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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:
Is cosamin DS vitamin beneficial for spinal stenosis?
Answer: Here
are two useful definitions which explain what spinal
stenosis is all about: ‘A
syndrome that results in narrowing of the dimensions of
the spinal canal due to disc disease, bony changes
ligamentous thickening and congenital factors.’
‘General term denoting narrowing of the spinal
canal in the lumbar area leading to nerve root
compromise; term often used for developmental
abnormality that leaves a narrow, bony canal. There are
four subgroups of this condition: achondroplastic
stenosis, constitutional stenosis, degenerative stenosis,
and combined stenosis.’
Cosamin is a formulation which contains
chondroitin and glucosamine, two natural substances that
repair damaged cartilage and are commonly incorporated
to manage arthritis.
Depending on the cause of your problem these may
or may not be helpful.
QUESTION
2: I am starting to get
"liver spots" especially on my hands, and am
wary of chemical creams. Are there any natural
treatments that you could recommend as effective?
Answer: You
might find that formulations that contain herbs like st
mary’s thistle, globe artichoke, dandelion and burdock
are useful. Glutathione
is a substance that supports effective liver function
and you can boost your glutathione levels by taking
supplementary alpha-lipoic acid, a powerful antioxidant
that is found in spinach and various meats.
Vitamins A, C and E, the B vitamins, the
minerals; zinc, magnesium and selenium, the amino acids;
cysteine and methionine together with lecithin and
inositol will also assist liver function.
These spots are also thought to be
related to free radical excess and extra sugar that is
running around your bloodstream and is not being
adequately metabolized. A substance called carnosine may
be helpful in this regard.
QUESTION 3: I have been sick for four
months now. A week after a very big new year’s eve I
started feeling nauseous and all of a sudden had
sensitivities to food. I also developed reflux and
stomach pains. I saw a gastroenterologist, had an
endoscopy (revealed no abnormalities besides mild acid
reflux). I was then prescribed antacids. They have taken
away all stomach problems but for the last 3 months I
have been constantly dizzy & disorientated. I have
poor concentration, a very foggy mind & at times am
overwhelmingly tired. At times my vision becomes blurry
and I get almost mild hallicinations, whereby my
judgement of distance and colours becomes muddled up.
What does this sound like to you? I have done so much
reasearch it's driving me crazy. One week I'm sure I
have CMV, the next EB & now I'm wondering if I have
candida overgrowth syndrome. I take it you are a doctor
who believes in candida? If so, in your opinion
do I have it & what should I do. I desperately want
to get better so I can get on with Life. !
I can hardly bare working even shopping in this
state!! Any help would be very much appreciated!!
Answer: It is possible that you have candida overgrowth. I have
found that doing a blood test which measures candida
antibody levels is a reliable method for diagnosing this
condition. I
have also noticed that excess candida levels can
precipitate acid reflux and can lead to fuzzy headidness
and fatigue. It has to be said that there are doctors who dispute the
presence of this syndrome but in my years of medical
practice I have certainly been impressed with the number
of people who were suffering just like you and improved
considerably once they adopted the kinds of measures
which addressed this problem including a yeast-free
diet, probiotics such as acidophilus and bifidus that
combat candida overgrowth and natural substances like
the herbs pau d’arco, olive leaf extract, oregano,
golden seal, barberry and others that target candida
infestation. It
is also possible that you have a lingering viral
infection and weakened defences together with a
compromised hormonal system and you might be
helped by finding a physician who can evaluate these
possibilities.
QUESTION
4:
I have been taking Avapro 300mg for about a year now.
The blood pressure has stabilised, mostly between130/85.
Lately I am taking it twice a day, 150 in the morning
and night. 2/3 hours after taking it, I get a leg
pain shooting down mostly on my left leg, but at night
on both legs. I wake up in the middle of the night with
severe pain, and can't sleep more than 3 hours a
night for the last 7 months. Would there be a connection
between Avapro and the pain? Is there anything you
could advise as this would be much appreciated.
Answer:
Avapro is an angiotensin 11 receptor blocker
that is one of the newer medications that have been
introduced in recent times to treat high blood pressure.
It achieves its effects by opening up blood
vessels and limiting sodium and fluid retention. I looked at the side-effect profile and while this phenomenon
is extremely rare there is evidence that numbness and
pins and needles can result from taking this medication.
However you are very clear that you are
experiencing pain down your leg and my suggestion is to
have this reviewed by your doctor as this might be
related to the medication in question or it might be
totally unrelated and by due to another cause entirely.
QUESTION 5: What
causes constant gas in the head with burping sensations?
Upon massaging the areas it relieves the pain and also
causes burping. I
have had this for several years and the doctors say they
have never heard of it.
Answer: This
is indeed a curious phenomenon and must be extremely
distressing for you.
One of the previous questions raised the
possibility of candida overgrowth being the cause of
fatigue and digestive complaints and I’m wondering
whether a yeast-free diet might just be the answer to
your anguish. I
had a look at the medical website ‘Medline’ which
you can access via google and if you enter the phrase
‘gas in the head’ you might come up with an answer
that might be relevant to your situation.
QUESTION 6: I
am taking enbrel (my second month) for RA. I want to
start taking moducare, as I want to regulate my immune
system. Is this recommended? my rheumatologist hasn't
heard of moducare. I also read that Nettle leaf extract
has the same effect as enbrel, it is a TNF inhibitor.
What is your opinion?
Answer:
You are absolutely correct tumour necrosis
factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta
(IL-1beta) produced by articular chondrocytes and
synovial macrophages, are
the most important cytokines or proinflammatory
molecules that stimulate
matrix metalloproteinases or substances that lead to the
kind of inflammation typical of rheumatoid arthritis. There are studies showing that stinging nettle can inhibit
TNF-alpha and therefore may be appropriate for the
management of this condition.
Moducare is an example of a phytosterol, a
natural substance that has immune modulating benefits
and can be used to help manage auto-immune diseases such
as rheumatoid arthritis.
What you have to be careful of when using this
substance is the fact that phytosterols and moducare
have the ability to increase the TH1 arm of the immune
system and this is the very component that has become
overactive with regard to rheumatoid arthritis.
Therefore even though those who are responsible
for bringing moducare to the market place seem to
indicate that moducare might help to manage rheumatoid
arthritis there is the theoretical possibility that
taking this formulation might make your condition worse.
You might just have to experiment with this.
Substances such as fish oil, the herbs curcumin
and polypodium and the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
and the avoidance of dairy products and those containing
wheat and gluten might also be helpful.
Subscribing to a website called www.naturaldatabase.com
and www.naturalstandards.com
will also provide you with useful scientific
information.
QUESTION
7: Where can I buy a very good HGH
product?
Answer:
This is available on prescription and before
you proceed you should have your growth hormone levels
measured which can be done via a blood test which
assesses IGF-1.
QUESTION 8: Where
can I find information on how to treat graves disease?
I have two friends that have this disease. The
first one has already had radiation to destroy her
thyroid. The second is starting treatments soon.
Could glyconutrients be of some help for either or both
of them? Do you know of any cases like these that
have used them?
Answer:
Graves disease is characterized by an
overactive thyroid gland which can be extremely
debilitating leading to anxiety, weight loss and
palpitations to name just a few of the distressing
features of this disorder. Interestingly I discovered a recent study indicating that the
hormone DHEA referred to in the previous answer can be
used to reduce the activity of certain cells that have
become excessively pugnacious and which may be
responsible for driving this disorder.
INSIGHT INTO GRAVES'
HYPERTHYROIDISM FROM ANIMAL MODELS.
The
above is an article which although complex might give
you some insights that are useful. I could not find any
evidence that glyconutrients are beneficial.
QUESTION 9: I
have always been underweight my whole life. I actually
weight 107 lbs (5.4 ft). I would like to gain 20 more
pounds. All diet programs are to help lose weight. I
look scrawny and find it difficult to find clothes that
fit me well. I wear a size 0. Can you please tell me if
there is anything I can take to help me gain more
weight?
I have to add that I have a poor appetite.
Answer:
Naturally having a poor appetite doesn’t
help. You
might benefit form having your hormones measured.
Certain hormones such as testosterone and growth
hormone are anabolic or muscle building and if these are
low boosting these might be beneficial.
Equally if your thyroid hormone levels are
overactive this might make it difficult for you to gain
weight.
QUESTION 10: I
have read your book, after being recommended by my Dr in
Imbil. Are there any GPs in Townsville, Australia who do
the testing that you recommend? I have asked Belrowes,
who did, but they are not taking more patients.
Answer:
You are referring to ‘Eternal health- a
comprehensive guide to anti-aging for the new
millennium’ which is described on this site. In my anti-aging clinic we see patients from all around
Australia as well as those from overseas so you might
want to consider utilizing our facilities.
If this is a problem there is a website www.acnem.org
which list physicians around Australia who practise
anti-aging medicine.
QUESTION 11: It's
my pleasure to introduce you a brand new process /
production method that yields non-toxic
2-deoxy-d-glucose, P-2DG.
If you are interested
it please don't hesitate to contact us.
Answer:
Caloric restriction or eating less is one of
the strategies that can be adopted to prolong life.
2-deoxy-d-glucose is a substance which can
replicate this effect. The only problem is that there is
little margin for error as this formulation also has the
potential to harm us at doses which are just slightly
above that amount needed to achieve the desired outcome.
Therefore it is pleasing to find manufacturers
who provide us with some comfort regarding safety.
Unfortunately the manufacturers cannot be
advertised on this site and for those who are interested
you might have to await further developments to unfold
as these products become more commercially available.
Archives
Spa
Chakra
Phone 02 93680888
The Wharf
Woolloomooloo
Sydney
AUSTRALIA
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