Junk Food and Junk Drugs

Once upon a time, before 1945 or so, there were relatively few prescription drugs. Now there are literally thousands. Interestingly, prior to 1945, 90% of food was raised within 50 miles of its consumption. Pop, white bread, and sugar were the only significant junk foods. In the 1960’s we had the development of Medicare which…

Man smoking and at risk of elevated HS-CRP.

Inflammation and High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (HS-CRP)

In the past few years, HS-CRP has emerged as the single most sensitive indicator of the risk for atherosclerosis, acute coronary artery disease, hypertension and even atrial fibrillation. And HS-CRP is consistently more indicative of the risk of atherosclerosis than total or LDL cholesterol. Of course this broad indicator of inflammation is not restricted to…

Homocysteine Levels

The most treatable ”cause” of atherosclerosis is homocysteine which is several times as dangerous as is cholesterol. Homocysteine is a metabolic product of methionine metabolism and even moderate levels may be seriously damaging. The ”normal” range is approximately 4 to 13 micro mol/liter. My experience strongly supports the optimal level at 7 or less. There…

Herbs that Heal, Herbs that Don’t

Not all grass is for hay. And that popular ”grass”, marijuana, is definitely not on the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) list. Indeed, most of the psychoactive herbs carry significant risks, sometimes with single-use and often with repeated use. There is adequate scientific literature to provide a list of herbs which have produced medical and…

HEARTBURN, GERD AND THE PURPLE PILL

Of all the ridiculous ads on TV, the purple pill stands out. Old-fashioned heartburn is now called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) for which the ”purple pill” is pushed like religion. As you undoubtedly know, all drugs have complications called ”side effects. Folks, those are EFFECTS, if they happen to you! Here are a few of…

Woman standing in the sunshine with her arms outstretched.

L-TRYPTOPHAN – THE MOOD NUTRIENT

Tryptophan is the first line of defense in depression, alcoholism, cocaine and methamphetamine, migraine, insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, seasonal affective disorder, fibromyalgia, and even chronic pain. HOORAY: TRYPTOPHAN IS AGAIN AVAILABLE WITHOUT PRESCRIPTION!! I began using L-tryptophan supplementation in patients with depression and insomnia in the early 1970’s. In the mid ’70’s I presented our…

Regularly eating foods like this delicious cheese burger is an unhealthy disease-inducing habit.

Health in the United States – Getting Worse!

Thirty years ago both Califano, Secretary of HEW (now known as US Department of Health and Human Services), and Knowles, President of Rockefeller Foundation, reported that 85% of illnesses are the result of an unhealthy lifestyle and thus are preventable. During this subsequent three-decade period, the Holistic Health and Medicine movement has evolved into Complementary…

Woman drinking water with glutamine powder dissolved in it.

Glutamine – For Intestinal and Immune Health

L-glutamine has marked anti-inflammatory and moderate analgesic activity. Indeed, its anti-inflammatory activity is comparable to the NSAID phenylbutazone! (Agents Actions, 1981, 11:243-249). Glutamine is used at a high metabolic rate by both lymphocytes and macrophages. In fact, macrophage phagocytosis is dependent upon its availability. Levels of glutamine are decreased in both muscle and plasma in…

Beta glucan is derived from many mushrooms like the ones shown here.

BETA GLUCAN – FOR IMMUNE STRENGTH

Beta glucan is a polysaccharide derived from bakers’ yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, oat and barley fiber and many mushrooms. Although beta-1.3 glucan is effective in activating the immune function of white blood cells, glucan is equally effective in lowering cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, while raising HDL cholesterol. In fact, it is the glucan which accounts for…

Man who's happy because he's pursuing optimal health.

FROM UN-HEALTH TO OPTIMAL HEALTH

For well over 30 years I have focused upon the essentials for optimal health. In a recent column, I stated that 97% of Americans have one or more UN-healthy habits. Of that three percent with the minimum requirements for good health, I wonder how many have the rest of the essentials to optimize health: Minimal…