Ben Fuchs

Ben Fuchs is a nutritional pharmacist from Colorado. He specializes in using nutritional supplements when other healthcare practitioners use toxic pharmaceutical drugs.He is the founder and formulator of Truth Treatment Systems for skin care, host of The Bright Side syndicated radio show, a member of Youngevity's Scientific Advisory Board, health expert and frequent guest on Coast to Coast am with George Noory."The human body is a healing and regenerating system, designed divinely to heal & renew itself on a moment to moment basis." "Take charge of your biochemistry through foods and supplements, rather than allow toxic prescription drugs to take charge of you." ~Ben Fuchs

Dec

2013

Benefits of Melatonin

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

Did you know melatonin is as much a digestive hormone as it is a brain hormone? Everyone knows you can take melatonin to help you sleep, but it’s actually involved in much more than brain health. In addition to being an important digestive hormone, melatonin is involved in supporting the body’s defense system. It has anti-inflammatory properties, it can help lower blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar, and it’s been used medically for anti-fibrosis properties. And that’s not all. Savvy practioners have used it to treat tinnitus and fibromyalgia as well. It can help build bone. And it’s a powerful anti-aging molecule that helps prevent cancer too. That’s a lot of benefits for a non-toxic supplement that will cost you less 2 cents a dose!

Levels of melatonin and the alertness hormone serotonin cycle back and forth, with dark of night and light of day. Serotonin, the hormone which promotes vigilance and awareness of the environment, is secreted in response to the sun as perceived by the pineal gland, while the production of it’s hormonal partner melatonin, predominates at night. This back and forth dance of hormones with day-night cycles is part of what biologists call a circadian (daily) rhythm.

The book “Lights Out” makes the important point that the prevalence of 21st century 24/7 lighting has had a disastrous effect on the melatonin-serotonin manufacturing rhythms which depend on day-night circadian cycle. According to the author T.S Wiley, because of its relationship to eating behavior, one of the effects of the excessive amount of light induced serotonin production is food craving, especially for carbohydrates. How much of a contribution this modern day circadian chaos contributes to the obesity epidemic is hard to say, but at least according to Wiley it’s not insubstantial.

If you want to make sure you’re getting enough melatonin, it’s probably a good idea to take some supplementally at bedtime, 5-7 nights a week. It’ll help you fall and stay asleep and it’ll give you some pretty intense dreams too. Take at least 3mg doses and you could probably take 5 or 6mg. Melatonin is cleared out of the body quickly and it’s pretty much benign stuff. I like the sublingual kind that dissolves under tongue. They get right into the blood through microscopic sublingual capillaries and go to work really fast. I feel drowsy within minutes. There’s also melatonin found in foods. Rice corn mustard seed peanuts and walnuts all contain substantial amounts of melatonin. Tart cherries have especially high concentrations of melatonin. Just a couple or three can get you nearly 1.5mg of the important, multi-beneficial hormone.

Dec

2013

Bad Drugs

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

There are a lot of bad drugs out there. Calcium channel blockers can prevent cells from using calcium an important nerve conducting mineral. Not good! Steroid drugs like prednisone suppress the immune system making the body more susceptible to infections. They also suppress growth and repair and can accelerate the development of degenerative disease. Antibiotics impair gut health, diuretics induce the loss of precious minerals like zinc and selenium and magnesium, and anti-osteoporosis drugs like Fosamax and Boniva can cause a horrible jaw affliction called osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), which is basically a rapid decay and death of the jawbone. According to lawyers for ONJ victims, the potential connection of incidences the jawbone disease to the use these types of drugs was not unknown to manufacturers of the medications who are currently being targeted by a class action investigation as well as multiple individual injury lawsuits.

Among the most toxic classes of drugs are the beta blockers. These drugs work by suppressing (blocking) the nerves that activate cardiac muscle. Technically, they block the “beta” nerves which are a component of the electrical enervation system of the heart. And that’s why doctors love these things so much. They slow down the heart. And what’s so great about slowing down the heart? Well, the way the medical model professionals look at it, by slowing down the electrical activity of the heart you can slow down pumping action thereby reducing the pressure of blood flow. That’s why if you go to your doctor and get diagnosed with hypertension, the odds are pretty good you’re going to leave the office with a prescription for a beta blocking drug like atenolol or propranolol or metoprolol. Doctors also love to use beta blocking drugs for arrhythmias and tachycardias, both of which can be caused by high heart muscle activity. In the addled and convoluted logic of iatrochemical health care (using dugs to create health), shutting down the heart is a good thing because it can slow down hyperactivity and lower blood pressure by reducing pumping action

And if you have a heart attack you can also expect to get put on a beta blocking drug and not just temporarily. Doctors feel that dumbing down the heart by reducing its pumping strength can reduce post heart attack mortality, and many heart attack patients are told they will have to take their beta blocking heart toxic drug for the rest of their lives. If you have pulmonary disease in addition to a history of heart attacks it’s almost a guarantee,. According to an article from the New England Journal of Medicine 90 percent of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) patients who have had a myocardial infarction (heart attack) are put on beta blocking drugs.

If you’ve had a heart attack and you don’t want to submit to a medical mugging and doctor drugging and prescription poisoning, you can always relax the heart and strengthen cardiac contractions using dietary and nutritional strategies. Deep breathing (inhalation and exhalation) can slow and strengthen heart muscle contraction. Magnesium 1000-2000mg a day can help. Lithium Orate (10mg a day), GABA (500mg at night), CoQ10 (100mg a day), and Vitamin C (5000mg a day), and the B-complex can all provide significant cardiac relaxation effects too. Finally, cortisol can cause a quick jolt of cardiac activity. And nothing will amp up cortisol faster than a rapid rise in insulin and the subsequent low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). That means, for all, if you’re dealing with a cardiac health issue, you’d be well advised to stay away from cereals, breads, pasta, and refined flours and sugar and other insulin spiking foods that can induce hypoglycemia.

Dec

2013

Low Levels of Albumin

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

Albumin, which is derived from the Greek word for white (as in albino or even album, which was originally a book with a bunch of white pages), is a multi-functional, Swiss army knife type protein with a chemical structure that allows it to perform many different biological roles. It’s primarily produced in the liver and measuring its levels is one of the ways physicians determine hepatic health. Deficiencies can be indicative of cirrhosis or liver disease. Albumin’s most well-recognized function involves its ability to act as water trapping or water attracting “sponge” in the blood. Albumin has an ability to pull water. It is technically called osmosis, but you can just think of a sponge. Dip a sponge in water and the water get sucked up automatically, that’s called osmosis and that’s exactly how albumin works in the blood. Sponges are made of long chain sugars that trap water and while albumin is more like a magnet than a trap, the water pulling or absorbing effect is the same.

One of the most obvious consequences of an albumin deficiency is swelling and edema. That’s because without albumin trapping fluid it tends to leak out of the blood and into the tissues. Albumin can also be thought of as a fluid expander for the blood; without it blood can become thick and sludgy and more prone to clot. Albumin levels can drop significantly in the case of burns or blood loss. This loss of albumin can be serious and if it’s severe it can even be life threatening, and doctors will inject a pharmaceutical version of albumin into the blood as a replacement.

In addition to liver disease, low levels of albumin can be associated with malnutrition, digestive issues that impair protein absorption. Protein deficiency in the diet can cause low levels of albumin, and protein malabsorbtion can too. If you have intestinal disease or low stomach acid or deficiencies in digestive enzymes, all of these can compromise albumin levels. And low levels of albumin are not only an indicator of liver disease, they can be an indicator of all disease and a shortened life, as well.

One of the main reasons for the link between disease and low levels of albumin involves general protein synthesis. When the body is making enough protein it’s growing, and repairing, and healing, and anti-aging, and basically loving life. The production of albumin can be a measurement of overall protein synthesis. If you’re not making albumin you could likely be dealing with something doctor’s called Protein Energy Wasting (PEW) as in: all the stuff (e.g. albumin) that is supposed to be getting made from protein isn’t getting made. Protein is leaving your body instead of being used. PEW in essence means you’re falling apart; you’re degenerating instead of regenerating. The body is designed to heal and regenerate; if you’re degenerating and not healing, impaired protein synthesis and/or PEW, is probably involved.

And there’s more. Albumin has lots of little molecular pockets that can function as an ideal scavenger of oxygen and neutralizer of toxins. This makes albumin protective against circulatory disease too. As it’s floating around in the blood it’s protecting blood vessels from the “rusting” (oxidation) effects of oxygen and from the toxicity of blood poisons that can enter the circulatory system from the digestive tract and from gut bacteria.

Albumin acts like a shuttle for steroid hormones like testosterone and estrogen. These steroid substances essentially hitch a ride on albumin, hanging out in its structural pockets as it’s circulating through the blood until they approach a target tissue and cell, at which point the hitchhiking hormone molecule jumps off and does its thing. If you’re not making enough albumin, or you’re losing it, hormone delivery can be impaired and you’re going to have a problem. And while you can apply Androgel or take bio identical hormones, you’re potentially doing more harm than good. For example women with low albumin levels who use pharmaceutical versions of estrogen may be at a higher risk for heart disease and atherosclerosis and according to many researchers HRT shouldn’t be used at all in women who have low albumin issues. Low albumin levels are associated with lower male hormone activity in men, especially in men over 60. If your doctor is suggesting some kind of drug for Low-T, you may want to have your albumin checked first, especially if you have a history of digestive health issues, malabsorbtion, or fatty liver disease, or other possible albumin-depleting health issues.

Dec

2013

Pre-biotics, Inulin and FOS

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

If you’re a label reader, you’ve probably run across the terms inulin and oligofructose (also known as fructooligosaccharides or FOS) on various processed food ingredient decks including those on soups, yogurt, cereals and breads, snack and energy bars, cookie, cakes. Although naturally found in various plants and veggies like onions, and grains and bananas, asparagus and Jerusalem artichoke, and chicory root, inulin and oligofructose are also industrially prized by the for their ability to provide a non-caloric sweetening benefit and are most often found in the standard American diet in the form of processed food additives. And, in addition to their inclusion in processed foods, these ingredients can be found as stand-alone products marketed as diabetic friendly sweeteners with names like Fruta-Fit, Frutalose or simply Inulin/FOS.

Technically inulins and FOS are “fructans” which are long molecular chains of the fruit sugar known as fructose. By linking many fructose molecules together, the characteristic sweetness of the fruit sugar is dampened and its spiking effects on blood sugar are mitigated. From a chemical structure standpoint the only difference between inulin and FOS involves their sizes (lengths) with FOS molecules, basically being little inulin chunks or short chains of fructose that are formed by the breakdown of the parent inulin element.

Besides providing a mild amount of sweetness or enhancing the sweetening properties of other sugar substitutes, the most notable and interesting properties of these products is their ability to beneficially affect digestive health. Technically called pre-biotics, inulin and FOS are mostly (90% or so) indigestible by humans. This indigestibility allows Inulin/FOS to pass through the intestine intact where it can then act as a substrate for pro-biotics, i.e. “good bacteria” in the gut, supporting their growth and proliferation. In essence, prebiotics, like inulin/FOS function as food for flora. This makes these polysaccharide substances effective ingredients for improving various digestive conditions including diarrhea, constipation, and gas and bloating. Also, because the beneficial bacteria that feed on Inulin/FOS produce substances like short chain fatty acids which can beneficially affect the entire body in addition to supporting digestive wellness, overall human health can be improved as well. This makes these ingredients multi-functional and supports various label claims that can make manufactured foods seem more appealing and ultimately create greater sales and profits for processors.

Nov

2013

Obesity is a Disease?

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

Well, its official, obesity is a disease. So declared doctor delegates at the American Medical Association’s annual meeting this past June. Americans are the second fattest people in the world (second only to Mexico, and only by 1 percent, according to Scripps Media Inc.). And according to Dr. Patrice Harris, a member of the association’s board, considering corpulence as a doctor issue is good thing. “Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans, in the words of Dr. Harris.

From left to right, as labeled in the original image, the “healthy” man has a 33 inch (84 cm) waist, the “overweight” man a 45 inch (114 cm) waist, and the “obese” man a 60 inch (152cm) waist.From left to right, as labeled in the original image, the “healthy” man has a 33 inch (84 cm) waist, the “overweight” man a 45 inch (114 cm) waist, and the “obese” man a 60 inch (152cm) waist. By Victovoi, via Wikimedia Commons

How exactly these changes will show up remains to be seen. AMA doctors say reclassifying it as a disease will reduce the stigma that can result from the silly idea that obesity is simply the result of too much food and too little exercise. Apparently, our medical saviors feel that their patients do not have control over their weight and physiology.

And it’s not like modern medicine has a great or even good track record when it comes to dealing with the diseases that are already on its plate. Americans spend more money on doctor care than any other country in the world. And for all those dollars spent, we are statistically worse off than any other in nearly every single marker of health, including disease incidence, infant mortality, and longevity. And now the geniuses of the American Medical Association want us to trust them to deal with another “growing” health crisis?
Could it be that after medicalizing obesity we’ll see even more high tech medical options than bariatric surgeries and gastric banding? Or will we have even more potent anti-obesity medications?

Interestingly, two anti-fat pharmaceuticals were released the same month as the American Medical Association’s decree. The first, Qsymia is combination of a couple of poisons (drugs). One, called phentermine is an amphetamine like stimulant that has been available for over 40 years and was the second agent of the famous weight loss combo therapy known as “Fen-phen”. Phentermine use is associated with a whole host of adverse reactions including: fainting, dizziness, inability to exercise and insomnia. The other is a seizure medicine called topiramate, which boasts its own unpleasant side effect profile including: skin rashes, digestive difficulties, uneven heartbeat, muscle coordination issues and problems breathing. Nonetheless, if you want to drop a few pounds and don’t mind taking anti-convulsants and speed to do it, Qsymia is the choice for you! The second, Belviq works by activating one of the body’s stress management hormones, serotonin. In a fashion similar to (although not the same as) Prozac and other SSRI drugs, Belviq works by essentially potentizing the action of this important neurotransmitter; appetite is suppressed, satiety induced and vigilance and alertness promoted. Belviq essentially puts the body on an emergency status which has the effect of reducing hunger and the desire to eat. Unfortunately, as with all prescription medications, adverse reactions are possible, including: low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), mental problems, slow heartbeat, headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, and constipation.

One of the more insidious results of the doctor’s decision to label obesity as an illness is the fact that now 100 million Americans will be considered diseased. And that of course means medical treatment and overtreatment. Essentially the AMA has now made one third of all American’s wards of the medical model. And that’s a lot of new customers!

Obesity is no more of an illness than meth-rotting teeth and gums are dental disease or self-injurious cutting is a skin disease. It is, for the most part, (with some exceptions) a consequence of lifestyle choices and behaviors that are none of the medical model’s or your doctor’s businesses. Even though physicians would love nothing more than to have another billable, reimbursable product (and that’s what so-called diseases are), medicalizing obesity is a classic case of the camel sticking his nose under our tents. And make no mistake about it. If the camel is the medical model, you can rest assured, it’s being ridden by a government bureaucrat.