Has your doctor given you the grim news: “You have osteopenia and you’re heading toward full-blown osteoporosis”? Is your doctor pressuring you to take Fosamax? If you’ve been reading my articles for very long, you know how dangerous Fosamax and other bisphosphonates can be. But osteopenia is a serious condition, isn’t it?

No, it’s not. In fact, it’s not serious and it’s not even a disease.

Let me tell you how I discovered the truth about osteopenia. Hopefully, it will prevent you from unnecessarily taking dangerous drugs.

When I was in my early 40s, I had the opportunity to participate in an osteoporosis study at UCLA (the University of California, Los Angeles). After filling out several pages of my health history, I went into a room housing a machine that measured the bone density in my heels. Two weeks later, the doctor in charge of this study called me. He was puzzled. The density in my left heel was fine, but my right heel showed signs of deterioration. Could I come in for a re-test, he asked?

Of course, I could. And the results of this second bone scan were even more puzzling. This time my right heel was fine and my left heel was thinner.

I spoke with the doctor and asked him how measuring my heels could be an indication of my risk for future fractures in other areas — like my hip or spine. He didn’t know. Nor could he explain my results. So I dropped out of the study. I realized that even carefully conducted university studies using impressive machines could have serious limitations. I never considered the possibility that the drug and medical communities would ever manufacture a disease just to sell expensive tests and prescription drugs.

Call me naïve.

Now I know better. So if your doctor says you have osteopenia and he gives you a medication like a bisphosphonate (Fosamax) for it, here are some things you need to consider before you agree to take it:

Osteopenia is not a disease. Osteopenia is the normal slight thinning of bones that comes with aging. While many doctors think it’s a precursor to osteoporosis, not everyone with osteopenia gets osteoporosis. “It was just meant to show a huge group who looked like they might be at risk,” says an osteoporosis epidemiologist who helped define osteopenia back in 1992. It was never meant to identify a disease. What changed this? A drug company called Merck.

Merck released Fosamax in 1995. It was the first non-hormone drug said to stop osteoporosis. Fosamax was Merck’s golden goose. The problem was, women weren’t buying it. So Merck found some marketers to change this.

Their solution was to get more women diagnosed with osteoporosis by having bone scans. But scans were expensive and there were few testing centers. So Merck created a nonprofit organization called the Bone Measurement Institute with one sole employee: The marketer they hired to increase Fosamax sales.

He did this by funding the development of less expensive portable machines rather than the large, expensive ones. The less expensive machines brought down the price of bone scans. One problem was that these portable machines measured bone density at the heel, wrist, forearm, or finger. Not at the hip or spine, where fractures are more likely to lead to death.

Meanwhile, Merck funded studies, leased bone scan machines to doctors, and convinced Medicare to reimburse for measuring scans. Sales rose, but apparently not enough for Merck. So they developed a low-dose Fosamax for women with osteopenia. And when women saw the word “osteopenia” on their bone scan reports, they believed they needed treatment. So did many of their clinicians.

Osteopenia doesn’t increase your risk for broken bones. According to Dr. Susan Ott, associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington, Fosamax may increase your bone density, but it doesn’t decrease the number of fractures. I’ve been saying this for years.

But that’s not all.

We have no long-term studies to tell us what happens to women who start taking Fosamax in their 50s and 60s for osteopenia. Do they prevent fractures later on? No one knows, and I couldn’t find any studies planned to find out.

Bisphosphonates, such as Fosamax are more harmful than helpful. In some cases, bisphosphonates cause the jaw and other bones to become brittle and die. Over the past few years, I’ve seen more evidence that while Fosamax may increase bone density, it is more destructive than beneficial. You can — and should — read more about this in past articles on my database.

What you can do … safely

If your doctor says you have osteopenia, the first thing you can do is to stop worrying. It is just a sign of a potential problem. Get a vitamin D blood test to make sure your vitamin levels are between 50 and 80. Vitamin D will help protect your bones better and more safely than Fosamax.

Eat a balanced diet, including whole grains, nuts, seeds, and green leafy vegetables high in both calcium and magnesium. Take no more than 500 mg of each in your supplements. Get the rest from your diet. Dietary calcium is much better absorbed than supplements. Don’t overdo supplemental calcium. It won’t save your bones and it could make them brittle. Instead, increase your magnesium to bowel tolerance (enough for comfortably soft stools). Magnesium makes bones more flexible.

Get regular bone-stressing exercise.

Before taking a bisphosphonate, try a six-month trial of a bone-saving supplement like Ultimate Bone Support with strontium (800-791-3395 or www.advancedbionutritionals.com). Strontium is great for supporting bone health. If that’s not enough, talk with your doctor about Calcitonin nasal spray. It is made from salmon and works beautifully without the risks of bisphosphonates.

Remember, there’s a difference between a potential indicator of a disease and a full-blown disease process. Just because you have osteopenia doesn’t mean you’re destined to get osteoporosis. In fact, you can make sure you don’t suffer from the bone disease. Take these precautions, but don’t get over treated.

Speigel, Alix Speigel. “How A Bone Disease Grew To Fit The Prescription”,” NPR, December 22, 2009; USnews.com, updated February 27, 2008. I urge you to read or listen to this expose on osteopenia at www.npr.org. Once you’re on the site, click on News and then Health to find the report.

This Vegetable May Hold the Solution to Breast Cancer

More than 10 years ago, a dear friend of mine, nutritionist Gayle Black, PhD, died. Her death was a deep loss to me because Gayle was not only a nutritionist. Our knowledge, thoughts, and points of view were so similar it seemed like we were one person. Although we lived on opposite coasts, Gayle and I spoke by phone and compared notes at length, frequently sharing our insights.

Gayle was a breast cancer survivor, but when we first met, her cancer had returned. She spent most of her time looking for a solution using natural therapies that had good science behind them. There weren’t many. In the past she had tried radiation, but it had failed. And it burned her badly, causing pain and terrible scarring.

One day Gayle called me, both excited and frustrated. She had found a team of scientists who believed they had an answer for her. They had discovered that something in cabbage could effectively stop breast cancer. They didn’t know exactly what this substance was, but it worked. The researchers said, however, that it would be next to impossible for anyone to get enough of it. You would have to drink the juice from at least three heads of cabbage every day to get enough of the cancer-fighting substance.

It now looks like they may have been wrong. A more recent study has identified this substance and discovered how it works. And a new solution emerges in light of this new information. Sadly, this comes too late for Gayle who finally succumbed to her cancer. But she would have been delighted to know she was on the right track.

How cabbage stops cancer

A study published in the May issue of Clinical Cancer Research has identified this substance in cabbage and how it works. In fact, it’s found not only in cabbage but in all cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and bok choy. This substance is sulforaphane. And one way it works is by inhibiting breast cancer stem cells.

This was an important finding, because all stem cells are not beneficial. Cancer stem cells stimulate the growth of tumors. The idea is to eliminate these stem cells. But this is easier said than done. Chemotherapy is a common therapy for breast cancer. Unfortunately, current chemotherapy drugs don’t kill cancer stem cells. This is why so many peoples’ cancers spread and return. Sulforaphane may change this and lead to a more effective way to treat breast cancer.

Sulforaphane works in two ways

In both mouse and cell cultures, sulforaphane sought out and killed cancer stem cells. In addition, it prevented new tumors from growing. But there’s more. Sulforaphane is an important substance because it not only inhibits cancer stem cells. It triggers the production of glutathione.

I’ve talked about glutathione at length in the past. You can read these articles on my website. Basically, glutathione is the body’s most important antioxidant. It detoxifies the liver and brain. And it removes heavy metals and the residue from prescription drugs. Thorough, effective detoxification is essential in any cancer therapy program.

The problem is that the amounts of sulforaphane used in the stem cell study were higher than what you can get by eating cruciferous vegetables and their juices. Broccoli extract is available on the Internet, but we have no studies to indicate any side effects or interactions. If you decide to try this, first discuss it with your integrative doctor and watch for side effects. They’re unlikely, but you need to be aware of any changes in your body and tell your doctor about them.

We don’t know yet whether or not the glutathione sulforaphane is responsible for killing breast cancer stem cells. But we do know that glutathione has many benefits for cancer patients simply through its extremely effective detoxification. And it’s perfectly safe to take.

The problem with taking glutathione I've found is a that your body doesn’t absorb it well when you take it orally. Don’t waste your money on the many products on the market that contain glutathione. The only well-absorbed form is liposomal glutathione. I’ve explained why in length in an article that appeared in January 2008. I suggest you read it on my website. You can get Liposeutical Glutathione (a liposomal form) from Advanced Bionutritionals (800-791-3395). I take it every day.

In the future, a pharmaceutical company may continue to study sulforaphane and turn it into a drug. Don’t dismiss it because it’s a drug. Some drugs do have value. And it may just be the missing link in a cancer treatment protocol. In the meanwhile, eat lots of cruciferous vegetables and take liposomal glutathione.

Li, Y., T. Zhang, H. Korkaya, S. Liu, H.F. Lee, B. Newman, Y. Yu, S.G. Clouthier, S.J. Schwartz, M.S. Wicha, and D. Sun. “Sulforaphane, a Dietary Component of Broccoli/Broccoli Sprouts, Inhibits Breast Cancer Stem Cells.” Clinical Cancer Research, 2010; 16 (9): 2580 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-09-2937.

Simple Ways to Avoid These Three Causes of Heart Disease

As you may already know, heart disease is the number one killer of postmenopausal women. That’s why I’ve already written a number of articles on how particular supplements and lifestyle changes can decrease your risk for heart-related illnesses. And it’s why I continue to tell you how to support good heart health — especially those that are inexpensive and easy to find.

Some successful therapies are either too expensive or too difficult to find. Others require a doctor to administer them — something many conventional doctors refuse to do. But I’ve found three causes of heart disease that you can control with a simple change in your diet or with a single inexpensive dietary supplement.

Refined carbs and heart disease

Carbohydrates were all the rage a few years ago. But not all carbohydrates are alike. Your body metabolizes some carbs more slowly than others. These carbs are low on the glycemic index — a way of measuring how quickly a food turns into sugar. (Note: all foods eventually turn into sugar. Even fats and proteins. But they turn into sugar more slowly than starches and sugars.)

When your blood sugar is constantly high, it damages the walls of your arteries, making it easier for plaque to form there. This buildup of plaque can lead to a heart attack or stroke. It’s why many diabetics get heart disease.

An Italian study, which spanned nearly eight years and surveyed close to 50,000 adults, found that the women who ate the most carbs had twice the risk of heart disease as those who ate the least. The women who ate the most high-glycemic foods had significantly more heart disease. This finding applied only to women. Consuming more refined carbs didn’t lead to heart disease in men.

Solution: Limit all sugars and refined starches. Reduce your consumption of potatoes and other foods high on the glycemic index. When you do eat them, add a fat like olive oil or a little butter. This slows down their absorption. Nuts, beans, berries, and proteins are low on the glycemic index. Unrefined carbohydrates, such as whole grains, rarely lead to insulin resistance when you eat them in moderation. In fact, they tend to stabilize your blood sugar. This is especially true for brown rice. You can find more information on the glycemic index in past articles on my website.

Angiotensin II and heart disease

Angiotensin II is a natural substance that narrows blood vessels. Too much of it can increase your blood pressure, causing your heart to work harder. It also triggers the release of an adrenal hormone, aldosterone, which increases sodium and water retention. This leads to high blood pressure, as well as the thickening and stiffening of the walls of your blood vessels and heart, contributing to atherosclerosis.

If you have high blood pressure or atherosclerosis and your doctor suggests you
take a medication, ask if the prescription is for an angiotensin II receptor blocker. These drugs include Cozaar, Benicar, and Atacand. If it is, there may be another more natural solution.

Solution: A new study conducted by researchers at both Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia and Japan found that a substance in a layer of tissue in brown rice blocks angiotensin II.

The researchers found that this layer of tissues in brown rice protected against both high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. I’m not suggesting you stop your medication simply because you’re eating more brown rice. But making brown rice a staple in your diet could help prevent heart disease and cause you to need less medication. If you decide to eat more brown rice, ask your doctor to monitor you to see how much it helps. And let me know.

Radiation treatments and heart disease

Many people who survive their cancers with the help of radiation treatments end up with heart disease. And the location of their radiation treatments determines where their problems are likely to occur.

For example, when they use radiation to treat breast cancer in the left breast, it increases your risk for having a heart attack. If they use radiation to treat tumors in the head or neck, however, it increases the risk for having a stroke. Scientists have known about this phenomenon for years, but they couldn’t explain why. Now they can. Once again, the real culprit is inflammation.

A group of Swedish researchers found that arteries exposed to radiation show signs of chronic inflammation. In addition, there was an increased activity of a protein that’s necessary to the development of atherosclerosis. This inflammation was present years after radiation treatments ended. The researchers believe this low level chronic inflammation explains why it takes so long for symptoms of heart disease to appear after radiation treatments.

Solution: It makes sense to be on an anti-inflammatory diet and supplement after you undergo exposure to anything that burns, like radiation therapy. Sugar and animal fats contain pro-inflammatory substances, while fish oils and hemp oil have anti-inflammatory properties. In addition to making dietary changes, I suggest you take an anti-inflammatory herbal formula like Reduloxin (800-791-3395) or Zyflamend (in health food stores). Reduloxin is stronger and less expensive, but both are good formulas.

Http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/185137.php

Halle, M., A. Gabrielsen, G. Paulsson-Berne, C. Gahm, H.E. Agardh, F. Farnebo, and P. Tornvall. “Sustained Inflammation Due to NF-Kappa B Activation in Irradiated Human Arteries.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 23 March 2010.

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (2010, April 27). “Brown rice and cardiovascular protection.” ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 28, 2010.

Are Your Supplements Making You Sick? They Might If They Contain This....

A doctor colleague of mine who specializes in allergies and environmental medicine calls it the most under-diagnosed condition in the country. I agree. Yet there are health care professionals who don't even consider it a problem. In fact, this is one condition many people end up discovering for themselves. Whether you have a disease or simply a sensitivity to it, gluten could be the reason for a myriad of symptoms.

If you have this sensitivity you may know that even small amounts of gluten in your food will make you sick. But you may not be aware that gluten may be hiding in your supplements and medications as well. Gluten, as you may know, is in wheat, barley, rye, and products made from these grains.

I've talked at length about celiac disease, an auto-immune gluten intolerance, as well as gluten sensitivity — the inability to digest this protein. Both can result in intestinal problems, including diarrhea and bloating. But it also can cause neurological problems, such as Parkinson's disease, and a host of other symptoms. You can read about gluten intolerance and how to manage it in my past newsletter articles. They're available on my website.

If you're sensitive to gluten, you need to remove all traces of it. This includes avoiding it in your supplements and medications, as well as in your foods. Check out any prescription or over-the-counter drugs for gluten at www.glutenfreedrugs.com. And read the labels of all supplements you take. If they don't say "gluten free," contact the manufacturer to find out.

Sometimes, a supplement company will fail to identify gluten in their products. So if you get any side effects after taking a new supplement, gluten may be the reason why. Don't assume any product is gluten-free.

Gluten is such a big problem that I've asked Advanced Bionutritionals to make sure none of their products contain gluten. I'm happy to say none of them contain gluten. What's more, they've developed Gluten Sensitivity Formula to help you digest this protein when you accidently ingest it. When you're at a friend's house or out to eat, it's almost impossible to avoid gluten. So take one of these tablets before you eat and your digestive tract will thank you for it.

NUTRITION DETECTIVE

Would Michael Jackson still be alive if he had smelled Jasmine?

Very possibly. At the very least, he could have used aromatherapy instead of barbiturates or propofol. They could have removed some of his anxiety and helped him sleep. And aromatherapy has never killed anyone.

Smelling a spice isn’t a strong enough tranquilizer, you say? A group of German scientists would disagree. They tested hundreds of fragrances on the GABA receptors in both people and mice. They discovered that Vertacetal-coeur, the fragrance in Jasmine, has the same molecular action and strength as barbiturates or propofol. In fact, when the researchers exposed mice to this fragrance, they stopped running around and quietly lay down.

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is your brain’s master neurotransmitter. It’s essential for your brain and central nervous system to function. It also helps produce “feel good” endorphins. When you have enough GABA, your brain — and you — can relax and rest.

These scientists found that Jasmine fragrance works by enhancing the activity of GABA. None of the other fragrances they tested worked as well as Jasmine. It increased GABA as much as pharmaceuticals. It looks like Jasmine could be a drug-free replacement for some benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and even anesthetics like propofol.

But before you throw away your tranquilizers you should know that this study was a laboratory study, not one conducted on people. We don’t know that it will work the same way in humans. That said, it can’t hurt to try it. You might want to try sniffing Jasmine essential oil before going to bed at night to see what effect it has on you.

If smelling this essential oil doesn’t work, you can take a GABA supplement, available in health food stores and on the Internet. Begin with 100 mg taken half an hour before going to bed. If that’s not enough, try 200 mg.
Getting enough sleep is essential to your ability to get and stay healthy. But that doesn’t mean you need drugs to get your zzz’s. Jasmine could be all you need.

Sergeeva, O.A., O. Kletke, A. Kragler, A. Poppek, W. Fleischer, S.R. Schubring, B. Goerg, H.L. Haas, X.R. Zhu, H. Luebbert, G. Gisselmann, and H. Hatt. “Fragrant dioxane derivatives identify 1 subunit-containing GABA receptors.” Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2010; DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M110.103309.

LETTERS

Q: I have questions about the Système 41 skin care products. It says that the eye cream should be put on the brow bone and cheekbone. Does this include the sides of the temples? Can I apply the night cream to the eye area? And finally, what will nourish the eye area if I don’t put anything there? — M.W, e-mail

A: If you have fine lines on the sides of your temples, use the eye treatment there. If not, it’s not necessary. You can use the night cream around your eyes. But if you’re using the eye treatment properly, it’s not necessary.
If you don’t apply anything around your eyes, you’re simply not nourishing that area. In that case, you’ll see normal signs of aging: at the very least, wrinkles and dry skin.

Système 41 came about when developer Janet Zand innocently asked me one day what I used on my face. When I said, “nothing” she was horrified and rushed her skin care package for me to try. This was the first generation of her nourishing skin products.

I was so impressed with the results that Janet confessed she believed she could out-do these products. That’s when I asked her to create her very best skin care line for my subscribers.

And she did. Système 41 outperforms her prior excellent skin creams and cleansers.

I must say that no-one had commented on my skin before I began using this formula. Now it’s common. Although I never stuck to any daily skin care routine before, I use these products every day. And my face feels and looks smoother, more moist, and cleaner.

Past products never seemed to make a difference in my skin. My friends are finding the same thing. You can order Système 41 at www.systeme41.com or by calling 800- 791-3395.

Q: Ten years ago a blood test showed I had H. pylori in my stomach. I took antibiotics for two weeks and didn’t have a second blood test. This year a test showed H. pylori again. I took antibiotics but would like to know what else I can do to eliminate this bacterium. – S.C., San Jose, CA

A: H. pylori is a potent carcinogen that can lead to stomach cancer and trigger inflammation. I’ve found a simple solution: capsaicin. Capsaicin is an ingredient in hot chili peppers. Contrary to what you may think, it is not an irritant and won’t cause ulcers. In fact, H. pylori causes most gastric ulcers. Capsaicin kills this bacterium.

In one study, capsaicin worked in four hours to stop the growth of H. pylori – even when you used it in small doses. In another study, researchers tested various strains of H. pylori with a chili extract. They found antibacterial activity in 100% of the strains tested after only 30 minutes.

You can find capsaicin in various forms in health food stores. The late herbalist Dr. John R. Christopher had his ulcer patients drink a glass of water with one teaspoon of cayenne pepper three times a day.

You might prefer taking four to six capsules with food, instead — or a few drops of cayenne tincture in water or food. Cayenne contains capsaicin. And it’s a great way to fight H. pylori.

Fadile, V.Z., and O. Elif. “In vitro activity of capsaicin against Helicobacter pylori,” I 2005.

Satyanarayana, M.N., “Capsaicin and gastric ulcers,” Crit Rev FoodSci Nutr, 2006.