If you have acid reflux, otherwise known as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), you’re not alone. Ten percent of adults in the U.S. have heartburn, nausea, and other symptoms every single day. Most people take over-the-counter or prescription antacids because they block the production of irritating stomach acids and stop their pain.

But they’re a poor solution — especially Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) like Prilosec, Nexium, and Prevacid. PPIs may relieve your symptoms, but they have undesirable side effects like nausea and heart disease. They’re effective because they treat the origin of your pain: irritation caused by acid that burns sensitive tissues. But they don’t address the cause of your problem.

PPIs can contribute to pneumonia, arthritis, kidney inflammation, osteoporosis, and hip fractures. And a recent study published by the American Heart Association found that PPIs increase your risk for heart disease by reducing the production of nitric oxide (NO).

NO is a molecule that tells blood vessels to relax. It increases circulation, lowers blood pressure, eliminates blood clots, and reduces plaque in your arteries. Some have called it a “miracle molecule.”

But as we age, our bodies produce less NO, leaving us vulnerable to many age-related illnesses. That’s why I think we should all be boosting our levels of NO. You can do this by drinking numerous glasses of beet juice every day, or by taking a supplement that boosts the production of NO like CircO2 (800-791-3395). Most supplements contain l-arginine to increase NO levels. But as we get older, this conversion becomes more difficult. In addition, some people experience digestive problems with l-arginine. CircO2 increases NO with safer, more effective ingredients.

Don’t exchange one problem for another

Another solution recently made the news. But long-term subscribers to this newsletter may recall that I wrote about it way back in 2007! I heard about it from my friend and colleague, Melvyn Werbach, MD, who wrote the first published study on the subject. Dr. Werbach is the author of Nutritional Influences on Illness (Third Line Press, 1993), Case Studies in Natural Medicine (Third Line Press, 2002), and other nutritional textbooks. Everything he writes is backed by scientific studies. The solution to acid reflux he found is no exception.

This quest for a natural answer to GERD began when Dr. Werbach was motivated to look for a non-drug solution to heartburn for a long-time patient. He knew that PPIs worked, but their side effects were unacceptable. They blocked the production of stomach acids, which reduced the absorption and utilization of calcium, magnesium, and proteins. While they may protect you from GERD, PPIs raise your risk for both a broken hip and pneumonia by 50%.

There are several possible causes for GERD including irritation from stomach acids backing up into the esophagus. The solution Dr. Werbach found helps reduce this painful irritation by repairing the esophageal lining and protecting the GI mucosa, preventing future irritation.

Your esophagus is a long tube that connects your mouth to your stomach. Food and beverages travel down this tube when you eat or drink. Your lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is the gatekeeper that guards your stomach. It opens and closes to allow food and beverages to move into your stomach and keep traveling down your intestines. But when your LES is too relaxed, stomach contents – including bile and stomach acids – can back up and cause irritation and pain.

Begin by eliminating any foods known to trigger GERD: coffee, alcohol, fatty foods, chocolate, and peppermint. Then repair any irritation and soothe the esophageal lining.

Soothing your painful esophagus

Dr. Werbach discovered a Brazilian study that compared a formula of several dietary supplements with a PPI to repair the irritated esophageal lining and eliminate the need for PPIs. All patients taking the dietary supplement had complete relief of their symptoms at the end of 40 days of treatment. Then he found that GERD could be controlled with just one of its substances!

The nutrient he found that eliminated the need for PPIs is none other than melatonin. You may know that melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland that helps regulate our sleep cycle, but it does much more. This hormone is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that prevents damage from gastric ulcers and helps them heal quickly. And while it may reduce the secretion of stomach acids, it doesn’t interfere with the absorption of calcium and magnesium.

The amount of melatonin that reduced GERD in both the Brazilian study and Dr. Werbach’s case study was 6 mg/day taken at night. This is the amount found in two softgels of Advanced Heartburn Relief (800-791-3395, make sure you use offer code WH9213 when you order).

How long do you need to take melatonin to eliminate GERD? No one knows. It may be possible to stop taking it after six months, a year, or longer. Then again, since melatonin protects the lining of the intestines, it may be best to keep taking it.

For now, take it daily. It’s inexpensive and readily available. Dr. Werbach’s study patient thought she had taken her melatonin every day when, in reality, she didn’t take it on one occasion. That night, her pain resumed. She learned an important lesson: always keep an antacid on hand, just in case you need it!
Melatonin stimulates the immune system, which is good news for most people. But if you have an autoimmune disease like lupus, MS, rheumatoid
arthritis, etc., don’t take melatonin.

Canadian Medical Association Journal (2008, August 12). “Proton Pump Inhibitors Increase Risk Of Bone Fractures, Study Finds.” ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 13, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811195303. htm.

Pereira, Rde S., “Regression of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms using dietary supplementation with melatonin, vitamins and aminoacids: comparison with omeprazole,” J Pineal Res, October 2006

Werbach, Melvyn R., MD, “Melatonin for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease,” Alternative Therapies, July/August 2008.

www.healthscout.com

How to Make This Anti-Cancer Drug More Effective So Your Breast Cancer Won’t Return

If you haven’t had breast cancer, you probably know someone who has. And you most likely know that breast cancer survivors share a common fear: that their cancer will recur. Recently, I heard about a simple way to reduce the risk of recurrence. So if you, or anyone you know, has had breast cancer, read on. This news could save lives.

Not all forms of breast cancer are alike, and not all have the same treatments. Today I’d like to tell you how to reduce the risk of a recurrence of estrogen-positive breast cancer. This is the most common kind of hormone-related cancers, affecting around 70% of all breast cancer patients.

Most oncologists who treat estrogen-positive breast cancer will use a popular anti-cancer drug to treat this type of cancer. Well, the way to reduce your risk of recurrence is to make this drug more effective. And all you have to do is make a few simple modifications. Let me explain.

Breast cancer cells that are sensitive to hormones have proteins that “turn on” when hormones bind to them. This can stimulate cell growth. If cancer cells contain estrogen receptors, the cancer is called estrogen receptor-positive, or ER-positive (ER+). If they contain progesterone receptors, the cancer is called PR-positive (PR+). The most common type of breast cancer is ER+ (either with or without progesterone). So one way to lower the risk for a recurrence is to keep estrogen from getting into the receptors.

Tamoxifen does just this. It’s one of several selective estrogen-receptor modulators (called SERMs) that attach themselves to estrogen receptors and prevent estrogen from getting in. Of all SERMs, tamoxifen is the most protective against breast cancer and has the fewest side effects.

In most tamoxifen research, the studies have lasted for a period of five years, although some benefits continue in years 5 to 10. With this new information that I’m about to give you, tamoxifen becomes even more effective. Here are some ways to do this.

Tamoxifen and vitamin D

A study reported in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment was the first to discover that your body needs vitamin D to metabolize tamoxifen and boost its effectiveness. The active form of tamoxifen is endoxifen. “We know that endoxifen is nearly 100 times more potent against the estrogen receptor relative to tamoxifen,” reported British doctor Richard Kim.

He found that during winter months when vitamin D levels were lowest, nearly 30% of breast cancer patients had less than optimal amounts of endoxifen — and benefitted less from receiving tamoxifen. The reason: patients lacked enough CYP2D6, a protein needed to convert tamoxifen into endoxifen. What do you need to get enough CYP2D6? Make sure you have sufficient vitamin D.

A simple blood test will give you this information. You want your levels to be at least 50 ng/ml. If your levels are lower, consider taking 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day. You can order a high-quality vitamin D3 supplement by calling 800-791-3395.

Tamoxifen and antidepressants

A high percentage of breast cancer patients have depression and take antidepressants. One class of antidepressants, SSRIs (e.g., Prozac), block the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain and can improve your mood. But the improvement comes at a high cost. Taking these antidepressants along with tamoxifen interferes with the body’s ability to metabolize endoxifen. The combination of SSRIs and tamoxifen can decrease blood levels of endoxifen.

If you’re taking antidepressants, work with your doctor to find one that’s not an SSRI. This may be a pharmaceutical drug or a natural substance like St. John’s wort or other herb. But only take a supplement or medication under the direction of a knowledgeable physician.

Coffee: a simple solution

You may be able to reduce your risk of a recurrence of breast cancer simply by drinking enough coffee. Studies have shown that caffeine inhibits the growth of cancer cells by activating tamoxifen.

A Swedish study followed more than 600 breast cancer patients for five years. Half took tamoxifen and drank two or more cups of coffee a day, while the other half took tamoxifen and drank just one cup of coffee — or less. The women who drank two or more cups of coffee a day had less than half the rate of cancer recurrence as those who drank less.

The researchers don’t know exactly why or how caffeine activates tamoxifen, but I expect to see more research on this theory. After all, caffeine is one of the cheapest, most plentiful drugs of all.

It doesn’t take a lot to boost your body’s ability to beat breast cancer. These three steps are easy and inexpensive. And they really can make a huge difference in tamoxifen’s effectiveness.

Lawson Health Research Institute (2013, April 18). “Cold winters freezing out breast cancer treatment.” ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 19, 2013.

Simonsson, Maria, et al. “Coffee prevents early events in tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients and modulates hormone receptor status.” Cancer Causes & Control, 2013; 24 (5): 929 DOI: 10.1007/s10552-013-0169-1.

This “Harmful” Supplement Filler Is Safe, Unless You’re a Mouse

I’d like to clear up this misunderstanding once and for all. Many people believe that an ingredient in some supplements is harmful when it’s really quite safe. So let’s take a closer look at this potential problem. I’ll show you why I still allow it in some of the supplements I help formulate.

The ingredient is magnesium stearate. Magnesium stearate is a flow agent many supplement makers use in the capsules and tablets. They use small amounts to keep ingredients from sticking to each other and to encapsulating machines.

Supplements that don’t use flow agents are more likely to have inconsistent amounts of ingredients. If you want each of the supplements or pharmaceuticals you take to contain the same amount of ingredients, you want it to include a flow agent. But the safety of magnesium stearate is in question. And it’s based on faulty science.

There have been allegations on the Internet that magnesium stearate suppresses immunity and reduces nutrient absorption by forming a biofilm in the intestines. Both of these claims are wrong and unsubstantiated. In fact, you’ll find the two ingredients that make magnesium stearate – magnesium and stearic acid – in large quantities in your diet. They are quite beneficial.

Magnesium, as you know from past articles, is a mineral found naturally in whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Stearic acid is a fatty acid found in coconut oil, walnuts, chocolate, salmon, and human breast milk. Both are many times higher in the foods you eat every day than in any supplements you may take.

For example, 20 capsules of a typical 500 mg supplement contain less than 96 mg of stearic acid. Two ounces of chocolate contain more than 5,000 mg. A safe dose of magnesium stearate for a 150-pound adult is 170,000 mg a day. There’s no way you can get anywhere near this amount in a drug or supplement.

Magnesium stearate and immunity

Some say that magnesium stearate suppresses immune T-cell function and causes helper T-cells to collapse. But this information came from a single study in 1990. No one has ever been able to repeat it.

First, this study was done in a laboratory where researchers soaked mouse T-cells in stearic acid alone – not in magnesium stearate. The cell membranes did collapse and it did suppress T-cell function. But the conclusions are faulty because there’s a huge difference between mouse T-cells and human T-cells. They act differently.

High amounts of stearic acid can cause toxicity in mouse T-cells because mice lack an enzyme that converts stearic acid into oleic acid. Oleic acid is a safe and healthful fat found in olive oil. Human T-cells have this enzyme. So we don’t experience a toxic buildup when our T-cells come into contact with stearic acid. Stearic acid is toxic to mice, but not to humans.

Magnesium stearate and biofilm

I’ve talked extensively about biofilms in past articles. They are colonies of microbes surrounded by impenetrable protective shells made from sugars, minerals, and other substances. These “cages” prevent antifungals and antibiotics from reaching and destroying the microbes.

Some examples of biofilm are the “gunk” in your drains or showerhead, and dental plaque. But in an Internet video, a doctor who should know better says that biofilm is like the “sludge in your toilet tank.” He also says the cause is magnesium stearate.

There is no bacterial sludge in your toilet tank. And magnesium stearate doesn’t make the hard shells that protect bacteria from being destroyed. In fact, nothing in this statement about biofilm makes any sense. What’s more, none of it has any scientific studies backing it up. There are, however, studies that show stearic acid helps prevent biofilm.

Magnesium stearate and toxicity

Because stearic acid originates from cottonseed oil, some suggest it may contain pesticides. It doesn’t. As with many other ingredients in supplements, stearic acid is highly purified before it’s combined with magnesium.

The raw materials manufacturers use in high-quality supplements go through rigorous testing for any contamination before, during, and after manufacturing. This is why you should always buy your supplements from a quality company like Advanced Bionutritionals.

Don’t be swayed by sensationalism and scare tactics. Look for the science behind the statements. If there is none, or if the science is weak, support the companies that are bringing you accurate information and quality supplements.
Magnesium stearate is not only safe, but desirable if you want your supplements to all have the same amount of ingredients.

This information on magnesium stearate comes from a well-researched talk by Dana Myatt, NMD and was published in the newsletter Focus (April 2013) by Allergy Research Group.

When an iPad Can Harm Your Heart

If you have a pacemaker, you never know when you’ll need it. That’s why you want it turned on to the right settings and working at all times. But did you know that magnets can change and even turn off a pacemaker’s settings? And the magnets in an iPad tablet and its cover have the ability to do just this under the right conditions.

The potential dangers of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) like pacemakers were discovered recently. Amazingly, the discovery came from an unlikely place – a high school science project. To be specific, the science project of teenager Gianna Chien, of Stockton, California and her friends. Gianna is the daughter of cardiologist Walter Chien, MD.

She and her friends took 26 people with implantable devices and had them hold an iPad at reading distance. There was no interference from its magnets. But when they held the tablets or their covers on their chest, like they would if they fell asleep holding them, 30% of the people experienced interference with their implantable devices.

The iPad isn’t the only device that contains imbedded magnets. Cell phones and MRIs have them as well. Any of them could also affect your heart’s rhythm. If you have a pacemaker, speak with your doctor and find out if you need to worry about exposure to magnets. They can be in everything from jewelry (magnetic clasps), toys, and office products. And, of course, in many new technology devices.

Anything with a magnet has the potential to turn off a pacemaker or change its settings. Make sure that your pacemaker is working as it should. It can save your life. Respect the new technologies as they become more commonly used in our daily lives. Don’t ignore them. They’re powerful and they’re here to stay.

Heart Rhythm 2013, Heart Rhythm Society 34th Annual Scientific Session.

NUTRITION DETECTIVE

The Carbs You Don’t Have to Resist

Carbohydrates have gotten a bad reputation, especially with people who want to lose weight, or who have problems regulating their blood sugar. The worst offenders are the high-carb foods that turn into sugar quickly, like potatoes. It’s true that eating them can cause a spike, and then a drop, in blood sugar levels. It can even lead to type-2 diabetes and other health problems.

But potatoes are a healthful food. It turns out that the way you prepare them results in either an excellent and tasty source of potassium and vitamin C, or dangerous food. It all has to do with how much resistant starch they contain.
Resistant starch is a starch that lacks enough of the right enzymes for you to completely digest the food. This starch resists digestion. That means you don’t get the calories — or the nutrients — from that starchy food.

But not all foods containing resistant starch are the same. They can vary depending on how you prepare them! That’s what a group of researchers from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center in North Dakota and the University of Minnesota found when they tested potatoes for their levels of resistant starch.

They took three varieties of potatoes (Yukon Gold, Red Norland, and Russet Burbank) and either baked or boiled them. Then they measured their resistant starch content after they were served hot, chilled, or chilled first then reheated. Here’s what they found.

The variety didn’t matter. Their preparation did. Baked potatoes had considerably more resistant starch than boiled potatoes. And chilling them boosted their levels even higher. So if you’re concerned about gaining weight or causing your blood sugar to spike, bake a few potatoes of any variety and chill and toss them in a little vinaigrette. You’ll have a potato salad highest in resistant starch.

Another solution is to add other foods high in resistant starch to your meal. These can include beans and unrefined grains. For a simpler solution yet, take a supplement high in resistant starch, such as ProThera’s TheraSlim (888-488-2488). It contains resistant starch from a white bean extract. Taken with meals, it allows you to turn a meal low in resistant starch to one that’s high in it.

“Preparation and Service Method Affects Resistant Starch Content of Potatoes,” ScienceDaily, 30 April 2013.

LETTERS

Q: I have neuropathy that’s not caused by diabetes. What can be done about this burning on the bottom of my feet? I don’t want to take a drug for this problem. — B.B., e-mail

A: Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a painful sign of nerve damage. This damage may have a variety of causes, including heavy metal toxicity, a reaction to chemo-therapy drugs, or statins. Trauma, viral or bacterial infections, and nutrient deficiencies can also trigger PN. In fact, there are so many possible causes that it’s often impossible to identify and treat its cause.

Still, while we may not know what caused your pain, I may have a few suggestions that could lead to a solution. Several nutrients can stop the pain of PN. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is one of the most well-researched supplements. Studies have found that 600 mg taken once a day was effective. So has taking 1,000 mg/day of l-carnitine – a nutrient that has gotten undeservedly bad press recently.

Perhaps the first place to start is with the possibility that the cause of your PN is heavy metal toxicity. We’re all exposed to some in our foods and the environment. And reducing heavy metals can only be beneficial to your health.

Heavy metals are toxic to your heart, brain, kidneys, lungs … and nervous system. Mercury and arsenic are major causes of PN. I suggest you take PectaSol Detox Formula (800-791-3395), a supplement proven to bind to heavy metals and remove them. Take it for at least three to six months.

Dozens of studies point to insufficient amounts of vitamin E, magnesium, folic acid, and vitamins B6 and B12, so be sure to take a strong multi-vitamin mineral like Healthy Resolve.

And, of course, eliminate sugar and other refined carbohydrates, including white flour and white rice, which can increase pain from inflammation.

Q: Could PectaSol Detox Formula interfere with the absorption of my prescription medication? I take a continuous release anti-depressant daily. After taking the PectaSol Detox Formula for about three weeks at four capsules per day, my anti-depressant medication didn’t seem to be working as well as usual. This could have been a coincidence, and not related to the detox formula. What do you think? — J.P., email

A: Anything is possible. However, we have never had a report of this type of interaction with any prescription medications. Nor is there anything in the literature about this type of contraindication with antidepressants.

Pectin can have a moderate interaction with the following drugs: tetracycline antibiotics; Digoxin (Lanoxin) a cardiovascular medicine; and Lovastatin (Mevacor), a statin that lowers cholesterol. The soluble fibers in the detox formula might affect the amount of a medication that your body can absorb. As a general rule, I suggest that any medications taken by mouth should be taken away from pectin products by at least 30 minutes before or two hours after eating to prevent this potential interaction.

That said, I’m not sure that this can be a problem when you’re taking a continuous release formulation. I suggest you ask your pharmacist to check out a possible interaction.