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Questions and Answers Segment
Your questions answered
every 2 weeks. If you have a question for Dr Elstein,
click here.
QUESTION 1:
After an MRI scan I was told I have a degenerative disc
and there is no water content in my lower disc. I
have been to several doctors but I am not getting
anywhere. I have pain all the time and this has
been really bad now for about 7 months. Is there a
way to add water content to the disc? Or do you
have any advice?
Answer: There
are a number of natural remedies that might improve your
condition including glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate,
fish oil and the herbs ginger, turmeric and boswellia.
It would be a good idea to get hold of a
physician who embraces such therapies. Alfalfa and the
herb cat’s claw can also help.
Foods such as asparagus, eggs, garlic, onions,
green leafy vegetables, pineapple, paw paw and avocado
would assist with the repair of damaged tissue.
QUESTION 2: I have been suffering
with cold urticaria for the past two months for no
reason. I
am on periactin.
I also have cholesterol of 270 and am not taking
any medicine. What
do you suggest?
Answer: This can be a
difficult problem to treat.
I have found one study, which associates this
condition with a fungal infection.
This means that going on a yeast-free diet and
taking acidophilus supplements might help.
If this doesn’t do the trick then you can also
have your blood sugar levels investigated, as there is a
connection between a condition known as insulin
resistance and elevated cholesterol levels. Insulin resistance is associated with defective sugar
metabolism and often those who are overweight have this
problem. There is even a possibility that insulin
resistance could be underpinning your urticaria.
QUESTION 3:
Please advise how long sugar needs to be excluded from
my diet as I have just been told I have a problem with
candida.
Answer: Anyone who embarks on a candida programme
needs to stay off sugar for at least 12 weeks.
It takes this amount of time for the immune
system to re-align itself.
What I do in my practice is to place my patients
on a yeast and sugar free diet introduce acidophilus and
bifidus supplements and then treat the candida
infestation with such remedies as the herb horopito or
failing this such anti-candida pharmaceuticals as
nystatin and difflucan.
At the end of 12 weeks I review the complaints
that the patient presented with and re-test candida
antibodies. Sometimes
it is necessary to continue the anti-candida programme
if problems haven’t been resolved.
QUESTION
4: I suffer from myopia-induced
early left-eye cataract, borderline glaucoma, and
vitreous floaters and am also concerned about early
onset dementia/Alzheimer's.
It seems the 3 ingredients below may offer some
benefit. Do you know of a similar product in Australia combining these
three ingredients? I am currently taking alpha-lipoic
acid, vitamins, bilberry etc and have a healthy diet and
lifestyle. I
have also read of a Russian study showing cataract
reversal using N-acetylcarnosine although I am very
sceptical about this. The obvious question is; if it
works, why isn't it in the headlines? Do you have a view on NAC?
BioEndurance™
Each 1 capsule contains:
Acetyl-L-Carnitine 500 mg
Alpha Lipoic Acid 200 mg
CoQ10 20 mg
Plus
Bioperine™ (aids absorption) 5 mg
http://www.biosynergy.com/endur.htm
Answer: I’ve
reviewed N-acetylcarnosine before on this site as well
as the nutrients alpha-lipoic acid, and acetyl-L-carnitine.
If you scroll down the ‘What’s New’ segment
you will find repeated references to these nutrients. There is scientific evidence that N-acetylcarnosine impacts
cataracts both as prevention and treatment.
Why it hasn’t been popularised is anybody’s
guess. There
is also some evidence that alpha-lipoic acid may help
with the management of cataracts. Although we don’t
know the cause of Alzheimer’s disease there is a lot
of documentation that free radicals may just be the
primary instigator of this awful affliction.
Therefore taking such antioxidants as those you
mention might go a long way to preventing this disease.
Although acetyl-L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid
are found in a formulation called ‘thiocondria’
which is manufactured by a company called Eagle there is
no coenzyme Q10 in this product so you may have to
purchase the one that you mention.
QUESTION 5:
QUESTION 6:
QUESTION
7:
Archives
Spa
Chakra
Phone 02 93680888
The Wharf
Woolloomooloo
Sydney
AUSTRALIA
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