classic example of brilliant marketing combined with incomplete—and rigged—science.

Foundations first

You probably think that if you eat a plate of cholesterol-rich scrambled eggs, your cholesterol levels will go through the roof. Not so. If you’re like most people, the amount of dietary cholesterol you ingest has little impact on your body’s natural cholesterol levels. Your liver makes production adjustments up or down based on what you eat. However, that’s not a license to eat whatever is put in front of you. Practice moderation and smart selections to improve all aspects of your health—not just your heart health. To reach and maintain ideal cholesterol levels, reject America’s standard anti-food diet that includes fast-food hamburgers, ice cream, highly processed baked goods and sugar-laden sodas. Vegetables should cover half your plate, with protein and starches getting a quarter each.

Here’s a little more guidance to help you decide what to put on your plate:

• Keep your selections simple.
  
• Choose vegetables of all colors. Steam them lightly for optimal taste and nutrient retention.
  
• Satisfy your cravings for a sweet treat by eating moderate amounts of fruit. It’s plenty sweet enough to have as a dessert—your taste buds just need to be recalibrated.
  
• Stick to a moderate intake of protein, avoiding anything that has been shot full of hormones and antibiotics. Fish, free-range chicken (leave the skin on—you need some fat), and beef—preferably from organically raised cattle and from a local source. That’s the best way to ensure that you’re eating the healthiest steak and burgers possible.
  
• Eat eggs every day if you want to, cooked with butter or olive oil. The anti-egg propaganda is nothing more than an offshoot of the marketing of cholesterol as heart enemy #1.
  
• If you like soy, use only the fermented kinds (miso and tempeh). Skip those big globs of tofu, soy powders, bars and soy milk, which for the most part are nutrient-robbing anti-foods.
  
• For your starches, choose minimally processed whole grains and starchy vegetables like potatoes (I didn’t say french fries), sweet potatoes, and winter squash (in moderation).
  
• Don’t even think about eating anything promoted as “low-fat.” That’s just shorthand for “high-sugar.” And a low-fat diet may actually contribute to heart problems. Nothing promotes undesirable, risk-heightening, small and dense LDL particles more than highly refined and processed carbs (such as cookies, cakes, crackers, and chips) and anything else with wheat and high fructose corn syrup.
  
• You need fat, plain and simple. Natural fats are perfect, derived from such sources as fish, healthy meats, nuts and nut butters, avocados, real butter (no margarine), and olive oil. You can even include small amounts of full-fat cheese and yogurt if you like. Trans fats (aka hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats) found in solid margarines and packaged baked and frozen goods should not be eaten, period.
  

Get off your La-Z-Boy

Studies show that just as eating well can help to reduce blood-cholesterol levels, exercise can do so as well. Even the drugmakers say you need to increase your level of exercise and fix your diet. (Of course, that message gets trampled in the mad rush to sell pills.)

The best exercise is the one you’ll do. Get a pedometer, because people who use one tend to walk more. Build up to 10,000 steps per day. And if you’re really serious, add some strength training. Use weights, weight machines, elastic bands, or even your own body weight as resistance. (You might try yoga, for example.)

Keep in mind that I’m giving you 90 days to build up your activity level, so you don’t have to head out tomorrow and try to run a marathon. That’s not necessary—but getting more active is. Don’t wait for tomorrow—start today. Keep up the momentum, just as soon as you’re done reading this issue!

Other forms of exercise you can try include gardening, dancing, chopping wood, bicycling and swimming. Hike on a local trail. Turn on the radio and dance in your living room. Give your tennis arm some practice. Have fun—exercise isn’t supposed to be so deadly serious. In the process, you’ll live longer and happier while making a meaningful dent in your risk of heart disease.

A positive outlet will bring you a positive cholesterol level

Do you want to know what’ll kill you faster than bad food, a sedentary lifestyle and cigarettes combined? Stress. It will increase your cholesterol level: When your body perceives a threat, it uses up more cholesterol in order to support its stress response. More important, stress provokes inflammation and magnifies your risk of heart disease and an early death.

I’m not telling you to perform a miracle and have zero stress. As a rule, stress is one of those givens —like death and taxes (and the bumbling of the FDA). However, you need to deal with it by becoming its manager instead of its victim. Your foundation has already been laid with real food and regular physical activity, which will build physical hardiness. The emotional stuff’s a horse of a different color. If you focus on the negatives, guess what happens: It becomes your world. And so starts that vicious, disease-inducing cycle that will literally wring the life right out of you.

I can’t emphasize enough the health-promoting, stress-evaporating power of time spent in a worship group, in a social club, and with friends and family members. Proven practices like deep breathing, prayer, meditation, and biofeedback can also help you manage your stress reaction. I recommend a form of biofeedback called Heartmath, which is being used successfully all over the world. You can purchase what’s called an Em Wave (for about $200) at www.emwave.com. You’ll quickly learn relaxation techniques with this excellent tool.

Nutraceuticals for lower cholesterol

There are natural supplements you can take that, along with your positive eating plan, will promote all-around good health while getting your cholesterol levels back in balance:

• Multivitamin: It’s a must as a blanket insurance policy. I recommend a food-form multivitamin from New Chapter, Megafood, or Garden of Life, because your body can handle them better. Men, choose one without iron. Ladies, be sure to get some extra calcium and magnesium, and men—just extra magnesium. You can take just plain old calcium and magnesium citrate, 600 to 1,200 mg of calcium and 400 to 800 mg of magnesium daily.
  
• Fish oil: This potent anti-inflammatory can protect against sudden death from abnormal heart rhythms, bring down high triglyceride levels and promote the desirable large, buoyant LDL particles. It may also boost good HDL cholesterol. Take 2,000 mg total EPA and DHA (the active form of omega-3s, as spelled out on the label). If your triglyceride level is above 150 (the ideal is below 100), take up to 3,000 mg daily.
  
• Vitamin D: Another anti-inflammatory, vitamin D protects against heart disease. Take 1,000 to 2,000 IUs daily. Ask your doctor to check your vitamin D level. (The optimum blood level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D is between 50 and 60 ng/ml.)
  
• Probiotics: They will promote healthy bacteria in your gut, balance your immune system, and, most importantly, normalize your cholesterol level. Take 10 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) daily to keep your gut “colonized” with good bacteria.
  
• Red yeast rice: I’m talking about a natural statin, which is why I caution you to treat it pretty much like a drug. It’ll improve your cholesterol and reduce inflammation. Red yeast rice behaves in a more balanced way in the body and causes fewer side effects than prescription forms. More and more cardiologists are using it—especially for people who can’t tolerate or simply refuse to take prescription statin drugs. It contains monacolins, which are the active ingredient, and it’s chemically identical to one of the first classes of statins, lovastatin. I recommend 400 to 600 mg per day, with the approval of your doctor.
  
• Antioxidants: I recommend Zyflamend from New Chapter or Vitanox from Medi-Herb. If you take extra vitamin E, choose a mixed tocopherol form (preferably one that also includes the four tocotrienols). Gamma tocopherol, not alpha tocopherol, protects LDL cholesterol from harmful oxidation. Don’t take over 400 units per day, and let your doctor know what you’re taking, because vitamin E has mild blood-thinning effects.

Here are additional options to round out your tool kit, based on your individual need:

• Plant sterols: They reduce absorption of cholesterol, lower levels 5 to 15 percent, and may confer some anti-inflammatory benefits.
  
• Tocotrienols: Part of the vitamin E family, this powerful anti-oxidant lowers LDL cholesterol and may protect against stroke and cancer.
  
• Sytrinol: Derived from citrus fruits, it lowers LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels while promoting favorable large and fluffy LDL-particle size. Take 150 mg twice daily.
  
• Pantethine: It lowers LDL cholesterol, boosts HDL and brings down triglycerides. Take 300 mg three times per day with meals.
  
• Niacin: The RDA for this B-complex vitamin (B3) is 20 mg daily. But prescription doses of up to 2,000 mg per day are used to boost HDL and bring down triglycerides (a pattern typically found in people with, or at risk for, diabetes). It’s effective, but it causes unpleasant flushing. Regular old off-the-shelf niacin will do if it’s taken with meals. Start at 250 mg per day with dinner. That dose can then be increased by 250 mg per week. This needs professional supervision, as liver and blood sugar tests need to be followed.

A primo blood test

I’m assuming your doctor is looking at a basic blood-cholesterol test: total, LDL, HDL and triglycerides, and hopefully a C-reactive protein that measures inflammation and is a strong predictor, when high, of heart-disease risk. (Ideally you want it below 1.0). I recommend you ask for the VAP test from Atherotec or a similar test from Berkeley Heart Labs or Spectra Cell. They all supply similarly fine details that allow a more accurate assessment of risk.

Focus on these two numbers

If you’re numbers-oriented and want to reduce your heart-disease risk, work on boosting your HDL to over 50 and reducing your triglycerides (TG’s) to below 100. These lower heart-disease risk more than worrying about lowering your LDL. Low TG’s favor a desirable, large and fluffy LDL particle type. Statins don’t budge either of these very much.

Boost HDL by up to 50 percent and lower TG’s:

• Niacin (Up to 2,000 mg a day)
• High dose fish oil (3,000 mg EPA+DHA daily)
• Exercise
• Cut back on carbohydrates, and cut out entirely the highly-processed stuff

Lower your blood pressure without beta blockers

If you were diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor probably made a notation on your chart that you have essential hypertension. That’s what over 90 percent of cases are called, and it means “cause unknown.”

Nonsense. If you can normalize high blood pressure with real food, exercise, appropriate weight loss and good stress management, the causes are fake food, inactivity, overweight, and poor stress-handling skills. Plain and simple.

But the term essential hypertension is a cop-out that results in the overuse of drugs. And as it turns out, two common drugs used to treat high blood pressure, hydrochlorothiazide and beta blockers, hasten the onset of diabetes. Many doctors are unaware of this not-so-little secret. And many who do know about it hem and haw on the subject. After all, those drugs lower blood pressure! But why choose the lesser of two evils, when there are solutions that don’t involve putting you at risk for the devastation of diabetes.

Smart changes will bring you smart results

Salt gets a lot of blame for hypertension. And in some cases, it’s true. Excess salt intake in salt-sensitive individuals equals increased blood pressure. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. Excess salt causes the retention of fluid and actually triggers a mild surge of your stress hormones. If your blood pressure is creeping up, cut back on the salt. Also knock it off with buying those nasty processed foods—they’re overloaded with sodium.

If you must have salt, use the right kind. Plain old table salt is a processed chemical that’s foreign to your body. A bit of sea salt is okay, however, as it has a full complement of health-supporting trace minerals—like the sea water you’re made of. You can also fill your saltshaker with Mrs. Dash, a salt-free spice mix—or create your own. You may initially struggle with salt cravings, but they’ll disappear in about two weeks.

If you drink alcohol, cut back. More than a drink or two per day can increase your blood pressure and also lead to weight gain due to empty calories, which can be another factor in your escalating blood pressure.

Even if you’re 50 to 100 pounds overweight, losing just 10 to 20 pounds can make a difference. But don’t try to lose all that in just a week or two. More than two pounds per week will be mostly water, not fat, and won’t improve your health. Cutting 200 carbohydrate calories per day adds up to a 25-pound weight loss in a year. That’s about two light beers right there. That weight difference will help send your blood-pressure number south, where it belongs.

Clean up your stuff

The cornerstone of your blood-pressure-lowering campaign consists of real food, exercise and stress management. It’s what I call “cleaning up your stuff,” and this trio is many times more powerful —and ultimately a lot cheaper—than any pills you can take. And taking supplements can help move things along while you fix the underlying problem. Again, you have 90 days to make changes. I recommend the slow-and-steady approach, because that’s the one that will stick for the long haul.

• Fruits and vegetables: Bump up your intake. They’re rich in potassium and magnesium—minerals that relax your blood vessels and lower your blood pressure.
  
• Skip these: Heavily processed, salt-laden, alien-to-God’s-creation foods.
  
• Breathe: No, I’m not being a smart-aleck. While you may do it every day, there are a variety of ways to breathe. Check out RESPERATE (www.resperate.com), a clever device that will guide you toward a healthy breathing pattern and lower your blood pressure. It’s supported by solid research and is recommended by major institutions like the Mayo Clinic.

Get this key blood test

Ask your doctor to test your vitamin D status. Here’s why: Vitamin D performs a lot of key functions in your body. One task is regulating the action of your renin-angiotensin system, which is your hormone system responsible for regulating your blood pressure. If this system is inappropriately activated, your body will retain salt and fluid, increasing your blood pressure. This could be an important factor in your high blood pressure —as it is for many people. Vitamin D works at the fundamental level of the cell nucleus to regulate genes that influence plasma renin. Over half the population is deficient in vitamin D. Correcting this deficiency helps normalize blood pressure by normalizing renin activity, in addition to conferring a whole host of other important health benefits.

The renin-angiotensin system is the target of two types of drugs, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). These drugs will no doubt drop your blood pressure, but they also carry side effects. Vitamin D3 works similarly, but safely at a more fundamental level.

In my own practice, I’ve found that correcting vitamin D deficiencies with 1,000 to 2,000 IUs daily is all that’s needed to normalize some patients’ blood pressure. It makes more sense to give the body what it’s missing before you start chasing after high blood pressure with a drug hammer. That’s good medicine. If your 25-hydroxy vitamin D level is too low (<30 nanograms/milliliter), get it up to the 50 to 60 range and see where your pressure goes—it just may solve the problem.

To a regimen of vitamin D, I recommend adding:

• 4 Fish oil: Omega-3 fats from fish oil loosen up your blood vessels and lower blood pressure, but over 90 percent of the population doesn’t get enough. Fish oil protects against heart disease, diabetes, dementia and cancer while supporting joint health and a healthy mood. The best natural sources are cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines and herring. If you opt for a supplement form, shoot for 2,000 milligrams total EPA plus DHA—the active forms.
  
• 4 Magnesium: Deficiencies of this key mineral are rampant thanks to the Standard American Diet, with over 50 percent of the population not getting enough. It has mild “calcium-channel-blocker” effects, which means it’ll help to relax tight, narrow blood vessels and reduce blood pressure. Magnesium is found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. Add 400 to 600 mg from food-form vitamins or up to 1,200 mg of the widely available magnesium citrate capsules.

There are several well-designed blood-pressure remedies to consider that drop blood pressure and support general good health. I’ve seen great results with “Blood Pressure Take Care” from New Chapter, an innovative company in Bennington, Vermont. Its premium products are available at retail stores and on the Internet (www.newchapter.com). I have no financial ties with the company—I’ve just witnessed the positive effects its products have had on my own patients.

This particular formulation includes specific probiotics, grape-seed extract and hawthorn. These work safely in combination on multiple pathways to help reduce blood pressure. They also supply antioxidant support and help maintain healthy levels of HDL “good” cholesterol. Also, check out Vasotensin, a unique formulation that’s derived from bonito fish and is made by Metagenics (www.metagenics.com). It helps prevent blood vessels from narrowing.

Freedom from GERD medications in 90 days

Got heartburn? The drug companies salivate at the thought, and mainstream medicine has turned this very treatable problem into a chronic medical condition. It’s not. Most people get heartburn now and then. A regular occurrence could be a problem, but let’s separate fact from fiction before we jump on the purple-pill bandwagon.

A regular occurrence of heartburn is called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which occurs when stomach-acid backflow (reflux) erodes the lining of your esophagus. This can worsen to Barrett’s esophagus, which increases your risk of esophageal cancer. The reason why doctors worry over heartburn and tend to jump the gun is due to statistics: Nearly 16,000 people will be diagnosed with esophageal cancer this year, and 13,000 will die from it.

You can often get rid of heartburn by taking an acid-blocking drug—either an OTC H2 blocker like Pepsid, Zantac or Tagamet or a much more powerful proton-pump inhibitor like Medium, Proton, Propose or Prefaced. Indeed, you can use any of these drugs now and then to kill heartburn without risking a lot of damage to your health. They can also be used short-term to help you heal ulcers or esophageal erosions.

But it’s a very bad idea for you to take them long term and certainly not every single day. As you age, you make less stomach acid—but your need for it doesn’t decrease. Also, as you age, the protective mucosal lining of your stomach and your intestine may thin out. The regular use of NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin, or even inadequate nutrition, can cause this. Another big cause of a thinned-out lining is prolonged stress, which can occur if you’ve handled a lot of emotional or physical stress poorly over many years. Cortisol will actually gnaw away at this lining over time.

Reduced stomach acid with or without a thinned-out GI mucosal layer can cause the symptoms of GERD. In short, your digestive system just isn’t working as well as it should. It’s estimated that up to 90 percent of all cases of GERD may be due to either of these problems—not too much stomach acid, as the Nexium pushers want you to believe. So the regular use of any acid-blocking medication is less than ideal (read “bad medicine”).

Don’t settle for feeling better temporarily—we can fix the problem permanently. The following non-drug measures will control symptoms of GERD, because for the most part, with this condition, when you get rid of the symptoms, you get rid of the problem.

Here are the basics to start with:

• Drop five to 10 pounds: Losing just this small amount may make the difference—even if it doesn’t bring you back to your normal body weight. Excess weight around the middle only serves to push stomach acid back up into your esophagus.
  
• Avoid tight clothes and belts: Literally loosen up, or you’ll be helping to push acid back up into your esophagus.
  
• Eat smaller meals: Overeating causes stress on your system. Finish up three to four hours before bedtime. And what you do eat, chew thoroughly.
  
• Kick butts: Smoking aggravates heartburn problems. (Though if you keep smoking, heartburn may be the least of your worries.)
  
• Raise your bed: Lift the head of your bed four to six inches or sleep in a recliner to help get rid of symptoms. Obviously it won’t fix the underlying problem, but it’s another tool that will help provide relief.
  
• Watch for food triggers: Pay attention to and minimize likely food-type instigators. Caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, hot spices and peppers, tomatoes, mint, and peppermint are common culprits.
  
• Protect your GI mucosal lining: Clamp down on cortisol, or it’ll continue to wear down your lining. A stress-reduction program will maximize your chances of long-term healing. Talk therapy, prayer, meditation and long hikes are just some of the ways to release the steam from the cortisol pressure cooker.
  
• Cut out NSAID’s: It’s bad enough that they kill 15,000 people per year. There’s no point in taking a chance on thinning out the mucosal lining of your stomach and intestines. A highly effective and safe botanical anti-inflammatory is Zyflamend made by New Chapter (www.newchapter.com).

The next level

To improve your gut function, the following will help you pull out all the stops:

• Probiotics: They provide general gut support and anti-inflammatory protection. Take at least 10 billion colony-forming units daily. This usually amounts to two capsules twice daily, and preferably with food. If you don’t like to take a lot of supplements at once, feel free to take one in the morning and the other one before bedtime.
  
• Fish oil supplement: 2,000 milligrams total EPA and DHA daily to help tune up your gut function.
  
• Digestive enzymes: Take these before a meal as part of an overall treatment plan for improving your digestion and relieving symptoms. Jarrow-Zymes Plus by Jarrow Formulas is a quality, widely available product.
  
• The Heidelberg test: Ask your doctor to determine whether or not you have too little stomach acid by ordering this test. It involves your swallowing a small capsule and waiting for 40 minutes.
  
• Betaine hydrochloride: You can also diagnose and treat low stomach acid with betaine hydrochloride, which will promote higher stomach acid levels. Do this only under supervision of an experienced practitioner.
  
• Bitters: These stimulate the digestive juices (aka stomach acid), a fact well known for centuries. Folks used to drink bitter aperitif beverages before meals. Swedish bitters (without alcohol) are widely available in stores and on the Internet. (Just type “Swedish bitters” into www.google.com to locate sources.) Try it before your meals.

Pump up your GI mucosa

There are several things you can use to build a thinned-out GI mucosal layer, whatever the cause. Mallow root (marshmallow), deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL), aloe vera gel, zinc carnosine, the amino acid glutamate and mastic gum are all known for their gut-healing properties. There are a number of top-line supplement companies that combine all of these healing agents into one convenient formulation so you don’t have to swallow a hundred pills per day. One such product is GI Revive from Designs for Health. Another useful product is Seavive, a fish protein derivative that helps heal the GI tract. It’s made by Proper Nutrition (www.propernutrition.com). You may need to take these products for three to 12 months to build up your GI mucosa.

Mark your calendar…

By the end of this summer, you could be off your drugs for good. I want you to look back on 2008 as the year you made your personal turnaround in terms of wellness. And when this natural regimen works for you, think of how many people you can influence to get off of their own crippling drug prescriptions and onto a new way of actually feeling healthy for the first time in years.

Drugs can intensify GERD symptoms

According to the National Institutes of Health, the following drugs and drug categories are associated with GERD:

• Calcium-channel blockers for high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms (ex. Norvasc, Diltiazem and Procardia)
• Tricyclic antidepressants (ex. Elavil)
• Sedatives for insomnia and anxiety (ex. Ativan, Valium and Klonopin)
• Beta blockers
• Bronchodilators for asthma (ex. Albuterol)

A hidden cause of GERD

If you have developed a hiatal hernia (HH), that may explain your GERD. It’s caused by a weakness in the tight band of tissue, called the lower esophageal sphincter, between your esophagus and your stomach. A barium swallow test can diagnose it, as can an esphophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)—a mouthful that basically means a slender tube with a camera is inserted down into the stomach. It’s a safe, well-tolerated procedure, and it’s done under sedation.

Some chiropractors can pop a HH back into place with brief finger pressure. This may hold for weeks or months. There are also several newer, minimally invasive procedures performed at larger medical centers that can correct the problem and get you off drugs (see www.mayoclinic.org/minimally-invasive-surgery).

Also, make the changes I’m recommending here for GERD relief without drugs.

The hidden cause of sexual dysfunction (and it’s not a Viagra deficiency)

If your sex life is suffering, chances are the root cause is organic in nature, rather than simply psychological. In fact, over 90 percent of ED cases can be traced back to organic origins. And more often than not, nutrient deficiencies help take the wind out of your sail. The main nutrient you—and your doctor—should be concerned about is zinc.

Zinc is the second-most common mineral in your body, next to iron. It’s a major workhorse, as it supports over 300 reactions, including the synthesizing of proteins and enzymes you need to run your body. Zinc also works as a key antioxidant, protecting your cells from attacks by free radicals and the resulting surges of inflammation.

And because of its extensive range of biological activity, it can cause several deficiency-related symptoms. Were you able to smell or taste that beef stew you had for dinner last night? If not, you may have your first clue to a zinc deficiency. Symptoms can include trouble with your taste buds, difficulty in smelling, and even a cut that’s taking its sweet time to heal. In my practice, I’ve also seen dry skin and brittle nails go hand in hand with a low level of zinc.

But one symptom that most folks wouldn’t expect zinc to be linked to is sexual dysfunction.

Zinc is important for healthy prostate tissue. It’s also a key cofactor in the production of the sex hormone testosterone. The highest concentrations of this mineral are found in the prostate gland and in seminal fluid. And because it’s found in such high concentrations in those places, guess what gets expended every time you experience ejaculation: about 5 mg of zinc. Considering that the RDA for zinc is 15 mg, you can see how if you’re not getting enough in your diet the bill eventually comes due and your oomph gives out.

Remember, the RDA is just a broad guideline (and they tend to run a little low). Your particular need for zinc is as individualized as you are. You may think you’re getting enough but still be coming up short—and I can’t stress enough how critical zinc is for peak sexual functioning.

The natural option

One study was done with men ages 20 to 80 to measure the connection between their zinc levels and their blood-level concentrations of testosterone. Cutting back on zinc by the younger men caused them to have a significant reduction in their serum-testosterone levels after just five months. The older men, who were borderline for zinc deficiency, were given zinc for six months. These men experienced an increase in their serum-testosterone levels.

It’s true that zinc won’t give you the “less-than-30-minute” results promised by the manufacturers of the little blue pill. But there’s a lot of other stuff it won’t give you either, such as an upset stomach, dizziness, and possible loss of vision or hearing—just a few of the many side effects that are listed on that blue drug’s label. And remember, zinc is a major multi-tasker, supporting general good health. You sure can’t claim the same for a drug.

Usually we joke about our wives saying, “Not tonight, honey, I’ve got a headache.” But if you take Viagra, you could be the one saying it this evening. That’s because a headache is one of the more common side effects of this drug—hardly a mood-enhancer.

And if you’ve ever seen an ED-drug commercial, chances are you’ve heard the line at the end: “For an erection lasting longer than four hours, you should seek immediate medical attention.” Some men probably think, “Wow! Four hours? I’ll be a regular Don Juan!” I’m sorry to tell you that the reality is anything but sexy: This would not be an indication of virility but a painful condition called priapism in which blood that has flown into the penis does not flow back out. Severe cases may require surgical correction—certainly not what you signed on for.

Plenty of men have told me that they’ll take their chances with the little blue pill. My question to them is, why? Especially when the solution to your problem could be as tasty as eating oysters on the half shell or a big juicy steak.

Eat your way back to a healthy sex life

Zinc is an essential mineral, which means your body can’t manufacture it so you need to acquire it through your diet. Easier said than done. Again, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of zinc is 15 mg. That might not seem like much, but roughly 75 percent of Americans don’t get enough in their diets.

Processed carbs and fatty junk foods are stripped of their natural vitamins and minerals —including that much-needed zinc. Non-organic foods aren’t much better, because they’re being grown in mineral-depleted soils. You’ve also been barraged with instructions to steer clear of red meat and eggs—both of which are rich in zinc. So, the deficiency odds have been stacked against you.

Zinc is obtained in its most absorbable and usable form from animal sources, as it binds well with proteins. You can get zinc from beef, lamb, eggs and seafood—particularly oysters. How about that! Like most old wives’ tales, the one about eating oysters to boost your love life has more than just a grain of truth to it: Just two of these shellfish will deliver your minimum daily requirement. But if you’re trying to treat ED, you may need more—as much as 50 mg per day for three to six months. Folks under a doctor’s supervision who are testing their levels may use even more until their levels get topped up.

Whole wheat, rye, oats and pecans are also good sources, though not as well digested and absorbed due to their phytic-acid content that binds with minerals, inhibiting absorption. Soak these grains over-night to allow for better absorption, as it will reduce that phytic-acid content. Unfermented soy interferes with zinc absorption, so stick with the fermented forms. Miso, tempeh and natto are all good options. Also, minimize or avoid altogether soy milk, tofu, soy protein powders and nutrition bars. Chances are, as you read in the March issue of Health Revelations (go to www.healthrevelations.com to locate it in the archives), any processed food you can name probably has soy in it.

A handful of pumpkin seeds are a great source of zinc and provide an easy way to boost your intake. These humble seeds have been studied for their help in reducing an enlarged prostate.

As for beef, avoid the supermarket, corn-fed feedlot product, which is doctored with antibiotics and hormones and loaded with excess fat you plain don’t need. Stick with beef from pasture-fed cows—local ones, if possible. And don’t worry about the hype over fat and cholesterol. Including beef from healthy sources every few days or a few times a month as part of an overall healthy whole-food diet is good nutrition.

Supplemental options for bringing back the zing

Your body is best accustomed to recognizing and utilizing nutrients in unprocessed whole foods. Zinc, like any other nutrient, requires a wide variety of synergistic cofactors that are found in food and will provide you with the optimum uptake. Your body has to spend energy to process isolated nutrients. They are therefore a less efficient form to take. This means you don’t need as much zinc in milligrams from food as you might from a supplement, because its effect is so much greater when it’s consumed in its natural state.

If you do prefer to get your zinc through supplements, I recommend you stick to food-form products. New Chapter (www.newchapter.com), MegaFood (www.megafood.com), and Garden of Life (www. gardenoflife.com) and Standard Process (www.standardprocess.com) all offer supplements combined in a food matrix that your body handles with greater ease than standard, isolated-nutrient products. Each of these websites provides a place to enter your state or zip code for a store near you.

The best-absorbed supplement forms are zinc citrate, glycinate or picolinate, because they pass through your intestinal wall with greater ease. And if you’re taking a calcium supplement, take it by itself so it doesn’t interfere with your absorption of zinc and other minerals—whether you’re getting your source from food or supplements.

While the minimum daily recommendation for zinc is 15 mg, most people shouldn’t take more than 30 mg per day on a long-term basis. You should never take higher amounts (50 mg and above) without consulting your doctor, because, at that point, it can suppress your immune system. Symptoms of toxicity to watch for are dizziness, vomiting and lethargy. Zinc supplements are best taken with food, as they can upset an empty stomach. This is much less likely to happen with the food-form products.

You should always take supplemental zinc with a broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement, since it doesn’t work alone. Not surprisingly, many other vitamin and mineral deficiencies can also contribute to ED, including deficiencies of B12, niacin (B3), selenium, iron and vitamin E. This is all the more reason to favor a whole-foods diet backed by a comprehensive daily food-form multivitamin.

Going cellular in solving sexual dysfunction

For the most accurate picture of the amount of zinc in your body, your doctor should measure your intracellular zinc levels. The test is usually described as a red blood cell (RBC) zinc. Caution: The standard reference ranges may have you thinking you’re doing OK, but even “low normal” levels, when coupled with a problem like ED, can signal a functional deficiency. You want to aim for medium to medium-high levels—or until things start working again.

Also, those standard ranges are based on the general population. So if 75 percent of the population isn’t getting enough zinc, then “normal” doesn’t necessarily reflect a healthy range, if you catch my drift. This is why it’s important to work with a practitioner who has nutritional experience, enabling him to guide you through these issues. Genova Diagnostics, Metametrix and Spectra Cell are labs staffed with highly trained Ph.D. scientists who can provide your doctor and you assistance in analyzing blood-test results. (You can look these up on www.google.com.)

Drugs that can cause ED

• Antidepressants: SSRI’s (Prozac, Zoloft and especially Paxil)
• Antipsychotics: Clozaril, Risperdal, Zyprexa, Abilify, Seroquel and Geodon
• Blood-pressure drugs: diuretic “water pills” (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide and beta-blockers (Atenolol and Lopressor)
• Antihistamines
• Antiulcer agents: Pepcid and Zantac
• 5-Alpha reductase inhibitors: Finasteride
• Cholesterol-lowering agents: Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor

Did you know…

Like many other health problems, erectile dysfunction can have more than one cause. Most doctors will think of heart disease or depression first. Your doctor may even recognize that your medications could be causing it. Cholesterol-lowering statins like Lipitor, blood-pressure-lowering beta-blockers and diuretics, and SSRI antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft can all be responsible for ED—or make an existing problem worse.

There’s little chance that your doctor will tell you to stop using those drugs. That would be insane, or at the very least, politically incorrect. But no one blinks twice at the “sanity” of writing you a script for Viagra or Levitra to treat what may be just a side effect. That’s just the vicious-cycle scenario of symptom-Rx-side-effect-Rx.

10 common problems caused by nutrient deficiencies

The average primary care doctor prescribes approximately $1 million in drugs per year. How much of that are you getting?

Common sense has checked its hat at the door of mainstream medicine. And I guess a simple nutritional deficiency just isn’t glamorous enough as a diagnosis. You might want to take the pressure off your doctor and tell him you really don’t expect an exotic-disease diagnosis every time you see him. You’re not paying for dinner and a show here—just for some honest-to-goodness medicine.

There are many medical problems associated with nutrient deficiencies. There’s no shame in that. The shame is when mainstream medicine uses its equivalent of a jackhammer to remove a stone from the road.

Let’s face it: Many nutrients are in short supply in the average American diet. (I’ve highlighted zinc at the beginning of this issue.) That’s hardly surprising. Our crops are being grown on nutrient-depleted soils, and then, to add insult to injury, those foods are over-processed and nutrient-stripped. It’s beyond reason how a company can next stir in a few cheap replacements, slap on an “enriched” sticker and actually charge you for this garbage.

The real price tag for you? Your body is starving to death. If you add nutrient-depleting prescription drugs to this grim picture, well, it’s no wonder you feel like a flogged mule.

The point is that something’s missing, and your body is waving a flag. (“Hey, boss—we’re in desperate need of a shipment of quality materials in here!”) The good news is that some deficiencies can be cleared up through just such a shipment of primo materials (via a whole-food-based diet). Other deficiencies require supplements to help pull you through a rough patch. Usually, a combination of a dietary tune-up and a regimen of supplements can pull you out of a nutrient mud hole.

For patients who may require a drug, small, targeted nutritional support can still reduce the dosage requirement and improve overall response and outcome. And in several of these areas where a nutrient deficiency exists, you’ll notice that the remedy is magnesium. It’s the original multi-tasker, involved in over 300 enzyme reactions in the body. I started to make this the top 10 reasons to take magnesium, but as you’ll see—it’s not the solution in every case. Keep in mind that when you do supplement with magnesium, you should also take calcium citrate in a 2:1 calcium-to-magnesium ratio.

Depression

A third or more of people suffering from depression have low levels of folate, or folic acid, which is important for brain function. The average American diet supplies only 60 percent of the average folate requirement. Low levels may also be the result of inborn genetic variation. Have your doctor check your red-blood-cell levels. Some patients may need up to 5 grams of folate per day, though 400 to 1,000 micrograms would be a more common dose range. The 5-methyltetrahydrofolate form is best utilized in the brain. Folate is found in leafy green vegetables, brewer’s yeast, liver, beans and various nuts.

Vitamin B12 should always be given with a folate supplement, at least 200 micrograms daily, because higher doses of folate can hide a B12 deficiency.

A deficiency of omega-3 can also lead to symptoms of depression. Over 90 percent of the population doesn’t get enough omega-3 fats, so it’s very possible you aren’t either. You can get it in food form by adding fatty fish to your weekly meal plans. Salmon, sardines, mackerel and herring are all good sources. (Of vitamin D, too.) Fish-oil supplements can improve mood starting at doses as low as 1,000 mg total EPA and DHA.

Other important nutrients for mood support are vitamin B5, B6, copper, zinc, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin D.

Insomnia

Remember that old wisdom of having a cup of warm milk to ease you into dreamland when you have trouble sleeping? A lack of calcium, as well as magnesium, could be causing your sleep problems. And with 50 percent of us not getting enough calcium and 85 percent of us missing out on magnesium, it’s no wonder the sleeping-pill industry has hit boom times. Magnesium deficiencies are common in people on diuretic “water pills” and laxatives. Alcoholics, diabetics and heart-failure patients are also prone to deficiency.

Supplementing may improve your sleep. Take 500 to 1,000 mgs of both, ideally in a 1-to-1, matched ratio. Citrate forms are well absorbed and widely available.

You may need up to 1,600 mgs of magnesium taken as one dose before bedtime. The main side effect you may experience is loose bowels (which means it’s good for constipation). Natural Calms is an easy-to-take powder form of magnesium that some of my patients prefer. You can order it online at their website, www.vites.com.

Anxiety

Supplemental magnesium may also help you relieve anxious feelings. You can take 400 mg up to four times per day. Food-form sources include nuts, whole grains and green vegetables.

Inositol is a B vitamin (B8) that’s manufactured in your body. It helps make up the myelin sheath that covers your nerves. Doses of up to 4 grams, taken three times per day, have been shown to help people suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. A study was done with 28 depressed patients to see if 12 grams daily of inositol would improve symptoms. Results showed a significant improvement compared to placebo. And up to 4 grams at bedtime can also help with sleep.

Constipation

Anyone neck-high in the Standard American Diet is at least waist-high in sodium intake—and short on potassium and magnesium. Potassium helps keep your intestinal tract moving efficiently. Consuming a fiber-rich, unprocessed, whole-food diet usually corrects this imbalance and cures constipation. Supplemental magnesium is a mainstay in my own practice for treating this condition. I recommend 400 to 800 mg (more as needed, though caution is necessary if you have kidney disease) of the citrate form (either capsule or powder), which generally does the trick.

High blood pressure

Over one in four adults has high blood pressure, and at least half of folks over age 65 do. Coenzyme Q10 has good evidence backing it as a way to reduce resistance to blood flow. I recommend 100 mgs per day if you have high blood pressure. It will be about two to four months before improvements take place. The fat-soluble gel caps should be used.

A low level of vitamin D can also be a factor. Vitamin D acts as an angiotensin-receptor inhibitor in the body, similar to the way drugs like lisinopril, captopril and ramipril act. Have your doctor check your 25-hydroxy vitamin D level. Anything below 30 ng/ml should be treated. Low levels can respond to vitamin D3 therapy, usually 1,000 to 2,000 units per day.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)

Low levels of vitamin B6 (pyroxidine) have been found in some people suffering from CTS. Several studies have found that a deficiency in vitamin B6 has been linked to people who get this condition. It’s possible that B6 reduces swelling around the carpal tunnel in the wrist—literally the tunnel through which your tendons, blood vessels and nerves travel. Supple-menting with 100 mg of vitamin B6 three times per day has been shown to relieve symptoms. Do not exceed that dose unless you’re working with your doctor, because an overload of B6 can actually damage nerves. While it’s usually safe in amounts up to 500 mg per day, it’s best to seek your doctor’s guidance. And hang in there—it may take about three months or so before you see an improvement.

Fatigue

Feeling like a bus mowed you down? Iron deficiency may very well be the culprit. It’s the most common mineral deficiency, present mainly in pre-menopausal women (due to monthly blood loss) and the elderly (due to inadequate dietary intake). It can cause fatigue even before it has advanced to the anemia stage. The best test to use to check your iron-level status is the blood-ferritin test, which measures your body’s iron stores. (Blood-iron levels are less reliable.) Ideally, you want your ferritin levels to be between 60 and 100. Levels below 30 should be addressed through diet or supplementation. (Choose ferrous gluconate or glycinate.) Ferrous sulfate is commonly prescribed but a poorly absorbed, constipating form of iron that’s best avoided. Ferritin levels above 100 put you at an increased risk of free-radical damage due to your having excess iron. Levels above 200 may signal an inherited iron-overload disease called hemochromatosis, something few doctors are likely to miss. I recommend a liquid tonic, Floradix Iron plus Herbs, or the widely available Solgar Gentle Iron. Both can be purchased from the online site www.vitaminshoppe.com.

Heart failure

You experience chest pain, shortness of breath, and overexertion just from taking a walk for exercise. This is what you live with day in and day out when you suffer from heart failure. To put it bluntly: You’re no longer cooking with gas. Turn it up again with ribose, a substance made from glucose. It helps the energy pathway in your cells replenish itself.

Taking ribose in powder-substance form significantly speeds up this process and can improve those symptoms. The usual dose is 5 to 10 mg per day. By adding 400 mg to 800 mg of magnesium daily, it can help relieve chronic fatigue. Endurance athletes, such as cyclists, distance runners and triathletes, use it as a training aid to speed recovery from long workouts. See www.corvalen.com for ribose with and without magnesium.

Asthma

The feeling of an obstructed airway is terrifying—just ask anyone who suffers from asthma. If you are asthmatic, know that magnesium levels are often low in sufferers. Deficiency has been linked to hyperreactivity of the bronchial tubes and to wheezing. Intravenous magnesium can halt acute asthma attacks and is sometimes used for this purpose in the emergency rooms. Getting plenty of magnesium from food can improve lung function and reduce airway reactivity, which is the cause of the wheezing and shortness of breath.

Taking 400 to 800 mg per day of supplemental magnesium may help reduce symptoms and prevent attacks.

Asthma is an inflammatory disease, and omega-3 fats are known to reduce inflammation. I have seen dramatic improvement—along with reduced inhaler need—from adding cod liver oil to the diet, which includes vitamin D (also an anti-inflammatory). Take enough for a total of 2 to 3 grams EPA plus DHA. I use the Carlson’s brand, in liquid lemon-flavored form—one tablespoon daily.

Restless legs

We’re in the midst of an epidemic of the so-called restless legs syndrome (15 percent of adults). A vast war chest of expensive, risky drugs is now being tested for this condition.

Acid-blockers and SSRI antidepressants such as Paxil may both contribute to the problem. And it plagues diabetics. Iron deficiency could also be to blame in some cases, since treating it when it exists usually cures restless legs. If your serum ferritin is below 30, treat with supplemental iron. (See #7 above for recommendations.) Be sure to check your levels again in two to three months. Again, ferritin levels between 60 and 100 are ideal. I also find that supplementing with 400 to 800 mg per day of magnesium often clears up the problem, as does boosting your intake of magnesium-rich foods—nuts, whole, unprocessed grains (such as millet, bulgur, and barley) and green vegetables.

Reliable blood testing can be used to measure deficiencies and determine treatment. Your doctor can check your mineral levels, but they must be intracellular red-blood-cell (RBC) levels. Regular blood levels are not reliable measures of true mineral status.

FORGOTTEN CURES
Rethink this cold-fighting herb—using a dose of accurate information

You’ve probably read a bunch of negative press regarding Echinacea in recent memory. Your doctor may have even told you to save your money, don’t bother with this herb because now there’s “conclusive” scientific proof that it doesn’t work.

Well, as usual, the devil is in the details. And, as it turns out, those details seem to be beyond the scope of most mainstream journalists and overworked doctors.

The Echinacea that has been valued by Native Americans and traditional herbalists is actually the root of Echinacea angustifolia and is taken in high doses (the equivalent of 2 to 3 grams daily). This is what they found works best. Echinacea purpura, however, is used in Germany, where standardized preparations have been subjected to extensive testing.

But preparations seem to be anything but standardized, as they’re available with or without root, flower or stem parts. Also, the method of preparation can also influence the overall effectiveness. There are so many variables to consider when it comes to Echinacea products that the term “Echinacea” seems to include a broad range rather than any specific type.

However, one specific has been uncovered through recent research. A key component of Echinacea are alkylamides, which help account for this plant’s immune-system support. But alkylamide content also varies considerably from product to product. Levels appear to be highest in angustifolia-root preparations. This particular root is scarce and expensive, but the good news is that it can be combined effectively with Echinacea purpura for a similar result.

The problems with recent negative studies center on preparation type (the wrong one), dosing (too low), and test population (healthy young people with excellent immune systems). For example, one widely publicized study actually used an excellent preparation (angustifolia and purpura root) but administered only 750 mgs per day for a new-onset cold. The researchers should have used 2 to 3 grams. Also, their test population was (once again) a group of healthy young people.

On my wish list: I’d like to see studies done using a real-world dose of the right preparation and testing with folks over 50. Immune-system functioning normally deteriorates some as we age, so Echinacea may be of more use in the elderly than in the young.

Unfortunately, this sort of rational approach, based on known science, isn’t discussed. Instead, you’re fed ignorance-driven, simple-minded pronouncements like “Echinacea has been proven ineffective.” In fact, if you review all the evidence stemming from the latest science, proper preparations of Echinacea offer a lot of benefits. It’s effective for treating colds as well as for taking regularly to prevent colds and other respiratory tract infections.

The latest evidence does not support the theory that people who have an autoimmune disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or inflammatory bowel disease) should avoid Echinacea because it’s an immune-system stimulant. Nor is it necessary to stop taking it periodically in order to “give the immune system a rest” if you happen to be taking it over the winter to prevent colds, for example. Echinacea isn’t an immune-system stimulant. It’s actually a toner, which improves immune-cell functioning and the spleen’s ability to survey and control the immune system.

The product I recommend (and use myself) is Echinacea Premium from MediHerb, an Australian company. You can go to www.mediherb.com to order it online or to get information on how to order by phone or fax. It comes in liquid or tablet form, and you can follow the instructions on the bottle. Taken during the winter months, it’s an excellent way—along with a good diet, adequate fluids and sufficient sleep—to help prevent colds and the flu. I’ll tell you that the liquid tincture will give you a bit of a tongue tingle. Don’t be alarmed—it’s the high alkylamide level, which again is very beneficial.

Ed. Note: Sometimes technology can be a runaway horse. In this case, spell check worked a little too well… In the March 2008 Forgotten Cures, “mistake” mushroom should be “maitake,” and “reship” should be “reishi.”

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Ward off the third-leading killer

Q.My mother recently suffered a stroke, and I fear it may be something that runs in the family. What can I do to prevent one, and also help her prevent another one from occurring? ––G.P., Chapel Hill, NC

A.You’re right to start thinking in terms of prevention, because a family history of stroke does increase your risk. In most cases, this is due to a shared history of other key risk factors, such as heart disease, diabetes and hypertension.

After heart disease and cancer, stroke is the third leading cause of death. A stroke is the reduction, or cutting off, of blood to part of the brain. (Lack of blood = lack of oxygen.) Full or partial paralysis or loss of sensation in part of the body can result. These changes are almost always irreversible. Over 700,000 strokes occur each year. Half of them occur in people with no prior episodes or symptoms.

Risk is higher in folks with atrial fibrillation and carotid-artery disease. You’re also at higher risk as you age, if you’ve had a stroke, or if you’re African-American.

Warning signs of a stroke include:
• Sudden numbness or weakness of your face, leg or arm—especially on one side of your body
• Difficulty in speaking or understanding speech
• Loss of vision in one or both of your eyes
• Sudden, severe headache (described as “the worst headache of my life”)
• Onset of sudden dizziness or a loss of balance

If you have any of these symptoms, it’s crucial that you get to a hospital emergency room IMMEDIATELY. I can’t emphasize that enough: If you’re having a stroke, there are clot-buster drugs that when given within three hours of symptom onset can quickly reverse symptoms and damage to the brain. This isn’t the time to “wait it out,” go do another load of laundry and decide how you feel after a bit.

In China, doctors use acupuncture with good results immediately after the onset of an ischemic stroke (generally within an hour) to offset symptoms. If you have access to this in your hospital or community, it’s safe and could prove useful.

There’s also evidence that hyperbaric oxygen, used immediately for either treatment of or longer-term recovery from stroke, is useful. Few hospitals have the expensive equipment required, however, and doctors don’t learn about it in medical school. I recommend finding a center locally that offers it. Plug “hyperbaric oxygen” and your state into www.google.com to help you search.

While you can’t help genetics, please know that there are controllable risk factors. High blood pressure, lack of exercise, obesity, low HDL-cholesterol levels and high triglyceride levels are all within your realm of action. And last but not least are smoking and drinking alcohol to excess—these habits increase your risk substantially.

Here are some fundamental points. The atherosclerotic artery disease that leads to stroke (“brain attack”) is essentially the same process that leads to heart disease. Addressing global cardiac risk is a rational strategy for preventing a stroke occurrence. Pay attention not only to high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking and diet but also to how well you’re handling emotional and physical stress.

Have your doctor check your general inflammatory status, which can be measured with a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein test. Mood disorders and sleep problems, if any, must be addressed. Interestingly, no strong connection has been found between LDL “bad” cholesterol levels and stroke. There’s a stronger connection between high triglyceride and low HDL levels. And statins have yet to show a clear benefit in the prevention of primary strokes in otherwise healthy people. You’d have to treat about 200 people per year with 80 mg daily of Lipitor in order to prevent just one stroke. Unlike our well-paid friends from the drug industry, I would call this marginal medicine.

Safe preventive measures—with good supporting evidence—include daily vitamin E (400 units with mixed tocopherols) and fish oil (at least 1,000 mg total EPA plus DHA daily).

The text contained herein does not constitute medical advice. Health Revelations advises that you consult your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained within this publication.