ETERNAL HEALTH   JUNE NEWSLETTER 2006

A new buzzword has surfaced in the anti-aging arena.  Methylation is the process that all the scientists are now dissecting in an attempt to unravel the essence of aging.  Methylation is the chemical mechanism that sees to it that you manufacture healthy DNA as well as the brain chemicals which allow you to think and feel in a calm, constructive and coherent fashion.  Just about every biochemical reaction that takes place in your body revolves around methylation.  Whatever goes wrong in your body including fatigue, depression, arthritis, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and intractable pain, even autism is thought to be due to faulty methylation.  The diseases of aging such as Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease and cancer are all victims of a flawed methylation process.  This is because it’s the kind of operation which can easily go astray and once this happens your thoughts will become disordered, your memory will start to deteriorate and you will find yourself careering down the slippery slope that could lead to Alzheimer’s dementia.  Once methylation starts to malfunction you will also start to manufacture abnormal cells and it is these unhealthy cells that are the forerunners of deadly cancer cells. 

Sadly the decline in our body’s capacity to methylate and aging run in tandem.   Herein lies the good news. There is a host of strategies you can adopt to safeguard your body’s capacity to methylate so that you don’t become fatigued or depressed or develop high blood pressure and arthritis.  You don’t have to succumb to an ailing mind and germinate defective cells that have the potential to become cancer cells.   One of the substances that surface once methylation runs into choppy waters is homocysteine.  It is elevated homocysteine that is associated with migraine headaches, high blood pressure, depression, cognitive decline and dementia.

In order for methylation to proceed in a robust fashion which will prevent homocysteine from accumulating and getting up to any mischief you need essential nutrients.   Two of the most critical nutrients that are guardians of the holy sanctuary of methylation are vitamin B12 and folic acid.  These are the nutrients which often go AWOL as we age and even long before then.  There are good reasons for this.  Poor digestive capacity, medications such as antacids, cholesterol lowering drugs, the oral contraceptive pill and antibiotics to name just a few of the pharmaceuticals that can do you harm, genetic mutations which make it harder for these nutrients to facilitate methylation, free radical stresses and food allergies including dairy and wheat all contrive to rob you of the benefits of these health-giving substances.  Your body produces less hydrochloric acid as you age or if you are deficient in zinc, another key nutrient, which makes it more difficult for you to absorb vitamin B12.  This is further compounded by the liberal prescription of antacid medications which further undermine your B12 status.   This is why there is mounting evidence that taking supplements of these nutrients will prevent homocysteine from doing you any harm and will go a long way to oiling the vital machinery that powers methylation.

In order to take appropriate action now it is vital that you have your homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folic acid levels measured.  The best way to have your B12 and folic acid levels measured is not by means of a blood test but via a urine test which measures methylmalonic acid and formaninoglutamic acid.  These urine tests will identify problems with the performance of these two vitamins long before blood tests will point to any difficulties.  These tests are even more critical if you are suffering from fatigue, depression, mood disorders and poor memory as you may be setting yourself up for a health catastrophe like dementia or cancer.  These can be prevented if you intervene before it is too late.   ‘You have the power’ deals extensively with strategies for preventing dementia and cancer using vitamin B12, folic acid and other pivotal nutrients.

TITBITS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 5^TH WORLD CONGRESS ON THE AGING MALE-SALZBURG AUSTRIA FEBRUARY 9-12, 2006

For all those males struggling with erection problems, moodiness and the ever-burgeoning battle with weight problems this conference has some major new insights on managing male sexual dysfunction, depression and weight gain.  For those interested in downloading the transcripts of the presentations go to www.agingmale2006.com/transcripts_mens_sexual_health.asp. Some of the findings include the observation that erectile dysfunction and low testosterone levels predate heart disease, diabetes and blood pressure problems which means that if you are having trouble getting or sustaining an erection you need to have a comprehensive hormonal, (especially testosterone but also DHEA, oestrogen and thyroid hormones) heart and blood sugar evaluation. 

Men with heart disease have been found to have low testosterone levels. Augmenting your testosterone levels can help to lower cholesterol and improve your blood pressure and heart muscle function.

Taking testosterone can help to improve erectile dysfunction.  Stress decreases your testosterone levels.

The good news is that once you lose weight your sexual function will improve.  Being overweight increases your oestrogen levels which switches off testosterone. Boosting your testosterone levels if these are low can help you to lose weight, improve a condition called ‘fatty liver’ and lower blood sugar if you have impending diabetes but you would have to have your testosterone and blood sugar levels tested before proceeding. ‘You have the power’ has an extensive segment dealing with male health.

TREATING RESTLESS LEGS AND ALLERGY NATURALLY

Nearly 10% of the population suffer from the need to move their legs periodically to reduce an uncomfortable feeling which occurs predominantly at night.  According to American health expert Dr Alan Gaby to manage this problem iron deficiency needs to be managed and treatment includes folic acid 5-30mg/day, magnesium 300mg daily and vitamin E at a dose of 300-1600mg daily.  Low thyroid function also needs to be evaluated.

For those wishing to treat allergic symptoms naturally taking the B vitamin group especially vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids and the vitamin-like substance quercetin will help.

Remember for managing the above vitamin B12 and folic acid can be found in memozeal.

Q & A SEGMENT:  contact enquiries

Question: I have a very old mother who is now 82 year-old and she has failing vision. Could this be caused by her diabetes and would laser surgery be helpful? 

Answer: It would be a good idea to get this checked out by your doctor. Taking beta-carotene 15 mg, combined with vitamin C 500 mg, vitamin E 400 IU, and elemental zinc 80 mg orally daily might help you mom if she is suffering from a condition known as macular degeneration.  Fish oil, the B group vitamins, vitamin A and fish oil might also be useful however before getting your hopes up a medical evaluation is mandatory.

Question: Can you please help me bags with under eye bags and dark circles.

Answer: There are a host of remedies out there of questionable efficacy that you can apply.  I would suggest that you first have your iron levels, allergies and hormones evaluated before trying any topical treatments.

Question: I’m a 24 year-old female and for the past five years I’ve been suffering from intense stomach pain, bloating and wind and I’ve seen a number of doctors and naturopaths to no avail.  Is it irritable bowel syndrome? Please help.

Answer:  To manage this problem effectively you need to have your food allergies investigated.  A stool and urine test would also be able to indicate what type of abnormal germs reside in your bowel and would also tell you whether you have healthy amounts of good germs in your bowel.  Your nutrient status also needs to be evaluated as nutrient deficiencies including the B vitamins, zinc, essential fatty acids, protein and vitamin A can compromise bowel function.  You would also need to ensure that you are producing enough digestive acid and digestive enzymes.

Question: I’m taking a substance called leucostat also known as polypodium for alopecia areata which as you know is baldness.  This happened three years ago.  Will this substance help and what else will?  I’m trying a host of supplements and am avoiding gluten-containing foods as I have an intolerance to these.

Answer: Unfortunately there is no good scientific evidence that polypodium works for this problem. There is some evidence that applying Atlantic cedar topically together with lavender oil in combination with the essential oils from thyme, rosemary, and cedarwood might improve hair growth by as much as 44% after 7 months of treatment. There is also preliminary evidence that biotin given orally in combination with zinc would assist with hair growth.

Question: I’m currently on a monthly rotation of antibiotics to help with my Corelli's Disease. I also suffer from nephritis and psoriasis.  Would leucostat help or interfere with my medical treatments?

Answer:  This remedy won’t interfere with your treatment but there is not a whole lot of evidence that it will help either.