ETERNAL HEALTH APRIL 2007 NEWSLETTER

 You wouldn’t think that dizziness and depression have much in common.  After all if you’re unfortunate enough to experience these often distressing disorders all you have to do is take yourself off to your local physician, obtain a prescription for the necessary medication, with these two treatments being markedly different and hopefully your disorder will be appropriately medicated.  Dizziness and depression were the complaints that David (45) and Emily (39) brought to my attention recently in my practice.  Both were offered the possibility of pharmaceuticals to treat these by their doctors and especially in Emily’s case she was fearful of being on medication indefinitely.  Here’s the thing, both had recently had surgery, both were hard-working and managing undue levels of stress and both were fatigued and were suffering from insomnia.  Both consumed excessive amounts of coffee daily and enjoyed their nightly intake of alcohol.

   It doesn’t take rocket science to identify what these two unfortunate souls had in common.  Drugs used around the time of surgery including anaesthetics, painkillers and antibiotics as well as stress and the consumption of alcohol and coffee can deplete the body of B vitamins, iron, selenium, essential fatty acids, protein, zinc and magnesium and increase the body’s need for these critical nutrients.  These are the nutrients that help your cells to provide you with the kind of energy that prevents you from becoming dizzy, depressed and fatigued and furnishes you with a good night’s rest.  If you’re suffering from dizziness, depression, fatigue and insomnia aside from giving conventional medical treatments due consideration it would be a good idea to have the presence of these nutrients evaluated and then addressing those processes such as those mentioned above as well as such events as digestive compromise, the imbalance of germs in the gut, yeast overgrowth, hormonal disorders, food allergy/intolerance, inflammation and free radical stress in order to manage these.  These principles can be applied to any health problem.  Your physician might be able to give medications a rest simply by focusing on these

TREATING AGING APPROPRIATELY

In the April 2007 of Life Extension in the ‘question and answer’ section one of the readers enquired about her bone density test which at the age of 55 indicated that she had the bones of a 72 year-old and she was curious as to what she should do.  American anti-aging expert Dr Eric Braverman suggests that the conventional medical approach is to treat her problem with medications to improve her bone density such as the bisphosphanates which are not without their side-effects and have questionable benefits on female bones.  Dr Braverman advises that considering hormone treatments including oestrogen, testosterone, thyroid hormone and vitamin D (vitamin D is a hormone) and ensuring that nutrients like calcium and magnesium are provided in adequate amounts, together with an exercise programme, which involves weight training, would be a far more beneficial.  His point is that while conventional treatment waits for a disease to manifest and then treats it with a drug addressing underlying imbalances and managing these before health disasters occur is far wiser.  This is addressed in detail in ‘You have the power.  Why didn’t my doctor tell me about this?’

THE KEYS TO LONGEVITY

A study in the USA followed nearly 6000 American men of Japanese descent for 40 years and found that those who survived to 85 and were healthy avoided 6 principal risk factors and these included; being overweight, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, excessive alcohol consumption and smoking.  At least four of these pertain to a condition known as the metabolic syndrome which is reaching epidemic proportions in the west and is connected with weight gain around the midriff that is increasingly difficult to shed with aging. 

  Studies show that a high red meat intake, cereals that have a high glycaemic index such as those that are often promoted on television and refined sugars increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.  Food sensitivities including reactions to cows milk and gluten found in wheat, rye, oats and barley, the nitrates found in processed meats, contaminated drinking water and the growth of abnormal germs in the bowel can adversely affect the pancreas where insulin is made which would make it more difficult to get sugar into your cells.  Having adequate levels of calcium and magnesium have been found to protect against the development of the metabolic syndrome.  A low carbohydrate diet with protein-based meal replacement, an exercise regimen, herbal remedies such as coleus forskohlii which also lowers blood pressure, stimulates stomach acid production, boosts thyroid hormone function and encourages the breakdown of fat and herbs like licorice, st mary’s thistle, withania, gymnema and Korean ginseng together with nutrients including magnesium, chromium, omega-3 fatty acids found in flaxseed and fish oil, vitamin B12, folic acid, alpha-lipoic acid found in Memozeal and other nutrients detailed in ‘You have the power.  Why didn’t my doctor tell me about this’ can be used to manage the metabolic syndrome

IS DHEA (DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE) TRULY BENEFICIAL?

DHEA is a hormone with all sorts of benefits that is mostly produced by the adrenal glands.  Recently a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine cast a giant shadow over the usefulness of this hormone which the media ceased with massive gusto.  American wellness expert Alan Gaby, MD, has introduced some sanity into the equation by highlighting the studies which show that DHEA supplementation can improve insulin resistance which is associated with the metabolic syndrome, relieve depression, increase bone density, improve skin tone, reduce fat, boost muscle mass and increase wellbeing.  Gaby suggests that the optimal dose for DHEA is 10mg daily and other American experts indicate that applying DHEA to the skin is the best way to administer this hormone

Q & A segment:  Your contact enquiries answered

QUESTION:  I am writing in regards to my mother who is 60.  She has thyroid problems, diabetes, blocked arteries and arthritis.  By supper her body gives out and it becomes so deformed she can't go anywhere.  She is severely itchy and breaking out in a strange rash which looks like some bruises under the skin. After two visits to her doctor and one to a walk-in no cause was found.  We thought allergy and took her off the newest medications and no change.   We went through the house and removed new products, still no success.  Do you have any
ideas of where to go next?

ANSWER:  It would be a good idea to ensure that your mother has had blood-work to rule out any medical condition that might be causing the rash and the itch.  Aside from the possibility of medication actually causing your mother’s skin disorder nutrient deficiencies might be implicated.  These might be associated with elevated levels of a brain chemical called histamine which goes hand-in-hand with depleted zinc and copper levels.  In this context supplements of vitamin C, vitamin B6, zinc and very small amounts of copper might be beneficial together with omega-3 fatty acids found in fish or flaxseed oil.  Food allergy/intolerance, the presence of abnormal germs in the gut, yeast overgrowth and heavy metal overload might need to be ruled out if your mother’s problem persists.

QUESTION:  I have a 14 year-old daughter who has suffered from alopecia for the past five years.  At the beginning of this year it started to grow back and she nearly had a full head of hair but now it’s falling out again.  What do you think I can give her to stop it falling out and get it to grow back?

 ANSWER:  Gluten intolerance, thyroid hormone dysfunction, inadequate digestive function and nutrient deficiencies are possible causes and these can be identified with the appropriate investigations performed by a physician.  The nutrients biotin and zinc might be helpful.

QUESTION:  I have been suffering from cervical spine syndrome (mild intervertebral disease-osteoarthritis) and irritable bowel syndrome which have all led to instability, permanent dizziness, gastrointestinal pain, vertigo and palpitations (130per minute).  MRI brain and MRI cervical spine, blood, urine, neurological and other tests have shown only the above otherwise a perfect health!  However all these symptoms have resulted in panic attack disorder and I have been on treatment with anti-depressants and tranquilizers for 4 years now. Psychiatrist and other GPs believe that I will never respond fully to this treatment due to some unknown pathological reasons.  I am desperate feeling that I will never give up on pills and never be able to live a calm life and obtain children.  What is there left to do?

ANSWER:  Your dilemma is partially answered in the first part of this newsletter.  Food intolerance/allergy, inadequate production of hydrochloric acid found in the stomach and digestive enzymes, nutrient deficiencies especially B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, protein, selenium and essential fatty acids, excessive free radical stress associated with lead and mercury toxicity, yeast overgrowth in the bowel which can spill over into the rest of the body and hormonal imbalance need to be investigated.  You may be suffering from inadequate production of the hormones aldosterone and cortisol which can be assessed by means of blood tests and 24-hour urine assays.  You would need to find a physician who is sensitive to these issues.