Archive for the ‘Alternative Medicine’ Category

Antidepressant Drugs Linked to Diabetes

Friday, August 12th, 2011

We have a serious drug problem in this country, and I’m not talking about marijuana or cocaine. I’m talking about dangerous medications that are prescribed to trusting patients by their physicians—at a cost of billions per year! One class of popular pharmaceuticals—antidepressants— may be contributing to one of the most prevalent and debilitating diseases in America today.

Use of antidepressant drugs has more than doubled in the past decade. In 2008, 164 million prescriptions were written for these medications, and pharmaceutical companies raked in a whopping $9.6 billion from their sales. These drugs are required to carry the most severe warning, a black box label stating that they increase risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. Imagine, doctors prescribing a drug that increases suicide—the one thing they most want to prevent!

Additionally, researchers examined the medical records of nearly 166,000 patients over the age of 30 who had no initial history of diabetes and who had been prescribed at least one drug to treat depression. They discovered that using an antidepressant for two or more years increased risk of developing diabetes by 84 percent! The most problematic drugs were the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine (Paxil and Seroxat) and the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline (Endep and Elavil). Patients taking more than 20 mg of paroxetine daily experienced a fourfold increased risk of diabetes.

This is bad news on many levels. Studies reveal that these drugs have minimal effects on relieving depression. They also have unacceptably dangerous adverse effects. In addition to the suicide link, antidepressants are associated with sexual dysfunction, weight gain, headache, sleeping problems, fractures, emotional apathy, and violent, sometimes murderous outbursts.

We’re already experiencing an epidemic of diabetes in this country. Unbridled use of antidepressants, which are notorious for causing weight gain—the likely link with diabetes—is simply throwing fuel on the fire. There’s no need to open yourself up to the risks of pharmaceuticals when safe, natural therapies can provide similar, if not better, results.

Posted in Alternative Medicine, Dangerous Drugs, Depression, Diabetes, Wellness | No Comments »

Vitamin Mistakes Most People Make

Friday, July 22nd, 2011

In this week’s blog, I want to focus on some of the most common supplement mistakes people make as well as a few misconceptions so that you can be a more educated and healthier consumer.

Using supplements that don’t contain the amounts of ingredients claimed on the label. A study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy showed that some products had not one bit of the active ingredients promised. That’s shameful! The study looked at 14 products containing glucosamine and 32 with chondroitin (some had both). Actual contents ranged from 115 percent of the label claim, all the way down to zero. To avoid this common pitfall, always buy your supplements from a manufacturer you trust.

Taking insufficient amounts of key nutrients. You need a lot of nutrients every day, some in pretty large quantities. To fit all you need into one pill or tablet, it would have to be the size of a golf ball. The manufacturers of popular multivitamins know that. What’s their solution? Cut back on the amount of each nutrient! The result is those one-a-day tablets that only have enough of each nutrient in them to meet the recommended daily allowances (RDAs). This may cut it for some manufacturers, but I don’t believe that these paltry amounts are nearly enough for optimal health.

Taking all supplements with food. Actually, some supplements are best taken on an empty stomach. For example, if you take amino acids with food, they compete with dietary protein for absorption. To get the most bang for your buck, take them a couple of hours after eating or at least 30 minutes before eating.

Storing supplements anywhere. The best place to store nutritional supplements is in a cool, dark, dry environment, such as a kitchen cabinet away from the oven. Keep your supplements tightly capped, and don’t expose them to excess light.

Ignoring expiration dates. The FDA doesn’t require an expiration date on supplement labels, so many companies don’t provide them. However, without them, you have no guarantee of freshness and potency. Look for products with expiration dates, and throw away those old dusty bottles of supplements. They won’t harm you, but they probably won’t do you much good, either.

Now that you know what to do, and what not to do, you’ll be able to get right to work making better use of the supplements you take and improving your well-being.

Posted in Alternative Medicine, Vitamins, Wellness | No Comments »

The Beauty of Bioidentical Hormones

Monday, July 18th, 2011

Just a few short years ago, the term “bioidentical hormones” didn’t register with many people. But enter that phrase into any Internet search engine today, and you’ll come up with hundreds of thousands of hits. I’ve been prescribing and promoting bioidentical hormones for more than 20 years and here’s why.

They are better than synthetic. Bioidentical hormones are identical to the hormones produced in a woman’s body. Because these are compounds the body is already familiar with, most of the concerns that arise with conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are not an issue.

According to a recent review of published studies, “Physiological data and clinical outcomes demonstrate that bioidentical hormones are associated with lower risks, including the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, and are more efficacious than their synthetic and animal-derived counterparts. Until evidence is found to the contrary, bioidentical hormones remain the preferred method of HRT.”

Natural hormones are also better tolerated. Drugs come in a limited number of standardized dosages and delivery systems, so there’s little room for addressing individualized needs. That’s one reason so many women have a hard time adjusting to Prempro, Premarin, Provera, and other conventional hormones. With bioidentical hormones, however, your doctor decides on the precise amount and combination of hormones that are right for you.

For example, a small amount of testosterone can be added to estrogen cream for women dealing with low libido, and special vaginal preparations can effectively relieve dryness. The physician then sends the prescription to a compounding pharmacist, who prepares it per these specifications. Imagine, a personalized prescription designed for your unique individual needs!

They are beneficial for women and men. Hormone replacement isn’t just for women. Much as we men hate to admit it, testosterone levels slowly decline as we get older, and the results start to become noticeable in our mid-40s, with reductions in libido, muscle mass, bone density and so on.

At the Whitaker Wellness Institute, our doctors regularly prescribe natural hormones to men and women alike. Restoring your hormone levels to those of a young adult with bioidentical HRT can make a world of difference in how you look and feel.

If you ask your conventional doctor about bioidentical hormones, expect a blank stare. He probably won’t know anything about them. Nevertheless, it’s worth the effort to find a physician who will work with you.

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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Anti-Aging, Innovative Therapies, Natural Hormone Replacement, Wellness | No Comments »

Fight Fatigue With B12

Friday, July 8th, 2011

Dog tired, bone weary, worn out, bushed, just plain pooped—there are as many ways of describing fatigue as there are causes. Fatigue is the number one complaint that brings patients to doctors’ offices, and it’s one of the most difficult problems to diagnose. That’s because fatigue isn’t an illness per se. Instead, it’s a common symptom of a number of problems.

I’ve written many times about vitamin B12’s crucial role in detoxifying homocysteine, a compound linked to an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin B12 is so important in clearing homocysteine from the body that elevated serum homocysteine is now recognized as a reliable indicator of a vitamin B12 deficiency.

However, vitamin B12 is no one-shot wonder. This nutrient is a key player in the burning of fats and carbohydrates for energy, the formation of healthy red blood cells, and the maintenance of the myelin sheaths that protect nerves. Because of these diverse roles, a deficiency of vitamin B12 can cause fatigue, memory loss, and depression. Sadly, physicians often chalk these symptoms up to the inevitable effects of aging, not recognizing that their patients suffer from a treatable nutritional deficiency.

At the Whitaker Wellness Institute, we treat patients with fatigue with B12 on a regular basis. Conventional doctors may order blood tests looking for the obvious causes and suggest their patients get more sleep, perhaps even offering addictive sleeping pills. But they generally overlook this simple solution that can dramatically improve energy and quality of life.

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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Fatigue, Uncategorized, Wellness | No Comments »

Naturally Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease

Friday, June 10th, 2011

Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs do not treat disease. They do lower cholesterol levels—but, high cholesterol is not a disease per se. It’s simply one of many risk factors for heart disease. That’s why, when patients taking statins come to the Whitaker Wellness Institute, our first order of business is to get them off those medications and started on a multipronged program that lowers cholesterol levels, reduces risk of heart disease, and improves multiple aspects of health.

In place of drugs, we prescribe several nutritional supplements that help reduce cholesterol levels naturally, including plant sterols, supplemental fiber (flaxseed is my favorite), and, perhaps most important, niacin. Unlike statins, niacin not only lowers LDL cholesterol but also elevates HDL, a feat no drug is able to accomplish. In fact, a Pfizer drug aimed at increasing HDL was scrapped after it was found to worsen heart problems and increase risk of death. But the niacin story gets even better. Results from a clinical trial published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine proved that this supplement actually reverses blockages in the carotid arteries!

For its broad cardiovascular benefits, we also recommend high doses of fish oil. EPA and DHA, fish oil’s primary omega-3 fatty acids, reduce inflammation, lower blood lipids (especially triglycerides), improve blood viscosity, normalize heart rhythms, and protect against sudden cardiac death. Name one drug that can do even a fraction of that!

Additionally, we recommend a high-potency multivitamin and mineral supplement. Cardiovascular disease risk factors go far beyond LDL cholesterol and inflammation. B-complex vitamins lower levels of homocysteine, a toxic protein that harms the arteries. Vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, selenium, and other antioxidants protect against free-radical damage. And magnesium and other minerals help keep blood pressure in check and enhance arterial health.

Finally, don’t forget CoQ10 and vitamin D. CoQ10 energizes the heart muscle, lowers blood pressure, and protects against heart failure. And vitamin D deficiencies, which are rampant in the US, are linked with a dramatically increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The recommended daily doses of these supplements are as follows: ¼ cup freshly ground flaxseed, plant sterols 1,500–2,000 mg, niacin 500–2,000 mg (the regular form, not niacinamide or no-flush niacin; build up gradually and take at bedtime to ameliorate flushing), fish oil 2–8 g, CoQ10 200–600 mg, and vitamin D 2,000–5,000 IU. A therapeutic multi should contain above-RDA levels of folic acid and other B vitamins, antioxidants, and magnesium.

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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Heart Disease, Wellness | No Comments »

Acupuncture for Migraine Headaches

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Throbbing pain. Nausea. Sensitivity to light. Auras. These symptoms are common manifestations of migraine headaches, and for an estimated 28 million Americans—three-fourths of them women—they are a regular and debilitating occurrence. Many migraine sufferers turn to over-the-counter or prescription painkillers and drugs such as Imitrex to quell symptoms, but new research suggests that acupuncture, an ancient healing therapy, may provide a safe and effective treatment option.

A review of 22 studies involving more than 4,400 participants clinically diagnosed with migraines showed that acupuncture reduced both symptom intensity and headache frequency. Compared to drugs or placebo treatments, acupuncture was consistently more effective. Benefits were noted in those who received regular treatments as well as those suffering from acute attacks. Another review study revealed that acupuncture is also helpful for relief from tension headaches. Forty-seven percent of the 2,317 study subjects who received acupuncture said their number of headaches was reduced by more than half.

In addition to migraines, acupuncture has proven helpful for several diverse conditions ranging from hypertension and incontinence to menopausal symptoms and post-operative pain relief.

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How to Lose Belly Fat Before Summer

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Potbelly, spare tire—or maybe your six-pack abs have turned into a pony keg. Whatever you call it, you need only look around you to know that abdominal fat is the most common type of obesity. It is also the most dangerous. Fat, or adipose tissue, on the hips, thighs, arms, and elsewhere may not be any prettier, but it poses less of a health risk. That’s because it’s stored right under the skin. Most belly fat (visceral adipose tissues or VAT) lies within the abdominal cavity, surrounding the intestines, liver, kidneys, and other organs. Excess fat in this area is linked to increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, even cancer and dementia.

The good news is that visceral fat is responsive to weight loss interventions. I’m not talking about spot reduction—there’s no such thing. However, when you do lose weight, abdominal fat goes first. So what can you do?

For starters, eat less and exercise more. As stored fat is mobilized for energy, those adipocytes in your belly will be the first to shrink. Regarding diet, my experience has been that a low-carbohydrate diet works best. It puts your body in a fat-burning mode and helps control appetite by cutting down on blood sugar swings that cause food cravings.

Other lifestyle factors include sleep—or lack thereof. People who get inadequate sleep tend to be heavier. Furthermore, untreated sleep apnea is clearly linked with obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. If you’re struggling with any of these conditions, especially if you snore, talk to your doctor about getting tested for sleep apnea.

Consider supplements. When it comes to supplements for weight loss, one of the most impressive is green tea. In addition to its immune and cardiovascular benefits, it is a great aid in the fat-burning process. Resveratrol, the phytonutrient in red wine that has gained fame as an anti-aging agent, may also be helpful. I also recommend the herbal extract Irvingia gabonensis. It facilitates weight loss, helps correct leptin levels, and improves many of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

As you lose your belly fat, other areas of your health will perk up as well. Your blood sugar and blood pressure will go down, and your cholesterol, triglycerides, and C-reactive protein levels will improve. Your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, cancer, and liver disease will all decrease. And, as an added bonus, you’ll look and feel better than you have in years.

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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Weight Loss | No Comments »

Four Steps to Stop Allergies

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Spring is here! That means longer, brighter, warmer days—and a whole bunch of pollen to stir up those allergies and make life miserable when it could be beautiful. Most people turn to over-the-counter antihistamines to alleviate discomfort until they need something stronger. Conventional doctors prescribe more powerful drugs to mask symptoms, but these drugs have a multitude of significant negative side effects. Fortunately, there are natural ways to block histamine, support your immune system, and make you feel better.

Here are four simple steps you can take to alleviate allergies this spring–and year round.

1.    Take a potent daily multivitamin to ensure you are getting adequate antioxidant  and mineral support. You may also want to consider adding extra magnesium (for a total of 500-1,000 mg) and vitamin C (up to 5,000 mg), both of which are natural antihistamines. Additionally, antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium have been shown to decrease sensitivity to potential allergens. I recommend 300-400 IU vitamin E and 200 mcg selenium daily.

2. Minimize exposure to airborne allergens. The most common offenders are dander from household pets, dust, pollen, mold, smoke, and strong odors. Easy ways to do this include installing an air purifier with a HEPA filter, cleaning your house thoroughly and removing as many carpets and rugs as possible, and encasing your mattress and pillows in hypoallergenic materials. You should also wash your bedding at least once a week.

3.    Drink 8, eight-ounce glasses of water daily and 12 per day during allergy season. When your body’s water stores are low, histamine production increases in an attempt to preserve existing water supplies. These elevated histamine levels increase your allergic symptoms. Drinking adequate amounts of water will result in reduced production of histamine and fewer symptoms.

4.    Try these targeted natural therapies.

  • Quercetin and bromelain: 100-250 mg of each, between meals, two to three times a day. Quercetin, a bioflavonoid, combats allergies and inflammation and inhibits the release of histamine and other inflammatory compounds. Absorption can be improved by combining it with an equal amount of bromelain, an enzyme that is also an excellent anti-inflammatory agent.
  • N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an amino acid that has been used in Europe since 1963 to treat asthma and allergies. It liquefies mucus in air passages and increases the production of glutathione, an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals. I recommend 400-500 mg daily.
  • Stinging nettle, or “itch weed,” actually blocks the formation of inflammatory compounds in your airways. Take 200-400 mg per day, in divided doses.

I hope you find this information useful. If you have other natural solutions for tackling allergies, feel free to post them in the comments section below.

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Posted in Allergies/Asthma, Alternative Medicine | No Comments »

Bountiful Benefits of Fish Oil

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Fish oil is making headlines yet again. Study results published in the journal Cancer revealed that people who took fish oil while undergoing chemotherapy treatment were able to stave off weight loss and muscle deterioration.

Folks, this is a big deal. Muscle wasting and weight loss during chronic illnesses, called cachexia, is a huge problem for people dealing with cancer. And in this particular study, nearly 70 percent of the participants who took fish oil either gained or maintained their muscle mass.

This is wonderful news. Whenever a nutritional supplement shows benefits like these, I’m even more excited about getting the word out. The dose used in the study was around 2 g daily; however, I recommend that everyone—regardless of health status—take 2-8 g of high quality fish oil each and every day.

Total-Body Protection
The reason I recommend fish oil so wholeheartedly is because the essential fatty acids it contains, particularly DHA and EPA, have many profoundly positive effects throughout the body. Fish oil:

• Protects against heart disease
• Reduces inflammation throughout the body
• Ameliorates symptoms of depression
• Staves off sudden cardiac death and arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms)
• Alleviates arthritis and joint pain
• Supports normal cognitive function and memory

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s really no reason why fish oil shouldn’t be part of your daily supplement regimen.

Eat Plenty of Fish Too
In addition to 2-8 g of supplemental fish oil daily, you should also eat a few servings of cold-water, low-mercury fish per week. Safe species include (but are not limited to) flounder, herring, salmon, sole, and trout. To keep your fish dishes healthy, the best preparation methods are baking, sautéing, or grilling.

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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Cancer, Chronic Pain, Depression, Diet, Foods That Heal, Heart Disease, Nutritional Supplements, Prevention, Vitamins, Wellness | No Comments »

Testing for and Treating Sleep Apnea

Friday, February 25th, 2011

If you snore, chances are, someone around you has let you know about it. But snoring is more than just a nuisance. It’s a symptom of a far more serious problem.

When you snore, the soft tissues in the back of your throat rattle around, partially blocking the airway. This blockage frequently becomes complete, and breathing stops altogether until oxygen deprivation arouses you enough to start breathing again. These episodes of breathing cessation are called sleep apnea, and apart from cutting off your oxygen supply, they wreak havoc on sleep, blood pressure, weight, and several other areas of your health.

At the Whitaker Wellness Institute we use a simple test to screen for sleep apnea. All it involves is wearing a sensor and a small mask that are attached to a device that records your pulse, blood oxygen levels (oxygen saturation), and air flow throughout the night.

Several studies have shown that this simple test is surprisingly reliable—almost as effective as a full-blown sleep study in detecting sleep apnea. We also test patients who don’t have classic signs of obstructive sleep apnea but have related problems such as headaches upon awakening, poor exercise tolerance, hypertension, memory loss, history of stroke or heart attack, and lung disease.

This test is reasonably priced and you can do it in the privacy of your home. If the test indicates sleep apnea, it can be treated with a continuous or automatic positive airway pressure (CPAP/APAP) machine, which blows pressurized air into the nose via a small mask and prevents the soft tissues in the throat from collapsing.

Although CPAP and APAP are the Cadillacs of treatment options, they aren’t the only ones out there. There are exercises you can do to strengthen the tissues at the back of the throat. Some people have success with dental appliances that increase the diameter of the airway by bringing the jaw slightly forward, or prevent the tongue from relaxing back into the airway. Others do well by simply breathing oxygen through a nasal tube at night. Still others turn to surgery, but I would consider that a last resort.

Almost everyone with sleep apnea will benefit from losing weight. In fact, adequate weight loss completely eliminates the condition in many, and losing 20 to 30 pounds will result in significant improvements. Avoiding alcohol may also be helpful. This is especially true for individuals with mild cases, who may snore and have episodes of apnea only after having a drink. Taking sedatives or analgesics at bedtime can have similar effects, so getting off such drugs may help.

For more information on sleep apnea, visit our website.

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Posted in Alternative Medicine, Innovative Therapies, Prevention, Weight Loss, Wellness | No Comments »

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