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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 high blood pressure. I also have high cholesterol.
I am taking medications for both, but would much rather
address both problems naturally. I have heard of the
beneficial effects of taking phytosterol supplements to
help control cholesterol, but am now hearing that this
might actually increase blood pressure. Is taking a
phytosterol supplement safe in my case?
Answer:
I did find animal experimentation done on
what is quaintly called stroke-prone spontaneously
hypertensive (SHRSP) rats indicating that phytosterol
ingestion raises blood pressure and is associated with a
worse prognosis and a decreased survival time in those
animals receiving this substance however there are no
human trials corroborating these findings. Does this
mean that phytosterols are not safe for those who suffer
from high blood pressure?
That’s not an easy question to answer as
clearly the safety of phytosterols cannot be absolutely
guaranteed in the light of these findings however
tangential they might seem. This is an issue you would have to weigh up with your
physician.
QUESTION 2: I have battled with toenail
fungus for nearly 12 months now.
I have used Loceryl and alsoWhitfield's Ointment
with practically no success. Can you recommend any
effective "natural" treatment?
Answer: Lamisil
and griseofulvin are medications that sometimes work but
these are not without side-effects.
I prefer to view toenail fungus as a systemic
condition meaning that there is probably a generalised
candida problem necessitating a yeast-free diet,
acidophilus supplementation and treatment with herbal
extracts such as pau d’arco, olive leaf, barberry and
oregan mountaingrape.
Recently a physician colleague in the USA
suggested oregana as a treatment as well.
If this fails then medications such as nystatin,
nizoral, difflucan and sporanox might have to be
incorporated.
QUESTION 3:I take armour thyroid hormone
because I have cysts on my thyroid and have been
diagnosed as having hypothyroidism. I have heard that
one should not take CQ10 if one has thyroid problems. Is
this true and why?
Answer: I
looked hard for this connection but could not find it.
I don’t see why coenzyme Q 10 would be a
problem in the context of your disorder.
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