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Letter from Dr. Janson
Inflammation and Heart
Disease
Lycopene and Lung Cancer
FDA, Red-Yeast-Rice, and Cholesterol
In the Health News
Recipe of the Month: Tasty
Tofu -- Believe it or not!
Dear Friends,
On a recent radio show during the election campaigns,
the cost of health care came up, and one Medicare
recipient was complaining about her annual $6,000
bill for medications. That’s right, over $500
every month. She was lamenting the situation
saying something like “I have heart disease,
and high blood pressure. I’ve had open heart
surgery, and I am diabetic. I’m tired; and I
have arthritis–doesn’t everybody?”
It is no wonder that costs of medical care
are so high; it is taken for granted that as
people age they develop degenerative diseases,
leading to extensive use of the medical care
system; and it is getting to the breaking point.
I can tell you with some confidence that it
is not necessary to get increasingly sick as
you age, if you take proper care of yourself.
The reason people do get sick is that they have
little conception of how to follow healthy lifestyles.
To paint some analogies, if you constantly
slam down the gas pedal in your car, jam on
the brakes, use the wrong fuel and the wrong
oil, and you don’t change the air filter, or
the spark plugs, or maintain proper air pressure
in the tires, would you wonder why your car
maintenance costs are so high?
Well, this is exactly the way most people take
care of their bodies. They jolt themselves awake
with caffeine, calm down with alcohol, eat junk
that is high in sugar and white flour, consume
the wrong oils (hydrogenated oils and too much
animal fat), drink tap water if they drink enough
at all, and don’t exercise (akin to tuning up
with new spark plugs). Is it any wonder that
3/4 of Americans are above their ideal weight,
and 1/3 are obese. With this lifestyle, yes,
everybody will have the problems of that Medicare
patient, even though she was only 67 years old.
These problems are not genetic! The claim that
they are is simply an excuse to avoid the responsibility
for our own health. Most of the time, genetic
tendencies are manifest only when lifestyle
choices enhance their expression. What influences
the genes to express themselves or not are health
choices. When people move to the United States,
their genes don’t change, but their illnesses
do, as soon as they change their diet and exercise
patterns to mimic the diet known as SAD (Standard
American Diet).
You have the power to change your health, and
you do not have to anticipate being dependent
on drugs for heart disease, arthritis, diabetes,
high blood pressure and other conditions, all
of which are strongly influenced by what you
eat, how much you exercise, and whether you
are able to relax and focus on your spiritual
center. You are in charge of your health, and
by taking that responsibility, you can reduce
the cost of health care for yourself, and for
everyone else. The government cannot afford
current levels of disease care, and it doesn’t
provide health. Health is something you give
yourself.
One of the common denominators in the risk of
developing coronary artery disease appears to
be chronic inflammation from a variety of causes.
I have previously reported on the cardiac risk
indicator called CRP, or C-Reactive Protein.
This is only one general indicator of inflammation,
but its presence in high amounts is more closely
associated with heart disease than cholesterol.
Other information is coming out about specific
associations of chronic infections, such as
gum disease (periodontal infection); Chlamydia
pneumoniae; Herpes simplex virus; cytomegalovirus
(CMV); and Helicobacter pylori(associated with
stomach ulcers), with arterial disease.
The common denominator may be the high levels
of CRP. This protein may not be just a marker
for arterial disease, but it now appears to
directly damage the lining of the arteries.
High white blood counts, another sign of infection,
are also associated with increased mortality
from heart attacks, and with less response to
the clot-busting medications.
With all this information, what can you
do to protect yourself from infection and inflammation.
Most of the time, low resistance is related
to poor diet, high stress, lack of sleep, and
inadequate nutrition, including dietary supplements.
My regular dietary guidelines, with low sugar,
high intake of fresh vegetables and fruits,
whole grains, beans, and elimination of hydrogenated
fats, are the first line of defense.
Fat intake has an interesting relationship
to heart disease in this regard. High animal
fat appears to lead to more inflammation. It
contains high levels of arachidonic acid, a
fatty acid that increases prostaglandin E2 (PGE2),
associated with inflammation, platelet aggregation,
and spasm of blood vessels. Hydrogenated oils
interfere with the other prostaglandins that
might counteract the PGE2.
You can reduce these effects by avoiding animal
fat and taking supplements of gamma-linolenic
acid (GLA) and omega-3 oils such as flax seeds
and fish oil (EPA and DHA). The researchers
suggest that cholesterol is pro-inflammatory,
which is one reason they give for the apparent
benefits of cholesterol-lowering “statin” drugs.
Niacin (vitamin B3) is also of value, not only
because it lowers cholesterol, but because it
favorably affects other risk factors, for example,
lowering serum fibrinogen to reduce excessive
clotting. (See page 3, on red-rice-yeast.)
A number of dietary supplements play
a role in battling infection and reducing inflammation,
in addition to niacin and essential fatty acids.
Vitamin C helps reduce inflammation and enhance
immunity, and it is particularly valuable against
viruses if taken in high doses. I recommend
4000 to 6000 mg daily for viral susceptibility,
as that amount maintains white blood cell levels
when they would otherwise drop during an infection.
It also increases production of interferon ,
a natural antiviral substance.
Vitamin E, 800 IU daily, has been shown to
enhance immunity in the elderly. Zinc is an
essential mineral for proper immune function,
supporting both antibody production and white
blood cell activity.
A number of herbs reduce inflammation, including
ginger, curcumin (from turmeric), nettle, feverfew,
Siberian and American ginseng, and the pineapple
enzyme, bromelain.
The herbs that help immunity are echinacea,
astragalus, beta 1,3 glucan, maitake mushroom,
and a number of others.
You can also protect yourself from viruses
and bacteria with supplements of transfer factor,
the colostrum derivative that I have written
about in previous newsletters.
Heart and vascular diseases result from complex
combinations of risk factors, almost all of
them strongly controlled by our own habits and
actions. You don’t have to be an unwitting victim,
as long as you realize that you are in charge.
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The large Nurses’ Health Study and the Physicians’
Health Study provide further evidence of the
value of diets high in fruits and vegetables.
Lycopene, the carotenoid concentrated in tomatoes,
protects both smokers and non-smokers from lung
cancer, while other carotenoids, such as alpha-carotene
and lutein seem to be protective only in non-smokers.
This relationship might be related to the other
vitamins and phytochemicals found in abundance
in the same foods that are the sources of carotenoids,
but there does seem to be a protective effect
from many nutrients, including supplements.
Some other beneficial phytochemicals: indole-3
carbinol, phenethyl-isothiocyanate, ellagic
acid, and capsaicin.
A study on lung cancer patients who took large
doses of antioxidants showed that they survived
far better than expected. In fact, although
the kind of lung cancer studied usually has
a 99 percent mortality after one year, 40 percent
of these patients lived almost three years,
and some even longer.
Other dietary supplements that protect against
cancer or help support the treatment include
vitamin C, folic acid, coenzyme Q10, vitamin
E, calcium D-glucarate, and beta 1,3 glucan.
The same transfer factor mentioned above also
improves lung and prostate cancer survival,
likely because of its immune enhancing properties.
Recently the FDA ruled that a natural substance
found in red-yeast-rice (Cholestin) could not
be marketed as a cholesterol-lowering agent.
It turns out that this food source supplement
contains a naturally occuring component (monacolin
K) that the FDA has already allowed to go on
the market as a patented drug called Mevacor
(lovastatin).
The statin drugs do lower cholesterol, but
the reason drug companies spend so much money
to market synthetic or modified substances is
that they cannot patent natural substances.
When it was discovered that the statin-like
molecule in red-yeast-rice occurred naturally,
the patent on Mevacor should have been withdrawn.
Instead, the FDA ruled that the red-yeast-rice
should be withdrawn, even though it is a natural
substance and falls under the protection of
the Dietary Supplement Health and Education
Act.
Of course, the FDA can remove any substance
that poses a health risk from the market , natural
or otherwise, but their actions on this product
clearly shows their bias against dietary supplements
and their favorable treatment of drugs.
The lead author of the article on Cholestin
points out in a letter to the editor that dietary
supplements are not unpurified drugs–they are
natural substances. Synthesis of drugs by crystallization
and purification of plant sources makes the
resulting medical treatment more expensive,
more risky, and less accessible, and if natural
dietary supplements were available instead,
public health would be more affordable and safer.
As is common with natural products, Cholestin
contains a variety of compounds related to monacolin
K, all of which may have an effect on cholesterol
levels. It also appears to be quite safe.
Unfortunately, after a victory of the manufacturer
over the FDA in District Court, the Appeals
Court ruled that the FDA could regulate Cholestin
(this court often sides with FDA). This threatens
to deprive you of easy access to this beneficial
supplement for heart health.
•“Some of what we have been calling ‘normal
aging’ may in fact be due to past exposures
to chemicals or other agents that can affect
the central nervous system,” says one researcher
after examining the effects of lead exposure
on mental decline with age. (Schwartz BS, et
al., Neurology 2000 Oct 24;55(8):1144-50.) Exposure
to many toxins may be associated with various
chronic degenerative diseases, and it is important
to protect yourself by drinking clean water
and breathing clean air as often as possible.
(I use a MultiPure solid-carbon block water
filter for all drinking and cooking–it removes
lead, other heavy metals, pesticides, chemical
solvents, and more.) I also recommend intravenous
chelation therapy for heavy metal exposure,
and for all industrial lead workers.
• A new report from the American Heart
Association says that soy products, such as
tofu, can lower cholesterol and provide protection
from heart disease (Circulation 2000 Nov 14;102(20):2555-9).
Examining 38 studies led to the conclusion that
substituting soy for meat and other animal protein
was beneficial by lowering LDL-cholesterol and
triglycerides, and raising levels of the good
HDL-cholesterol. Critics of soy in the diet
usually harp on the use of texturized vegetable
protein (TVP), and I agree that this highly
processed product is not a good source of nutrition.
But the literature is clear that soy from tofu
is a benefit for both cancer and heart disease.
Other soyfoods, such as tempeh and soymilk contain
the same beneficial isoflavones, genistein and
daidzein. The recommendation is 25 to 50 grams
of soy protein per day. (See the tofu recipe
below.)
Tofu can be very healthful. Many people say
that they don’t like tofu but say they like
fried rice–not realizing that it usually contains
slivers of tofu. I like to dice tofu into 1/2
inch cubes, then saute some onions, garlic,
ginger, and a touch of cayenne in a small amount
of olive oil. When sizzling, add the tofu and
saute for one or two minutes, then add a mix
of some cut up broccoli, spinach, cabbage, or
chard. A touch of soy sauce (careful of its
high salt content) or a bit of balsamic vinegar
brightens it up. Mix in some cooked brown rice,
and stir in for one or two minutes. Turn off
the flame, and add a garnish of cut up scallions,
cilantro, and a few drops of toasted sesame
oil. This is a good way to get healthy while
indulging in a tasty pleasure at the same time.
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