There’s one part of the body you don’t want to see get smaller–and no, men, it’s not down there.

It’s the brain–and while we all lose a little grey matter as we age, too much shrinkage has been linked to dementia.

Now, a new study finds that the loss of brain mass found in Alzheimer’s patients might actually be detectable up to a decade before the telltale signs of the disease appear.

Researchers looked at two groups of 33 healthy people in their 70s who were given MRI scans of the regions of the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and then tracked for between 8 and 11 years.

The researchers say 55 percent of the 11 people who had the lowest MRI measurements eventually developed Alzheimer’s disease… versus none of the nine people with the highest measurements and just 20 percent of those with normal readings, according to the study in Neurology.

A similar study in 2009 found that people with smaller hippocampal volumes and faster shrinkage rates were between two and four times more likely to develop dementia than people with larger hippocampal volumes and slower rates of shrinkage.

Like I said earlier, all brains shrink with age–so don’t worry about the normal loss of volume, which is about half a percent a year in seniors.

More than that, however, and you still don’t have to accept dementia as your fate. In fact, you might even be able to slow that shrinkage with ordinary B vitamins.

Researchers found that a patented blend of folate, B12 and B6 slowed the rate of brain shrinkage by an average of 30 percent when compared to a placebo in a study of 168 seniors who suffered from mild cognitive impairment.

The patients who had the highest levels of the inflammation marker homocysteine had an even greater benefit, with the B blend lowering their shrinkage rates by 53 percent. (Read about that here.)

Brain shrinkage isn’t the only dementia warning sign to watch for–another new study finds that people who lose the ability to detect lies and sarcasm may actually suffer from frontotemporal dementia, a form of the disease that affects about 5 percent of all dementia patients.

Researchers from U.C. San Francisco asked 175 older adults–half of whom had some form of dementia–to watch videos of two people speaking, one of whom occasionally lied or used sarcasm.

While the patients without dementia had no problems picking up on it, the ones who showed signs of frontotemporal dementia missed it.

Two messages from this: First, if someone in your life starts missing sarcasm and lies, it may be time to bring them to a specialist.

And second, if they do have this form of dementia, they may be especially prone to scams and con artists–so keep a close eye on them and their finances.

There’s some great news on the prevention of one of the most common forms of cancer.

The latest research suggests that women can dramatically lower their risk of colorectal cancer by simply getting more folate. In fact, folate can decrease your risk by nearly two- thirds!

The South Korean study followed more than 1,000 patients. Nearly 600 of them were colorectal cancer patients, while just over 500 of them were healthy. And the researchers found that while drinking, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, and a family history of the disease all played a role, the healthy women had more folate.

Women who got more than 300 micrograms of folate each day were 64 percent less likely to get the disease than women who got less than 200 micrograms daily, according to the study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

There’s been a shocking rise in the number of colorectal cancers in South Korea – with a six-fold jump in deaths over the past 25 years.

Researchers there believe the rapid switch to a more Western diet may be behind those horrifying stats – and if they’re right, what does that say about us? After all, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer – and the third most common cause of cancer deaths – here in the United States for men and women alike.

It doesn’t take a huge leap to make the connection between our diets and these cancers – after all, fresh vegetables have fallen out of favor as prepackaged convenience meals take over the dinner table.

And those fresh vegetables that should be on the table with every meal – especially the folate-rich leafy greens like spinach – have practically become exotic fare. Even when we do eat them, we tend to sauté the nutrients right out of the food.

The good news is, this is an easy enough habit to change. Eat more fresh vegetables, raw or lightly cooked, or take a folate supplement.

The bad news is strictly for the men – while there are lots of other great reasons for you to make sure you get enough folate, colorectal cancer prevention isn’t one of them. The researchers found the benefit applies only to women.

Sorry guys – but eat your spinach anyway. Popeye says so.

June 2008 PDF

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.

April 2008 PDF

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.