The next big health industry hoax is on its way and I want you to be among the first to hear about it. I expect it will flood the nutritional supplement market and make its way into “new, improved” prepared health foods and beverages. There are already more than 500 products for sale using this technology. And 400 food and nutrition companies are exploring the subject. But the hype surrounding the application of this new technology on foods and supplements doesn’t have sufficient science. There’s no evidence at this time that it is superior ... or even safe.

The health industry is always looking for the latest and greatest discovery, whether it’s a product or a delivery system. Why? For financial reasons, of course. They charge more for “new” and “improved” products. Some of these are legitimate and great for your health. Others are not.

They’re calling the latest breakthrough nanotechnology and nanofoods. They sound good, but there’s no proof to back up claims that nanoparticles are superior. In fact, in some cases, they may be dangerous. We just don’t know enough about them.

Nanoparticles are ultrafine particles of a particular size — like those in the dust and other particulate matter we breathe in every day. The term is a measure of size, not content. They can make nanoparticles from drugs, metals, or nutrients. And many nutrients producers are turning their products into nanoparticles that they claim are better than larger particles.

But are they?

These tiny particles are so small that they are able to make their way into cells. This may not always be a desired response.

In the past, researchers have found that fine particles of various nutrients will cause unwanted side effects. In a study published in the journal Gastroenterology, small quantities of food-grade titanium dioxide triggered an inflammatory response in white blood cells. These cells protect us from bacteria and dying cells. When nanoparticles of titanium dioxide came into contact with irritated intestinal tissues, they aggravated inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease.

Titanium dioxide is a naturally occurring mineral used in sunscreens and as a food color in cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, some sweets, and other food products. But being natural doesn’t mean it’s safe. Especially when this “natural” substance is proinflammatory! Many of us are working to reduce inflammation throughout our bodies.

I want to see some long-term studies on the safety of nanoparticles in foods and supplements before I use products containing them.

Don’t get me wrong. Nanotechnology may be great. The problem is there are no long-term studies to indicate the effect of these smaller particles. All we have are a few preliminary cell culture studies. In one laboratory study using various forms of chromium, the researchers found that that human body absorbs chromium nano better than chromium picolinate. And chromium picolinate currently is the preferred form of this mineral because it’s so well absorbed.

But what happens when chromium (or any other substance) is absorbed at an even higher rate? We don’t know. One possibility is that it may throw off the delicate balance of other nutrients and change their actions. It could also have yet unknown interactions with medications, making them either more or less effective. This would be extremely dangerous.

We know that size matters with modified citrus pectin (MCP), a substance I’ve written about extensively. It is used to bind to toxic metals and remove them from the body. But when MCP particles are too large, they can’t get into the bloodstream where they’re needed. When the particles are too small, they break down and aren’t recognized by the immune system. This information on MCP is based on scientific studies — ones lacking in the area of food and supplement nanoparticles.

The FDA is aware of this and hasn’t approved anything nano for internal use besides gold nanoparticles.

The nanoparticles used in food products are man-made. In 2008, the Soil Association banned the use of manmade nanoparticles in any products that were certified organic. Why? Because they have evidence suggesting that nanoparticles work differently than larger particles of the same material.
I believe the marketing of nanofoods and supplements has gotten ahead of the scientific studies showing they’re safe and effective. Scientists are exaggerating the anticipated benefits of nanotechnology. We know that nanomaterials are unpredictable and that they have gotten into laboratory animals.

We also know that nanoparticles are up to 100 times more reactive than larger particles. But we don’t know how man-made nanomaterials will act in our lungs, liver, or groundwater.

In addition to its effects on our health, there’s another consideration: price. I expect we’ll see that products marketed as nano-anything will be more expensive than other similar products. The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (www.crnano.org) says it’s unlikely that the cost of molecular manufacturing would be high enough to warrant much of a price difference between a nano- and conventional substance. But I predict that manufacturers will hike the prices of nano-foods.

Bottom Line:

Nanoparticles in foods and supplements may be safe and effective. Or they may be harmful and/or ineffective. We just don’t know. We need human studies indicating their safety and efficacy before using them.

Each nano-substance needs to be evaluated individually because nanoparticles are not alike.

Don’t spend your money on a technology that’s as yet unproven and could have harmful effects on people, animals, and the environment. There are too many questions and no good answers.

For more information on nanotechnology and foods, I recommend you read Nano-Hype: The Truth Behind the Nanotechnology Buzz by David M Berube (Prometheus Books, 2006). Beruse knows what he’s talking about. He’s the research director of Nanoscience and Technology at the USC NanoCenter (University of South Carolina).

Ashwood, P., et al. “Fine particles that adsorb lipopolysaccharide via bridging calcium cations may mimic bacterial pathogenicity toward cells.” Exp Biol Med, (Maywood). 2007 January;232(1):107-17.

Bouwmeester, H., et al. “Review of health safety aspects of nanotechnologies in food production.” Regul Toxicol Pharmacol, 2009 February;53(1):52-62.

Evans, S.M., et al. “The role of dietary microparticles and calcium in apoptosis and interleukin-1beta release of intestinal macrophages,” Gastroenterology, November 2002.

Zha, L.Y., et al. “Chromium nanoparticle exhibits higher absorption efficiency than chromium picolinate and chromium chloride in Caco-2 cell monolayers.” J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2008 April;92(2):131-40.

Why You Now Must Be Prepared for the Flu Year-Round

This year’s swine flu, H1N1, was mild. It spread quickly throughout the world. But there were few deaths. In fact, there were fewer fatalities than the common flu we get each winter. So most people sighed with relief and put thoughts of a deadly pandemic behind them. Were we lucky? Maybe not.

If this year’s swine flu is anything like the pandemic of 1918, it could come back with a vengeance. By the way, the 1918 flu lasted much more than a year. It began in March 1918 and lasted until June 1920. In early March, the flu epidemic was just like an ordinary yearly flu-like the one we just experienced. But by August of that year, the virus had mutated and was back in a more virulent form. Sick World War I soldiers who were packed into crowded trains and field hospitals helped spread this mutant virus, which eventually reached all parts of the world.

This year’s H1N1 may not be over. It could return, and it could be deadly the next time.

Flu season has changed

We tend to think of fall and winter as being flu season. Now we’re finding out that the flu can come at any time of the year. Guarding against the flu means supporting your immune system — boosting it if it’s low, and turning it down if it’s overactive (as in the case of autoimmune diseases).

Here are the steps to take to protect yourself and your family:

• Eat a healthful diet consistently. Keep sugars, refined grains, and junk foods to a minimum.
• Stay well hydrated with water, herb teas, soups, and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially on warm days. Fluids support your adrenal glands, which handle all forms of stress.
  
  
• Use stress reduction techniques, such as meditation and contemplation, every day.
  
  
• Get sufficient sleep — eight hours each night.
  
  
• Include a few supplements to strengthen your immune system.

Flu-protecting supplements

You could go broke buying all the flu-protective nutrients you hear about on the market. One or two key supplements may be all you need to take. And the more healthful lifestyle changes you make, the fewer supplements you may need.

But no matter how good your diet is, there are two supplements I recommend you take daily to help keep you well. They are vitamin D and the medicinal mushroom formula MycoPhyto Plus. I’ve written about both of these before in health alerts and newsletter articles available to you at no charge on my website (www.womenshealthletter.com).

We all need sufficient vitamin D to regulate our immune systems, and most people are vitamin D-deficient, especially people with darker complexions. Numerous studies have found the lowest levels of vitamin D in African-Americans, intermediate levels in Mexican-Americans, and the highest levels in Caucasians. That said, almost everyone who gets tested is low in this essential hormone/vitamin.

You can get details on how to have your vitamin D level tested without your doctor’s prescription in my health alert from March 31, 2009 (The lunatics at Medicare could destroy your health). If it’s low, you may want to take 5,000 IU/daily. That’s what I take.

Mushrooms are adaptogens that help regulate many areas in the body including the immune system. There are numerous medicinal mushroom formulas and extracts on the market. I prefer using the whole mushroom, rather than a fraction — especially for daily use. In my opinion, the fraction extracts are more appropriate for acute cases. They’re more like a drug than a food. But MycoPhyto Plus uses the whole mushroom. And it’s kept me healthy for over seven years. I prefer these mushrooms above others because they’re the only ones that are grown on immune-enhancing herbs. This makes them extra powerful.

You can order both of these supplements from Advanced Bionutritionals (www.advancedbionutrionals.com or 800-791-3395).

Whatever you decide to do, I urge you to do something now. It takes time to strengthen the immune system. I’m convinced that the next killer flu is waiting in the wings. No one knows whether or not it’s a deadly pandemic, or when it will mutate. Don’t be caught unprepared.

This Inexpensive Remedy Reduces Nausea From Anesthesia and Radiation Treatment

I don’t want to take any medication when I’m nauseous. Or even get up and make myself a cup of ginger tea, even though I know that ginger reduces nausea. In fact, the thought of drinking anything can make me even more nauseous.

I also don’t want to get up and slice a piece of ginger to suck on — if I even have any in the house. No, when my stomach is upset, I don’t want to put anything in my mouth. I just want my nausea to go away.

But there’s a simple solution to nausea from many causes that doesn’t include swallowing anything. It doesn’t spoil or get used up or have any side effects. It’s an inexpensive solution you can find at many neighborhood drug stores. This remedy originates in the ancient art of acupuncture, but it doesn’t use any needles.

The solution I’m talking about isn’t acupuncture. It’s acupressure.

Acupressure doesn’t use needles. It consists of physically stimulating specific pressure points along pathways on the body called meridians. These meridians are each associated with a different organ, and each point has particular uses in affecting different parts of the body.

The most common anti-nausea point is called P6, or Pericardium 6. It’s located two finger-widths up from the inside of both wrists. You can press these points repeatedly when you’re nauseous, or you can get wristbands marketed for motion sickness that help you find the right point and apply pressure
for you.

All acupuncturists know P6 is THE point for nausea of any kind, from morning sickness and motion sickness to nausea from chemotherapy, radiation, or anesthesia. You may be more familiar with it as a solution to sea sickness. Most people don’t know that it works for all kinds of nausea — including that from migraine headaches. But it does.

Here’s how it works

When you stimulate the P6 point, you’re activating the central nervous system. This tells the brain to release neurotransmitters that block nausea-producing chemicals.

A review of more than 40 studies with nearly 5,000 healthy adults who had surgery found that stimulating P6 was as effective as anti-nausea drugs — without any side effects.

A study by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center published recently in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management found that patients who wore acupressure wristbands had less nausea after radiation treatment. This is no placebo effect. Anti-nausea wristbands really work.

It’s a simple solution to a common problem that’s both inexpensive and easy to find. It eliminates costly anti-nausea medications and saves insurance companies a lot of money. And these wristbands are easily available.

There are several acupressure wristbands on the market. One that is FDA-approved and costs around $12 is the BioBand (1-800-BIO-BAND). It comes in several sizes both for adults and children. This company tells you just how to use it and which size you need. You can find other brands online or at drugstores for a little more or a little less. All of them should work equally well.

If you know someone who is about to undergo cancer treatment, or who gets migraine headaches, give them a gift they’re likely to use repeatedly. Just make sure you pick up a pair for yourself. You never know when you or anyone in your family can feel better just by using this anti-nausea remedy.

Lee, A. and L.T.Y. Fan. “Stimulation of the wrist acupuncture point P6 for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2009, Issue 2.

University of Rochester Medical Center (2009, April 10). “Wristbands Ease Nausea With Cancer Treatment. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 16, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/04/090408145348.htm.

This Salad Green Is Safer and More Effective Than Drugs for Stomach Ulcers

Years ago, when I moved to Northern California, I had a garden complete with tomatoes, bell peppers, and various lettuces. I loved walking out of my little country home, picking a salad, and eating it immediately. These were some of the best salads in my memory. Among the familiar types of lettuce I found at my local nursery was a spicy salad green with an unusual taste. It quickly became my favorite, and I grew an entire raised bed of it in future years.

Now I find it in bags of mixed baby lettuces at my local grocers. This herb is Eruca sativa. But you may know it as Rocket or arugula. And while it’s more like a gourmet lettuce in this country, it’s a popular vegetable throughout Europe and the Middle East.

What I didn’t know when I first discovered arugula was that it had healing properties. I may have suspected this if I had realized that arugula belongs to the Brassica family (broccoli, cabbage, kale, etc). Brassicas’ cancer-fighting properties are very well known.

In addition to having anti-tumor effects, arugula seems to be able to prevent and treat ulcers.

That’s what a group of researchers from Saudi Arabia found. Their study, published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, concluded that an extract of arugula was safer than the proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) doctors commonly prescribed to treat ulcers.

Some PPIs have become the drugs of choice for treating gastric ulcers. But when you use them over a long period of time, they can cause adverse side effects.
Gastric ulcers are common. A number of factors, including stress, smoking, nutritional deficiencies, infections, and certain drugs, can cause them.
In fact, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and Motrin — given to treat ulcers — actually cause inflammation and irritate ulcers.

This arugula extract had the opposite effect from irritating NSAIDs. When the researchers of this study gave it to a group of mice with ulcers, it inhibited gastric acid secretions — like hydrochloric acid — which irritate ulcerous tissues.
The result was that it significantly reduced their sores.
But it did much more.

Extracts of arugula also protected the gastric mucosa from substances like free radicals. These contribute to both acute and chronic stomach ulcers.
It’s important to note that the extracts used in this study were stronger than the amount of arugula you’ll find in a typical salad. But the information from this study identifies a plant you may be able to find in your local supermarket or health food store – or grow in your garden — that helps heal ulcers.

If you like the taste of arugula, add it to your salads and stir-fry vegetables. Or whip some of it in your blender and add it to a breakfast smoothie. It will give your meals a tang and may protect you from the pain of gastric ulcers.

Alqasoumi, S., et al. World Journal of Gastroenterology (2009, May 14). Potential Anti-ulcer Herb Medicine: Rocket ‘Eruca Sativa.’

NUTRITION DETECTIVE

Warning: This Popular Breakfast Can Lead to Heart Disease

I was fortunate. My mother fed my brother and me the healthiest foods she could find and afford. The problem was, like many mothers, she often read that these foods were healthful even when they weren’t. She fed us breakfast cereals made with refined rice, oats, and corn like Cheerios, Rice Krispies, and Corn Flakes. Or Wheaties, “the breakfast of champions.”

These foods were not as healthful as mother thought. We now know that they can increase our risk for heart disease.

Let’s be clear. All carbs are not alike, and some are completely safe when included in a balanced diet. Carbs that turn into sugar quickly, known as “high glycemic” foods, are the problem. And the more often you eat them, the greater your risk.

Here’s why:

A recent study out of Tel Aviv University found that whenever you eat foods with a high glycemic index it causes arteries to the heart to suddenly expand. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this. We want our arteries to be elastic — and to expand from time to time. But when you repeatedly trigger this response, at some point these arteries become less elastic. This can lead to heart disease ... and even death.

In the first study of its kind in medical history, Israeli researchers divided a group of volunteers into four groups. One group ate cornflakes with milk, a second group ate pure sugar, the third ate bran flakes, and the fourth drank plain water. The researchers measured all of the volunteers for arterial function using a blood pressure-like cuff that is able to visualize the arteries.

The researchers were stunned. All groups other than the placebo group (who drank water) had reduced arterial functioning. But the real problems occurred in the groups that either ate cornflakes or sugar. They had very high indexes of arterial stress.

To reduce your risk for heart disease from high-carb foods, limit refined grains and sugar. Stop drinking sodas. Eat whole grain cereals like granola or oatmeal. If you’re gluten-intolerant, look for gluten-free cereals from Bob’s Red Mill (in many health food stores). Berries and fruits with edible skins, are also low on the glycemic index.

Meanwhile, if you plan a trip to Israel and want to have your artery function evaluated, contact Dr. Michael Schecter, lead researcher of this study. He practices at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital outside Tel Aviv and welcomes visitors from the U.S. We’re looking for similar clinics in the U.S. and will let you know if we find any.

Tel Aviv University (2009, June 27). “How High Carbohydrate Foods Can Raise Risk For Heart Problems.” ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 29, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com.

LETTERS

Q:: I want to use Advanced Joint Support for my family and myself, but it contains tricalcium phosphate, which is cement. I believe we shouldn’t eat it, especially daily in our supplements. What do you think? — S.S., e-mail

A: Tricalcium phosphate (TCP) is simply a combination of calcium and phosphate — both very natural elements that your body needs. TCP dissolves in mild acidic conditions. This is important. Here’s why: The hydrochloric acid (HCl) made in your stomach is a strong acid. But as we age, our stomach-acid production often declines. Your digestive tract separates the calcium and phosphate in TCP and absorbs them in your intestines separately — even if your body doesn’t produce a lot of HCl.

Your fear that TCP is cement is a little misguided. Yes, it is cement. But it’s not a cement that will hurt you in any way.

In fact, doctors use it for implants and with bone surgeries. Your body uses these two substances all the time, so they’re not a problem. And when TCP dissolves, as it does in supplements, it is not cement any more.

Remember, TCP is used only in tiny amounts in supplements. Typically, less than 1% is added to some tablets to help compress them without breaking down.

Neither I nor my formulators have seen any problems with the addition of TCP in any amount. So don’t let these ingredients scare you away from any supplement.

Q: I noticed that Astragalus root is one of the ingredients in Metabolic Defense. Are you aware that there have been studies showing a correlation between using Astragalus and hair loss? Is there any way I can get this formula without Astragalus? — M.B., e-mail

A: I haven't seen any such studies. Neither has the head researcher at the company that manufactures this blood-sugar-regulating formula. I contacted him as soon as I read your e-mail.

It would be helpful to read the studies you referred to for accuracy. We cound find none. Always include them in your questions so I can answer your concerns more thoroughly.

Astragalus root (Astragalus membranaceus) is an herb that's common in Traditional Chinese Medicine formulas.

In fact, the Chinese have used this herb for thousands of years. It strengthens the body against disease and supports the immune system.

Astragalus is an adaptogen. This means that it helps regulate body functions. One of its actions is to protect you from various stresses — and stress is a known risk factor for hair loss. So Astragalus should prevent, not cause, hair loss.

Astragalus is an integral part of Metabolic Defense Formula — a combination based on numerous traditional medical principals found in Eastern and Western Medicine. For this reason the formula is not available without it.

You can order Metabolic Defense Formula by calling 800-791-3395.