Health

Health

Incredible Immune System

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

By making a few simple changes and by applying some good old fashioned mind power, we can begin immediately to change our health for the better. And it doesn’t matter whether our health concern is weight loss, acne, high blood pressure or even cancer. Because of the body’s remarkable ability to heal itself, and make no mistake about, the body does indeed heal itself. For example, did you know that according to scientists at Texas Tech University and Cornell University, allergy sufferers are far less likely to contract cancer than everyone else? That’s because allergies activate the body’s healing and defense mechanisms which are collectively known as the immune system, and the activated immune system not only responds to allergies but also helps fight cancers too. When you get a cut, thousands and thousands of germs and viruses can get into your body, if you get splinter, now you’ve got a big invader in your body. Lymphatic System is part of Immune SystemNo problem! The immune system kicks in, destroys the germs and viruses, and walls off the splinter and seals the wound. If it happens to miss something which it does occasionally, no problem. The immune system kicks in with a second phase of activity and you may see some inflammation and pus which is nothing more than evidence of a functioning immune system. Every day we swallow and inhale many thousands of germs and viruses and toxins and pollutants and these too are destroyed by the immune system. In the unlikely event a germ or virus gets through, we catch a cold or the flu or some kind of infection and once again this is nothing more than evidence that the immune system is doing its job in a kind of phase two fashion. Most of the time it will eventually it takes care of the infection and we’ll get over our cold or flu or whatever.You see folks this defense mechanism we call the immune system is charged with healing the body from many of the assaults that we turn to doctors and drugs to treat. The immune system is responsible for fighting colds flues, infections, sinusitis, sore throats, bacteria, viruses even cancers. And my friends that is without needing doctors appointments, emergency room visits, insurance companies or anti-bionics. The immune system simply needs to be cultivated with good nutritional and health practices. If you’re one of those folks that seems to get sick every time there’s a “bug’ going around or if you’re paranoid about touching door handles or that neighbor or employee in the next cubicle with sneezy, runny nose or hacking cough, the bright side is you no longer have to be concerned. If it’s taking you two or three rounds of different more potent antibiotic to get rid of a cold that used to be gone after one round or if you’re even thinking about getting the flu vaccine, the bright side is you’re no longer going to need a shot OR antibiotics. If you’re kids are getting chronic ear infections, sore throats or stomach flu, the bright side is that can all be put behind you. Sure there is a time and a place for anti biotic medicine and heroic intervention and as a pharmacist I am well versed in the importance of emergency medicine or the miracles provided by anti biotic treatment. Antibiotics have saved countless millions of lives in last 80 years and if you have a nasty pneumonia or staph infection there’s no better way to treat it than with a couple weeks of penicillin or Cipro. The debate is not about the importance of antibiotics, it’s about our dependence on them. You see, the trick to wellness is to support the immune system so our bodies don’t reach the point where we need the anti-biotics. You see what I’m saying? Our immune system, when it’s strong and vital should be able to take care of most common bacteria and viruses.. so the trick here is to commit ourselves to lifestyle choices that support our bodies abilities to withstand these assaults. To support our immune systems with our choices and habits so that they are robust and vigorous and perform their divinely mandated role of defending our cells and tissues and organs. So they can defend us. But in order to make appropriate choices we first have to understand we we’re dealing with here. So lets talk a little bit about the immune system.The immune system simple put is the defense department of the body charged with protecting us from invaders from and from within. The immune system is everywhere in the body , it’s not localized to one part of the body or one organ system, but rather it is composed of billions of specialized cells that float around throughout the body especially in the skin, nostrils, lungs, digestive tract and the linings of our internal organs. Some cells float around as patrolling soldiers others stand guard in the linings of our blood vessels and organs. Mucous plays a critical role in the functioning of the immune system, by trapping and blocking the effects of dust, allergens, bacteria, viruses and other invaders. The skin is one of the most important components of the immune system and in a way you could even refer to the skin itself as an immune organ. Many so-called skin diseases like psoriasis, eczema, rashes and even many instances of acne are really nothing more than the activation of the skins immune response. And by immune response, I simply mean a defense response, sort of like those sirens that go off when a city is being attacked by enemy bombs.

One of the main routes or highways for immune cells to travel through is a vast network of vessels and nodes, totaling hundreds of miles. Collectively called the lymphatic system, most people are hardly aware of this critical transport system for the body’s defense department. The lymphatic circulation is similar to the blood circulation except instead of blood it carries a white substance called lymph. Lymph fluid bathe all the cells with nutrients and oxygen and sugars and then it is re-circulated throughout the lymph vessel system. The Lymphatic system also acts as a drainage system and cellular debris, bacteria, viruses and other invaders are all carried and drained away by lymph fluid. One problem with lymph circulation is unlike blood circulation which is pumped throughout the body by the action of the heart, the lymph has no pump. It depends on muscle motion for its flow. This is one reason why exercise is so important. If you’re overweight or sedentary you can end up with lymphatic congestion where the lymph fluid isn’t flowing like it should. This can lead to cells not getting the nutrients that they need or, even worse, lymphatic congestion can cause bacteria and viruses and other toxins to pool up. The combination of cells not being nourished and toxins building up can cause metabolic disorders, infections and accelerated aging. Get yourself a rebounder, a mini trampoline you can buy at an exercise equipment store or on-line. Its one of the best ways to make sure lymphatic fluid is moving around as it should. The up dand down jumping motion is ideal for moving lymph fluid around. Get some exercise, go to the gym. A brisk walk can help. You can even have lymphatic massage done, where a health professional, physically manipulates the lymphatic vessels to break up blockages. Drinking enough fluids can also help to dilute lymph, thereby improving circulation. As lymph fluid flow through the body it stops at many thousands of different, collecting points, called nodes, lymph nodes which are small bean shaped complexes that act to filter the lymph and kill the bad guys, the viruses and germs and poisons. Lymph nodes also trap cancers and produce white blood cells the main solders of the immune sytem. The white blood cells, technically called lymphocytes are divided into two main classes T and B cells are the true superstars of the bodies defense system. They travel around the blood, mostly in a resting state until they’re activated by the enemy at which point they pump up chemicals like anti-bodies (love that word!) that prepare the enemy for destruction. Can you begin to see how cool the human body is? These T and B cells are also produced in the bone marrow. B cells stay in the bone but T cells are passed on to the thymus a gland near the top of the lungs and behind the breastbone. Both T cells and b cells travel through the lymphatic system and the lymph nodes.

The main lymph nodes are in the armpits, the groin, under the jaw, behind the ears and both sides of the neck where your doctor will check for swelling if you’ve got a cold or some kind of infection. If you have some kind of infection or abscesses or even cancer you may end up with swollen or painful lymph nodes. Pressing on a lymph node and feeling swelling or pain or warmth or tenderness means something’s up, because usually you can’t tell where a lymph node is. A major concentration of lymphatic tissue is in the spleen, which makes houses white blood cells among other things.

The spleen also acts as a filter for foreign cells and other invaders. If you have you’re spleen removed you’re going to get sick more often unless you take extra care of your immune system.

A major component of the lymphatic system is the digestive tract. So called GALT, gut associated lymphatic tissue is located throughout the digestive system and in fact makes the intestine the largest mass of lymphatic tissue in the body. The tonsils and adenoids and the appendix as well as the intestines all contain lymphatic tissue that is associated with the digestive system.

The lymphatic system is so important for the immune system that it can pretty much be considered your immune circulatory sytem. Keeping your kidneys and bowels operating properly is critical for lymphatic health. And anything you can do to improve the elimination of waste from the body is going to play an important role in maintaining a healthy lymphatic system and immune system in general. One of the best things you can do to make sure that your lymph and immune system is operating optimally is get yourself on whey protein. First of all whey protein can have beneficial effects on the good bacteria that live in the colon. Good bacteria help process toxins and germs and they improve bowel function and stool formation. These can all reduce the amount of poisons in the lymph and may help improve lymphatic congestion. Whey protein also contains anti bodys that can support our own anti bodys again removing some of the work load on our immune system. Whey protein is a wonderful source of glutathione which is a powerful chemical that can detoxify poisons and support their elimination from the body. Whey protein is also a great source other wonderful molecules that kill germs and fight diseases. Lactoferrin, Lactoglobulins, Lactoperoxidases, Lysozymes, these are all tremendously important substances for supporting immune health and they are found in large amounts in whey protein. Interestingly, as important as these substances are, some people may have reactions to them, and these may account for some of the allergies some people have to whey protein. But, if you don’t have a problem with it, you are absolutely crazy if you’re not supplementing with stuff on a regular basis. In fact, whey protein shouldn’t be a supplement to your diet , it should actually be a component of your diet. It should probably be your main source of protein, as long as it doesn’t result in an allergic or digestive reaction. It’s cheap, it’s filling, it’s a great source of protein, and it’s incredibly important for supporting immune and digestive health.

Posted by Ben Fuchs in Health

Your Heart

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

The human heart beats over 100,000 times a day, 40 million times a year 3.5 billion times in a typical  lifetime, pumping blood over 60,000 miles of circulatory highway.  It generates an electrical field 50 times stronger than the brain, that can be measured several feet outside the body.  It’s got brain cells in it, it produces hormones and most of us never even give this incredible biological system a thought.  That is, unless it gets sick.  And, unfortunately, the odds of that happening are higher than you may think.  Heart disease, is now the leading cause of death in America and as of 2006,  81 million people had some form of it, whether it be hypertension, angina, stroke, MI or heart failure.  That’s almost one out of 4 Americans.  Over 1/3 of deaths are caused by heart disease, so clearly this is something we want to be looking at.  The good news is overall mortality has been declining as we begin to understand the impact of our lifestyle choices on our circulatory systems and our heart.  Heart and its Blood VesselsThe good news is that as our understandings around improve, so can our overall mortality.  In a study of almost 43,000 men that was published in the journal “Circulation” it was found that men who adopted all of the low-risk behaviors were 87 percent less likely to develop coronary heart disease during the study period compared to men who adopted none of the behaviors.  Furthermore researchers estimated that 62 percent of all “coronary events” that occurred during the study period may have been prevented if all members of the study population adopted the lifestyle factors.  Now folks we don’t need research and we don’t need studies to prove to us that the health of the heart as with the health of the body can be enhanced by lifestyle choices.  That means exercise, watching what we eat,  no smoking,  relaxation and of course nutritional supplementation.  With an emphasis on nutritional supplementation!  Indeed, there’s no organ system in the body that has evidenced the powers of nutritional supplementation more than the cardiovascular system.  You want some tips for your ticker?  OK well, here ya’ go!  There’s probably no more important group of nutrients for your heart than the B-complex.  Now probably most of you have heard about the B-complex, but here’s a couple of things you probably didn’t know.  You never want to take individual B vitamins without taking the group.  The B-complex is, as the name implies a complex.  They work together.  While sometimes it’s instructive to talk about each of the B-vitamins and their roles individually, it important to never lose track of the fact that they appear in nature together, and they work together.  They each support each other. So if , for example you want to work with blood fats, triglycerides and cholesterol and your taking Vitamin B3, niacin which has been shown to have some dramatic effects on lowering cholesterol and triglycerides, that doesn’t mean that you don’t need Vitamins B1 Thiamine, Folic acid and Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B5 among others of the  of the B complex.  They all work together as a team.  Same idea if you’re taking Vitamin B12 for energy or as anti depressant or Vitamin B5 for treating acne.  Each component of the complex acts to support each of the other components.  And here’ another point to keep in mind.  When your body attempts to excrete a particular B-vitamin it tends to do it in a complex.  So if, for example, you’re taking Vitamin B3 for your triglycerides, when your body excretes the B#, it will do it with any B1, B2, B5, B12 etc that’s in the system.  If you’re not taking additional amounts of these vitamins, you can actually cause deficiencies.  So make sure you’re taking the entire B-complex. And taking it in generous amounts.  It’s water soluble so you’re gonna be urinating out what’s not used right away, so you’re levels may not be where you need them to be if you’re only taking a B-vitamin pill once or twice a day.  That’s why I like my patients to be using B-complex powders and liquids that can be sipped on throughout the day.  We want to be careful about using nutrients like we use pharmaceuticals.  Oh you have arthritis, take niacin.  Menstrual cramps take B6, you’re depressed take B12.  That’s called allopathic nutrition and it’s just another way we try to monetize good nutrition.  Sure Thiamin, Vitamin B1 helps with insulin and blood sugar.  Riboflavin, Vitamin B2 deficiency is associated with migraine headaches.  B6, pantothenic acid is great for stabilizing excess skin oils, B6 is well known for helping woman who are experiencing female problems, be they estrogenic cancers, premenstrual breakout or morning sickness.  And of course the well documented link between mood and energy levels and Vitamin B12.  But remember friends, they’re all working together as a complex and they are excreted together as a complex.   And they are found in nature as a complex.  So, you want to make sure, even if you’re taking high doses of one B-vitamin for a specific reason, that you’re taking generous amount of the entire complex.

Then there’s that good old standby Vitamin C.  Vitamin C is like that spouse or relationship that you have that you just don’t appreciate, cause it’s there very day.   You see most of us get enough Vitamin C to prevent full blown deficiency disease.  This makes us take our relationship to Vitamin C for granted.  What I mean to say is that while we may have an OK relationship with Vitamin C, a relationship that keeps us out of dramatic trouble, hardly anyone gets the amount of Vitamin C that’s required for optimal functioning of multiple systems in the body.  Vitamin C is so critical for the functioning of a cell, that it actually has a doorway on the membrane of a cell so that it can access the inside of cells.  That is an amazing fact that underscores the vital nature of this powerful nutrient that most of us don’t appreciate or get nearly enough of.  Dr. Mathias Rath has written extensively about this in several books including one with the very catchy title: “Why Animals Don’t Get Heart Attacks, But People Do”.  Dr. Rath, who is a highly renowned physician and a colleague of the famous Vitamin C pioneer Dr. Linus Pauling says that animals don’t get heart attacks because they produce large amounts of Vitamin C.  That’s right, for some unknown reason only humans, gorillas and certain types of guinea pigs don’t make Vitamin C.  All the other creatures in the animal kingdom make large amounts of this vital nutrient.  Under normal circumstances the daily amount produced by animals , adjusted for comparison to a 150lb human, is somewhere between 3,000 mg and 15,000 mg, with an average of 5,400 mg.  And yet the RDA for adults in this country is 60mg.  Are you kidding me??!!  60mg??!!  A mouse produces the adjusted equivalent of 2300mg a day and when it’s under stress it produces the equivalent of 20,000 grams a day!!!  So now, let me ask you something do you think it’s possible that maybe the typical American who’s not supplementing and getting his Vitamin C from arrange juice (a glass of orange juice, by the way, has around 80 or 90 mg of Vitamin C) may be deficient.  And given all the roles Vitamin C plays in the body, especially in cardiovascular health, you can begin to C why we may have a hidden nutritional deficiency going on here.  And by way, so much for getting all your nutrients from food!  Vitamin C is absolutely critical for the production of collagen.  Without it you simply can’t make collagen.  And without enough you simply can’t make enough collagen.  Collagen is required for vascular health, because blood vessels maintain their strength and elasticity largely on the strength of this vital protein.  In fact, when collagen in arteries and veins becomes old or weakened that’s when we’re at highest risk of stroke aneurysms and other cardiovascular issues.  Oh, by the way, on of the bodies mechanisms for patching up weak vessels is to use cholesterol as a glue.  That’s why elevated cholesterol levels sometimes, not always, but sometimes precede heart attacks.  And please pay no attention to the silliness around cholesterol lowering drugs and reduction of heart disease.  The facts according to the Framingham study, which is a 50 year study that’s produced over 1000 scientific papers are: now listen up here: for each “1% mg/dL drop in cholesterol there was an 11% increase in coronary and total mortality”. So, don’t be talking to me about lowering cholesterol to protect the heart.  I’ve said it many times on this program: to poison the body to stop it from producing chemistry is just plain BAD MEDICINE and BAD SCIENCE!!  If you cholesterol levels are high there are simple and natural ways to lowering them that do not involve drugs.  Permit me to repeat:  You don’t need cholesterol lowering drugs!  We’ll address that whole can of worms in a posting to come…

Posted by Ben Fuchs in Health

The Triune Brain

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

Triune BrainOne powerful way to look at our lives and experiences, is to divide our the input channels into our brain into 3 parts (the so-called triune brain model proposed by Paul MacLean). The lowest (oldest) channel termed reptilian immersed in the fight or flight aspects of survival, the mammalian “limbic system” associated with emotions, pleasure and pain. And the highest most recently developed portion called the neo (new)cortex.

The trick to being effective and successful in life is to maximize top down input from the neocortex to the limbic system and restricting “limbic hijacking” i.e bottom up input from what are not truly life-threatening situations.
 
Wikipedia: The neocortex, also called the neopallium and isocortex, is the part of the mammalian brain involved in higher-order brain functions such as sensory perception, cognition, generation of motor commands, spatial reasoning and language.

The neocortex is further subdivided into the true isocortex and the proisocortex.

In the human brain, the neocortex is the largest part of the cerebral cortex which is the outer layer of the cerebrum, with the allocortex making up the rest. The neocortex is made up of six layers, labelled from the outermost inwards, I to VI. Of all the mammals studied to date (including humans), a species of oceanic dolphin known as the long-finned pilot whale has been found to have the most neocortical neurons.
 

Posted by Ben Fuchs in Health

HMB, PMS, Problems & Solutions

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

OMG!  HMB, the latest disease acronym to hit the medical lexicon now has a pharmacological option for “treatment” (whatever that means!).  It stands for Heavy Menstrual Bleeding and it affects lots of woman, 10-20 percent of child bearing age, according to freemed.com, and the real number may be larger, as many cases go unreported.  Not to worry though, if you’re one of the millions of HMB sufferers, for the Pharmacology Fairy has come to your rescue. 

Doctor’s have now received blessings from government regulators (or, if you prefer, pharmaceutical interest protectors) for dispensing Natazia, the first, FDA-approved, oral contraceptive, indicated for the “treatment” of HMB.  Never mind that the side effect profile for this hormone cocktail reads like a laundry list  of unpleasant stuff you don’t want to have happen to you, including: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ acne, weight gain, headaches, breast pain, nausea, vomiting and ironically enough, problem periods and  irregular menstrual cycles!HMB, PMS, Problems & SolutionsIf you are one of the multitudes of mademoiselles dealing with HMB, (whose symptoms include migraines, lethargy and anemia,  in addition to heavy bleeding), and you don’t want to deal with drugs or the other unenlightened medical protocol used to treat this condition, a hysterectomy, which 60 per cent of patients will undergo,  your best nutritional bet is Essential Fatty Acids. 

Use a a couple of tablespoonsful flax seed oil, which contains anti-inflammatory Omega 3’s and make sure you’re getting some nutritional Omega-6’s, such as hempseed oil or evening primrose oil which can be important for stabilizing and slowing down bleeding.   If you prefer capsules, use a good blend that contains a 2 or 3 to 1 ratio of omega-6’s to Omega 3’s.  GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid) is a derivative Omega-6 fatty acid with interesting anti-inflammatory properties and taking 100-200 mg a day is not a bad idea.  Make sure you’re getting fatty vitamins like A (20,000 IU a day) and E (400 IU a day) and probably K as well (maybe 200-300 mcg a day).  I’d be using K2, which is a little more body friendly than K1.   If you’re dealing with fat malabsorbtion, make sure your using digestive enzymes and everyone needs a good probiotic, but this is especially true if there are problems with fat digestion.  Take 80-100 billion units a day and look for multiple strains of bacteria.  That’s alot of microbes, but the benefits for this supplement tend to be dose dependent, i.e. more is better. Bile salts and lecithin can help absorption of fats as well.  I’d also make sure I was getting 1000 to 2000 mg of vitamin C and 1 or 2 daily grams of magnesium (chelated is best) which can be helpful for all female health issues.

It’s VERY important to stay away from highly processed foods, trans fatty acids and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats.  Anything that induces digestive stress should be avoided too.   The systemic inflammation that can arise from hard to process foods can make matters far worse than would otherwise be. Also, too many refined carbs can wreak havoc with insulin and sugar chemistry which can exacerbate heavy bleeding issues.

Heavy Menstrual Bleeding is not an inevitable condition.  Despite the inference that the best a woman can hope for is drug intervention, like all other so-health challenges, HMB,  more often than not, involves nutritional deficiencies and digestive issues.  Correct these conditions and it’s likely you won’t have to deal with HMB.  Or TPS (Toxic Pharmacological Syndrome) or UMP (Unhealthy Medical Protocol) either!

Posted by Ben Fuchs in Health

Cholesterol and Computer Chips

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

The electrical nature of the human body has been explored by scientists and intrigued researchers who study this stuff, for almost 200 years.  And this week’s edition of New Scientist magazine has a great story on electrical fields and cardiovascular disease that is sure to add to the fascination.

It turns out that something called “ferroelectricity” (the property non-ordinarily electrical  materials have to store energy), plays a significant role in heart health.  Even though ferroelectricity is a specific type of electrical energy, non-technical readers of this post can simply think of it as plain old household electricity (whatever that is!).

Cholesterol and Computer Chips This interesting electric phenomenon has been exploited by computer engineers for its information storing properties (as always electricity equals information),  And now its being explored as a way to manipulate the cholesterol adhering properties of artery walls.  It seems that cholesterol also has an electric nature and this may be one of the reasons it “sticks” to arteries.  And this is what has cardiovascular researchers so excited.  Scientists in Portugal are reporting in this month’s version of Advanced Functional Materials that amino acids in the aorta, the heart’s most important artery,  are also  potentially electric and it is believed that this may impact the of the formation of aortic cholesterol plaques.  Considering that plaque formation and hardening of the arteries are the leading cause of heart disease and death, these findings may lead to important advances in cardiovascular health.  In fact, some researchers believe that a future generation of cardiovascular drugs may work by changing the electric properties of the vessels of the heart, rendering them inhospitable to cholesterol “sticking”.  According to Jiangsu Li a scientist at the University of Washington, it’s possible that “drugs of the future could have a certain electric charge that could be transferred to an artery wall.”

And what’s even more interesting is they may lead to the development of molecules, like the heart’s electrical amino acids, that can actually be used as information storage devices, in much the same way that electric memory chips store information in our home PCs.  Wouldn’t it be cool to have biological molecules like amino acids function as little information storage devices?  Or, could it be possible the divine force/evolution has already beaten us to the punch!

Top 3 Electrical Nutrients for the Heart
 
  1. Essential Fatty Acids
  2. Vitamin C
  3. Taurine
 
Interesting Bio-electrical Facts
 
  • pH is really a measurement of electrical energy.  An acid pH  (0-7) is an excess of electrical charge, while an alkaline pH (7-14) represents relatively reduced electrical energy.
  • The heart generates an electrical field that can be measured up to 10 feet outside the human body.  That means that there is literally a huge interlocking electrical field surrounding our little blue planet that’s composed  of smaller fields, emitted from 7 billion human hearts, merging into one big field of electrical energy!
  • Water conducts electricity.  Drinking water and maintaining tissue hydration helps keep the maintain a healthy bio electric field.  Dehydrated athletes’s and regular people too can experience a rapid increase in energy and a sense of well being when hydration is restored.
Posted by Ben Fuchs in Health