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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:
I have a 14-year-old daughter who suffers from
premenstrual syndrome.
She becomes moody and irritable etc. She cannot
take products like Midoletc. they make her sick. What
Homeopathic can she take? I was going to give her
vitamin E and evening primrose oil but the evening
primrose says it is for 18 or older. Any suggestions?
Answer:
It would be useful finding a health practitioner
who can investigate the various factors that might be
influencing your daughter’s hormonal status.
This would include diet as excessive dairy and
sugar consumption might be involved, yeast overgrowth in
the bowel, nutrient deficiencies with calcium, magnesium
and the B vitamins being the most common offenders,
heavy metal toxicity especially mercury and lead and
imperfect liver function.
Evening primrose oil combined with magnesium and
vitamin B6 can be effective treatments but once again
involving a physician who is experienced in these
matters and can perform the necessary investigations
that target the above-mentioned factors would be
worthwhile.
QUESTION 2: I would be very
grateful if you would send me some more specific
information regarding your article on Gingko in treating
Vitiligo as I have it quite bad and it is steadily
getting worse (30-40% of body). I am totally
against all synthetic and orthodox treatments for
vitiligo as I am very sensitive in my reactions. Could you, if possible refer me onto a specific website or
literature that the original article came from. I would most appreciate your help in this regard.
Answer: This
article which comes from the journal ‘Clinical and
Experimental Dermatology 2003;28: 285—287 details a
double-blind trial in which fifty-two patients with
slowly spreading vitiligo were given 40mg three times a
day of an extract of ginkgo biloba standardized to
contain 24% ginkgoflavonglycosides for up to six months.
Arrest of disease progression was seen in 80% of
the ginkgo group as opposed to 36% in the placebo group
and marked-to-complete repigmentation was seen in 40% of
this group compared with 9% in the placebo group.
Although the precise mechanism could not be determined
American expert Alan Gaby who reported this study in the
December 2003 edition of the journal ‘Townsend letter
for Doctors and Patients’ thinks that it might be due
to ginkgo’s antioxidant properties.
QUESTION 3: Could you please tell me what
percentage of DHEA (NATURAL THAT IS) WOULD CONVERT TO
ESTROGEN AND TESTOSTERONE IN THE BODY IN FEMALES.
Answer: One
researcher (the Canadian Fernand Labrie) estimates that
75% of premenopausal oestrogen and 100% of
postmenopausal oestrogen is made from DHEA.
As for testosterone the ratios are similar.
When females take DHEA there is a tendency for
this hormone to make more testosterone however I’m not
sure that anyone has quantified the exact amounts.
Tissues tend to take DHEA and manufacture
whatever is needed be it oestrogen or testosterone.
There is just a little wrinkle that I need to attach to
this statement as Belgian
endocrinologist and hormone expert Thierry Hertoghe
suggests that women who have more body hair tend to make
more testosterone from DHEA whereas plumper women might
use DHEA to manufacture oestrogen.
QUESTION
4: I have been told that I have
polycystic ovarian syndrome and I have insulin
resistance. How do you get rid of the excessive amounts
of testosterone and why do my feet and ankles swell when
I eat too much of the wrong carbs? I also have
hypothyroidism and {controlled}high blood pressure.
I am also very overweight and can't seem to take
it off.
Answer:
I had a patient very similar to you who
responded very well to dietary changes involving the
reduction of high-glycaemic carbohydrate foods including
bread, rice potato, pasta and foods high in refined
sugar, chromium and alpha-lipoic acid supplementation
and the medication metformin at a dose of 500mg daily
all of which combined to improve her insulin resistance
and lower her testosterone levels.
As far as your low thyroid function is concerned
you might do well with slow release T3 which needs to be
prescribed by your physician and dispensed by a
compounding pharmacy and there are many of those in the
USA.
QUESTION 5: Have
you heard of Procaine supplements - known as KH3 in this
country (in the USA it is called GH7 amongst others)?
Do you have an opinion as to the effectiveness of
this product as an anti ageing supplement?
My mum after taking cortisone for many years for
a condition called Polymyalgia Rheumatica - now has
drastically wasted muscles and cannot get up from a
chair without super-human effort. I have read that KH3
increases muscle bulk and repairs depleted bones.
Answer:
I have included the abstract below as it is one
of the few trials that I could find substantiating the
worth of this substance.
Unfortunately I have no personal experience with
it and wish you well. The effects of procaine/haematoporphyrin on
age-related decline: a double-blind trial. Hall
MR, Briggs RS, MacLennan WJ, Marcer D, Robinson MJ,
Everett FM.
A randomized, double-blind study of procaine/haematoporphyrin
(KH3) has been carried out over two years in a selected
population of healthy elderly subjects. The period of
study exceeds 500 patient years. The trial population
was weighted to contain a larger proportion of subjects
aged over 75 years than a standard population; those
receiving active KH3 had similar characteristics on
entry to those receiving placebo. Over the course of two
years, KH3 was shown to be an active substance in that:
(a) decrement in the consolidation of new learning was
prevented in the treatment group (less than 1.0%, as
against 38% in the placebo group); (b) the prevalence of
incontinence increased significantly in the placebo
group, but not in the active group (P less than 0.05);
(c) there was a significant increase in grip strength in
the active treatment group (+22%, P less than 0.01 v.
placebo); (d) more adverse reactions were observed on
treatment with KH3 (P less than 0.005). Age Ageing.
1983; Nov; 12 (4): 302—8
QUESTION 6: What
are the side effects of taking Pariet tablets if you are
pregnant?
Answer:
The MIMS I have which includes a detailed
list of all pharmaceuticals and their contraindications
indicates that caution should be exercised when taking
pariet during pregnancy but there are no absolute
contraindications to this drug.
If you are using this medication because of
reflux there are natural alternatives such a slippery
elm powder, which have a gentler action on the body.
QUESTION
7: Doctor I have a friend who has been
diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I am trying to find a
supplier of MGN3 in Australia for her.
Do you know of any?
Answer: Unfortunately this
anti-cancer and immune-boosting agent is not available
in this country and you will have to rely on offshore
and internet sources. Once again I thought it would be worthwhile to include a
study, which documents its feasibility in the context of
treating cancer. These
studies are located on PubMed which is the National Library of Medicine's search service that
provides access to over 11 million citations in MEDLINE,
PreMEDLINE, and other related ... www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed
- Similar pages.
Studies on medline present all the scientific
evidence for whichever topic or substance you wish to
research.
MGN-3, an arabinoxylan extracted
from rice bran that is treated enzymatically with an
extract from Shiitake mushrooms, is an effective
biological response modifier that increases NK cell
activity, and potentiates the activity of conventional
chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, we investigated
the effect of MGN-3 on death receptor-induced apoptosis
in the human leukemic HUT 78 cell line. HUT 78 cells
were pre-treated with MGN-3, and then were incubated
with the agonistic antibody against death receptor (Fas,
CD95). Apoptosis was determined by the propidium iodide
technique using FACScan. Activation of caspase 3,
caspase 8, and caspase 9 was determined by flow
cytometry. Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured
with DIOC(6) dye using FACScan. Expression of CD95 and
Bcl-2 were measured by flow cytometry. In a
dose-dependent manner, MGN-3 enhanced anti-CD95
antibody-induced apoptosis. Increased cell death was
correlated with increased depolarization of
mitochondrial membrane potential and increased
activation of caspase 3, caspase 8, and caspase 9. MGN-3
treatment had no effect on the level of expression of
CD95, but it caused down regulation of Bcl-2 expression.
These results suggest that MGN-3 increases the
susceptibility of cancer cells to undergo apoptosis
mediated by death ligands, which may be relevant for
anti-cancer activities.
Cancer Lett. 2003 Nov 10;201(1):41-9.
QUESTION 8: I
HAVE BEEN READING EXSTENSIVELY ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE
BRAIN FUNCTION & MEMORY I WOULD LIKE YOUR OPINION
ABOUT SOME SMART DRUGS AND IF THEY COULD BE PURCHASED IN
AUSTRALIA: PIRACETAM,
HYDERGINE, LUCIDRIL, VINPOCETINE, L-DEPRENYL &
CHOLINE.
Answer:
Here is a nice summary from the journal
‘Nutrition.’ which
details some of these compounds. ‘The choline
compounds PC and citicoline are thought to promote
synthesis and transmission of neurotransmitters
important to memory. PC has not proven effective for
improving memory in patients with probable Alzheimer's
disease. The issue remains open for older adults without
serious degenerative neural disease. Research on
citicoline is practically nonexistent, but one study
reported a robust improvement in story recall for a
small sample of normally aging older adults who scored
lower than their peers in baseline testing. Animal
studies suggest that piracetam may improve neuronal
efficiency, facilitate activity in neurotransmitter
systems, and combat the age-related decrease in
receptors on the neuronal membrane. However, for
patients with probable Alzheimer's disease, as well as
for adults with age-associated memory impairment, there
is no clear-cut support for a mnemonic benefit of
piracetam. Vinpocetine increases blood circulation and
metabolism in the brain. Animal studies have shown that
vinpocetine can reduce the loss of neurons due to
decreased blood flow. In three studies of older adults
with memory problems associated with poor brain
circulation or dementia-related disease, vinpocetine
produced significantly more improvement than a placebo
in performance onglobal cognitive tests reflecting
attention, concentration, and memory. Effects on
episodic memory per se have been tested minimally, if at
all.’ Nutrition. 2003 Nov-Dec;19(11-12):957-75. Choline is available in Australia. The rest are not available
here. There is some evidence that hydergine can improve
age-related cognitive decline.
I couldn’t find any evidence for lucidril.
QUESTION 9:
Where can I purchase HGH from and how much does it cost?
Answer: You
should get a prescription from your doctor and you
should be looking at taking the injectable form of this
hormone, the most potent way to administer growth
hormone, if your levels are low. The cost would be about
$600 per month.
QUESTION 10:
Is there any connection between dairy consumption and
insulin resistance syndrome in the young adult?
Answer:
As much as I hate to admit it being a
non-promoter of dairy products studies show that this
food source actually decreases the risk of insulin
resistance for reasons we do not fully comprehend
possibly due to the presence of calcium. High fibre and
a low glycaemic index diet containing dairy products can
prevent insulin resistance.
However low fat dairy appears to be better than
full cream. Also if you are overweight consuming full
cream dairy products leads to less fat burning so once
again low fat milk would appear to be more beneficial.
QUESTION 11:
Most of my life I have been told I am diabetic.
Finally in 1987 I was started on insulin. In 1993
I was told I was insulin resistant and insulin was
discontinued and metformin, glyburide and rosiglitazone
were prescribed. Since then my blood sugar levels
are under control but I am obese and have had problems
losing weight. I eat properly (diabetic diet) and
exercise. At a diabetic workshop it was suggested
to me that I should be checked for PCOS as some of the
symptoms of diabetes and PCOS are similar and that I
don't seem to fit into the "cookie jar" of
being a diabetic but more someone who has PCOS. I
had a hysterectomy is 1984 but was left with one ovary.
I have experienced hair loss, weight gain, mood swings,
insulin resistance, painful menstruation, two dangerous
pregnancies resulting in 7-month births of eight-pound
babies. Do you think it may be possible I could
have been misdiagnosed and what are the tests and
treatment for PCOS?
Answer:
Question 4 is similar to yours. In at least 50%
of cases insulin resistance is the underlying cause of
polycystic ovarian syndrome and therefore once your
insulin resistance is under control the hormonal
imbalances and high testosterone levels associated with
this disorder can resolve themselves.
It sounds like you also have a thyroid problem,
which is associated with this constellation of
imbalances. You
should have your thyroid hormones checked along with
oestrogen, progesterone, cortisol and DHEA. You also
need to take your morning temperature to assess your
thyroid hormone function.
Once these have all been measured then it all
needs to be put together in the appropriate programme.
Finding a physician who knows how to integrate
all of these results would be wise.
Archives
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