The Health Plus Letter
September 24, 2008 Vol. 6, No. 23
By Larry Trivieri, Jr. – founder & publisher
http://www.1healthyworld.com
Table Of Contents
New This Issue
Quote of the Day
Fast Fact
An Anticancer Diet by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber
Magnesium: The Vital Nutrient You’re Probably Lacking
Self-Care Tips for Preventing and Reversing Memory Problems
Recommendations
Reader Feedback
Medical Freedom
Contact Information
New This Issue
Welcome to another issue of The Health Plus Letter. This week, you will find the third in a series of articles about cancer by researcher and brain cancer survivor Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, author of an excellent new book called Anticancer: A New Way of Life. This week, Dr. Servan-Schreiber explains the importance of following an anticancer diet. As he points out, this diet isn’t just for preventing and reversing cancer. It provides a wide range of benefits for all of us.
I’m also sharing information about magnesium, one of the most important nutrients necessary for good health, and one that most people are deficient in. And you’ll also find self-care tips for preventing and reversing memory problems.
As always, please spread the word about The Health Plus Letter by passing it along to your friends and inviting them to subscribe. Thanks!
Quote Of The Day
“Ability is a poor man’s wealth.”
Coach John Wooden
Fast Fact
Accidental deaths caused by the improper use of pharmaceutical drugs soared by more than 700 percent between 1983 and 2004. The steepest increase (890 Percent) was among people between the ages of 40 and 60. Researchers believe this steep rise in death by medicine is due to the fact that potent drugs that were previously only administered in hospitals under professional supervision are now allowed to be prescribed for home use.
Source: AARP
Unabashed Plug
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An Anticancer Diet by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD
Diet is one of the major risk factors for cancer in Western societies. But it’s not just about what we eat too much of. It’s also about the foods we should learn to add to our table every day.
In his $40M laboratory at the University of Montreal, Dr. Richard Beliveau used to test new drugs that may help treat cancer. One day, tugged by children with leukemia who stopped him in the corridor of the hospital to ask if he had something new for them to use, he started experimenting with simple food extracts. Beliveau discovered that many simple food extracts had anticancer properties as powerful as many of the drugs he had been testing for the past 30 years.
Lenny, one of his friends, learned that he had pancreatic cancer. His wife begged Beliveau to help her design an anticancer diet. She fed Lenny, every day, three times a day, with foods that all had been tested for their anticancer properties. Lenny lived five years beyond his prognosis.
Today, the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the largest cancer research institution in the world, is also exploring this avenue. Long used in Ayurvedic medicine in India, the common spice turmeric (one of the main spices in curry) has been found to contain the most potent natural anti-inflammatory ever described -- the molecule “curcumin”. Researchers at MD Anderson have shown that it inhibits cancer growth by not only reducing inflammation (necessary for invasion of neighboring tissues) but by inducing cancer cell death (“apoptosis”), slowing down the growth of new blood vessels necessary for tumor expansion (“angiogenesis”), and increasing the efficacy of chemotherapy. This research was recently reviewed in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2008).
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute (which awards the Nobel Prize) in Sweden have also shown that the polyphenols of green tea inhibit the progression of cancer. It can increase, too, the efficacy of radiotherapy. Women in Japan who drink more than three cups of green tea per day reduce their risk of breast cancer relapse. Men reduce their chance of seeing prostate cancer advance to a dangerous stage.
Eating at least five fruits and vegetables per day contributes greatly to the reduction of cancer risk.
The World Cancer Research Fund confirmed in its October 2007 report that 40% of cancers could be avoided with a more adequate diet and a bit more physical activity. And that these same life-style choices should be an integral part of any treatment of cancer. It stated as a goal no more than 12 ounces of red meat per week. The current American diet is close to 11 ounces per day.
The single most important feature in an anticancer diet is to reverse the proportions of a typical American meal: make the core of your plate vegetables (and fruits), and use meat only to enhance flavor. Legumes (peas, beans, lentils, etc.) and soy (tofu, tempeh, miso, edamame etc.) offer the same proteins as meat but combined with cancer fighting phytochemicals.
It’s also important to replace desserts (refined sugar) with fruits as often as possible. Berries, for example, contain anthocyanidins that directly help kill cancer cells and reduce the growth of abnormal blood vessels. Tangerines and their special flavonoids also act against cancer cells. All brightly colored fruits contain flavonoids that contribute to slowing down cancer growth. Agave syrup (which does not raise blood sugar or insulin) is a wonderful way to replace sugar for those who can’t do without the sweet taste.
All omega-6 oils (soybean, corn, sunflower) should be reduced or eliminated and replaced with olive oil, canola oil, or flaxseed oil. Omega-3 butter or margarine is also acceptable.
Animal products (meat, dairy, eggs) should be grass-fed or labeled “omega-3 rich”, and preferably organic so as to avoid growth hormone (that can stimulate cancer cell growth too).
Organic vegetables and fruits are preferable to non-organic, but, as Dr. Beliveau likes to point out, “it’s better to eat broccoli with a few residues of pesticides on it than to not eat broccoli.”
And benefits from an anticancer diet are immediate. Within months, we can see our blood sugar go down, our waist thinning, our blood pressure improve, and we feel more energetic and less afflicted by little pains of life we had started to take for granted such as heart burn and joint pains… It’s not just about cancer. It’s about nourishing life in us.
About the Author
David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PHD is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at theUniversity of Pittsburgh, and a cancer survivor for 16 years. His book, Anticancer – A New Way of Life, is an international bestseller and I highly recommend it.
Unabashed Plug
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Magnesium: The Vital Nutrient You’re Probably Lacking
One of the most essential nutrients for protecting the health of the heart is magnesium. Unfortunately, studies show that an estimated 75 percent of all American are deficient in magnesium. That’s because most people in the US tend not to eat foods with the highest concentrations of this important mineral. As a result, while the Recommended Daily Allowance for magnesium is 350 mg, the vast majority of Americans have a daily magnesium intake of only 140 to 265 mg. To understand how serious such a continual failure to obtain at least the RDA of magnesium is, bear in mind that RDA levels of nutrients in most cases represent the minimum dose of a nutrient that is needed before serious health problems occur. (For example, the RDA for vitamin C is 60 mg. This is the amount of vitamin C that is needed to on a daily basis to prevent scurvy. Research shows that higher doses – typically between 500 to 1500 mg or more – of vitamin C are needed for the human body to receive all of the benefits it provides.)
Because of the many important roles magnesium plays in the body, many nutritionally-trained physicians and other health specialists recommend at least 500 to 600 mg of magnesium per day, and in some cases, depending on individualized need, doses of 1000 to 1500 mg may be recommended, at least on a short-term basis. This is far more magnesium than is typically available from diet alone, even when your meals contain magnesium rich foods. Sadly, all too often, the eating habits of many Americans compound this problem by not only eating foods that do not contain magnesium, but also by consuming foods and beverages that actually deplete the body’s magnesium stores. Such foods and beverages include all refined and processed carbohydrate foods, sugar, alcohol, soda, and coffee and other caffeine drinks. Many pharmaceutical drugs also deplete the body’s supply of magnesium.
Here are just a few of the reasons why magnesium is so important to your health:
Magnesium is an essential for the proper metabolism of food once it is digested.
It is necessary for the proper functioning of literally hundreds of enzymatic reactions in the body.
It plays a crucial role in the body’s ability to produce and release energy.
It helps maintain proper nerve function.
It is an essential nutrient for healthy bones and muscles.
It is needed by the body to produce RNA/DNA.
It acts as a natural “anti-stress” agent, relaxing skeletal muscles as well as the smooth muscles of blood vessels and the gastrointestinal tract.
It helps to regulate the electrical potential across cell membranes, helping cells to properly communicate with one another.
In addition to the above functions, research has shown that magnesium can help to prevent the formation of kidney stones, and can also help to dissolve them. It also helps to prevent headaches and migraine. It is also very helpful in helping to prevent and ease symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, and can also prevent and reverse painful leg cramps known as intermittent claudication. Other health problems for which magnesium is beneficial include anxiety, bronchial asthma, fatigue and lack of energy, hyperactivity, insomnia, menstrual pain, and osteoporosis.
But one of magnesium’s most important functions – one that is commonly overlooked by physicians and patients alike – is the role that it plays in maintaining the health of the heart and cardiovascular system. As mentioned above, magnesium is essential for the proper functioning of the body’s many enzymatic reactions. This includes those that occur within the cardiovascular system. Without adequate magnesium levels, these cardiovascular processes cannot properly occur, leading to various problems and complications over time. In addition, magnesium acts as a natural calcium channel blocker. Just like calcium channel blocking drugs, magnesium helps to relax blood vessels and increase the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart, without any of the side effects posed by such drugs. For this reason, magnesium has been shown to be effective for preventing and easing the symptoms of angina and high blood pressure.
Another important cardiovascular benefit of magnesium is its ability to regulate heart rhythms. In this capacity, it is an excellent safe and nontoxic nutrient for preventing and reversing abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) and palpitations. This includes early onset atrial fibrillation and a life-threatening arrhythmia known as torsade de pointes. Ironically, torsade de pointes is often caused by drugs intended to prevent arrhythmias. Today, many emergency room physicians treat patients suffering from torsade de pointes by administering magnesium intravenously, usually resulting in a return to normal heart rhythm.
Magnesium is also very effective in preventing coronary artery spasms, a major cause of heart attack. It does this through its ability to relax and dilate coronary arteries. And it is also necessary for the health of the heart muscle itself. In fact, a number of research studies have found that magnesium levels in the blood and heart muscle are usually far less in heart attack victims, compared to normal concentrations in people without heart disease. Research also indicates that when heart attack victims receive magnesium soon after their heart attacks strike they tend to recover more quickly. One randomized study of 1500 patients found that when magnesium is administered early on, it resulted in nearly a 50 percent reduction in death by heart attack.
To increase your intake of magnesium, begin by increasing your daily intake of magnesium-rich foods. These include dark green vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes (beans), and whole grains such as brown rice and millet. You might also consider magnesium supplements. If so, choose forms that are most well absorbed by the body. The best forms are magnesium aspartate and magnesium citrate. For best results, take magnesium with a calcium supplement away from foods, along with some vitamin C.
Overall, magnesium supplementation is extremely safe so long as daily doses are kept within a range of 600 to 1000 mg. However, people who suffer from low blood pressure (hypotension) and/or kidney disease should not take magnesium unless they are under their doctors’ supervision. In high doses, magnesium can also act as a natural laxative and cause diarrhea. If this happens, reduce your dose until symptoms abate.
Self-Care Tips for Preventing and Reversing Memory Problems
Memory and cognition problems are characterized by an inability to mentally focus and use one’s cognitive abilities properly. Symptoms of such problems include poor mental focus, difficulties learning, poor memory, difficulties comprehending reading material and other forms information, and interrupted trains of thought.
What To Consider
Memory problems can be related to allergies, candidiasis (systemic yeast overgrowth), fatigue, thyroid problems, stroke or poor circulation to brain, amino acid and/or mineral imbalances, environmental toxins such a mercury, and low blood sugar. All of these factors must be screened for and, if present, addressed, before long-term improvement can be achieved.
Self-Care
Diet: Eat an organic, whole foods diet that includes fish and adequate protein. Screen for and eliminate all foods to which you are allergic or sensitive. Also eat foods that stabilize blood sugar levels, included complex carbohydrates, and drink plenty of pure filtered water throughout the day.
Nutritional Supplementation: The following nutrients can be helpful: phosphatidyl choline, chromium, lecithin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B complex, vitamin B6, and DMAE (dimethylamine ethanol).
Herbs: The following herbs can help enhance memory and brain function: ginkgo biloba, Siberian ginseng, vinpocetine (an extract found in the periwinkle plant), pycnogenol, ashwagandha, bilberry, capsicum, garlic, green tea, gotu kola, kelp, peppermint leaf, rosemary, sarsaparilla, skullcap, and wood betony.
Homeopathy: Useful homeopathic remedies include Argen nit. and Arsen alb.
Lifestyle: Research shows that regular exercise helps to maintain healthy brain function. In addition, engaging in activities that stimulate brain function, such as crossword puzzles, learning a new skill, or a creative, artistic pursuit, has also been shown to improve memory.
(The above information is adapted from my book Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide 2nd edition)
Unabashed Plug
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Reader Feedback
Here’s an interesting email I received from Jeanne P:
“Hi, Larry. Here is a topic you might choose to cover in a future issue.
I am a 25-year cancer survivor. That's the good news. The bad news is that I've been challenged by all sorts of heart malfunction since 1990 due to the chemotherapy drug, Adriamycin, administered in 1983.
For the past three or four years my cardiologist kept me on Amiodarone, a time-released iodine drug with a half-life of weeks and a list of side effects as long as your arm.
The side effects nearly caused permanent damage before I realized the extent and cause of my symptoms. My research showed that Amiodarone is not the perpetrator of my problems. Cardiologists are.
Just follow my logic for a moment. A smooth, rhythmic heartbeat requires iodine. USA residents do not consume the RDA of iodine, so iodine is in our table salt to supplement our dietary requirements. Guess what cardiologists want us to omit from our diets to reduce fluid retention. And guess what they want to use to load us with an adequate supply of iodine when natural iodine therapy does the job very nicely.
Hopefully, I caught on in time. The bad things I've been experiencing are reversing slowly.
Just thought you might have missed this. – Jeanne>>
I want to thank Jeanne for sharing this. I’m all too aware of one of the issues she raises, and soon will be writing about chemotherapy and its negative effects on both heart and brain function.
Until Jeanne wrote me, I was not aware of Amiodarone or its side effects, but do know about the importance of iodine to good health. That’s another topic I’ll be covering soon.
What I most want to emphasize, here, is the proactive stance Jeanne is taking with her health. I suspect that, and the attitude that goes with it, has a lot to do with the fact that she successfully beat cancer, and it certainly is responsible for her now being able to restore herself after being prescribed Amiodarone for so long. Kudos, Jeanne, and please keep us informed of whatever else you discovery along your healing journey!
Recommendations
Websites and Links
http://www.ourhealthcoop.com - This website provides a wide range of quality nutritional supplements at very inexpensive prices. The owners of Our Health Co-op are able to do so because they don’t waste money on fancy labeling and expensive marketing campaigns. Best of all, they also provide online independent laboratory analysis of their products, confirming their potency, something few supplement companies do. I have been using their supplements for over a month and have noticed a definite improvement in my overall energy levels.
http://shirleys-wellness-café.com - You’ll find a lot of interesting health information at this site. Well worth a look.
www.firstgiving.com/annfonfa - At this link you can help support the efforts of Ann Fonfa, who selflessly maintains her wonderful cancer resource website, The Annie Appleseed Project (www.annieappleseedproject.org). If you can afford to make a donation, I strongly encourage you to do so. Annie is definitely one of the “good guys” and deserves a lot of thanks for the work that she does.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/23/paul.bailout/index.html - Congressman Ron Paul is someone I’ve long admired and the person I would have voted for President. At this link you can read his well-reasoned rejection of the proposed Wall Street bailout. Don’t expect Congress to listen to him, though.
Medical Freedom
Please contact and support the following organizations dedicated to protecting our health freedoms.
Citizens for Health - http://www.citizens.org
Alliance for Natural Health – http://www.alliance-natural-health.org (The leading organization fighting to preserve health f/r/e/edom in England and the EU.)
Institute for Health Freedom – http://www.ForHealthF/r/e/edom.org
International Advocates for Health Freedom (IAHF) – http://www.iahf.com
And to learn how corrupt and extensive Big Pharma’s monopoly is, visit http://www.pnc.com.au/~cafmr/online/research/index.html the website for the Campaign Against Fraudulent Medical Research. In particular, read their in-depth report The Pharmaceutical Drug Racket that you will find there.
That’s all for this week.
Health and Blessings!
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
Contact Information: Due to the inordinate amount of spam my email account receives, I no longer use it to receive emails. To contact me, please visit www.1healthyworld.com/contactus
Disclaimer: The Health Plus Letter is a weekly eZine published by Larry Trivieri, Jr. and Library of Health, LLC (dba www.1healthyworld.com) 3 Greenwood Court, Utica, NY 13501. It is made available without charge for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical care. If you are experiencing a health problem, seek prompt medical attention.
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Legal Notice: The information in this eZine may be freely and widely disseminated so long as full attribution is made as follows: The Health Plus Letter, September 24, 2008, Vol. 6, No. 23. Copyright © 2008 by Larry Trivieri, Jr. All rights reserved.
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