When Jeanie was in her late 40s, she began to have arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). Aside from slightly high blood pressure, her cardiologist found no problems. He prescribed a medication to help regulate her heart and another to lower her blood pressure. He didn’t mention diet, stress reduction, or exercise. Or the possible benefits of nutritional supplements.

In spite of her medications, Jeanie’s condition slowly progressed into full-blown heart disease and her blood pressure became more difficult to control. She was tired most of the time and became exhausted after eating sweets. Yet her doctor never made a connection between her heart and these warning signs. Jeanie lived the rest of her life with uncomfortable and often frightening symptoms. She could have addressed all of her symptoms at once and had better health if she had known about this connection. But no one told her.

Jeanie is not alone.

Too often, doctors and patients alike focus on a single symptom or disease — like heart disease — rather than on the whole body. The right supplements can support your heart and related conditions.

But where do you begin? Let me tell you the ones I have found to be most effective with the broadest actions. When it comes to supplements that support your heart, blood pressure, and blood sugar, I always begin with magnesium.

The #1 nutrient for a healthy heart

Why start with magnesium? Here are a few reasons. It prevents arrhythmias, helps the heart relax, prevents a buildup of plaque in the arteries, and lowers blood pressure. It also reduces stress, improves your body’s response to insulin, lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol, lifts depression, and eliminates many symptoms of PMS (premenstrual syndrome). And more!

The problem is, most people are deficient in magnesium. Are you deficient? Unless you’re taking large doses of magnesium every day, you probably are.

You can get a pricey red blood cell magnesium blood test or simply take more magnesium. It’s perfectly safe. The only side effect you may get is loose stools. Take as much as you can without having uncomfortably loose stools. If you’re sensitive to magnesium’s laxative effects, take magnesium glycinate or magnesium amino acid chelate. They’re easier on the bowels. But many people who lack enough magnesium are constipated and can tolerate large doses.

Magnesium opposes calcium, so don’t take more than 500-700 mg per day of calcium along with an equal amount of magnesium. Continue increasing magnesium to bowel tolerance up to 1,000 mg per day. Include magnesium-rich foods in your diet, such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, and dark green vegetables. But don’t stop with magnesium....

The important heart nutrient I no longer recommend

CoQ10 is a fat-soluble molecule. It’s a key nutrient in just about every cell in your body. You can’t have a healthy heart without enough CoQ10. It keeps your heart strong and improves its electrical function. It also helps produce energy. And it’s a powerful antioxidant that protects against damaging free radicals. An abundance of free radicals can lead to atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and more.

As important as it is, I no longer recommend CoQ10. That’s because there’s something better: Ubiquinol. Your body converts CoQ10 (Ubiquinone) into Ubiquinol — its most active, best-absorbed form. But, as you age, your CoQ10 levels decline. And the less CoQ10 you do get, you’re less able to turn it into Ubiquinol. For this reason, I recommend that anyone over the age of 50 take Ubiquinol instead of CoQ10. Make sure that any Ubiquinol product you take says “Kaneka QHTM” on the label for the best quality. You can order Ubiquinol from Advanced Bionutritionals at 800-791-3395.

How much Ubiquinol is enough? It depends on the current state of your health. I suggest at least 50 mg daily and up to 300 mg if you have heart disease or have been taking statins. Your doctor may prescribe even more. CoQ10 is present in small quantities in organ meats of animals, but to get enough, you’ll need a good quality supplement.

Powerful herbs for the heart

Hawthorn (Crataegus) is the best-known herb for the heart. It’s a tonic that regulates heartbeats, increases oxygen to the blood, lowers bad cholesterol, and reduces blood pressure. It works by dilating the coronary arteries and improving blood flow. This reduces chest pain from angina, as well as angina attacks. It also treats the early stages of congestive heart failure. Hawthorn is effective in both protecting the heart and keeping it healthy.

While its primary action is on the heart, hawthorn also protects your brain by lowering blood pressure. High blood pressure damages your blood vessels and can lead to a stroke or kidney disease.

While some people take hawthorn by itself, it works best when it’s combined with other cardiac herbs and nutrients in a balanced combination. Hawthorn protects from degenerative heart disease and enhances recovery after a heart attack. The amount of hawthorn to take depends on its form (extract, capsule, herb tea) and your health. I prefer taking it in a balanced cardiac formula.

Salvia miltiorrhiza, or Chinese salvia, is not well known in this country. But China recognizes it for its action on the heart. It’s so effective that some doctors give it intravenously to people who are having a heart attack. Ask any acupuncturist about Danshen, its Chinese name, and you’ll hear how it thins the blood, reduces inflammation, and improves circulation.

Traditional Chinese Medicine uses Chinese salvia to strengthen and improve the quality of the blood. As it moves the blood along, it removes any broken-down fibrin (broken down from Nattokinase or by simply breaking off). This protects against heart attacks and stroke. In very high amounts, Chinese salvia may interfere with other blood thinners. In small quantities, it is usually safe. But if you’re taking blood thinners, be sure to ask your doctor to monitor you.

Natto is a popular food the Japanese make from fermented soybeans. It has a taste that most Westerners find unpleasant. Nattokinase, an enzyme extracted from Natto, acts like a drain cleaner by seeking out fibrin (blood clots) and dissolving it.

Nattokinase also thins the blood much like Plavix, Heparin, Coumadin (warfarin), aspirin, vitamin E, and fish oils. But it’s better. It has a specific “seek and destroy” action. This dual action makes Nattokinase particularly valuable. After all, you don’t want broken down fibrinogen just sitting around in your arteries waiting to break free and cause a stroke or heart attack. Nattokinase moves it out.

I believe in taking extra precautions. If you’re taking other prescription blood thinners, talk with your doctor about taking nattokinase. You should be able to take both and even reduce other blood thinners.

Nattokinase is much more than a blood thinner. It reduces high blood pressure and increases blood flow and circulation, as well. But be careful.

All Nattokinase supplements are not alike. Its effectiveness depends on the bacteria used in its fermentation, how it’s processed, and the amount you take. The strongest, best quality (and most expensive) Nattokinase I have found is NSK-SD. Whichever product you decide to use, make sure it contains this brand of Nattokinase. You can find Nattokinase in many health food stores and on the Internet.

A heart-protecting amino acid

L-carnitine is an amino acid that transports fats into cells. Your cells, in turn, burn it as fuel. The result is energy. If you don’t have enough L-carnitine, you’ll feel fatigued, even with plenty of rest and a good diet. When your body doesn’t burn fats for energy, they can build up and contribute to high triglycerides, diabetes, and heart disease. L-carnitine reduces plaque in your arteries, lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol. It also boosts brain and muscle activity — and your heart is your most important muscle.

Red meats contain the most L-carnitine of all foods. But you can find a safer source and higher dose in supplements. When you add this amino acid to a heart-healthy program, you also support other muscles throughout your body. Combined with exercise, you can reverse muscle weakness that comes with aging.

L-carnitine also improves peripheral artery disease (PAD), angina, arrhythmias, and protects against both kidney and chronic lung diseases. The usual dose ranges from 100 mg per day to 2,000 mg per day. It all depends on your health and whether or not you’re taking it alone or in combination with other nutrients. It’s possible to take smaller quantities of high-quality L-carnitine and get excellent results. But only if it’s in a well-balanced formula. I’ve found such a formula, and I’ll tell you about it in a bit.

L-carnitine gives a feeling of energy, clarity, and well being that many people feel when they take a loading dose for two to four weeks. A loading dose is usually twice the amount of a maintenance dose.

The great tasting way to protect your heart

When it comes to heart disease, few people think of using medicinal mushrooms. That’s too bad since mushrooms contain many specific heart-supporting actions. They also address other issues that can lead to heart disease. Here are two of my favorites.

Cordyceps is a medicinal mushroom that has powerful healing properties. It’s an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory activity. It strengthens the immune system, has anti-tumor properties, and reduces adrenal stress. And stress goes hand-in-hand with heart disease.

Healers in the Orient use cordyceps as a traditional medicine to protect against heart disease. They’ve found that it works great for those over 50. Studies have shown that one of its components, cordycepin, prevents atherosclerosis. I think everyone over 50 would benefit from taking Cordyceps.

I’ve talked before about how type-2 diabetes often leads to heart disease. It develops when your body becomes resistant to insulin. Well, cordyceps improves insulin resistance. Many people with insulin resistance have high levels of glucose and insulin that circulate in their blood at the same time. This increases their chances of getting both diabetes and heart disease.

Ganoderma lucidum, or Reishi, is a popular medicinal mushroom. It lowers blood pressure and is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antifungal. That’s not all. Many doctors now are using it to control diabetes and protect against atherosclerosis. By itself, it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory. And you may know that inflammation is a primary cause of heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, when it comes to aging, the most effective action you can take is to reduce inflammation throughout your body.

Reishi not only reduces inflammation, it works in tandem with other nutrients. This makes them stronger. This synergistic effect is the reason why formulas are often more effective than individual nutrients.

How much do you need? And which ones?

We live in a culture where “more” is always considered “better.” This isn’t necessarily the case with supplements. You can take large amounts of individual nutrients that target a specific area, such as lowering cholesterol and fibrinogen. Or you can take a formula that’s broader based and works synergistically where lower dose nutrients can be even more effective.

I’ve talked about a number of formulas in the past for your bones, eyes, and brain. Now I’d like you to consider this: a heart formula that supports more than good heart health.

The key to a healthy heart is to balance your body — not to concentrate exclusively on your heart. An effective heart formula addresses interrelated core issues by using ingredients that multi-task. That’s why I’ve chosen these particular nutrients to talk to you about. Some, like L-carnitine and Ubiquinol, give additional support when taken in larger quantities. Others, like Nattokinase and medicinal mushrooms, can give better results when you take less of them.

Smaller amounts of high-quality nutrients that provide a synergistic effect are the key to an effective formula. Such a formula not only supports your heart, but also strengthens other areas of your health that could, untreated, lead to heart disease. And it can be less expensive. In addition, when manufacturers design a formula with a synergistic effect in mind, it will not only achieve more than the single ingredients — the effective doses are lower.

Until recently, I was taking four separate nutrients to support my heart. Bought individually, these supplements cost over $100 a month! And my heart is fine. I took them because my mother had heart disease and mini-strokes in her later years that I want to avoid.

My supplements were too expensive. So I asked my friend, Isaac Eliaz, MD to design an effective and affordable heart formula based on balance. Dr. Eliaz has formulated other supplements for me and my readers including MycoPhyto Complex, Integrative Digestive Formula, and PectaSol Chelation Complex. He was the best person I knew to design a broad-based product to support the heart, brain, blood sugar, circulation, and more.

This time he outdid himself with Circutol. It contains many of the ingredients I talk about in this article, including L-carnitine (100 mg), nattokinase (50 mg), and a proprietary blend of medicinal mushrooms and herbs (1 g). If you prefer to take larger doses of single ingredient supplements, you can find them in health food stores. But by taking Circutol, you can take fewer supplements in one affordable supportive product, enjoy the unique synergistic effects provided by Circutol, and save the single supplements for any you need in larger doses — such as magnesium and CoQ10.

This formula is safe for most people, even those on blood thinners. But if you take any medications, talk with your doctor before taking Circutol so he can monitor you. As I’ve said before, don’t be surprised if, over time, you need less pharmaceutical blood thinners and blood pressure medications.

When I take my Circutol I think of Jeanie. If only it had been available to her, her quality of life would have been significantly better. Yours certainly will be!

Barry, Robert, PhD. The Power of Keneka QH, Health Point Press, 2008.

Brass, E.P., et al. “The role of carnitine and carnitine supplementation during exercise in man and in individuals with special needs,” Journ of Amer College of Nutr, vol 17, no 3, 1998.

Ko, K.M. and H.Y. Leung. “Enhancement of ATP generation capacity, antioxidant activity and immunomodulatory activities by Chinese Yang and Yin tonifying herbs,” Chinese Medicine, March27, 2007.

Seelig, Mildred, MD, MPH, and Andrea Rosanoff, PhD. The Magnesium Factor, Avery Publications, 2003.

Won, K.J., et al. ”Cordycepin attenuates neointimal formation by inhibiting reactive oxygen species – mediated responses in vascular smooth muscle cells in rats,” J Pharmacol Sci, 2009.

This Drug-Free Answer to NSAIDs Reduces Pain and Has No Side Effects

I grew up seeing my mother in constant pain from osteoarthritis. She tried a variety of remedies including heat, cold, diathermy, and gold treatments, but nothing worked. Her only solution to this pain was to take large quantities of aspirin or ibuprofen day and night. They upset her stomach, but that’s all our family doctor knew to suggest at that time. It never occurred to him that there was a remedy that pain sufferers had used for decades that was safer.

Fortunately, I never have had arthritis. I have, however, had frequent low back pain from an auto accident, as well as sore muscles after exercising, gardening, or kayaking. Since I knew about some of the dangers from aspirin and other common painkillers, I looked for, and found, a better solution. I want you to know about it so you can avoid potentially dangerous medications.

The remedy I found is both natural and effective. Although few doctors in our country know about it, it’s well known in 60 countries around the world for its safe anti-inflammatory properties. A few health practitioners in our country are familiar with it, but they’re probably not your family doctors. Knowledge-
able practitioners tend to be doctors of integrative health, chiropractors, naturopaths, and acupuncturists. Sadly, few doctors who practice traditional medicine are aware of this painkiller.

This may change, because the FDA is about to require pharmaceutical companies to add a warning on the labels of a number of anti-inflammatory medications about their side effects. The drugs are NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). These include ibuprofen, aspirin, acetaminophen, Celebrex, Aleve, and Naproxyn. When this ruling goes into effect, I predict that more people will ask their doctors for safer solutions.

The painkiller I found is a homeopathic remedy called Traumeel®. The FDA also regulates it, but it doesn’t need any warning on its label. Why? Because unlike NSAIDs, it has no known side effects, even if you take it frequently.

Homeopathics, you may remember, are highly diluted preparations of various remedies that contain no traces of the original substance. Some people call it “energy medicine.” It’s easy to understand why many doctors consider homeopathics to be the highest form of quackery. But researchers have studied them extensively and found them to be effective. And remember, this homeopathic formula is a bestseller throughout the world.

David Riley, MD, editor-in-chief of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine says, about Traumeel, “It has more scientific evidence than any single homeopathic remedy for the treatment of muscular and joint pain, sports injuries and trauma.” In fact, you can find more information about Traumeel in the Physician’s Desk Reference, which lists effective medications. And it’s the source medical doctors read extensively and trust.

Most homeopathics contain a single remedy. Traumeel combines 14 dilutions of herbs and minerals into a balanced formula that’s more effective than the individual ingredients. You can find this formula in several different forms. You take the tablets, oral vials, and oral drops by mouth. But you use the ointment or gel topically. A number of doctors of integrative medicine I know use an injectable solution for some of their pain patients.

This inexpensive, safe remedy acts on the source of pain, enhancing recovery and speeding up the healing process. Other painkillers just mask the pain.

I suggest you pick up a bottle of Traumeel tablets or oral drops, and a tube of Traumeel gel or ointment to add to your medicine cabinet. This is one medication you want on hand when you stub your toe or twist your ankle. You can find Traumeel in many drugstores and health food stores for under $20 — and it lasts a long time. Traumeel is one of the most valuable over-the-counter first-aid products I’ve ever used. If you or your doctor want more information about it, contact Heel USA at [email protected] or call them at 800-621-7644.
Avoid taking drugs with side effects when there are safer alternatives. At times there are no other options. This time there are.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151772.php.

NUTRITION DETECTIVE

Are these popular medications causing your muscle pain?

It’s bad enough to get temporary muscle pain after exercising or gardening. It’s worse when taking a drug your doctor believes is necessary causes this pain. This is just what a team of Swiss and American researchers found occurred with a group of patients who were taking one of the most widely prescribed drugs in the world: statins.

They examined biopsies from more than 60 patients who either were currently taking statins or who had taken them in the past. The results were surprising. They showed significant muscle damage in patients on statins — even in those who had stopped these drugs before their biopsies.

But that’s not all.

In some cases, this damage persisted even after stopping these medications. Their pain and associated muscle weakness was permanent.

Not all people who take statins are susceptible to this structural muscle injury, but it’s a side effect that has not been reported in the past. It’s clear to me that statins are over-prescribed and that pharmaceutical companies are doing everything they can to keep selling this lucrative product.

We need to be aware of all side effects from pharmaceuticals so we can know when their risks outweigh their benefits. I’ve talked about numerous options other than statins many times in the past. You can find them in my books and on my website. Meanwhile, watch for muscle pain or weakness if you’re taking statins and tell your doctor about this side effect. He or she probably doesn’t know about this one yet, even though a medical journal published the study. Doctors most often read studies given to them by pharmaceutical company representatives. I read everything I can find.

Mohaupt, Markus G., MD, et al. “Association between statin-associated myopathy and skeletal muscle damage,” CMAJ, July 7, 2009.

LETTERS

Q: Do you think that DIM is safe to take for my husband’s belly fat and man boobs? He is 60 years old and otherwise not overweight. If you think this is not the way to go, please recommend a solution. I want to keep him healthy and fit — he is the most important person in my life. — V.V.B, e-mail

A: I hear the love in your question, so let’s see what makes sense for your husband to do safely. DIM (Di-indole methane) is an extract of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc) that affects estrogen metabolism. Don’t fixate on the fact that it comes from vegetables. What’s more important is that DIM can affect your husband’s hormones.

As a subscriber to this newsletter, you know what I think about hormones — even natural ones. I think a trained health care professional (like a doctor or nurse practitioner) should prescribe them for you and monitor you closely. This would include over-the-counter hormones like DIM.

After all, the amount of DIM in a serving of broccoli is much less than the amount in a supplement. Food sources tend to be safer. A DIM supplement may be just what your husband needs, or it could be too much estrogen for him to take without throwing off the balance of other hormones.

Since you want your husband to be healthy as well as fit, I suggest he get a
hormone assessment and go from there. Meanwhile, he can eat all the cruciferous vegetables he’d like. They will give him a little DIM and plenty of other healthful nutrients.

Q: Do you think the silicone bakeware is safe to use, or is it better to stick with the regular pans? — M.F., e-mail

A: Whether you’re talking about baking sheets or frying pans, my answer is the same. It’s safer to use any product where the surface can’t be scratched, allowing possibly toxic materials to leak into foods. So I wouldn’t use any pots, pans, or muffin tins coated with a non-stick surface like Teflon or silicone. Silicone is a synthetic rubber, and I don’t trust its effects on foods when you heat it.

Some silicone cookware contains fillers that could be hazardous. We just don’t know yet. Its use as a coating material is too new for us to know whether or not it’s safe. While silicone appears to be safe, I’m withholding judgment — and using stainless steel or glass — until we have more long-term and high-heat information. My motto has always been, “err on the side of caution.”

I also don’t use aluminum cookware. It scratches easily and, when you’re cooking anything with acid in it, such as tomato sauce, vinegar, or lemon juice, small traces of aluminum can get into your foods. Aluminum is a toxic metal linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions. No amount is safe.

You can remove aluminum and other heavy metals with PectaSol Chelation Complex and PectaSol Detox Complete (800-791-3395). That’s probably a good idea for all of us, since many restaurants use aluminum cookware. But I wouldn’t risk using a material at home that might be harmful when there are other options.