Preventative Medicine

In 2008, Suzanne Somers published a book called Breakthrough, Eight Steps to Wellness. In it she interviewed some of the world renowned doctors in the field of preventative Medicine. I found the book fascinating and was happy that Suzanne was able to relay some complicated health concepts in an understandable fashion. Antiaging medicine aims to stay a step ahead of sickness and disease. It also works at toxic avoidance and detoxification. These are cutting edge approaches utilizing the “art” of medicine.

Suzanne reinforces that practioners of alternative medicine are not opposed to conventional medical practices and do not hesitate to resort to them when appropriate. I have found conflicting information on diet, hormone replacement, etc.. from many sources. Not knowing what to believe I keep studying and seeing what makes the most sense to me.

Did you know the bad oils are safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, cottonseed, vegetable, perilla, and walnut? These oils increase arachidonic acids which converts to toxic inflammatory mediators and fuel cancer propagation. The good oils which are flax and fish oil improve elasticity of the cell membranes to allow hydration and oxygen to flow in and out freely. Cells that are hydrated and oxygenated work optimally and reverse the aging process.

One physician suggested that 80% of chronically ill in the US have too much acid in their tissues. This increases being prone to chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and arthritis. Excess acids lead to increased free radicals. Free radicals are a major contributor to all cancers, a major factor in a loss of collagen, resulting in tissues that are old and withered. Free radicals damage cell membranes which interferes with the ability of each cell to send and receive messages from other cells and absorb the necessary nutrients while eliminating waste products.

Dr Jonathan Wright has degrees in medicine from Harvard and cultural anthropology from University of Michigan. He offers many ideas for healing. For bladder infections, he suggests using 3-5 grams of D-mannose which can be found in health food stores. Take the D-mannose every 3-4 hours until symptoms are totally gone. This can take a few hours or 1-2 days. If there is no improvement in 24 hours, it is best to get a regular antibiotic treatment.

Dr Wright says that 50% of all people over 60 years old have less stomach acid produced in their stomach that is necessary to completely digest their food and therefore do not get the nutrition out of it. Hydrochloric acid is produced in the stomach. He feels the missing component to saving poor eyesight is poor nutrient digestion and absorption caused by a lack of sufficient hydrochloric acid. Women between 20 -30 who are losing hair may have low stomach acid and pepsin which lead to proteins not being digested. In 40 year olds, he suggests you look for low stomach acid, low thyroid, low estrogen and progesterone, and low DHEA.

He feels hearing loss is affected by low aldosterone . It should be at a level of 30 and is checked with a 24 hour urine test. Women with low estrogen can have memory problems and are at a greater risk for Alzheimer’s. We all need 5-15 milligrams of lithium per day. It is equal to eating 6 tomatoes per day. Lithium repairs neuron activity in the brain, helps with sleeping, low grade depression, and protects against glutamate toxicity. It is a robust neuroprotective agent.

Cortisol is a natural steroid made by the adrenals. We should have 20 milligrams for times of low stress and 40 milligrams when in high stress. He suggests iodine for fibrocystic breast disease. For irritable bowel disease, first clean up your diet. Chromium helps cut down on sugar cravings. We can take 5,000- 6,000 micrograms daily until sugar cravings go away, and then cut back to about 1,000 micrograms per day.

Dr James Breneman wrote a book called Basics of Food Allergy. He says 50% of all undiagnosed symptoms are due to food allergies and food intolerances.

All cell membranes contain cholesterol. Brain cells make more cholesterol to repair themselves. Statins make it hard for brain cells to do that well. Statins shut down the production of cholesterol. This can lead to the erosion of memory and lead to a decrease of CoQ10. If there is not enough Co Q10 this can lead to complications of muscle pain, weakness, myopathy, and liver enzyme elevation. Therefore, take CoQ10 if you are on statins!

Dr Ron Rotenberg has a specialty in preventative and regenerative medicine. He is the cofounder of the California Healthspam Institute. He says if a client has high blood pressure he would try lifestyle changes, nutrition, exercise, amino acids and nutraceuticals. If that didn’t work then use prescription drugs. He would choose one with the least side effects. He would continue preventative/regenerative programs and maybe the patient would discontinue the drugs at a later date.

For new patients, he orders lab tests for hormone levels, cardiac risk factors, inflammation, and vitamin levels. He said in the 1980’s the average testosterone level for men was in the 600’s. Now it is in the 400’s. He feels this is from pesticides, plastics, toxins, stress and obesity, causing xenoestrogens. The higher the testosterone levels the lower the mortality from heart disease and cancer.

Fibromyalgia, cancer, heart disease, and dementia are inflammatory states. NFkB is the center piece of inflammation. It is a factor in the cytoplasm of the cell that turns on the inflammatory cytokines. To turn off NFkB and the inflammatory cytokines: practice stress reduction, exercise, get adequate sleep, decrease excess body fat, keep blood sugar low to prevent diabetes, avoid too much animal fat, keep hormones balanced to a youthful range, take antioxidant supplements and omega 3 fish oil, keep vitamin D at optimal amounts, use reservatol, curcumin, milk thistle and echinecea. Reservatol is found most in Pinot Noir and is not the same as grapeseed extract!

Low vitamin D leads to increase risk for cancer, heart disease, pain, osteoporosis, and viral infections. To produce vitamin D, we need to sweat in the sun without sunscreen. He suggests we not put anything on our skin we wouldn’t eat!

Reservatol turns on the genes that protect us from disease. It protects us from cancer and turns off NFkB and inflammation. I just bought a bottle of it and one capsule has the reservatol in it from 66 bottles of wine!

The use of bioidentical hormone replacement has been in my awareness for a few years, starting with a lecture given by a local pharmacist. I’ve read Dr. Christiane Northrup’s book, The Wisdom of Menopause, which also helped me. In Suzanne’s book, the benefits of bioidentical hormone replacement are listed as: elimination of vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes, reversal of bone loss, improved sleep, emotional stability, better brain function, increase libido, and improved quality of life. Use of bioidentical progesterone has been found to decrease breast cancer by 10% in the Fournier Study in the International Journal of Cancer which followed 54,000 women taking bioidentical hormones.

Did you know it is now possible for us to bank our own stem cells when we are healthy? It is taken from our blood and used as future cures for cancers, autoimmune illnesses and heart disease. Blueberries, green tea, vitamin D3, fish oil and reservatol all increase our stem cells.

Bill Faloon is the founder of the Life Extension Foundation and wrote a book called Disease Prevention and Treatment. He states that eating the wrong foods can enable existing cancer cells to propagate in a way that can overwhelm the patient. B12 in the form called methylcobalamin is the neurologically active form of B12 and it protects against glutamate toxicity. Glutamates are food enhancers in processed foods.

Pomegranate extract reverses arterial wall thickness after a one year period. Eight oz per day decreases arterial wall thickness by 30%, decreases oxidant stress and free radical damage, and protects and enhances the biological benefit of nitric acid on the blood vessels. With age, we have decreased nitric oxide in the arteries which leads to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerotic plaque.

He suggests niacin is more effective than statins on protecting against heart disease particularly with people with low HDL and high triglyceride levels. Niacin raises HDL and lowers triglycerides. Iscodor is a drug made from mistletoe extract which builds the immune system. Caloric restriction slows the aging process by dramatically lowering fasting insulin and glucose blood levels.

Now let’s look at the hormones! Suzanne lists the minor hormones first. Estrogen affects tissues and organs as well as the uterus, urinary tract, brain, liver, bones, skin and blood vessels. Estrogen deficiency leads to unexplained weight gain, bloating, itching, sweating, hot flashes, bladder inflections, depression, fatigue, heart palpitations, and more! Sexual feelings are restored when the sex hormones are in proper balance. The 3 components of estrogen are estradial, estrone, and estriol. Estrogen must be balanced with progesterone. Estrogen is made primarily in the ovaries daily whereas progesterone is made two weeks per month.

Progesterone is made in the ovaries and adrenal glands. It has a calming affect, repairs and maintains a healthy brain, builds bones, is a natural diuretic, burns fat, and helps prevent cancer. If progesterone levels are low, it can lead to sleep disturbances, irritability, anxiety, weight gain, breast swelling, loss of memory and libido. If it is low, the lining of the uterus becomes thicker than normal and could increase the risk of uterine cancer. It protects against breast cancer, decrease fluid retention, maintains normal blood sugar levels, and assists in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and has a sedative effect on the central nervous system.

Testosterone for women has a normal ratio of high estrogen to low testosterone. This is opposite for men. For women, testosterone is produced in the ovaries and it improves clitoral and nipple sensitivity, it increases libido, increase muscle strength and bone density. If it is low, this can lead to fatigue, feeling imbalanced, memory loss, abdominal fat, and weight gain. Replacement of low testosterone has shown to decrease the risk of breast cancer (Dimitrakis, 2004). Too much testosterone can lead to excessive chin hairs, oily skin, acne, scalp hair loss, unwanted body hair, aggressive behavior, and salt or sugar cravings.

Pregnenolone is the memory hormone. It clarifies thinking, stimulates concentration, prevents memory loss, reduces fatigue, fights depression, protects joints, relieves arthritis, and speeds healing. It is made in the adrenals, ovaries and testicles and then metabolizes into DHEA. In the adrenals it can be converted into DHEA sex hormones, aldosterone and cortisol. With adrenal fatigue there is a decrease of sex hormones. Sex hormones also act as antioxidants that help protect the oxidative damage caused by cortisol.

DHEA is made in the brain and the adrenal cortex. It is needed to make androsenedione which then becomes estrone and testosterone. Adequate levels of DHEA can increase testosterone, increase muscle mass, decrease body fat, improve memory, decrease depression, and improve immune system by controlling cortisol levels and adrenaline levels. It lowers cholesterol and insulin levels and protects against diabetes.

Melatonin is the sleep hormone. It is a powerful antioxidant, decreases the risk of cancer, and protects the heart, pancreas, organs, and immune system. It relaxes muscles, relieves stress, decreases anxiety, and lowers blood pressure. It drastically decreases in our 40’s. It can be taken at around 20 milligrams nightly.

Human growth hormone (HGH) is released by the pituitary gland during the deep stages of sleep each night. It affects all tissues, improves cognitive function and mood, improves blood flow to the heart and cardiac output, leads to less atherosclerosis, increases lung function, promotes less fat, more muscle and stronger bone, increases exercise capacity, and increases the immune system. It has been shown to improve fibromyalgia and crohn’s disease as it promotes healing.

The major hormones are as follows. Without proper thyroid hormones, maturation and function of other hormone glands are not possible. They maintain the body’s constant temperature. Without a well working thyroid harmful cell waste accumulates and we are more susceptible to infection. Low thyroid levels leads to chronic pain, fatigue, dry skin, HBP, irregular heartbeat, sleep apnea, sensitivity to hot and cold, unexplained weight gain, missing the outer 1/3 of the eyebrows, constipation, repeated infections, brittle nails, low blood pressure, osteoporosis, joint and muscle pain, hair loss, cystic breasts/ovaries, chronic sinusitis, slow speech, hoarseness, TMJ, headaches and increased cholesterol. Basically, low thyroid causes the metabolism to slow down and the mitochondria do not work as well.

If the adrenals are flat lined it leads to complete exhaustion, depression, rage or anger, and an inability to sleep. With prolonged stress it leads to a weakened immune system and a decrease of white blood cells. Low adrenals increase allergies and infection, low blood sugar and low blood pressure. Adrenals regulate the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbs, regulate nerve, physical and glandular energy and the oxidation process.. Cortisol is made in the adrenals, and with age, decreases.

Insulin is made in the pancreas. It directs glucose to pass from the blood stream, through cell membranes and into cells where it is burned as fuel. Too much insulin leads to high blood pressure, blood fat abnormalities, abnormal immune functioning, ankle swelling, burning feet, constipation, decreased memory and concentration, irregular menstrual cycles, irritability, sugar cravings, water retention and weight gain.

Dr. Thierry Hertoghe is the president of the International Hormone Society and the World Society of Anti-Aging Medicine. He says the body contains more that 100 types of hormones. He says the 2 most common causes of high estradiol are drinking coffee and alcohol! A Greek study showed 2 cups of coffee and a large glass of alcohol increase estradiaol levels by 60%! Coffee also decreases the growth hormone and caffeine increases insulin.

Dr Jennifer Berman spoke about how chemicals affect and blunt hormone production. Pesticides and plastics can abnormally increase your estrogen and cause estrogen dominance which can predispose women to cancer. Glutamates are also under the names: caseinate, autolyzed yeast enzymes, beef and chicken broth, natural flavorings, soy protein, hydrolyzed proteins, soy isolates, and soy protein concentrates. Glutamates are neurotoxins.

Dr Russell Blaylock was a practicing neurosurgeon for 26 years. He talks about glutamates which are added to enhance food like MSG and how it hurts the brain. Sugar is a powerful cancer growth promoter. To stimulate repair from toxins we need fish oil, B vitamins, folic acid, selenium, zinc, white tea extract, and magnesium. Mixing olive oil with turmeric protects the oil so it will not oxidize.

Fluoride and aluminum are powerful neurotoxins. European wines have lower levels of fluoride than American wines. Black tea has high fluoride levels and white tea is best. Fluoride is one of the most poisonous substances on earth according to Dr Blaylock! It tends to accumulate in the bones, in the thyroid, and in the brain. It lowers IQ and triggers excitotoxicity. Reverse osmosis filters and distilled water are the only way to remove fluoride.

Dr Eric Braverman is the director of PATH- Place for achieving Total Health Medical Centers and has written two books. He suggests using 3 spices per meal. He suggests especially cayenne pepper in brown rice, turmeric on eggs, and cinnamon in yogurt with a goal of 15-20 spices per day. He also suggests 4-5 cups of herbal tea per day. He suggests to reverse bone loss, use Forteo, growth hormone and vitamin D. He says most cancers begin when we are in hormone decline.

Dr Steve Nelson is the founder of Synergy Wellness Clinic. He talks about Celtic sea salt and pink salt as the best forms of salt. He feels we should consume 1 tsp of sea salt every day.

Dr Khalid Mahmud was an oncologist for 25 years and wrote the book Keeping a Breast: Ways to Stop Breast Cancer. He says fat cells contain the enzyme aromatase which converts estosterone into estrogens. For breast cancer prevention, use green tea extract to kill breast cancer cells, vitamin D at 1,000units/day, lycopene at 15mg/day enhances the effects of the good genes that reduce breast cancer, and folic acid at 600 micrograms. A large glass of alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer by 7% unless you take folic acid with it. Indol-3 carinol = 1 lb of broccoli and kills breast cancer cells. Vitamin E gamma-tocophenol is vital for anticancer and antiheart disease activity. He suggests avoiding birth control pills and to do regular breast massage and nipple stimulation.

As I work as a physical therapist, I find the connective tissues show when there are metabolic imbalances. With low thyroid, the lower neck becomes tight. With low progesterone and or estrogen, the vagina and pelvic floor becomes tight and contributes to low back pain. With low adrenals, I see increased anxiousness, fear, fatigue, flat feet, and sleeplessness. With low growth hormone poor tissue repair occurs after exercise or trauma. Migraines and depression can be caused from hormone imbalances. Sometimes the bones, especially in the legs, feel like a broom stick. Here I suspect toxicity being held there. Too much sugar in the diet can lead to increased soreness in the joints. I enjoy sharing my clients with the local practitioners who know how to check for and balance metabolism imbalances and watch my clients improve even more. I will leave you with a quote from John F. Kennedy, “It is not enough to add years to one’s life… one must add life to those years!”.

References:

Somers, Suzanne. Breakthrough, Eight Steps to Wellness. New York: Random House, 2008

Northrup, Christiane, MD. The Wisdom of Menopause. New York: Random House, 2001