One problem with osteoporosis, stroke, and cancer is that they’re silent diseases. If only we could discover them at their earliest, most manageable stages, we could stay healthier longer.

We know that the sooner you discover the cause of a disease the more you can do to prevent it from occurring or from progressing. The problem is that regular checkups with your primary doctor, even with routine tests, often fail to uncover the root cause of many serious illnesses. The good news is that there are health care providers who can help predict our risk. They are discovering early warning signs of osteoporosis, inflammation, and other degenerative conditions associated with aging that we can use to protect ourselves.

These valuable members of our health care team are a new breed of dentists. That’s right, dentists. These new dentists are looking for — and often finding — early signs of chronic diseases in the mouth and jaw. They practice Functional Medicine — a science-based modality that looks for the underlying causes of serious chronic disease. Functional medicine looks at the whole person. This includes genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors, not just symptoms.

Some dentists also look at independent risk factors. These can include mercury toxicity and bacteria trapped in the jaw from past root canals. But much more specific information is now available. Here is some of the more current information that this new breed of dentists is using to identify and reduce risk factors that all too often lead to serious chronic illnesses.

At this time, there are not a great many dentists who practice functional medicine. But don’t be frustrated if you have difficulty finding one. This is the future of dentistry, and more will surface in the next few years. Meanwhile, the few Functional Medicine dentists are worth seeking out.

Osteoporosis — it’s in your head

If you want to know whether or not you’re at a high risk for osteoporosis before it shows on a bone scan, ask your dentist to look at your most recent dental x-rays. If your lower jawbone shows signs of thinning, it’s time to become more aggressive and be more pro-active in protecting your bones.

A study published in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology (December 2011) examined more than 700 women for over 40 years. At the beginning of this study, the women were between the ages of 54 and 83. It turned out that one out of five of these women was at a significantly increased risk of having fractures later in life. The older the women, the stronger the association was between a thinning lower jaw and fractures in other parts of the body over the years.

If your jawbone looks dense and healthy, or shows only minimal signs of thinning, a bone-saving formula containing strontium like Advanced Bone Support (800-791-3395) could give you all the protection from later bone loss that you need. But if your dental x-ray shows signs of deterioration, you may want to add calcitonin nasal spray from salmon. This is a prescription drug made from a natural source of salmon. Unlike Fosamax and other bisphosphonates, it does not cause more bone loss in the jaw.

Not all x-rays are alike. The most accurate dental x-rays are 3D cone beam x-rays. This is the ultimate in dental imaging. If a traditional dental x-ray does not identify a suspected problem, ask your doctor to re-check you with a 3D cone beam x-ray. It’s worth the added expense — and tracking down this x-ray technology — if it identifies the early sign of a problem that would otherwise go undiscovered. These x-rays can find the cause of phantom pains and the best treatment for root canals.

I credit my Functional Medicine dentist who insisted on the 3D cone beam x-ray for saving my life. She identified major infections that regular x-rays couldn’t find. You can get more information on this exciting technology at www.revealdiagnostics.com.

Gum disease can lead to head and neck cancers

Any condition that ends with “itis” means “inflammation.” So “periodontitis” refers to an inflammation in the gums. When it becomes chronic (lasting more than three months), periodontitis can be an independent risk factor for a number of serious health problems. This can include cancer in the head and neck. A study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention recently discovered this connection.

Another study, this one was in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found an association between periodontal disease and an increased risk for pancreatic cancer. And an article in the prestigious journal The Lancet (2008) found an early association between periodontal disease and potential changes in immunity. By preventing or treating periodontitis, you may be lowering your risk for a number of cancers.

Periodontal disease has also been associated with a vitamin D deficiency. It’s possible that an increased risk for various cancers — like stomach, bladder, oral, and pancreatic cancers — could be caused by periodontitis from low levels of vitamin D. A simple blood test can determine whether or not you have a vitamin D deficiency, and 5,000 IU per day of vitamin D3 should correct it if you do.

Some Functional Medicine dentists are looking closely at the role of both inflammation and vitamin D in relation to an increased risk for various cancers. Some of them are seeing an association with failed root canals in their patients. It’s too early to say that root canals lead to cancer, but I suspect we’ll be hearing more about this theory in the future.

…And stroke

We know that diabetes is a risk factor for stroke, but new research from the British Dental Health Foundation points out that gum disease is a lesser-known risk factor. In fact, it’s almost the equivalent to high blood pressure as a major cause of strokes.

Researchers found that periodontitis nearly doubles a person’s risk for non-fatal strokes compared with diabetes.

Fortunately, most of the time, you can control it with regular brushing, flossing, and using interdental brushes. And don’t forget professional cleanings. Occasionally, periodontitis is systemic and requires a full functional medicine evaluation and treatment plan.

The bottom line is that your dentist is more than a tooth technician, especially if he or she practices functional medicine. Go to the most knowledgeable dentist you can find and utilize their expertise about your whole body health. For dental information encompassing functional medicine you can trust, go to www.meschalmers.com.

American Association for Cancer Research (2009, September 8). Prevent Periodontitis To Reduce The Risk Of Head And Neck Cancer. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 10, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/09/090908023642.htm

Grant, William B. “Vitamin D, periodontal disease, tooth loss, and cancer risk,” [email protected].

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/221159.php

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238777.php

The Truth about Strontium and Blood Clots … And Other Osteoporosis Updates

Strontium is the singular ingredient that makes Ultimate Bone Support (UBS) a superior supplement to conserve bones. It effectively prevents and repairs osteoporosis without the side effects of bisphosphonates. And it helps form bones that are not only dense, but are stronger and more flexible than Fosamax and other bisphosphonates.

As soon as I read the original studies on strontium, I contacted my formulators and asked them to help me design a bone-saving supplement that included strontium. At that time, all of the studies used a patented form – strontium ranelate. Strontium is the active ingredient; ranelate, a salt of ranelic acid, is the carrier. When you put them together, they form strontium ranelate, which is a patented drug. Other forms of strontium are not drugs and are not patented.

The studies using strontium ranelate found that it was effective in significantly decreasing the risk of fractures. But there wasn’t much money to be made with strontium ranelate since it was so similar to other non-patented forms of strontium. Follow-up bone density tests indicate that all forms of strontium are protective against bone loss. A few supplement companies like Advanced Bionutritionals included the non-patented forms of strontium with carriers like citrate, lactate, and carbonate in their formulas.

Recently, there have been allegations that strontium may cause blood clots or allergic reactions in some women. However, a careful reading of an independent review of the data that the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published was unable to find an association between strontium and either blood clots or allergic hypersensitivity.

In fact, the incidents of blood clots in women who took strontium ranelate were the same as in postmenopausal women who didn’t take it!

So I went a step further and consulted with several researchers. They believe that the side effects from strontium actually come from its carrier, ranelate, rather than from either the strontium itself or another one of its carriers, like citrate. The bottom line is there’s no compelling evidence to suggest that strontium citrate is anything other than beneficial.

Reminders about strontium:

The strontium used in bone formulas is not strontium-90, the toxic radioactive isotope that nuclear fission produces. Strontium-90 doesn’t occur naturally. Rather, it comes from testing nuclear weapons and from escaping from nuclear power plants. It is dangerous and can contribute to cancer, especially in children.

Nonradioactive strontium is nontoxic, even in large doses. In fact, the nontoxic form of strontium can eliminate radioactive strontium-90 from the body over time.

The optimum dose of strontium to protect against osteoporosis appears to be 680 mg/day. But researchers have found lower doses are clinically effective. This
is why a daily dose of UBS contains 500 mg of strontium citrate per day. Adding more strontium would unnecessarily add to the cost of this formula and necessitate taking three tablets a day instead of two.

Strontium impairs the absorption of calcium. So while you need both minerals, you need to take them at different times. My suggestion is to take UBS on an empty stomach morning and night, and take your multi with calcium, or calcium-rich foods, with meals. This is the simplest and most effective method to assure maximum absorption of both minerals.

If your diet is healthful, 500 mg each of supplemental calcium and magnesium should be sufficient to meet the needs of your bones. Remember, dark green leafy vegetables, not only dairy products, are also high in calcium, as are almonds, canned salmon, and tofu.

What to take if you need more protection?

Occasionally, this combination of strontium and calcium isn’t enough. That’s when I recommend adding calcitonin-salmon nasal spray. Calcitonin is a hormone found in salmon that slows down the normal breakdown of bone and increases bone density. It’s a prescription item covered by Medicare. You spray it
in alternating nostrils every day. The combination of UBS and calcitonin is extremely effective.

I cannot overestimate the importance of getting adequate vitamin D for healthy bones. The recommended dose for osteoporosis prevention is said to be 800 IU per day. I wholeheartedly disagree. Most people need much more! I suggest getting a vitamin D blood test and taking 2,000-5,000 IU per day to get up to and maintain a level of 70 ng/mL. This is especially important if you don’t get enough sunlight, use sunscreen, or are over the age of 60. The latter is because seniors’ skin is less responsive to the conversion of ultra violet light to vitamin D.

Osborne, et al. Drug Saf. 2010 July 1;33(7):579-91.

Are Antibiotics Becoming Obsolete?

There’s nothing simpler than getting your hands on an antibiotic these days. Doctors routinely write prescriptions for them. The problem is, while there are numerous antibiotics on the market, their effectiveness is disappearing. Some day in the near future, a simple infection may become an untreatable and fatal illness. And, yes, this could happen in your lifetime. In fact, we’re already seeing signs that it’s beginning to happen.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is one of the three biggest health threats worldwide. It’s no longer possible to just make a stronger drug. It takes time for a drug company to make a new antibiotic, test it, and have it approved. And once it hits the market, the bacteria quickly become resistant to that drug.

When treatments don’t work

You already know that a major cause of antibiotic resistance is doctors overprescribing antibiotics. What you may not know is that another reason antibiotics don’t work has to do with biofilms. Biofilms are clusters of bacteria that live inside a hard protective cage made from sugars, minerals, and other substances. These shells keep antibiotics from getting inside the clusters and destroying the bacteria. The bacteria on the outside of clusters are first to get fed, while the bacteria on the inside starve and resist being killed. The bacteria in biofilms are then able to tolerate high amounts of antibiotics without being killed.

Clusters of biofilm communicate with one another. When they sense their nutrients are diminishing, they send out an alarm signal that tells the bacteria to get ready to be starved. In one study, researchers inactivated this starvation alarm. They found the bacteria that were unable to sense starvation were thousands of times more sensitive to antibiotics than those that could sense it.

I’ve written two important articles on biofilms that are available on my website. I suggest you read them for more detailed information. This includes how your doctor can get rid of these tenacious microorganisms. If he or she doesn’t know how, they can contact Dr. Stephen Olmstead at Klaire Labs (888-488-2488).

Herbal antibiotics

When pharmaceutical antibiotics don’t work, herbs can often treat drug-resistant bacteria successfully without causing further resistance. This is because pharmaceutical antibiotics are chemically simple, while plants are chemically much more complex.

Pharmaceutical companies make their drugs, such as penicillin or tetracycline, from a single chemical. Herbs often have many chemicals. Each of these chemicals strengthens, enhances, and balances the others. Many of their functions are antibacterial. When there’s a bacterial infection, herbal antibiotics are often a better choice than a drug because it’s much more difficult to develop resistance to multiple compounds than to one or two.

Next month, I’ll tell you about some of my favorite herbal antibiotics and which infections they treat the best. But you may not need an antibiotic at all. The next time you get a bacterial infection, a probiotic may be sufficient.

Antibiotics vs. probiotics

The reason anyone takes an antibiotic is to reduce an overgrowth of pathogenic (bad) bacteria. Some bacteria are harmful while others are beneficial. There are about 500 different species of bacteria in the intestines alone.

When you take a probiotic, either as a supplement or in a food such as yogurt or sauerkraut, you are taking a tiny number of species compared with the hundreds that exist in your body. You may be getting just what you need to boost your colonies of beneficial bacteria in a formula like Advanced Probiotic Formula (800-791-3395). That’s when probiotics work. But if you’re taking probiotics with little or no results, you may not be taking the species your body needs. That’s when you might want to take a different herbal antibiotic and include a prebiotic.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are food for probiotics. They feed the good guys, but not the bad guys. Prebiotics alter the composition of bacteria in your intestines and increase colonies of beneficial bacteria. Some foods naturally contain prebiotics. They include chicory (inulin), onions, garlic, milk, and soybeans. To boost your probiotics, you may want to include a prebiotic supplement like BiotaGen from Klaire Labs (888-488-2488).

You can find foods with prebiotics throughout Europe and Asia. But it’s much harder to find prebiotic products here, as there are relatively few. When you do find them in a food product like yogurt — or added to a probiotic formula — their amounts are too small to change the microbial balance. If you’re going to take a prebiotic, take one with at least 2,000 mg for three to six months. Then include prebiotic-rich foods in your diet.

Support your immune system

Eat a healthful diet that’s low in sugar. Sugar feeds the pathogenic bacteria. If you don’t get enough vegetables, add a powdered green vegetable supplement you can find in any health food store. I put a scoop of Advanced Greens Formula from Advanced Bionutritionals (800-791-3395) in my protein drink every morning. That way I can start my day with veggies and other nutrients that support my immunity. I also take MycoPhyto Complex medicinal mushroom blend to keep my immune system active.

Does it work? Absolutely! When people around me get sick, I don’t. And you don’t have to either. Just follow these simple steps, and take the natural antibiotics I’ll tell you about next month.

Cultivate Health From Within, Khem Shahani, PhD, Vital Health Publishing, 2005.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237986.php

NUTRITION DETECTIVE

Recent Studies Show This Earwax Softener Is Dangerous and Ineffective

One reason for itching ears and hearing loss is a buildup of earwax. But even if this is your problem, don’t try to treat it yourself. It’s not a simple procedure, and it might not work. What’s more, it could be dangerous.

A recent study found that a popular over-the-counter eardrop designed to soften earwax is toxic to cells in the ear. Even a single dose can harm these cells, says Dr. Sam Daniel, director of McGill Auditory Sciences Laboratory in Canada.

Trolamine polypeptide oleate, otherwise known as Cerumenex, is an over-the-counter product that comes with many warnings and side effects. If you use it improperly, or if you’re sensitive to it and end up with burning or a rash in your ears, you could hurt yourself.

Cerumenex can cause inflammation in your ears and even damage your eardrum and inner ear. And it can lead to permanent hearing loss.

What’s more, it’s not even particularly effective.

A placebo-controlled, randomized study published in 2004 compared the effectiveness of Cerumenex, Murine ear drops, and a saline solution. The ear drops were no more effective than plain old sterile salt water.

If you have any problem with your ears, ask your doctor to check it out for you. Don’t try to dig out any wax with a paper clip or Q-tip. And don’t use an earwax softener. Any of these “simple” solutions can cause a loss of hearing. A doctor or nurse practitioner is much better equipped to evaluate and treat your ears — if wax is even the problem. Often it isn’t.

McGill University Health Centre (2008, January 30). “Over-the-counter Eardrops May Cause Hearing Loss or Damage, Study Suggests.” ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 31, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113212.htm.

Roland, P.S., et al. “Randomized, placebo-controlled evaluation of Cerumenex and Murine earwax removal products,” Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, October 2004.

LETTERS

Q: I love your vitamins but have one question: Why don’t they contain more vitamin K? It’s so important for good bone health and for clotting. Even when I take Ultimate Bone Support, I’m getting only 50% of the RDA. Would you consider adding more to your formulas? — T.H., e-mail

A: You’re right. Our supplements don’t contain enough vitamin K. That’s because they’re supplements, not “instead of’s.” But I have no plans to increase it in any of our formulas because vitamin K is found in large quantities in foods that we should all be eating every day. These include kale, spinach, and broccoli.

In fact, leafy greens contain so much vitamin K that people taking the blood thinning medication, Coumadin, are told to avoid eating them. (Of course, if you eat these greens every day, your doctor can adjust your medication to compensate for their vitamin K content.)

Vitamin K2, the best form of this vitamin, happens to be a particularly expensive ingredient. Since it’s plentiful in a healthful diet, I decided not to increase the cost of Healthy Resolve and Ultimate Bone Support by increasing their amounts. And I was unwilling to use a lower quality form of this vitamin just to make their labels look good.

Q: My alternative-minded doctor wants me to take a supplement called Poly-MVA for my cancer. Have you ever heard of it? What do you think about it? Should I take it? Is it safe and effective? — Name withheld

A: I certainly have heard about Poly-MVA. In fact, more than a dozen years ago, the company that developed and sells it asked me to write a book about this supplement. So I looked for the studies that were conducted on this nutrient and was surprised by what I found — nothing! There weren’t any. I spoke with the manufacturers and explained that I needed to see sound scientific studies before I could write about their product. They replied that they needed the book before they could conduct scientific studies. That’s when I decided to not write about it. Someone else did.

Just what is Poly-MVA? Well, the “MVA” stands for minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. It’s a liquid blend of common nutrients developed by a dentist that has been available since 1992.

Now, Poly-MVA is surfacing once again. Many doctors are touting it as a dietary supplement that prevents and treats cancer. So a few weeks ago, I contacted the company and asked once more to see their research. I expected to see something after this length of time. But they haven’t provided me with any studies. In fact, they completely ignored my request.

I have no way to know if this supplement is safe or effective, so I can’t recommend it. I don’t know whether or not it makes radiation or chemotherapy treatments more or less effective, or whether there can be any side effects. Apparently, no one does.

I am very concerned when I hear about a supplement for cancer or another serious disease that has no science behind it. You’ll find information on many new therapies in this newsletter. They are always backed with sound scientific studies.