In the last NewsClips we told you about a new test for oxidized LDL that should revolutionize cardiology.  It turns out that LDL cholesterol isn’t the problem—it’s only oxidized LDL that causes heart attacks and strokes.  And now a blood test for oxidized LDL has become widely available. But oxidation doesn’t just cause heart disease; it plays a role in all of the chronic diseases and in aging itself.  If you want to stay youthful and healthy, oxidation is something you need to address.  You can do that with antioxidants from food and supplements.  Oxidation is a normal biochemical reaction—it’s necessary to create energy from the food we eat; it’s also used to kill invading pathogens. But it can have destructive effects, creating something called free radicals ─ reactive molecules that damage DNA, cells and body tissues. Fortunately the body has a way of keeping oxidation in check: compounds called antioxidants.  Our bodies make antioxidants, li…

Although most people have trouble getting even the minimal 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Recommended by the USDA, it seems that everyone agrees that eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is very important for optimal good health. But why are fruits and vegetables so good for us?  Well, apart from being high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, plant foods are good for us because they’re a rich source of antioxidant compounds called polyphenols.  Polyphenols protect plants from the oxidative stress caused by the sun’s UV rays, and by environmental pollution and pathogens. Humans who eat these plants get many benefits from the polyphenols they contain, including protection from asthma, allergies, cancer, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, diabetes and infections, as well as inflammation and premature aging.     Over 8,000 different polyphenols have been identified. Quercetin, the most common polyphenol, is also one of the most important and…

The human microbiome—that 3½ to 4 pounds of bacteria, bacteriophage, fungi, protozoa, and viruses that live on and in us, primarily in our intestines, is finally getting the attention it deserves, and it’s now recognized how much these microbes, which number in the trillions, contribute to our health.They help us digest and absorb food, synthesize vitamins, produce amino acids, secrete mucus, prevent constipation by increasing motility, create food for intestinal cells, and, perhaps most importantly, partner with our immune system—60-80% of which is located in the intestines—by degrading toxins and competing with and killing off infectious bacteria and yeasts.However most of our microbiomes are in pretty bad shape, and in a recent article in the Townsend Letter, pharmacist Ross Pelton, who is also a nutritionist with a Ph.D. in psychology and holistic health, explains why.He compares the situation to a “perfect storm” of factors that have conspired to assault and damage…

Everyone knows that fruits and vegetables are good for us. Most people know we don’t get enough. But fewer people know that the nutritional content of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables has been declining steadily since the introduction of chemical farming (sometimes called industrial agriculture) after World War II.Various studies using government data have documented significant nutrient declines in fruits and vegetables from 1930 to the present—declines up to 99% in one case!—in protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, copper, magnesium, riboflavin, vitamin C, and vitamin A, while data on other nutrients like zinc, vitamin B6 and vitamin E weren’t collected until more recently, so no comparisons could be made.Why is nutrient content declining? Partly it’s due to traditional breeding techniques, in which fruits and vegetables are bred for better appearance, sweetness, faster growth, or ease of transport, often at the expense of nutritional quality. But a much larger re…

On December 23, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation banning the use of glyphosate on public lands throughout the state of New York. It’s the first state to enact such a ban and one more chink in the armor protecting chemical giant Monsanto, one of the world’s most reviled corporations, in its bid to continue poisoning the world with glyphosate!Another chink: Earlier in 2020, German chemical company Bayer, who recently bought Monsanto, agreed to settle tens of thousands of cancer claims linked to glyphosate for $10.9 billion. What is glyphosate? It’s the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup, and it will kill any plant in its path except those plants genetically engineered by Monsanto to be “Roundup Ready.” An acknowledged carcinogen and endocrine disruptor, glyphosate has also been shown to kill good gut bacteria while favoring yeast and pathogens, and to interfere with the body’s detoxification system. Scientist Stephanie Seneff, who has focused on glyphosate…

According to our friends at Beyond Pesticides, food insecurity how affects 54 million people in the United States! And with the continued surge in COVID cases, the problem promises to become worse before it gets better.Our current food system, which has become increasingly dominated by fewer and fewer mammoth multinational corporations, has been criticized by leading scientists and economists for some time as being neither environmentally, nutritionally, socially nor economically sustainable. In our current pandemic crisis, this food system has proved to be cumbersome and inflexible, with farmers being forced to dump products and kill their livestock due to supply-chain disruptions and lack of access to markets at the same time that 15% of our population is in dire need of food and we continue to import food from overseas. Even before the current crisis, scholar-activist Raj Patel had pointed out that worldwide while 800 million people starved, over a billion were becoming obese on…

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort, along with chronic diarrhea, constipation, or both—either mixed or in alternation. Its impact ranges from mild inconvenience to severe debilitation. The economic burden of IBS to our country was estimated at $30 billion yearly in 2007. It affects 25-45 million people in the US, about 10-15% of the population worldwide. Studies indicate IBS is rare in underdeveloped countries and increases as countries (and their diets) become westernized. Women are twice as likely as men to be afflicted with IBS.Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) isn’t restricted to adults. It’s been estimated that up to 25% of school-aged children worldwide suffer from RAP, and that about 60% of RAP is actually IBS. Although factors such as stress, hormonal fluctuations, and food allergies and sensitivities can trigger IBS and RAP, their causes are unknown.However, research done in the last twenty years indicates that for anywhere…

Fructose is a form of sugar found naturally in fruits and vegetables. It’s also a component of refined table sugar, or sucrose, which is half glucose and half fructose, and of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which has a ratio of 55% fructose to 42% glucose.When it was discovered that fructose, unlike glucose, didn’t raise blood sugar levels or insulin and was significantly sweeter than glucose, it was hailed as a boon to all diabetics who could now satisfy a sweet tooth with impunity.But then a dark side of fructose came to light. Scientists discovered that while the body can handle reasonable amounts of fructose from fruits and vegetables without serum fructose concentrations rising to dangerous levels, it can be overwhelmed by large quantities of fructose, especially refined (man-made) fructose. Unfortunately, our steadily increasing consumption of refined sugar and HFCS seems to have done just that.In the 19th century, average refined sugar consumption was about 7 pounds per year p…

A large proportion of our society (36.9% at last estimate) now suffers from “metabolic syndrome.” Metabolic syndrome, which greatly increases the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is defined as having at least three of the five following conditions:abdominal obesity (waist circumference greater than 102 cm in men or 88 cm in women)high blood pressure (systolic blood pressure at least 130 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure at least 85 mm Hg or taking hypertension medications)high blood sugar(fasting plasma glucose level at least 100 mg/dL or taking diabetes medications)high triglycerides (greater than 150 mg/dL)low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dL in men or less than 50 mg/dL in women)Epidemiological studies link fructose found in table sugar (a combination of fructose and glucose) and high fructose corn syrup with metabolic syndrome, but it’s been hard to prove causality. Obesity…

It only makes sense to do whatever we can to strengthen our immune systems during the continuing COVID pandemic, and one of the best ways to do that is by supporting a thriving and varied population of beneficial bacteria in our intestines.More than 2/3 of immune cells are located in the gut, where they work synergistically with up to trillions of beneficial bacteria to support immunity.Beneficial gut bacteria activate and support almost every aspect of both innate and adaptive immunity. They increase production of and activate macrophages (the first responder immune cells that literally have pathogens for breakfast—they engulf and devour them) natural killer cells, messenger cells (cytokines), B-cells and T-cells; and they strengthen the gut lining; modify the immune system so it doesn’t overreact and cause too much inflammation; improve absorption of many nutrients; and produce their own natural antimicrobial substances. One of these, acidophilin, is more powerful than pharmaceutica…

Our gut microbiomes—those 3-5 pound communities of bacteria and other bugs that live in our intestines—have recently been under siege by modern diets high in sugar and low in fiber, antibiotics and other drugs, and environmental toxins. But even when diets were much healthier and environments far cleaner, traditional cuisines included probiotic foods that bolstered gut health.Sauerkrauts, pickles, yogurt, kefir, miso, and many other fermented/cultured foods supplied our ancestors with healthy microflora (probiotics) at 10-20 billion live and healthy organisms daily. Indeed, our bodies evolved to live in a healthy, symbiotic relationship with microbes. These helpful bugs that we call probiotics have been with us since time immemorial, protecting and enhancing our resilience and resistance by competing for space inside our bodies with any harmful pathogens to which we might become exposed, thus preventing them from becoming established and proliferating. Revered physicians throughout hi…

Excessive amounts of salt in the diet damages healthy bacteria living in our intestines and leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and fatigue.But we need some salt. If you perspire, whether it's from exercising, using a sauna, or living in a hot climate, you can lose too much sodium and other minerals in your sweat causing serious consequences, even death. People with weak adrenals often don’t retain enough salt leading to excessively low blood pressure, so they need extra salt.According to Mark Kurlansky, author of Salt: A World History, humans began to include salt in their diets once crops were cultivated and grains introduced. Salt mobilizes enzymes that help to digest grains and balance their acidity with alkalinizing minerals. (Unless it’s conventional salt, stripped of its natural minerals, in which case it will only increase the acidifying effect of eating grains. More about that later.)The problem is most people are getting too much salt, and it’s…

Heavy metals, like lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic, are one of our biggest health problems. Used to manufacture many common products, they’re now found throughout our air, water and food. Virtually all of us harbor toxic heavy metals in our bodies.Heavy metals bioaccumulate, so even small exposures add up over time, triggering problems like heart disease, thyroid disease, dementia, neurological disease and birth defects. Tiny amounts of mercury have been shown to damage the brain of a developing fetus or child.Heavy metals cause problems by displacing other minerals needed for essential body functions. For example, cadmium can replace zinc in key enzymes, causing those enzymes to malfunction so critical biological functions can’t be performed.Many physicians use chelation to remove heavy metals—a “chelating agent” is ingested that binds with heavy metals and carries them out of the body through urine and/or feces. Chelation therapy is especially recommended, and has often been a “m…

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to soaring rates of depression in the US. A study in JAMA Network Open found that the number of people reporting depressive symptoms has tripled compared with pre-pandemic levels, with more than 25% of our population now affected. Indeed depression has become a second pandemic.Depression is more than being unhappy. Its symptoms include a hopeless outlook and thoughts of suicide; feelings of worthlessness and guilt; a loss of interest in life and in things that used to provide pleasure and comfort; trouble concentrating, deciding and remembering; increased fatigue and sleep problems; anxiety and irritability; unwanted gain or loss of weight; uncontrollable, roller-coaster emotions; and sometimes unexplained physical pain. It often leads to substance abuse, which, although a temporary escape, makes the depression worse. Although the researchers in the above study found increased stress leading to depression at all income levels and in all demograph…

Disease has two basic causes: nutritional deficiency and toxicity. We’ve talked a lot about strengthening immunity with nutrients like vitamins A, C and D; minerals like zinc and selenium; and fats like the omega-3 fatty acids. But protecting your cellular machinery from toxins that gum up the works is just as important.A case in point is a group of toxic, man-made chemicals called PFAS (per- and profluoroalkyls), the best-known of which, PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), is the key ingredient in Teflon-coated pots and pans. But PFAS have many other applications and are used in a variety of non-stick, stain-resistant and water-repellent coatings in everything from rugs and upholstery to pizza cartons and dental floss. PFAS are harmful to nearly every human organ and cause or contribute to all kinds of disease. Arthritis, cancer, asthma, allergies, hormone abnormalities—particularly reproductive and thyroid issues, obesity, high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, heart disease, liver…

Why do some people exceed expectations at work with seemingly little effort, while others struggle just to get through their workload? Maybe the Fred Astaires among us intuitively work with their bodies instead of against them.Working with your body’s natural rhythms is something that the folks at Asian Efficiency, a productivity training company” teach people to do, based on the work of sleep researcher Nathaniel Kleitman and later performance psychologist Jim Loeher. In the 1950s, Kleitman discovered that humans have daytime cycles (rest-activity cycles) as well as sleep cycles. He found we work best and are most productive and effective when we engage in a task single-mindedly for 90-120 minutes, and follow this by a period of rest, from 20-30 minutes. Fifty years later, Jim Loeher with business writer Tony Schwartz published their best-seller, The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, an energy-m…

Allergy season is upon us, and New York Times reporter Tara Parker-Pope, who’s been covering the pandemic for the Times, wrote an article to help her readers distinguish between garden variety respiratory allergies and COVID. We thought our readers might also like some added clarity on the differences between the two. Here’s what she said:1. If you generally have allergies in the spring, are your symptoms the same as always? If they’re different, especially if you’re getting sicker or have had a potential COVID exposure, get tested. 2. Although typical allergy symptoms—sneezing, a runny nose and itchy eyes—can occur with COVID, that’s generally not how it starts. COVID can start in different ways, but dry cough, fever, fatigue and loss of sense of smell are four common symptoms. Unlike flu, which typically comes on fast, COVID symptoms may emerge over several days. It often starts with fatigue or a minor cough.3. COVID symptoms that aren’t common allergy symptoms include chest tig…

A 2014 study indicates that glucosamine supplements aren’t likely to work well if you’re deficient in the trace mineral boron.By now, lots of studies have verified the ability of glucosamine supplements to relieve the pain of osteoarthritis (OA), often better than over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain relievers (although it takes longer for glucosamine’s effects to fully kick in). And unlike these drugs, glucosamine, a natural molecule found in most body tissues, can be taken safely long-term. Also unlike drugs, glucosamine goes way beyond symptom relief: It’s been shown to inhibit joint deterioration and to stimulate and support joint healing and repair. There’s only one problem. Glucosamine supplements don’t always work. This leads many people to give up on them and go back to pain-relieving drugs that provide more reliable relief.Why don’t they work?Well first, there are vast differences in glucosamine quality. Glucosamine is an expensive ingredient, and its popularity has prompte…