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Daily Topic is now resuming at HealthyFixx.com

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 01:40:00 +0000

Daily Topic is being continued in the vein of www.HealthyFixx.com

Causes & Cure For Diabetes Mellitus Part 2

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 05:25:00 +0000

In the majority of type II diabetics, the underlying cause is an underactive thyroid. Maybe you've already had your thyroid tested and been told that it’s "normal."

The thyroid test that’s most commonly used today is wildly inaccurate.

In today's high stress lifestyle which places large demands, we are under more stress than ever. We're bombarded by stimuli, including electrical via computers and cellular devices, which can produce negative endocrine changes.

High stimuli places large demands on both our thyroid and adrenal glands, causing them to work overtime and sometimes cannot keep pace, not allowing enough active hormones to meet the body's needs.

Moreover, today's depleted soils do not permit sufficient iodine intake to fullfill the body's requirements for optimal functioning.

The thyroid requires sufficient iodine in order to make the active form of thyroid hormone. Beyond sea vegetables and fish, there isn't enough iodine in their diet.

Certainly, iodine has been fortified to salt, known as iodized salt yet with all the anti-salt advice from public health officials, some people have cut back on iodized salt, while others have opted to replace iodized salt with other forms which have little or no iodine in them.

Iodine was once fortified into baked goods, containing as much as 1 milligram of iodine per slice of bread. Due to erroneous information on rat studies, the halide mineral, bromine was put in its place.

Bromine and iodine are known as halogen minerals. Other minerals in the halogen group are fluorine (think fluoride) and chlorine. Being halides or halogen elements means that they can attach to the same receptors in your cells.

Consider for a moment that we are highly subjected to vast quantity of halogen molecules in our food supply and environment. Chlorinated and fluoridated water supplies, bathing in and drinking the water will can can displace iodine in thyroid and tissue cells.

When we eat breads, we often are taking in bromide, which serves to prevent the split top when bread is baked. Bromide is contained in some drinks in the form of brominated vegetable oils.

So while many brush their teeth with fluroide containing toothpastes, cook with fluoride and chlorinated water, eating baked 'goods' with bromide, we are interferring with our thyroids function by displacing iodine with other halogen elements.

These other halogens are taking the iodine seat and as a result, the thyroid gland does not produce adequate thyroid hormone.

Standard blood testing reveals nothing, because the test cannot differentiate between a thyroid hormone with iodine versus a non active thyroid hormone with another halogen in its place. Tests will typically reveal a "normal" thyroid hormone output, but it isn't true!

Beyond halide elements, another blocker of healthy thyroid function is from mercury contamination.

Mercury goes immediately where iodine is supposed to go, directly into the thyroid first. Autopsies have revealed that mercury concentrates in large quantities in thyroid tissue, perturbing enzymes in the thyroid gland.

It's little wonder where all this mercury comes from, the main source comes from the dentist! Studies on rats show that it takes only 4 minutes for mercury to reach the thyroid tissue upon mercury contamination.

Given this information, it isn't hard to imagine why so many are prone to low thyroid function.

In the early part of the last century, physicians would test thyroid function by observing cholesterol levels, if they were high, chances were that thyroid was underperforming. They would also resort to using various metabolic tests, however it proved to be too time consuming.

Later in the 20th century, a physician named Broda Barnes uncovered a very simple way to test metabolism using auxillary basal temperature. Today, it's known as the Broda Barnes test.

In the next Daily Topic, will explore ways to kick start the thyroid and bring it back to health. The end result can take between six to nine months, but the effort will pay off.

Note: I decided to continue this artcile in the vein of Healthyfixx, it is in its complete form here: http://healthyfixx.com/plan/8/reversing-type-2-diabetes-naturally

Causes & Cure For Diabetes Mellitus

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:51:00 +0000

Today, diabetes mellitus (type II) is a growing epidemic. Two centuries ago, it was almost unheard of. The reason was due to the limited availability of refined sugar. Around the time of the early 1800's, only the wealthy could afford refined sugar and only the wealthy developed type II diabetes.

Modern medicine succeeds at failure and for this reason, many integrative physicians these days refer to the term, "sick care" instead of health care. The standard, orthodox 'treatment' of diabetes exacerbates the disease process while creating the appearance of proper blood test results.

The good news is that type II diabetes can be reversed, and along with it, extension of life and all the parameters that go along with it.

Many patients assume that their doctor is educated on the most important aspects of the disease and treatment. In contrast, they know little about the latest and greatest and more about the profit business model that is diabetes treatment, rather than the reversal process.

In the last twenty years, there has been an explosive growth in kidney dialysis clinics, along with other facets of diabetic complications--a cottage of industry promulgated on the epic failure of diabetes 'treatment.'

There are many more examples of this, such as wound care clinics, rising "popularity" in eye treatments due to high blood sugar (retinopathy), vascular treatments, and of course cardiovascular complications which are strongly associated with the condition.

Contrary to popular belief, a type 2 diabetic does not have to rely on oral medications or insulin the rest of their lives. Please read Diabetes Drugs Offer Zero Benefits.

Ninety-five percent of all diabetics are non-insulin dependent or type II. Type I diabetes, or insulin-dependent only makes up 5% of the diabetic population.

Unlike type I diabetes, which is insulin-dependent, patients with diabetes mellitus do produce some insulin, just not sufficient levels of it.

If they are pre-diabetic, they are often producing too much insulin. This is because of resistant insulin (desensitized insulin). In either case, a diabetic can suffer from abnormally high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood.

When the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood increases, usually after a meal, it triggers the release of the hormone insulin from the pancreas. Insulin acts as a switch to allow muscle and fat cells to remove glucose from the blood and stimulate the liver to metabolize glucose, allowing blood sugar levels to normalize.

While refined sugar is certainly a contributor to type 2 diabetes, there are many other potential factors that can trigger it over time.

Ultimately, type 2 diabetes is a result of an electron depletion. In simple terms, it means an electron shortage or a dimished capacity for the body to produce sufficient levels of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase).

When free radicals, or unpaired electrons increase because of dietary or environmental insults, it can rapidly damage the body tissues unless the cells can produce enough antioxidant enzymes.

One obvious question might be, what causes an electron depletion in the first place? The answer can be one or many. For now, let's focus on some of the stronger culprits.

The leading culprits are an existing root canal, or an accumulation of toxic metals (i.e, lead, mercury, iron, etc.) and/or undiagnosed hypothyroidism (low thyroid). Root canals are a leading source of very noxious bacteria, whose waste material can overwhelm our reserve of antioxidant enzymes.

Please read Why You Should Never Get A Root Canal.

Virtually anyone with type 2 diabetes has an undiagnosed low thyroid, despite laboratory results revealing "normal ranges."

The reason is that TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone) does not take into account of thyroid hormone resistance. This is similar to insulin resistance, however thyroid testing of this sort no longer exists. Also, TSH test does not distinguish if the thyroid is rich in iodine or other halogen minerals. If the thyroid is loaded with toxic bromide or chlorine, the amount of thyroid shown on tests will not reflect true activity.

A better gauge of thyroid function is with detection of low basal temperature along with a few classic low thyroid symptoms. Click here for a website that describes how to test your basal temperature at home.

The following are potential signs of poor thyroid function when accompanied with abnormal basal temperature readings:

Sluggishness

Increased sensitivity to cold

Constipation

Pale, dry skin

A puffy face

Hoarse voice

An elevated blood cholesterol level

Unexplained weight gain

Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness

Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints

Muscle weakness

Heavier than normal menstrual periods

Brittle fingernails and hair

Depression

Fatigue

If you find yourself exhibiting some of these symptoms you might assume you need thyroid medication, however this may not necessarily be the case.

Will discuss this and other causive factors and solutions for diabetes type 2 in the next Daily Topic.

Eradicating Breast Cancer

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 03:06:00 +0000

Breast cancer is completely preventable, yet most people are not aware that in the majority of cases, it starts with your teeth!

Still, very few are aware that breast cancer is now curable. It is estimated that over forty thousand women will perish in the United States from breast cancer this year. It is also estimated that well over 200 thousand will receive a diagnosis of breast cancer annually.

Sometimes when I approach a food establishment, I am solicited with an offer to donate money for cancer research. Quite often, it is for prostate or breast cancer. Depending on the circumstances, I might respond to the solicitor by saying, "There's already a cure!"

None of this seems to matter though, because cancer fundraising will probably continue with seemingly no end in site. I can only imagine how many jobs this supports, such as administration, marketing, drug research, etcetera.

All the billions of dollars raised annually is staggering, but will there ever really be a cure?

There is an organization that exists in Ecuador since January, 2006 who are curing breast cancer today, and at the same time, completely ignored by cancer foundations.

In the United States, it is estimated that less than five percent of the population survives more than 5 years after chemotherapy, radiation or radical surgery. Cancer is a 'perfect' business model, the customers spend everything they can afford until death ceases payment.

So what actually causes breast cancer anyway? Simply stated, a decrease in cancer suppressing proteins via neurotoxins from the jawbone.

There are various proteins that protect against cancer, however continuous exposure to certain toxins, from cavitations, root canals, decaying bone under extracted teeth and decomposition in older crowned teeth can initialize cancer by decreasing cancer suppressing proteins.

When the carcinogenic dose is reached, proteins that regulate healthy cell division (apoptosis) are inhibited, allowing cancer to flourish.

Research demonstrates that in a 100% of all breast cancer patients, an infection occuring in the teeth, such as a root canal occupies the very same acupuncture meridian in the ten thousand cadavers studied.

Toxins that emanate from root canals and cavitations have been tested for the sort of toxins to inhibit cancer guarding proteins. Primarily, there are four proteins that guard against cancer. These proteins are known as p21, p27, p53 and CDK2.

To get an idea of just how potent toxins are from root canal teeth, a washing diluted 20 times over inhibits the binding of protective proteins to DNA.

Root canals are essentially decaying bone tissue, which result in toxic waste residue from festering, anaerobic bacteria. No doctor would never leave a dead organ in the body, because the "vultures" of the body will feast upon it, leaving behind extremely toxic debris.

I've mentioned previously that cancer is actually a mold or a fungus, which was discovered by the Italian oncologist, Dr. Tullio Simoncini. When there is a steady stream of dental toxins, they allow ripe conditions for fungus such as Candida to flourish.

As of this writing, root canal procedures are increasing in the United States by seven percent annually. This happens to mirror the rate of increasing cancer rates in the USA.

The fastest way to cure breast cancer requires a trip to Equador! In about 30 minutes a breast tumor can be permanently eradicated. Adding to a patient's peace of mind, they will guarantee success for life or the second procedure is free!

Unlike conventional cancer 'treatment,' this procedure is lighter on the wallet and on normal cells. After using a special thermal imaging device, which confirms the presence of cancer, the procedure for eradication will be used. It is called Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA).

The following video below is a demonstration of the procedure. If you need information about this, please call the toll-free number 1-888-9HEALME (1-888-943-2563).

Click here for video

Avoid Rushing Into Cancer Treatment

Mon, 31 May 2010 03:17:00 +0000

Everyday, untold thousands are receiving a scary diagnosis of prostate or breast cancer. Immediately following the news, patients are rushed into treatment, but with huge consequences.

A lot of patients have no interest in alternative treatments, and it's no surprise, because as far as they know, their oncologist "knows all the latest stuff, he/she must have all the best answers."

When men are told they have prostate cancer, they are often rushed into invasive surgery to have the prostate removed. Fear works, and suddenly, many of these patients find themselves with no more sexual function and in diapers.

However, based on new research there’s a better than two-thirds chance that doing nothing is a better strategy!

When the researchers at the University of Liverpool examined 500 patients with prostate cancer, they observed that two-thirds of the men did not even have the protein called Hsp-27, which is associated with cancer growth.

In other words, without this protein, the cancer will hardly grow--It's virtually benign!

Considering that two-thirds of the prostate cancer patients studied did not have Hsp-27, they would suffer needly if rushed into orthodox treatment.

This all being said, if you know someone who has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, at the very least suggest they check for Hsp-27 before submitting themselves to a life of incontinence and/or impotence and possibly other complications of surgery.

In an earlier Daily Topic, "Mammograms Increase Breast Cancer Risk" I mentioned that most of the time, tumors simply regress on their own. Unfortunately, cancer treatment is a business--a complication in of itself.

While physicians theoretically could focus on the viability of these cancers, they are instructed instead to excecute the most profitable way to get rid of them.

Cancer is a growing industry, fueled by failure, just like diabetes and other degenerative conditions.

In the case of breast cancer, there's another fear driven situation where upon diagnosis, women are opting to have their breasts cut off, usually needlessly.

The average person does not really understand what cancer is, so they subject themselves to fear blinding actions most people would normally never consider.

In the past, I covered the problems with "early detection" and medical screenings, such as with "Screening Yourself Down Thin Ice" where men and women place themselves at greater risk by ultiizing "early detection" tests looking for problems, later to be victims of the medical industry.

Men are poked and proded, women suffer from the compression of their breasts with a dash of radiation, but instead of giving them peace of mind, it's an anxious process and often turns up more trouble.

According to the New York Times, an article confirmed what I and many others have been saying, that many, many cancers vanish without treatment.

Dr. Thea Tisty, a professor of pathology at the University of California, San Francisco says that everyone, by middle or old age, is riddled with cancer and pre-cancerous cells.

A group lead by Dr. Thea Tisty noticed plenty of cancer cells in autopsies on people who died of other causes, with no idea that they had cancer cells or precancerous cells.

If we get screened too frequently, we are increasing the profit opportunity for the cancer industry, while putting ourselves at risk for orthodox "cut, burn and poison."

The real tragedy here is that most patients actually die from cancer 'treatment' than from the disease itself. Worse, most of these cases could be prevented by avoiding the screening process.

In my view, prevention is everything. In the next Daily Topic will discuss the best options known on what to do if one has advanced breast cancer.

If one is concerned about having breast cancer and they need confirmation, they can opt for thermography screening instead of mammography.

Overlooked Causes Of Back Pain Part 2

Tue, 18 May 2010 05:38:00 +0000

Quite often, some patients with unrelenting back pain could be "doing themselves in" with a prescription cholesterol lowering, statin drug.

It's not unusual for doctors to ignore their patients complaints of pain, "Is it the statin drug causing my muscle pain?" Certainly physicians are aware that statin drugs cause muscle damage, yet it is taught that this is only a "rare" side-effect of the drug.

Finally, a new study reveals that most integrative physicians have known all along about these drugs, that they damage virtually everyone who uses them, and worse than previously thought.

If a patient had concerns over statin drug muscle injury, a physician would test blood levels of creatine phosphokinase, and if high would suggest muscle damage. It turns out, this test is just not accurate.

The "rare" muscle injury suffered from statin drug users is probably closer to 97%. It's been amazing to me how often doctors of patients would just brush off their patient's concerns of muscle pain and weakness.

The authors of the study mentioned that normal or moderately elevated levels of creatine phosphokinase do not exclude statin-associated muscle injury. They went on to state that alternative treatment strategies for patients with muscle symptoms need to be evaluated.

When 83 patients were evaluated in the study, 44 of those were on the cholesterol lowering statin drugs complained of muscle pain, while another 19 on the drugs reported no complaints.

Of the 44 patients who complained of pain, 25 of them sustained significant damage to their muscle tissue. Interestingly, of the patients with muscle damage, 96% of them had levels of creatine phosphokinase in the normal ranges!

This study confirms the true chaos that is indeed occuring in those who are taking statin drugs, and if the muscle damage isn't present yet, it is quite likely that it will be.

Of the patients taking the statin drugs who suffered no pain, 5% of them had biopsies revealing muscle damage.

The authors of the study had stated that the results may be an underestimate of the actual extent of muscle damage. This is because some of the biopsies may have been taken at the site of unaffected muscles.

Aside from the findings of this study, it's important to note that cholesterol has nothing to do with heart disease. Moreover, the only 'benefit' of these statins is the reduction of inflammation, yet the same results can be achieved with a thousand milligrams of vitamin C.

It's not certain as of this writing, yet researchers currently believe that statins in some may raise the activity of the vitamin D receptor, possibly lowering inflammation. However, there is a tinge of irony to this effect, because at the same time, statin drugs appear to cause a vitamin D deficiency.

If this is indeed accurate, it may well explain why these statin drugs can create "mysterious" pain in chronic back pain sufferers.

If what you've read so far isn't enough to have you question the use of statin drugs, the researchers at the University of Nottingham found that some statins can lead to an increased risk of liver dysfunction, acute kidney failure, myopathy and cataracts in patients.

When in doubt, a good dosage for most on vitamin D3 supplementation is 5,000 IU per day.

Overlooked Causes Of Back Pain

Tue, 11 May 2010 03:35:00 +0000

If you've tried "anything" and "everything" to get get rid of your chronic back pain with no result, new evidence suggests there are two reasons why.

Before I reveal this, please make sure to read an older Daily Topic article called, "The Stealth Causes Of Back Pain" first, if you haven't already.

The new evidence reveals that a Vitamin D deficiency maybe the reason why back pain lingers on without resolve, and it makes little difference what the actual cause was.

When six patients with a history of intractable back pain were given a sufficient dose of vitamin D, each found relief. Bear in mind that each patient had disabling, chronic back pain and were taking pain medication.

Back surgery often fails, and these patient's histories were no exception.

The medical histories of the test group were interesting, because relief was found despite series of compounding events. In one such case, a 63-year-old man had a history of four back operations for disc protrusion, the last of which occured 15 years ago.

His blood level of vitamin D (25, hydroxy vitamin D) was only 20 nmol/l (nanimoles per liter) or a measure I prefer to use was 8 ng/mL (8 nanograms per milliliter), this is incredibly low!

He was placed on 4,000 international units of vitamin D3. Six weeks later, his vitamin D level was 87 nmol/l or 35 ng/mL and his back pain vanished!

A patient also enrolled in the study was 47-years old who had a marginally successful back surgery, although his symptoms returned six months following the operation.

His pain increased to the point where he was incapable of normal activity, and needed pain medication to get through the day. He was given 2,000 international units of vitamin D3. Eventually, his back pain ceased and was able to return to his former full capacity, no longer hindered, no longer required to take any more medication.

In the case of another patient, this time a young women aged 30-years-old. She had chronic back pain that worsened after pregnancy. Unable to work for several years, her medication was only marginally helpful for pain relief.

She was found to have a severe deficiency of vitamin D, and was started on 2,000 internation units. Her back pain completely resolved within six weeks and was able to return to work.

When first checked, her initial vitamin D level was only 18 nmol/l or 7 ng/mL. Her levels were brought up to 82 nmol/l or 33 ng/mL.

The obvious lesson here is to check your vitamin D status before considering any pain treatment or surgery. Other painful conditions such as fibromyalgia are sometimes really undiagnosed osteomalacia, which is characterized as softening of the bones due to a lack of vitamin D. The basic symptom of osteomalacia is bone pain.

There is no universal dosage of vitamin D that will bring a patients levels up to healthful levels, because everyone is very different in this area. Some may need only a few thousand units per day to normalize their 25 hydroxy vitamin D levels, while others may need as much 20,000 IU per day.

The target desirable levels of vitamin D are greater than 40 ng/mL or 100 nmol/l. You're vitamin D deficient if your levels are between 20- 40 ng/mL or 50 - 100 nmol/l, insufficient at 10 - 20 ng/mL or 25 -50 mmol/l and deficient below 10 ng/mL or 25 nmol/l.

Finally, maximal levels of 25, hydroxy vitamin D should not go much further than 90 ng/mL or 250 nmol/l.

For the average person, I would suggest starting out with 5,000 IU per day and if necessary, have your levels checked if relief is not found.

The other overlooked cause of back pain will be mentioned in the Next Daily Topic.

Preventing End Stage Kidney Failure Part 6

Mon, 10 May 2010 01:28:00 +0000

Using sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), will help in any stage of kidney dysfunction, whether early on or in the latest stages, including dialysis.

Recent research on animals have proved to postively alter gene expression in obstructed kidneys using two common Chinese herbs, namely, Astragalus and Dong Quai.

Taken together, these herbs have demonstrated to have profound kidney protective effects, including anti-fibrotic effects, which means to prevent scarring.

The function of these herbs were found to fight fibrosis, inhibit excess clotting, decrease free radicals, and regulate calcium-phosphate metabolism.

In addition, Astragalus and Dong Quai improve microvascular lesions that obstruct proper kidney filtration by increasing blood flow to oxygen starved tissues, augmenting the recovery of blood flow and glomerular filtration rate after oxygen starvation (reperfusion injury).

These herbs can improve the balance of vaso-activators such as nitric oxide and angiotensin, which act to dilate and constrict as needed. Further, to encourage the growth of new blood vessels while inhibiting the release of intracellular calcium ions.

Why use ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers when these two herbs are hundreds of times safer?

In one case, a 77-year-old woman with nephrotic syndrome, a condition in which the kidneys are damaged, causing them to leak large amounts of protein was treated with the following medication: ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers, both of which prevent a major kidney artery from clenching, cyclosporine A and mycophenolate mofetil, both of which are immunosuppressant drugs, all without response.

After more than 2 years of treatment without improvement, she began therapy with Astragalus. She took a dose of fifteen grams per day, finding a significant reduction of protein wasting in the urine, called proteinuria.

Her nephrotic syndrome recurred after temporary cessation of astragalus, with a complete remission of nephrosis observed after its reintroduction.

Another valuable "herb" is a mushroom, called Cordyceps. The patented form called Cordyceps Mycelia CS-4, has been well studied on animals and is a potent kidney protectant. Cordyceps has been used for the kidneys in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Integrative physicians have found real benefits in terms of lab numbers with kidney function in patients, such as better creatinine, albumin, and Glomerular filtration rates (GFR).

If the kidneys are beginning to degenerate, this is when to get aggressive, because if this condition is allowed to get much worse, the basic diet and many nutrient supplementation becomes far more complicated than most would imagine.

Using forms of Vitamin B6, including the active forms pyridoxal-5-phosphate and pyridoxamine should only be used in early kidney disease, as they can become dangerous in the later stages.

The mineral, magnesium is crucial for proper kidney function and its deficiency often leads or exacerbates diabetes, which helps further along kidney degeneration. Yet if the kidneys are failing, they may not adequately clear out magnesium and can create a toxic overload.

It is a well known fact that kidney patients are urged to adopt a low protein diet in order to reduce strain on the kidneys. However, one superfood is the exception to this. Spirulina is a very protein rich, microscopic blue-green algae, which is an excellent source of nutrients.

Numerous studies have shown spirulina to provide kidney protective effects in experimental animals, despite its high protein content. Besides spirulina's impressive nutrient profile, it protects against heavy metal poisoning such as lead, which affects the kidney.

Clinically, it has observed that spirulina also helps real human patients. However a problem study to demonstrate this may not occur for decades.

In conclusion, kidney disease is a very complex degenerative process, involving multiple systems and stages of development. Please be sure to review any of the previous information with a physician or nephrologist, knowledgable and capable of integrating such methodologies with a patient's individual biochemistry and stage of kidney disease.

Preventing End Stage Kidney Failure Part 5

Tue, 04 May 2010 02:27:00 +0000

The homegrown epidemic called diabetes, has contributed to the flourishing business of kidney dialysis centers. The increase of activity around major cities in the United States has been explosive over the past 20 years.

If there's any doubt in the epic failure of conventional medicine, look no further than diabetes. It's the pathway towards vascular diseases, such as heart attacks and leg amputations--and if that doesn't kill the patient, eventual kidney failure will.

Kidney dialysis clears out the toxins in the blood that the damaged kidney can no longer excrete into urine. Of course, dialysis is not curative, it merely buys a little time until the Grim Reaper finishes he or she off.

So naturally, it is prudent to avoid getting diabetes by eating a diet low in sugar and refined carbohydrates. Before kidney failure begins, diabetes is usually already well established, unless accomplished through drug poisoning. That being said, it is crucial to maintain proper regulation of blood sugar levels with the correct diet and supplementation.

Speaking of diet, a typical diet of a kidney disease patient is particulary bland, consisting of low protein and high carbohydrate. Of course the carbohydrates should be specified to be of vegetable origin.

Unfortunately, an over eager dietician may suggest a particulary bad idea, such as salt restriction, which is more than unnecessary, it could be dangerous.

Studies have shown that salt restriction may be linked to organ damage, because low blood sodium, known as hyponatremia can damage the heart and kidneys.

One mineral you really should avoid if you suspect kidney trouble is

fluoride. It has been demonstrated in rats that fluoride enhances absorption of another toxic mineral, aluminum, which again is bad for the kidneys. This is an instance to avoid all sources of fluoride, including tap water and toothpaste to name just two.

Before the eventual threat of kidney failure looms, some medications are used to control symptoms related to the kidney, such as excessive fluid accumulation and swelling. A very common water pill (diuretic) prescribed today for kidney issues is called furosemide, better known as Lasix.

Furosemide is also prescribed to alleviate fluide accumulation due to more severe conditions such as heart failure, cirrhosis, chronic kidney failure, and nephrotic syndrome. However, this drug is harsh on the kidneys although still helpful for relief of kidney problems.

While furosemide is a powerful diuretic, it depletes electrolytes and in advanced stages of kidney failure, it suddently becomes too dangerous to use.

The garden "weed" known as dandelion happens to work just as effectively as forosemide, without the negative side-effects or puting a kidney patient at risk. Dandelion has been used traditionally as a diuretic and was very surprised to find that it was not properly studied until just recently.

In the August, 2009 Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, the diuretic effect in human subjects was evaluated using an extract of dandelion

to significant effect. The pilot study demonstrated what traditional herblists have known for centuries--dandelion works!

If one is approaching kidney failure, baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate can be a life saver. While it's even FDA approved for kidney acidosis, baking soda is also one of the most basic medicines for kidney disease.

Recently, scientists at the Royal London Hospital revealed that baking soda can dramatically slow the progress of chronic kidney disease. In essence,

baking soda can forestall kidney dialysis, possibly indefinitely.

When the proper protocol is followed, kidney dialysis can be reversed along with the use of baking soda. Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate can be helpful as a bath soak, however the oral route is much more effective.

Normally, the pancreas secretes bicarbonate during the alkaline phase of digestion, which occurs during the simultaneous release of digestive enzymes. If the pancreas becomes weak, and subsequently fails to deliver enough bicarbonate, the kidneys will provide some back-up, as they produce a significant amount each day.

However, if the kidneys fail, there is little left to control the acidity or pH balance of the blood. This is when oral baking soda or sodium bicarbonate can really save your "neck" or kidneys for that matter.

Well before the kidneys get into any trouble, a hyperglycemic state, or having high blood sugar or diabetes can induce magnesium shortages. While it is prudent to maintain sufficient intake of magnesium for most everyone, if you have failing kidneys, magnesium levels may rise too steeply because of an excretion problem.

However, there are patients with low magnesium levels despite kidney trouble, so adequate kidney function is required before administering

any magnesium supplementation.

If a kidney patient reaches a stage where they experience some swelling (edema) and protein wasting in the urine, it my underscore a deficiency in blood vessel and capillary building nutrients, namely vitamin C and bioflavonoids.

As mentioned before, clinicians are especially cautious concerning vitamin C, as it is widely believed to be associated with kidney stones. However, this is not exactly the case. Often, it is the absence of B-vitamins and sufficient magnesium to be the real culprit behind kidney stone formation.

Moreover, vitamin C stops the formation or oxalate stones, and actually dissolves phosphate and struvite kidney stones. Before the kidney condition worsens, it is important to supply enough vitamin C and sources of bioflavonids to nourish the collagen based filtrations to allow proper handling of protein.

A common sign of a vitamin C deficiency and/or bioflavonoids is bleeding gums, so heed this warning and supplement.

A well known compound from a family of bioflavonoids, called Pycnogenol offers potent protection against kidney damage.

Pycnogenol is an extract of the French maritime pine tree, and can offset kidney damage caused by high blood pressure say Italian researchers. This was reported in mid March this year.

In a clinical study, pycnogenol was found to be statistically significant further enhanced kidney cortical flow velocities, by 8% for diastolic flow and 12% for systolic flow, relative to values found for the a group taking the drug ramipril only.

Kidney disease is a very complex degenerative process, involving multiple systems and stages of development. That being said, it is critically important to review any of the previous information with a knowledgable physician or nephrologist, capable of integrating such methodologies with a patient's individual biochemistry and stage of kidney disease.

In the next Daily Topic, will wrap up some final considerations on preventing and treating kidney disease.

Preventing End Stage Kidney Failure Part 4

Sun, 02 May 2010 02:38:00 +0000

A kidney contains about one million nephrons, which are the filtration systems of the body. They regulate the amount of water, salts, glucose, urea and other crucial minerals.

One of the most important measurements of kidney function is called the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The glomerular filtration rate is commonly derived from a formula in which age, sex, race, and plasma creatinine are relevant variables. GFR above 90 milliliters per minute is normal, and below 15 denotes end stage kidney disease.

An issue of vicious cycle causation is elevated homocysteine in the blood, which not only contributes to atherosclerosis, but can bring on kidney failure. This cycle allows homocysteine to build up even higher, causing more atherosclerosis.

An unfortunate paradox of end stage kidney disease is that homocysteine lowering B-vitamins such as B6, folate and B12 can actually worsen it. Based on research conducted at five university medical centres.

The water solubility of B-vitamins is easily excretable in healthy people, however those with kidney failure may not be able to do so based on adverse effects observed in the research. Therefore, using heavy metal chelation such as OSR, should first be used until kidney health is strong enough to handle taking supplemental B-vitamins.

As the kidney improves with heavy metal chelation, the root of elevated homocysteine may stablize, and if it does successfully, the thyroid gland may also improve. The state of the thyroid is intimately involved in the regulation of homocysteine, thus treating the cause of homocysteine elevation maybe a key to success.

Conversely, limiting treatment to lowering homocysteine only, for chronic kidney disease does not improve outcome.

The kidney normally plays an important role in the metabolism, degradation, and excretion of several thyroid hormones. It is not surprising therefore that impairment in kidney function leads to disturbed thyroid physiology.

Failing kidney function results in all levels of hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis faltering, including alterations in hormone production, distribution, and excretion. This means with an expectation of improvement of kidney function, hormone balance will improve accordingly.

If kidney health becomes severe, it may bring on secondary hyperparathyroidism, due to problems with the ability to break down and remove phosphate. A patient at this time may also need the active form of vitamin D, called calicitriol as it may lose the ability to synthesize vitamin D on its own.

Careful controlled doses of the active form of vitamin D or pre-formed, such as calcitriol and alfacalcidol can be administered to those with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

As mentioned earlier, atherosclerosis can bring on kidney failure. Atherosclerosis in the peripheral arteries implies atherosclerosis elsewhere, and in such places when poor circulation occurs in the kidneys, it is the hallmark of chronic kidney failure and, ultimately, end-stage kidney disease.

So while metal chelation and Benfotiamine can allow the kidneys to recover, amongst other important nutritional considerations depending upon the stage, there is another nutrient to help prevent the dreaded possibility of hemodialysis, the mechanical, man-made version of the kidney.

Despite the normal role that water soluble B-vitamins provide to lower homocysteine levels, they are of no use in end stage kidney disease, and as stated before, can make things only worse, despite lowering homocysteine levels.

The alternative is the use of propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC), which not only lowers homocysteine, it also lowers endothelin-1, which constricts the arteries. As the kidneys begin to deteriorate, they produce diminishing quantities of the amino acid, carnitine. Taking either acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) or propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC) can help protect the kidney and are more bioavailable than regular L-carnitine.

An excellent addition to PLC or ALC carnitine is Lipoic acid. Lipoic acid is an ideal, natural compound that augments kidney protection. Lipoic acid is both water and fat soluble, therefore it is widely distributed in all tissue.

Lipoic acid scavenges hydroxyl radicals, hypochlorous acid and singlet oxygen while exerting transitional metal chelation. Vitamin C is often shunned in kidney treatments due to concerns over oxalate stones, so it is helpful that

lipoic acid "recycles" endogenous antioxidants such as Vitamin C and E.

Several clinical studies have shown lipoic acid as a therapeutic agent for such diverse conditions as diabetes, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, neuropathy, which in part are all related to kidney function.

It is important to note that the synthetic antioxidant, Oxidative Stress Relief (OSR), should be taken at least 4-hours apart from lipoic acid.

In the next Daily Topic, will conclude some final treatment options and considerations to help prevent end stage kidney failure.

Preventing End Stage Kidney Failure Part 3

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:16:00 +0000

In the previous Daily Topic, a lot of emphasis was placed on heavy metal detoxification via oral chelation for treatment of poor kidney function. Heavy metal chelation isn't everything of course, there is more to treating various stages of kidney dysfunction.

In most cases, kidney dysfunction is a progressive disease, although there can be cases where it can strike without warning. Typically this occurs during drug use, prescription, over-the-counter and otherwise. If you want to hold on to your kidneys, avoid combining acetaminophen (Tylenol) with alcohol.

An extremely common cause of progressive kidney dysfunction is the consumption of food that leads to advanced glycation end products (AGEs).

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are derived primarily from technologically processed "food" products, especially from fructose and acryalimades from high temperature cooked grain products, such as pastries, donuts, cookies and cakes.

Acrylamides develop in foods when they are heated above the boiling point. Frying and other high temperature cooking methods will produce acrylamide residues in foods containing grain. Microwave form of cooking is a sure way to create acrylamides in food such as popcorn.

If you use a microwave, you might want to toss it out--keep in mind that the Russians banned microwaves in 1976, and there are many other reasons to avoid using them, but maybe that's a topic for another time.

It's fairly well known that many kidney diseases are brought on by diabetes, and this is no surprise because diabetes manifests the wasting of nutrients, especially the mineral magnesium, and vitamins thiamine (vitamin B1) and pyridoxine (vitamin B6).

A very prevelant kidney disease that is often caused by diabetes is nephropathy. If it's not caused by diabetes, it's is almost always caused by a drug, such as the gout drug, allopurinol or by pain reliever medications such as aspirin and acetaminophen.

One way to treat the incipient development of nephropathy is with high-dose thiamine and benfotiamine therapy. Vitamin B1 or thiamine is absolutely critical for the human body, but unfortunately for the diabetic, thiamine is flushed out of the system before it can protect tissue such as the kidneys, the arteries, the heart and the eyes against the ravages of glycosylation.

In simple terms, glycosylation refers to a prolonged level of glucose in the blood and its interaction with red blood cells during their 120-day cycle. The more sustained an elevation of blood glucose occurs, the greater the potential tissue damage will occur to various organs and tissues that are not dependent on insulin for their absorption of glucose.

Kidneys, blood vessels, peripheral nerves and lenses of the eye are more susceptible to damage from periods of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) than other organs due to their lack of insulin dependence.

When therapeutic doses of thiamine and its fat soluble form, known as benfotiamine are introduced to a kidney patient, their enzyme levels of transketolase increase in kidney microcapillaries. These micropcapillaries filter the blood and are called the glomeruli.

Transketolase is essential enzyme for initial processes that ultimately are required for biosynthetic reactions involving oxidation-reductions to protect against the toxicity of ROS (reactive oxygen species) for the regeneration of reduced glutathione.

Unfortunately, mainstream medicine completely ignores a diabetic's needs for high dose thiamine or its fat soluble equivalent, benfotiamine that are needed for transketolase. Sadly, most nephrologists (kidney specialists) have not even heard of benfotiamine.

If so-called 'modern' medicine were designed for the benefit of the patient, and not the profitability of the treatment, I would be hard pressed to imagine any doctor not knowing about benfotiamine.

Because benfotiamine is fat-soluble, it can remain in the tissue much longer than regular thiamine or vitamin B1 that is water soluble. Diabetics lose these vitamins like thiamine so easily, and even more so when they are taking prescription drugs such as diuretics, like Lasix (furosemide).

While the commonly prescribed diuretic drug, hydrochlorothiazide used in diabetic, hypertensive and kidney patients does contain some thiamine, it's not nearly enough, and taking it will make diabetes worse which will hurt the kidneys even more.

If nephrologists knew about the therapeutic potential of benfotiamine, they would "prescribe" this vitamin for all of their patients. In therapeutic doses, it will strongly inhibit the development of microalbuminuria.

Microalbuminuria is a condition where abnormally high amounts of albumin are detected in the urine, essentially protein wasting through the kidneys.

Having microalbuminuria is a key factor in erectile dysfunction or any type of endothelial tissue.

A few years ago, a prospective patient was planning to make a trip to California from New York City to find relief for his kidneys, which were showing signs of atrophy. Most of this lab tests with respect to kidney function were abnormal and he had bouts of edema (water retention) which really concerned him.

I told him to take a 1,500 milligrams of benfotiamine every day while he was preparing to make flight arrangements some three weeks in the future. About four weeks later he called me and said he felt so good that he cancelled his trip, and he later reported that his lab tests were very much improved.

There's more to cover, so look out for part 4 in the next Daily Topic.

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Preventing End Stage Kidney Failure Part 2

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 06:58:00 +0000

In the previous Daily Topic, I made a brief mention of Oxidative Stress Relief (OSR) for the removal of heavy metals.

OSR is far more desirable to use than EDTA chelation, DMSA or many other professionally used metal detoxification agent. The simple reason is that these other chelators do not bind tightly enough to the metals for safe removal, but instead lose their "grip" and release these toxins back into the bloodsteam only to be reabsorbed back into the tissue.

So what is OSR anyway? OSR was developed by Dr. Boyd Haley, a professor from the University of Kentucky. OSR was the most successful out of a series of compounds sought to bind heavy metals tightly without toxicity.

It was also the intention of Dr. Boyd Haley to develop a compound that would not bind to essential nutrients, while pulling out toxic metals.

Dr. Haley began testing OSR on goldfish, then in rats. Of all the compounds tested, OSR was best. No actual claims are made that OSR is a metal chelator. Instead, OSR is registered as an antioxidant, without any doubt it is an extremely powerful one.

OSR possesses an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) of 192,400. If you compare that value to most anything else, you may not see many rivals.

Remarkably, OSR was found without toxicity. An independent laboratory was utilized to test OSR for toxicity. Using an extremely high dose of OSR, five grams per kilogram of body weight produced no toxic result!

Dr. Haley eventually tried OSR on his own 16 year-old cat, which previously had significant kidney trouble. He has little doubt that the OSR helped his cat fully recover, still alive and healthy some two years later. Given the fact that animal studies also showed a significant improvement in kidney function on OSR, maybe this was no surprise.

Pregnant rats were also studied with three large doses of OSR. When the babies were born, there was difference between these mice and the controls.

The problem with most of the well known chelators such as DMPS and DMSA is the toxic effects they produce. Unlike OSR, they are not true chelators, nor do they increase body glutathione levels.

If one has kidney failure, it is a good idea to test your glutathione levels, and if low, you'll know the cause is something affecting those levels, and more likely than not, that cause is heavy metal toxicity. If not, another likely source is from a root canal.

On the other hand, if your glutathione levels are adequate, something else is a foot and OSR may not help at all. However, this is quite unlikely given the pathology of most kidney dysfunction.

Glutathione is a universal antioxidant, produced in every cell in the body. Having healthy levels is synonymous with long life.

Upon the release of toxic waste products from root canal teeth or from the constant flow of mercury vapor from amalgam teeth, a constant source of hydroxy radicals will deplete electrons and cause a glutathione shortage.

When OSR is introduced, hydroxy radicals can be scavenged, freeing up glutathione stores and allowing a healthy excretion of stored toxins.

While OSR is still being evaluated with respect to optimal dosage, the amounts currently available are in 50, 100 and 200 milligrams.

Currently OSR is generally available for sale to only doctors and dentists, however it is also available through the following website:

http://shop.startlivingwelltoday.com/products.asp?dept=47

Patients with end-stage kidney failure suffer from extensive DNA damage which is synonymous with cardiovascular complications. 'Modern medicine' organizes the human body much like a machine with parts, often failing to recognize that dysfunction in one area such as the kidneys is generally systemic, it affects the whole body.

The DNA damage observed in both pre-dialysis and dialysis phases are a direct result of oxidative stress, which may be induced by various toxic assaults.

Aside from the threat of metal toxicity and root canals, one of the most common is advanced glycation end products (AGEs). More about this and other causes of kidney dysfunction and remedy in the next Daily Topic.

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Preventing End Stage Kidney Failure

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:50:00 +0000

Kidney disease is a very complex degenerative process, involving multiple systems and stages of development. That being said, it is critically important to use any of the following information with a knowledgable physician or nephrologist, capable of integrating such methodologies with a patients individual biochemistry and stage of kidney disease.

Upon the threat of kidney failure in the modern medical system is a pathway toward impending doom, that is if one decides to flow in and out medical corridors of death.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, chronic kidney disease, poor kidney function and the creeping threat of kidney dialysis can be prevented. Moreover, kidneys can be rejuvenated when the proper nutrients are supplied and with toxins removed.

The kidney is a dialyzing organ, that is to say that the blood that enters it is processed through a vast number of "intelligent" filtration systems.

Blood that passes through the kidney is dialyzed to separate the good from the not so good.

Kidney dysfunction is usually caused by two primary pathways, either a loss of nutrients by way of wasting diseases such as diabetes, or by a constant flow of free radicals, typically generated by heavy metals or noxious bacteria.

Patients suffering from poor kidney function will be instructed to uphold a very bland diet consisting of foods that place as little burden to the kidneys as possible, such as having them go on a very low protein, very low fat diet--and of course, very little salt.

The diet isn't without some irony, since protein is the building block of tissue remodeling, and fat is needed to remove heavy metals, which in most cases is the cause of kidney disease itself.

Conventional medicine looks at treating kidney disease as a management of certain decline, instead of attacking the actual problem.

Chronic kidney failure is much more common than people realize, and often goes undetected and undiagnosed until the disease is well advanced. The effect of environmental lead exposure can have a pronounced impact on kidney health.

The effect of lead in kidney health has been well documented in over two dozen studies. Even in the young without disease, lead produces adverse effects.

http://ndt.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/22/10/2924

In 769 adolescents aged 12 to 20 years, an association between blood lead levels and level of kidney function glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Those adolescents with lower readings of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were found to have some environmental lead exposure.

Medical conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure can disrupt normal kidney function, causing progressive scarring and shrinkage.

Many drugs, including over the counter (OTC) such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen can present great harm to the kidneys. Of the prescription variety such as cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like atorvastatin (Lipitor) and lovastatin (Mevacor and generic) can place the kidneys in great jeopardy.

To fully understand the nature of the harm these drugs present to the kidneys, here is an example of what happens when acetaminophen (Tylenol) enters the liver, it’s chemically altered and becomes extremely toxic. A regular intake of toxins like acetaminophen will largely prevent the liver from producing an abundant supply of glutathione, which is needed to handle toxins in general.

If the kidneys are burdened with heavy metals or other toxins, the body is unable to excrete these without sufficient glutathione, because the

long-term use of this drug can exhaust the liver’s stores of glutathione.

Studies show that people who use acetaminophen on a regular basis more than double their risk of kidney cancer.

Your kidneys can be taxed even greater if taking acetaminophen with alcohol.

If for any reason taking a once in a while dose acetaminophen product is desired, it's a good idea to take NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) along with Vitamin C and Lipoic acid to help increase glutathione stores.

As mentioned previously, heavy metals are a major cause of kidney disease, and so it's no wonder that removing these offer a potential treatment.

For example, there is evidence that EDTA chelation will slow down and, in some cases, completely stop the progression of kidney disease.

In one study, 116 non-diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease were evaluated for treatment. Their creatinine levels ranged from 1.5 to 3.9 mg/dl. A normal is less than 1.4 mg/dl.

All of the participants had similar rates of kidney function decline prior to the treatment. The researchers divided the subjects into two groups of 58. They gave one group calcium disodium EDTA weekly for four years or until their body lead level to dropped below 60 mcg. Note that the participants lead levels ranged between 60 mcg to 600 mcg prior to treatment.

The control group also received IV treatment, but it was a placebo without EDTA.

The results showed that the chelation group had a very statistically significant reduction of their kidney function decline!

The authors of the study concluded that chelation that was the determining factor. These results proved to be interesting considering that it has been widely believed that chelation therapy was harmful to the kidneys.

This belief was never proven, but merely conjecture, yet was widely disseminated as 'fact' without any clinical proof.

Just as metal chelation is beneficial for the arteries, where lead, mercury, and other metals accumulate on the inner surface (endothelial cells), removing them will improve circulation dramatically for all tissues of the body.

Chelation by the use of EDTA is not the most convenient way to reduce heavy metals, and it may not be the most effective means either.

That said, perhaps the safest and most effective way to remove heavy metals is using a producted called Oxidative Stress Relief or OSR for short.

In the next Daily Topic, will explore this and other measures to help prevent end stage renal (kidney) failure.

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Sleep Apnea Part Deux

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 01:58:00 +0000

In the previous Daily Topic, I mentioned an oral formula so effective for sleep apnea, it would serve as an ideal alternative to C-PAP. Of course, nothing works for everyone, so I have two other methods to share with you, that are sure to help if relief has not yet been found.

One other effective alternative to C-PAP is using an oxygen concentrator, which is a very effective and inexpensive treatment for all kinds of sleep apnea.

It is referred to as overnight oxygen per nasal cannula. With this treatment, one can sleep on their side, and is a lot easier to use than C-PAP.

overnight oxygen per nasal cannula generates oxygen from room air, called an oxygen concentrator, supplies the oxygen. Oxygen concentrators do make some noise, but they are much less noisy than C-PAPs.

If breathing is decreased to the point that oxygen levels fall, then breathing a higher concentration of oxygen should raise the levels to normal. In most cases, using the oxygen concentrator will resolve all forms of sleep apnea.

However, not all obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) cases will work, and in such cases there is yet another alternative.

It may require the use of a plastic dental appliance that fits in the mouth.

This appliance is called a dental splint, and it maybe needed when oxygen delivery is simply not enough to overcome an obstruction, such as in OSA.

Sometimes with OSA, there is a constriction in the airway due to a problem with the curvature in the neck or an obstruction in the airway, causing a chronic elevation of cortisol.

The dental splint will allow an opened airway, making a healthy air flow possible.

Dental splints or appliances can be expensive, especially if they are custom fit by dentists. Fortunately, there is a splint available that costs a lot less, called TheraSnore.

According to their website, the adjustable TheraSnore is custom fit chair-side in your doctor’s office. Patients take their appliance home the same day they are fit. TheraSnore gently holds the mandible slightly protrusive without locking the mandible into the appliance. When the mandible is in a protrusive position, the tongue follows forward naturally and the soft tissue at the back of the throat tightens up. This protrusive position opens the airway, allowing more air to enter.

TheraSnore is 93% effective in treating mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea and simple snoring. The appliance is available in three different arch sizes; large, standard, and small. The standard size is the most common and will fit just about any patient.

It takes about an hour to custom fit the splint. The approximate cost is $500 and maybe reimbursable by insurance.

To find a practitioner skilled in fitting this appliance, consult the following website. www.distar.com

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Sleep Apnea

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:28:00 +0000

Anyone who finds themselves tossing and turning throughout the night, never feeling fully rested, may have a condition called sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is often associated with patients who carry extra weight, however, this is not always the case. Some symptoms of sleep apnea are elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol, fatigue, brain fog and can complicate any underlying disease, increasing risk of premature death.

Sleep apnea occurs when one literally stops breathing in periods during their sleep. These periods occur up to hundreds of times during the night. Some patients may remain unconscious during the short periods they are not breathing, while others will stop breathing up to a minute and a half.

Needless to say, sleeping during periods of oxygen deprivation is very harmful and when the body is suffocating, the adrenal glands will overwork, producing a chronic stream of stress hormones. If this condition is allowed to continue long enough, it can lead to adrenal exhaustion.

There are three different forms of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common, followed by central sleep apnea (CSA), and complex sleep apnea. Complex is a combination of central and obstructive.

Obstructive sleep apnea is when the airway is blocked by a sagging soft pallet, however one might ask why this occurs in the first place. During sleep the brain receives signals to the diaphragm, which helps control the breathing rate.

When these signals fail to reach the diaphragm, breathing is halted and as the blood oxygen level drops low enough, the endocrine system will send emergency stress hormone response, initiating a deep breath.

This sudden breath of air can literally suck a sagging pallet into the airway. In turn, a sleep apnea patient will snore, obstructing their sleep.

With central sleep apnea (CSA), there is no obstruction is involved, instead CSA affects how the brain regulates breathing during sleep. Unlike OSA, the brain does not respond normally to changes in blood levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

While CSA is considered to be rare, it may not actually be. The reason is that it usually goes undiagnosed because CSA is not necessarily associated the typical signs found with the most common form of sleep apnea (OSA), such as obesity.

Some causes of CSA are the use of tranquilizers, sleep aids or possibly alcohol.

Regardless of whether one has OSA, CSA or both, either or will lead to shortened lifespan if allowed to continue untreated.

The reason is that either condition prevents the body from entering into restorative sleep stages, such as REM sleep. Without a proper sleep, the body cannot sufficiently produce enough ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy molecule. Moreover, important metabolic processes cannot initiate and will lead to increased toxicity within cells.

When most physicians consider testing patients for sleep apnea there are a few problems. If one enters a sleep clinic, there are some rather expensive diagnostics designed to measure parameters such as the depth of sleep stages concerning rapid eye movement or the measurement of brain activity, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, heart rate and rhythm, and many other measurements.

While this sounds all fine and wonderful, it will cost several thousands of dollars. If a sleep apnea diagnosis is confirmed, it will be recommended to use a device known as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (C-PAP).

This machine that delivers compressed air through a bulky mask you have to wear all night. Or they may advise surgery to remove the excess tissue blocking the airway.

C-PAP is far from a desirable option, because this device works by continuously shooting pressurized air in through the nose. Patients complain it makes too much noise and is simply awkward to use, and it isn't possible to sleep on your side.

If you know someone who uses the C-PAP, they might not always use it and some patients get tired of using it, because either way, they have difficulty sleeping throughout the night. So what's the alternative?

Let's start with the diagnosis first, because it isn't necessary to use an expensive sleep study to properly identify the various types of sleep apnea.

In one study, 68 patients who were presumed to have sleep apnea were used to evaluate the difference between the standard over night sleep study, and a much simpler method, called overnight home oximetry.

The researchers found that overnight home oximetry is just as accurate as the standard sleep study.

The vast majority of oxygen supply stores will provide home oximetry at no cost, plus it's easy to use. The oximeter continually monitors and records the level of oxygen in your tissues during the night. The following morning, it prints out the minute-by-minute results. By then, a physician or yourself can determine what form of sleep apnea is occurring.

However sleep apnea is caused, it appears to be brought a by problem with the signaling between the brain and diaphragm muscles as the body transitions into deeper stages of sleep.

When the body enters into stage II sleep, the phase that occurs before the all important restorative deep sleep, this is when there are possible problems with brain signaling.

If we can somehow improve the regulation of this brain-signaling problem, most causes of sleep apnea can be resolved. Recently, a new product has emerged which helps with this problem, called Nature's Rite Sleep Apnea Relief.

Sleep Apnea Relief works by increasing respiration intensity to help maintain regular breathing. It contains three primary ingredients plus two others for general support. First, the herb lobelia, which is helpful in respiratory disorders and cramp bark is added to promote relaxation of the muscles.

The third primary ingredient is thyme, which has been historically prescribed for congested lungs and shortness of breath. Sleep Apnea Relief also contain the herbs chamomile and sweet meadow, however these are secondary.

The creator of Sleep Apnea Relief has an interesting explanation to the cause of sleep apnea, quoted below.

"The reason that the obstructions cause a problem when you are drifting off to sleep but not when you are awake is the subtle key issue that medical science is missing. Your brain reduces the intensity of the signals to your skeletal muscles when you go to sleep so that you don’t physically act out the movements that you are dreaming. As we get older, the diminished integrity of the nerve boundaries in our spinal column cause some other signals to be diminished unintentionally."

This formula will not work for everyone, but it's certainly worth a try. It prices around forty-five dollars per month, however if you buy the three primary ingredients you'll probably get the same effects while saving money.

In the event this formula does not work, there is still yet another effective alternative to C-PAP.

More on this and additional information in the next Daily Topic.

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Cave Women Never Brushed Their Teeth!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:43:00 +0000

Primitive men and women have died with perfect teeth into old age, yet never once brushed their teeth.

Advertisers have been selling the belief that we 'need' to brush our teeth, and it further hurts matters that in many cultures, there is a social stigma, keeping a pressure on to brush, brush and brush more!

What if I told you that brushing your teeth with toothpaste is actually harmful for your teeth and gums? Toss out your toothpaste and read on!

So then why do we get cavities?

The answer is that most of us no longer consume what our ancestors ate some two thousand years ago. Chances are, you're not living anywhere near where your ancestors lived, or at the very least, not eating anything like what your ancestors ate.

When you consume carbohydrate, your blood chemistry can reveal how this affects your calcium, phosphorus, glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The readings provide strong clues to your ancestral diet, and what you shouldn't be eating. Ultimately, the readings can reveal what sort of percentage in carbohydate, fats and proteins one should consume.

Essentially what to look for is a glucose level at 85 or below and a triglyceride level at a 100 or below. If these readings are higher, it means you'll need to reduce your carbohydrate consumption.

So what causes dental decay? Low phosphorus levels create a dysregulation of calcium. There is a normal, healthy fluid flow that goes through the tooth, from the pulp chamber, through the dentin, through the enamel and finally through the mouth. This will occur when the phosphorus level is close to 4.0

However, if the phosphorus level drops below 3.5, then the endocrine system that governs the fluid flow can reverse its direction through the mouth, through the enamel, into the dentin, into the pulp chamber and finally sucking the bacteria into the tooth.

If your ancestral diet originated from a cold climate, where fruits are never seen nor grown, your blood chemistry may not respond so favorably to all that much fruit in your diet.

To put it another way, if you follow the dietary "herd" and eat all the fruit that all the 'diet guru's' tell you to eat, you might eventually run out of viable teeth!

This becomes the case for so many who find themselves having dental cavitations filled with various toxic materials.

If your ancestral origins came from a tropical region where fruit grew abundantly, then your blood chemistry can handle plenty of fruit just fine.

Depending how your glucose and triglyceride levels respond to fruit, will provide a strong indication of whether you should steer clear of it or not.

There seems to be a prevailing trend spanning many decades of mothers giving their children fruit juices thoughout the day. If they had any idea what they're actually doing, they would stop this practice immediately.

Dr. Weston A. Price was a dentist who traveled around the world in the 1930's and 1940's studying the diet's of isolated primitive peoples from the modern world.

Weston Price discovered that he could eliminate or greatly reduce bad bacteria in the mouth which fuel the tooth degeneration process through diet.

"Civilized diets" or foods that come from the derangement of processing have left us with a toxic soup of substances such as white sugar, breakfast cereals, vegetable and hydrogenated oils, along with various flavor enhancers and additives that contribute to a dysregulated endocrine system.

When a Dr. Weston Price studied the robust, isolated, primitive peoples around the world, he found that many had a tooth cavity rates close to zero.

Dr. Price also noticed in groups following their traditional diet that decayed teeth either fell out painlessly, or were covered over with a hardened layer of enamel. Weston Price treated many cases of cavities with a success rate of over 90%.

Many wonder about filling in the gaps of prior cavitations. If the calcium and phosphate of the enamel is migrating out of the teeth, perhaps winding up in other areas of the body, naturally one would desire the opposite to occur.

To increase the building of tooth enamel requires the correct chemistry of nutrients and macronutrients. It also requires the cooperation of the endocrine system to drive the fluid flow outward, keeping the bacteria out.

Dental cavities can be properly prevented by rinsing acids off the teeth. The simple solution regardless of diet is to promptly rinse the teeth with salt water, or if you prefer, using baking soda. If on the go, then simply rinse with water during meals.

What about toothpastes you ask? Most toothpastes contain fluoride, so at the very least avoid any variety containing this neurotoxin. Another reason to avoid fluoride is because it deactivates an enzyme called adenosine diphosphatase, which is required to remineralize teeth.

Beyond that, maintaining a healthy glucose metabolism will help insure healthy calcium and phosphate levels. Nutrients such as the mineral, magnesium, vitamin K2 and Vitamin D will assist with regrowth of tooth enamel.

Fluoride appears to be a co-factor in gum disease, because it breaks down adhesive protein molecules which adhere the gums and teeth. According to Dr. Gerard F. Judd, fluoride has been shown to break apart hydrogen bonds, destroying some 83 enzymes.

Gum disease can be sufficiently prevented by salt water rinsing. There is no limit to the amount of salt one can use. Gum health is further augmented by sufficient vitamin C, which is critical for its integrity.

Receding gums is a nutritional problem, surgery is never necessary for this. Routine use of salt and water rinsing has been found to prevent future gum problems.

A Weight Loss Supplement That Actually Works!

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:05:00 +0000

When it comes to the effective fat loss supplements, finding something that works for one person is one thing, but quite another to find one that works for everyone. A few years ago several clinical trials have shown that the herb, Coleus forskohlii to be an effective supplement for body fat loss.

The active constituent in coleus is called forskohlin, which stimulates adenylate cyclase and cyclic AMP levels.

An increase in cyclic AMP leads to subsequent activation of protein kinase. Protein kinase has been shown to activate the hormone sensitive lipase which involves the breakdown of triglycerides and releasing these fatty acids from adipose tissue (fat storage).

Cyclic AMP also initiates a series of biochemical reactions that invigorate the body's metabolism with respect to food induced thermogenesis, while encouraging the stability and creation of lean body mass.

Besides the mechanism of action, the most interesting thing about Coleus are the three randomized controlled clinical trials that essentially prove its efficacy.

In one randomized, double-blind trial, overweight female volunteers took either Coleus extract (50 mg/day of forskolin) or a placebo for 12 weeks. Although there was no difference in food intake, the Coleus group lost an average of 1.5 lbs, while the placebo group gained an average of 2.2 lbs. A similar trial conducted in India with obese men and women also saw a significant difference in body weight between the groups.

The patients who took Coleus lost an average of 4 percent of total body

weight (3.8 lbs), compared to a gain of 0.3 percent (0.55 lbs) in the placebo group. The effect on body fat and lean body mass was also statistically significant. The loss of body fat in the Coleus supplemented group was replaced with lean body mass, while those taking the placebo gained body fat and experienced a decrease in lean body mass.

In a double blind, clinical trial on overweight/obese male volunteers were randomized to receive Coleus extract (containing 50 mg/day of forskolin) or a placebo for a period of 12 weeks. Those who took Coleus had a significant decrease in fat mass and body fat. The reduction in fat mass from baseline to after treatment with Coleus was nearly 10 pounds (9.9 lbs).

When seeking out Coleus, plan on taking 25 milligrams of forskohlin twice per day.

Novel Medicine Delivery Against Cancer

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:25:00 +0000

Mainstream medicine breeds hatred when a possible truth threatens to undermine its all mighty empire of "cut, burn and poison."

In the past, I've mentioned a little about sodium bicarbonate intravenous treatment for various forms of cancer. The primary obstacle in receiving this treatment is to find willing medical staff to administer it!

Not following standard cancer treatment isn't a risk most physicians are willing to take.

Recently, I had learned of a novel way to introduce medicine that is more effective than injection. It is nebulization, or the use of a nebulizer.

There are oral medicines, natural and otherwise that are not particulary effective through the oral route. This is because the digestive system does not allow an optimal level of medication with respect to achieving proper blood levels of a substance.

What exactly is a nebulizer anyway? A nebulizer is a machine that converts a liquid into microscopic bubbles, that resembles a gas. Patients typically use a nebulizer for asthma and COPD. They literally breathe in the mist, and the interesting part about this delivery method is that it doesn't just reach the lungs, it reaches the entire body!

Some medical professionals are already referring to this therapy as off-label nebulization. Hopefully we will start to see new research in this area, particulary in regard to magnesium, sodium bicarbonate, iodine, hydrogen peroxide and glutathione.

All of the above have already been used with good effectiveness for certain conditions, and each of the above are very useful in cancer treatment.

For patients who need a rapid delivery of magnesium to the lungs would involve magnesium chloride oil, nebulized as an isotonic solution, delivering 7.5 grams per 100 ml of distilled water, which is approximately, 3.5 teaspoons of magnesium oil per 100ml.

Some practioners have been utilizing Dr. Tulio Simoncini's sodium bicarbonate via nebulizer inhalation, administering 8.4% sodium bicarbonate to lung cancer patients. In addition, a very difficult to treat cancer by orthodox standards is mesothelioma, which is now being treated by direct inhalation method with 8.4% sterile vials of sodium bicarbonate with great results!

As far as lung cancer is concerned, this is probably the most effective way to treat it, and best of all, it can be performed in the comfort of home.

If you're not already familiar with sodium bicarbonate, well here is an introduction, it is simply baking soda (pharmaceutical grade) and it is a disintegrator of cancer.

How is baking soda the answer to cancer?

Dr. Tullio Simoncini is an Italian oncologist who had made the observation that cancer is always white in "color" and essentially is a fungus, called Candida.

Candida is found in all of us, however it is not usually a threat unless it is allowed to grow out of control. Eating refined carbohydrates (sugars), taking antibiotics, being contaminated with mercury and other heavy metals all increase risk of Candida overgrowth.

Primitive tribes who typically lived to a hundred years of age, never suffered with today's common diseases like cancer and heart disease, it's doubtful they ever had Candida overgrowth either. Diet certainly played a role in their health, however their food was also loaded in minerals, because unlike industrial strength agriculture, which is grown from soils lacking top soil of fossil minerals, the foods consumed were always rich in minerals.

The "primitives" ate what foods grew around them, when in season, organic and fresh.

Today's soils lack meaningful quantity of minerals, and according to Dr. John Apsley, executive director of the Immunogenic Research Foundation, we are presently so depleted in cations (positively charged minerals) that our cells, desperate to stay alive, will grab onto anything positively charged.

With no or few minerals, the only thing they can resort to is positively charged hydrogen ions (which are nothing more than acid ions) or positively charged chemical toxins.

It occured to Dr. Apsley when learning of Dr. Tulio Simoncini's sodium bicarbonate treatments that had not occured to him before--that injecting bicarbonate into the cancer site does something that diet alone can't do.

The bicarbonate literally sucks out the acid hydrogen ions, from within the cells. This allows nutritional minerals to replace the semi-toxic acid.

In turn, this recharges your cellular defenses.

Baking soda is not only alkaline, it is also negatively charged. Dr. Simoncini discovered research showing that all solid cancers have something in common. They are all held together by a fungus. This fungus produces an acid-based glue that holds it and the cancer cells together.

All normal cells are programmed to self-destruct (apoptosis) when no longer viable. However, the fungus or rather, Candida creates toxins that directly interefere with healthy programmed cell death, causing an unmitigated cell proliferation.

Bicarbonate soda has the ability to neutralize this acid-base, and quickly unravel the "glue" holding these diseased cells together. Cancer is neutralized!

It is interesting to note that after the age of thirty, we tend to accumulate postively charged hydrogen ions in our cells, and when this happens, our cells innate ability to produce their own bicarbonate soda wains, thereby inviting potential cancer invasion.

In the near future, will provide more insights on how to circumvent cancer at its beginning and near its end.

"Run" For Your Life -- Away From Endurance Aerobics!

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:21:00 +0000

Ever wondered if cavemen ever went jogging? It probably hasn't crossed your mind, it certainly hasn't mine.

Cavemen probably did a lot of sprinting, and their primary motivation was to catch a "lunch" or perhaps avoid becoming something Else's lunch!

Human physiology was designed for sprinting, not for endurance jogging or running. Animals also run in short spurts, never seen to run for miles on end!

One study found that 35 percent of marathoners had significant levels of arterial plaque, compared to just 22 percent of non-marathon-runners.

Most of us have heard of endurance athletes’ suddenly dropping dead of a heart attack. Enlargement of the heart, also known as cardiomegaly, a condition that should be taken seriously as in a non-athlete is considered a very serious illness.

Many endurance athletes have irregular electrocardiograms that should give a clue as to the 'benefit' of their exhaustive training and exercise.

One study involved ten cases of sudden death among marathons runners. Of these ten, nine of them died of heart attacks secondary to severe coronary heart disease.

Moreover, researchers examined the results of 24 cases of death by joggers, all but one died of coronary artery disease.

Stanford University Medical Center researchers reported on 18 runners who died as a consequence of jogging. While they were all in excellent health prior to exercising, all perished within one to five years of their activity.

These studies are just a small sample of many, and the real point I'm driving at is that according to one study, running a marathon creates an inflammatory storm in the body that is identical to the early symptoms of heart disease!

I'm not suggesting that all exercise is bad, only endurance aerobic exercise.

In fact, check out an earlier Daily Topic that discusses the best form of exercises if you're interested in living longer and improving your lung capacity. Click here

Your heart and lungs were designed for short bursts of intense exercise followed by rest. This rest in between is critical for the body's ability to strengthen the lung capacity, quite the opposite of what many endurance athletes perform.

If you take a close look at the photo above, the marathon runner found on the t-shirt, not the girl, you will see a typical example of an endurance runner's physique, one that borderlines an emaciated look. In sharp contrast, take a look at any Olympic sprinter and observe how muscular their overall appearance is.

Dr. Al Sears, an author of the book, PACE, which stands for Progressively Accelerated Cardiovascular Exercise, conducted a study involving identical

twins. Note that PACE is the same as high intensity interval training, a type of exercise that mimics the actions of how animals and prehistoric man typically "exercised," that is, in short bursts with rest in between.

Dr. Sears had one of the 18-year old twins, a women to follow the PACE program, while the other performed an aeorbic exercise, in which she ran up to ten miles a day. Her twin performed the natural PACE style exercises; in this case she sprinted 50 yards as fast as she could, rested, and repeated the cycle six times.

While the twins had the same lean body mass and body fat at the beginning of the experiment, just 16 weeks later, the PACE twin’s body fat decreased ten percent with a 9 pound gain in muscle. The endurance exercise twin’s body fat decreased 19.5 percent; however, she lost 2 pounds of muscle.

This is a classical example of why marathon runners usually appear the way they do, someone who could be mistaken for being sick, instead of healthy.

In light of all this, endurance exercise, which appears to lend itself towards a catabolic state, is probably not ideal for one who wants to keep their hair.

Mercury in Fish? Don't worry about it!

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:44:00 +0000

Mercury in Fish? Don't worry about it!

I realize this statement might not be so easy to swallow. Just about every health publication around warns against eating fish that are known to be loaded with mercury. Well, I haven't been too worried about this, as I have consumed swordfish with 'reckless abandon' for years!

However, according to studies around the world, particulary those that have explored the relationship of mercury in tissues, countries that are well known for high consumption of fish do not show levels of mercury to be any higher than the average American.

What does show a correlation with high levels of mercury in tissue is the number of amalgams a person has. This has been studied in cadavers, with an absolute conclusion. The more "silver" fillings or mercury amalgam, the greater the mercury levels found in tissue.

The mercury in fish has already reacted with protective compounds. If you were to take a little mercury and pour some into a goldfish bowl, those fish will be dead in no time flat. However, in the ocean, fish are exposed to mercury over a period of time.

The ocean is rich in the mineral selenium, and when it combines with mercury, it forms mercury selenide (HgSe). This makes the mercury no longer bioavailable, essentially neutralizing its toxic effects.

So when mercury selenide is ingested, you're consuming an insoluble compound that is rapidly excreted in the fecal matter, within the day or day after its consumption.

Let's compare this with mercury fillings, which put out a constant flow of vapor, that is unreacted mercury, is absorbed in the fat tissues, penetrates the blood-brain barrier and oxidizes.

According to the October 18, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, any "risks" associated with eating fish are far outweighed by the benefits of consuming them.

For their review, the authors selected reports published through April of 2006 which evaluated the effects of fish or fish oil on cardiovascular risk, methyl mercury and fish oil's effect on early neuro development, mercury's risks in adults, and the health impact of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contained in fish.

They found that consuming one to two servings of fish per week containing up to 250 milligrams per day of the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) reduced the risk of coronary heart disease death by 36 percent, and lowered all-cause mortality during the periods studied by 17 percent. Please note that much higher doses show much greater protection.

Due to often ignorant and irresponsible lobbyists, a repeated fiction can carry a lot of weight for people in positions of power. For instance, senators can accept things as fact that in reality are pure fiction. It only takes a single EPA employee and an inaccurate statistical evaluation, which is all too typical of EPA epidemiology. Once accepted as "fact," false propaganda about mercury is born.

Fortunately for us, there are people like Robert Ferguson of the Center for Science and Public Policy.

Quoting from Robert Ferguson: "In Japan, 87 percent of the population exceeds the EPA (mercury levels). In Hong Kong, Chinese children have mean mercury hair levels (almost twice those of the EPA limits). These children, like those of every high fish-consuming nation, seriously out perform U.S. children from grades 4-12 on international standardized tests for math and science. One key reason could be because they eat lots of fish!"

Ferguson said: "Study after study shows no adverse effects on children from maternal fish consumption as high as 12-14 meals per week. Only benefits have been reported, such as superior eyesight, higher child mental development scores, less hyperactivity, good heart and brain function and improved intelligence at 4 years of age."

The reality is that mercury poisoning isn't easy to get, and you're not going to get it from food, yet your dentist is a more likely source.

Mercury is abundant on the Earth, and it's certainly nothing to be afraid of. We live in a veritable sea of mercury, most of it naturally produced by nature, like volcanic eruptions, forest fires, and especially the oceans. The oceans alone contain millions of tons of mercury that have been there for billions, millions, or thousands of years (depending on your religion).

If you take a moment to look at the history of mercury for the past few thousand years, you will quickly realize that there is no problem. History indicates that methylmercury (MeHg) has been with us since "the beginning." That includes being present in fish and in people.

Micro-traces of the potentially toxic form of mercury have likely been in fish tissue naturally since fish have existed. Studies examining mercury levels in tissue samples from fish from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans dating as far back as the 1880s have found no trends of increase.

Let's go back a little further than this mere 150 years. In AD 400, there was evidence of "high" levels of mercury in human tissue. And Alaskan mummies dated from AD 1445 had mercury levels twice as high as pregnant women in Alaska today.

JAMA. 2006;296:1885-1899.