• Archives

  • Aug19

    When Omega-3s? After Bypass, During Fatty Liver, Before Eye Disease

    Posted in: Aging and Costs of Aging, High Cholesterol, Uncategorized, Wellness and Health

    Omega-3 fatty acids are powerful: with vitamin D, they’re something that almost everyone needs to supplement, no matter how good your diet.

    Why?

    Because people with heart disease who just had a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) had a 49% lower risk for dying 30 days after their CABG than those who didn’t take 882mg of EPA and DHA (in a 1:2 ratio) after their surgery.

    That means extra DHA, and pure DHA is hard to find. Look for Thorne DHA and Thorne Super EPA Pro: molecularly distilled, no contaminants, pure, concentrated and as above and below, powerful.  To read more or to purchase, click “My Account” in the top right; and then enter the access code HCP1028244 to create a “Personal Account”.

    Because kids with fatty liver disease (the most common liver disease in kids, and pretty soon, adults) had a 99% lower chance of severe fatty liver if they took 250 mg/day of DHA than those who did not…and improved insulin sensitivity.

    And because omega-3s, especially DHA, can protect your eyesight and prevent AMD, the leading cause of blindness in people over 55 by protecting the nerves in your eyes and reducing inflammation..

    DHA is responsible for most of the heart-healthy benefits of fish oil, and gets transformed into EPA if you are short of EPA. Check with your doc before taking extra EPA: it can interact with other drugs.

     

  • Apr11

    Toxin Free Water: Is Filtering Enough?

    Posted in: Aging and Costs of Aging, Common Conditions, Environmental Health, Wellness and Health

    We are mostly water.  That doesn’t mean we’re dear or deeply sought…though we are.

    It does mean that we are what we drink.  And the quality of our water helps determines our health.

    Stewards of water quality, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that carcinogenic hexavalent chromium, the “Erin Brockovich chemical”,  is present in 88% of the U.S. water supply. Ore refining, chemical and refractory processing and cement factories appear to be the main culprits.

    Hexavalent chromium causes lung and intestinal cancer in lab animals. The EPA says it is “likely to be carcinogenic to humans“ and will now try to help water suppliers and municipalities detect the chemical.

    California proposes a state-wide standard for hexavalent chromium in drinking water of 0.06 parts per billion (ppb) to reduce cancer risk.  California has the highest levels in the country: 25 of 35 tested cities exceed the proposed limits.

    What can you do while the government begins to explore the issue?

    You can

    1. Use an EPA-tested reverse osmosis system that will filter out hexavalent chromium: Watts Premier is effective and so is Cuno reverse osmosis.

    2. If you cannot afford a RO system, or already have one that doesn’t remove hexavalent chromium, use a Zerowater pitcher (Brita doesn’t remove chromium). It is slower than Brita, but effective.

    3. Find your town on the EWG map and detect your risk.

     

  • May10

    Pesticides and Cancer: Basic Recommendations

    Posted in: Cancer, Environmental Health

    Anyone who has been in gardening store knows the smell of synthetic artificial pesticides…it wafts into your nose and head as you are walking down the aisle towards the potting soil. That’s herbicide Roundup Ready, and its ilk, and there are now weeds and other plants that are resistant.

    Read More

     

  • Jan20

    Anti-Aging and Fish Oil: Time Capsule?

    Posted in: High Cholesterol, Wellness and Health

    The new study from JAMA on omega-3 (EPA + DHA) levels in mostly white, middle aged men with heart disease strikes a little close. And not because I’m white and middle aged, and keen on living younger.

    It’s because so many of my patients are, who come in for weight loss or cholesterol programs.

    The study shows that the higher your EPA + DHA blood levels (which rise because you eat fish or fish or algal oil (not flax, walnut, soy, chia or hemp), the longer your telomeres.

    Pulitzer Prize winner (and successful patient) Tom Burton covered it clearly for the Wall Street Journal today.

    Size counts if you’re trying to prevent aging. Because usually, the older you are, the shorter your telomeres.

    Telomeres are those little bits of helpful DNA on the outside of your genes that protect them against coming unraveled. You want yours long.

    YOU Doc Mike Roizen and I think that the right food can make your RealAge and your biological age younger. We even wrote The RealAge Diet to show you how.

    My advice is still food first: eat sardines, wild salmon, trout and other toxin-free delicious fish dishes twice weekly. And go long. If you can’t, investigate top Amazon.com diet and nutrition alternatives

     

  • Dec8

    Here's a Quick Way to Find Out if YOUR Water is Safe for Your Health

    Posted in: Cancer, Environmental Health, Wellness and Health

    The NY Times piece today describing “illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria” in over 20 percent of tap water in the U.S. has people wondering: is my tap water contaminated? Is my health in danger?

    And could it have caused cancer/asthma/birth defects/obesity in my family or neighbors?

    A quick way to find out: click on your state on the EPA map.

    The Times reports “a system could deliver tap water that puts residents at a 1-in-600 risk of developing bladder cancer from arsenic, and still comply with the law.” Great!

    One answer: Filter, filter, filter.

    I use a Brita Filter Pitcher because it needs new Brita cartridges only every 2 months; my Mom, always ahead of the curve, uses a Pur Pitcher and Pur Replacement cartridges. every 40 gallons.

    Missing: the source of contamination. The fix is personal, not just public. That’s true for most personal health.

    Take your leftover household chemicals, paints and electronics to a hazardous waste disposal site. Pharmaceuticals too: trace concentrations of antibiotics, seizure meds, mood stabilizers and sex hormones have been found in 24 major drinking water systems. Learn about drug take-back.

    What do you do with Rx drugs? And to keep Your water safe and clean?