HealthBeat News

Category: Nutrition and Health

  • What’s Old Is New Again – Can You Say "Chia Pet?"

    What’s Old Is New Again – Can You Say "Chia Pet?"

    By Nurse Mark

    There’s a New Kid On The Fiber Block… and his name is Salba.

     

    Like you, our email has been bombarded with ads and claims and articles and come-on’s for what is being touted as being a miracle food.

    Well, I decided to do a little research – because we don’t carry this "New Miracle Food" and I wanted to be sure that we were not missing out on something that would benefit our patients and customers.

    You see, we had looked at Salba previously, and found that in our opinion it didn’t have any clear advantages over tried-and-true flax seed. Yet now, with ad after ad and with pseudo-scientific "come-on’s" breathlessly trumpeting the wonders of this new offering, I just had to be sure.

    I looked up Salba – it turns out that "Salba" is a made-up name; a trade name for Salvia hispanica which is also known more traditionally (and popularly) as Chia Seed. Yep, the same stuff that your Chia Pet grows from… You won’t find Salba listed in the USDA Nutritional Database, but you will find Chia seed. I then looked up Flax seed in the USDA Nutritional Database – I really wanted to be sure I was making a true comparison, with data from a respected source, so that I could be sure I was comparing apples and apples – not apples and oranges.

    Various of these ads glowingly proclaim that "Salba’s nutritional content leaves flaxseed in the dust. Gram for gram, it’s got more Omega 3, more fiber and way more calcium and magnesium." That really got my attention.

    Is that fact I wondered? Well, let’s look at the advertising hype, and at the facts, according to the USDA:

    More Omega 3? Nope – according to the USDA figures, Flax beats Salba for Omega 3’s by a pretty good margin.

    More Fiber? Yes, Salba does have a little more fiber per 100 grams – but at what cost? Salba’s 37.7 grams of fiber comes at the price of 43.85 grams of carbohydrates – while flax, with 27.3 grams of fiber will cost you only 28.88 grams of carbs – much closer to the ideal 1:1 ratio of fiber to carbs. This might not make a difference if your weight is ideal, but it sure could make a big difference if you are on a low-carb diet…

    Calcium? Yes, Salba has more. ‘Way more. But should you rely on this for your daily calcium intake? Not hardly! We recommend at least 1000 mg of calcium daily, more for post-menopausal women. Our Maxi Multi contains 1000 mg of calcium and everybody should be taking Maxi Multi (or an equivalent multiple vitamin) every day.

    Magnesium? Well, the USDA for some reason has not listed magnesium for chia (Salba) but looking at a Salba industry website (you knew that there would be a Salba growing industry didn’t you… complete with growers "organizations" and lobby groups and advertising campaigns…) it looks like, according to their figures Salba has 383 mg of magnesium per 100 grams. The USDA does list this important mineral for flax seed – at 392 mg per 100 grams. Hmmm… sounds like somebody’s math is off just a little bit… but again, neither food should be relied upon for one’s daily intake of this mineral.

    Better taste? That’s an opinion call, but we haven’t heard any complaints about the mild, buttery taste of flax.

    Salba keeps for up to 5 years. So does Flax seed. But why would you keep something around that long without using it?

    So what else is there to compare? Well, most of these ads tout the protein content of Salba – proclaiming "more protein than soy!" Well, so does flax. In fact, flax has over 3 grams more protein per 100 grams that Salba!

    As for other nutrients, Salba claims to provide a whole bunch of goodness in the form of antioxidants and other valuable micronutrients – but then so does flax. Flax even provides a surprising 651 mcg of eye-healthy Lutein + zeaxanthin per 100 grams – something that Salba does not claim.

    So what does Salba do that flax doesn’t? It costs more!

    One popular and respected internet source is selling Salba seed in 444gm (just less than 1 lb) bottles for $29.95. Yikes!

    Flax seed can be found on our website at $6.49 per pound.

    Let’s see: Salba = $29.95 per pound, flax = 6.49 per pound.

    So, is Salba bad or worthless? Of course not! It is a fine and valuable food, both nutrient and fiber rich. But then so is flax.

    Is it worth over four-and-a-half times the cost of flax? Not in our opinion!

    We are also "Endorsing Birdseed" – in the form of flax seed. We’ll leave the chia seed in the Chia Pets where it belongs.

    The chia seeds do have one benefit though – when they sprout on your Chia Pet they can be picked and eaten – they make a tasty addition to a fresh salad…

     

    Nutrient Salba per 100 gm Flax per 100 gm
    Energy 490 Kcal 534 Kcal
    Carbohydrate 43.85 gm 28.88 gm
    Protein 15.62 gm 18.29 gm
    Fiber 37.7 gm 27.3 gm
    Omega 3 (18:3) 17.550 gm 22.813 gm
    Omega 6 (18:2) 5.785 gm 5.903 gm
    Omega 9 (18:1) 2.007 gm 7.359 gm
    Calcium 631 mg 255 mg
    Phosphorus 948 mg 642 mg
    Potassium 160 mg 813 mg
    Zinc 3.49 mg 4.34 mg

    All figures in this table are taken from the USDA National Nutrient Database http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/index.html

  • The Ugly Truth About "Bone-Building" Drugs for Osteoporosis

    The Ugly Truth About "Bone-Building" Drugs for Osteoporosis

    (And The Safe, Natural, Effective Alternative)

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

    Osteoporosis means "porous bone," a bone-thinning disease that affects some 25 million American women. It is called a "silent" disease because it comes on with few or no symptoms. Often, a fall resulting in a fracture is the first evidence of weakened bones. Other symptoms and signs of osteoporosis include a decrease in height, spontaneous hip or vertebrae fractures, and back pain. (Note: most back pain is NOT caused by osteoporosis, so don’t get hypochodriacal on me!)

    In elderly women, death resulting from complications of hip fracture is far more common than death from breast cancer, yet few people realize the potential seriousness of this condition. Although osteoporosis is more common in post-menopausal women, it also occurs in younger women, in men, and in all age groups. Caucasian and Asian women are at greatest risk because their bones tend to be less dense to begin with.

    OK, you get the picture. Osteoporosis is clearly a real health problem for many Americans. So it seems reasonable to take a medication that can make bones thicker if you’ve been told that you have osteopenia or osteoporosis, right? Please don’t go there until you consider these facts.

    The Drug Is A Success – The Bone Died. ("To Save The Village We Had To Burn It Down")

    The popular drugs prescribed for osteoporosis — alendronate (Fosamax, Fosamax Plus D), etidronate (Didronel), ibandronate (Boniva), pamidronate (Aredia), risedronate (Actonel, Actonel W/Calcium), tiludronate (Skelid), and zoledronic acid (Reclast, Zometa) — are all in a class of drugs called "bisphosphinates." (Abbreviated as "BP’s"). Although they are marketed as "bone-building" drugs, the real truth is quite a bit more ominous. These drugs work by killing a type of bone cell called osteoclasts. You read that right — the drug works by killing normal bone cells.

    But Wait! There’s More! ("Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln, How Was The Play?")

    In addition to this insane "mechanism of action" (killing normal bone cells), the potential side-effects range from a mere nuisance to deadly serious.

    Stomach upset, inflammation and erosions of the esophagus are a common side-effect of the oral forms of these drugs. But not to worry that this might be a sign that the drug isn’t healthy for your body. Your doctor will simply tell you to "remain seated upright for 30 to 60 minutes after taking the medication." Wasn’t that easy? Problem solved.

    Bisphosphonates given by injection bypass the stomach troubles but have their own problems, including "flu-like symptoms after the first infusion." Manufacturers claim that this only happens the first time, but a quick search of online bulletin boards of people who have had this reaction tells a different story. Many people report severe flu-like symptoms and bone pain that was aggravated by each subsequent dose.

    One study found in increase in "serious atrial fibrillation" among zoledronic acid (Reclast, Zometa) users, but the FDA dismissed this as "not significant." Since all these drugs are in the same class, however, the finding raises concern about this atrial fib connection and ALL bisphosphonate drugs.

    [Nurse Mark Note: Atrial Fibrillation can quickly develop into a heart attack]

    Last and not least, bispohsphonate drugs (ALL of them) are associated with a osteonecrosis of the jaw. In plain English, this means death of the jaw bone. The problem occurs more often with IV BP’s but is also seen in oral BP use. As one medical article stated, "This complication can have a significant impact on the quality of life for those patients with advanced stages of necrosis." Uh, you mean because the dead part of the jawbone will have to be removed and possibly bone-grafted? With resultant facial deformity (not to mention pain and suffering)? Yeah, that might ruin your week… or month… or life…

    Is Bone Death Better Than Osteoporosis? (Is That Really A Serious Question?)

    Obviously, I’m not a fan of bisphosphonate drugs. The class of bone cells that they destroy — the osteoclasts — help to "remodel" bone. This means that bone is supposed to be a living, growing, constantly changing tissue. Bisphosphonates change all that.

    On the other hand, a life-threatening fracture from osteoporosis is no picnic, either. So what do I recommend for osteoporosis prevention and reversal? Nature’s way, of course!

    Rebuilding Bone The Natural Way

    It has long been known that declining sex hormones are associated with decreased bone mineralization. It is also known that un-natural hormone replacement, as practiced in conventional medicine, is a cause of breast and other hormone-related cancers (and increased risk of stroke, heart disease, blood clots and dementia).
    The "middle ground" on hormone replacement therapy is to use natural (bio-identical) hormone replacement therapy as practiced by holistic medical practitioners. Following hormone testing (urine testing is better than saliva or blood tests), a custom formula using doses and forms as found in nature will be prescribed.

    Normal bone formation requires the right "mix" of nutrients. Vitamin D is necessary for proper bone mineralization, and the latest medical research shows that we are getting far less than we really need. [NOTE: Maxi Multi’s have just been re-formulated to include 800IU instead of the previous 400IU per daily dose]. Folate, vitamin B6, B12 and vitamin K should also be in your daily "mix" and are found in optimal amounts in Maxi Multi’s.

    Exercise, especially the kind that puts some stress on bones such as walking, help "tell" the bones to take up more minerals.

    And of course, the minerals that build bone must be present. This usually requires mineral supplementation with calcium, magnesium, boron, manganese, zinc, copper and the "forgotten mineral," strontium.

    Strontium, the "Secret Sauce" for Strong Bones

    Strontium, a naturally-occurring mineral in the same class as calcium and magnesium, has been shown to prevent bone loss AND increase bone density even in already-established cases of osteoporosis. This, plus strontium (NOT the radioactive kind!) has little if any negative side effects. Read more about Strontium: The Missing Mineral for Osteoporosis Prevention and Reversal in this previous edition of HealthBeat.

    The Short Course On Strong Bones And Bone Remineralization

    Osteoporosis is not caused by a bisphosphonate deficiency! Given the potentially devastating side-effects of this class of drugs, doing it "nature’s way" should be a first choice for most people with osteoporosis (or those interested in prevention).

    Exercise, sex hormone balance and obtaining all necessary bone nutrients including strontium will prevent and reverse most cases of osteoporosis without causing harm in the process.
    References:

    References:
    1.) Osteoporosis: Part I. Evaluation and Assessment. American Family Physician, March 1, 2001.
    2.) Side effects courtesy of Merk’s Fosamax website: http://www.fosamax.com/alendronate_sodium/fosamax/consumer/side_effects/index.jsp
    3.) Ale
    ndronate and atrial fibrillation. N Engl J Med. 2007 May 3;356(18):1895-6
    4.) Once-yearly zoledronic acid for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.  N Engl J Med. 2007 May 3;356(18):1809-22
    5.) Osteonecrosis and bisphosphonates in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2007 May;19(2):199-206.
    6.) Biophosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws. Dent Clin North Am. 2008 Jan;52(1):111-28.
    7.) Bisphosphonate Use and the Risk of Adverse Jaw Outcomes: A medical claims study of 714,217 people. J Am Dent Assoc. 2008 Jan;139(1):23-30.
    8.) Osteonecrosis of the jaws secondary to bisphosphonate therapy: a case series. J Contemp Dent Pract. 2008 Jan 1;9(1):63-9.
    9.) Bisphosphonate osteonecrosis of the jaws; an increasing problem for the dental practitioner. Br Dent J. 2007 Dec 8;203(11):641-4.
    10.) Bisphosphonates and bisphosphonate induced osteonecrosis. Oral Maxillofac Surg Clin North Am. 2007 Nov;19(4):487-98, v-vi.
    11.) The current state of postmenopausal hormone therapy: update for neurologists and epileptologists. Epilepsy Curr. 2007 Sep-Oct;7(5):119-22.
    12.) Strontium Ranelate Reduces the Risk of Nonvertebral Fractures in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis: Treatment of Peripheral Osteoporosis (TROPOS) Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 May; 90(5):2816-22. Epub 2005 Feb 22.
    13.) Picking a bone with contemporary osteoporosis management: Nutrient strategies to enhance skeletal integrity. Clinical Nutrition (Epub ahead of print, 2006 October 12).
    14.) The effects of strontium ranelate on the risk of vertebral fracture in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.” New England Journal of Medicine 350 (2004):459 – 68.
    15.) Strontium ranelate reduces the risk of nonvertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: Treatment of Peripheral Osteoporosis (TROPOS) study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 90 (2005):2816 – 22.
    16.) Strontium in Finnish foods. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research 52 (1982): 342 – 50.
    17.) Gaby AR. Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1994, 85–92 [review].
    18.) Strontium ranelate: a dual mode of action rebalancing bone turnover in favour of bone formation. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2006 Jun;18 Suppl 1:S11-5.

  • Gallbladder "Attacks" and Gallstones

    How to End the Pain and Save Your Gallbladder

    Nearly half a million gallbladder surgeries — removal, or cholecystectomy to be precise — are performed each year in the US. Many of the people who give up their gallbladders to such surgery appear to be fine, and the pain of their gallbladder attacks are over. Oddly enough, for many others, gallbladder "attacks" continue even in the absence of a gallbladder – in fact, one authoritative source indicates that Post Cholecystectomy Syndrome (PCS) affects at least 10 to 15% of people who have had their gallbladders removed!

    Are the people who have given up their gallbladders really "fine"? And why do others continue to have pain in spite of removal of their gallbladder? What is the real cause of Gallbladder pain? And most importantly, what can be done about it?

    You may be surprised at the answers to these questions – Dr. Myatt has written an informative and fully-referenced article that could just save you from needless surgery and from the pain and suffering of gallbladder disease. Check it out here at The Wellness Club website!

  • We get Questions! Can Niacin Raise Blood Pressure?

    We get Questions! Can Niacin Raise Blood Pressure?

    By Nurse Mark

    One of our HealthBeat Subscribers writes occasionally with questions – and that is a good thing, because there is some serious misinformation out there in internet-land! There are plenty of competing interests, all wanting you to believe that what they tell you is the gospel truth about any given subject. While the supplement industry and most notably the MLM marketers who push berry juices and coral calcium are not immune to using hyperbole as they promote their products, they cannot hold a candle to the Big Pharma giants with their virtually limitless ability to purchase good press for their offerings while vilifying any competition.

    Consider this back-and-forth exchange that I recently had with Ann who wrote:…

    Mark
    I was just told that no flush niacin raises blood pressure…Is that so ? 
    Ann

    After giving my head a shake and reading the letter again to be sure I had read correctly I wrote Ann back:

    Hi Ann,

    Yikes! Who would tell you such a preposterous thing?!?

    We have never found anything anywhere in the medical or scientific literature, or in anecdotal reports, that would support such a statement.

    If this person who just told you this has any evidence to support this statement (other than of the "my aunt Effie was talking to her neighbor whose second cousin knew a fellow who said it made his wife’s blood pressure go up once…" variety) we would be most interested to see it.

    Our research has found that No-Flush niacin is extremely safe and well-tolerated.

    From our web page: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/niacin.htm

    The Coronary Drug Project,* an extensive study of cholesterol-lowering drugs, found that niacin was the only “drug” that actually reduced mortality. (Niacin is a “B” vitamin but was tested head-to-head with drugs in the study). Follow-up studies showed that the niacin-treated group had an 11% lower death rate years after niacin therapy was discontinued, but the cholesterol-lowering drug group had an increased death rate. (Example: the Clofibrate group had a 36% higher death rate).

    One caveat however: Time-release or extended-release niacin preparations, such as those your conventional doctor would prescribe since they are available only by prescription can be toxic to the liver. Perhaps this is what your person was referring to?

    Hope this helps,
    Nurse Mark

    Ann wrote back to give me the reference where she found this information, and things became a little more clear:

    Here it is.  What it does say is it can affect blood pressure medications… http://altmedicine.about.com/od/highcholesterol/a/highcholesterol.htm

    I read this article, and here is my reply to Ann:

    Hi Ann,

    Here is what we can read "between the lines"…

    The author of this article is a naturopathic doctor – a graduate of an accredited and reputable naturopathic medical school. That is the good news.

    The content of the article was "reviewed" by the website’s "Medical Review Board". That’s the bad news – since all the members of this "Medical Review Board" are conventional medical doctors, trained in conventional medicine and in conventional pharmacy – and conventional medicine is very unfriendly toward anything that is not a product of a drug company and available only by prescription.

    Now, on to some parts of this article…

    Niacin is available in prescription form and as a dietary supplement. The American Heart Association cautions patients to only use the prescription form of niacin.

    This is to be expected – since the AHA (American Heart Association) is heavily funded and controlled by the Pharmaceutical Industry. Niacin, and No-Flush Niacin, are not prescription drugs – they are natural substances and cannot be patented, so there is no great profit in them. Time-release forms of niacin are patented, and therefore the drug companies are able to achieve their desired profit margins with them. Bravo to the author for even mentioning that niacin is available as a non-prescription supplement!

    Because of side effects, niacin should not be used to lower cholesterol unless under the supervision of a qualified health practitioner.

    This is standard CYA (Cover Your ASSetts) boilerplate that needs to be said whenever there is a chance that someone might take the advice offered in an article. It gets the authors "off the hook" if someone does something silly with their advice, hurts them self, and tries to sue for damages. Remember how the now ubiquitous warning label "WARNING – Hot Coffee May Be Hot" got it’s start…? This is like the warning I once saw associated with a fitness program which said "WARNING – Exercise can cause elevated heartrate, fatigue, and other uncomfortable symptoms. Any exercise program should only be undertaken under the close supervision of a qualified health care practitioner." But I digress…

    Niacin can increase the effect of high blood pressure medication or cause nausea, indigestion, gas, diarrhea, gout, and worsen peptic ulcers, or trigger gout, liver inflammation, and high blood sugar.

    This statement says that niacin can INCREASE the effect of high blood pressure medication – this is possible due to niacin’s beneficial effects on circulation, and it would further LOWER blood pressure. These other side effects are incredibly rare – they are not something that either Dr. Myatt nor I have encountered in our years of practice. But if any one of these side effects was ever reported and niacin was blamed, rightly or wrongly, conventional medicine will use it to frighten the uninformed away from non-prescription niacin and toward the far more profitable statin drugs (which, by the way, have far more, and far more dangerous side effects).

    The most common side effect of high-dose niacin is skin flushing or hot flashes, which is caused by widening of blood vessels. Most people only notice this when they initially start taking niacin. The flushing may be lessened by taking niacin with meals.

    This statement is true – but incomplete. This common side effect can also be avoided by using the No-Flush form of niacin.

    Although high doses of niacin showed promise in combination with drugs to lower cholesterol (called "statins), there are concerns that combining them could result in a potentially fatal condition called rhabdomyelosis. They shouldn’t be combined unless under the close supervision of a physician.

    Rhabdomyelosis is a well-known, very serious, and surprisingly common side-effect of statin drug therapy – it has nothing to do with niacin. There should be no reason to use niacin in combination with statins except for the need on the part of the doctor to write a prescription for a drug.

    In summary, Niacin is at least equally effective as statins at lowering cholesterol, and certainly safer. Someone using No-Flush Niacin and a proper diet (NOT a "Low Cholesterol" diet! see our articles Lower Cholesterol Naturally – Better Cholesterol Management with Vitamins and Herbs and Saturated Fats: Another Big Fat Lie for the full scoop on this!) should have no need to use both niacin and statins together. Further, since niacin improves microcirculation, and the diet that corrects high cholesterol also corrects high blood pressure, a person should be able to no longer need "blood pressure pills" either.

    Hope this clears things up a bit for you Ann!

  • Dr. Myatt’s Bread!

    Dr. Myatt’s Bread – The follow-up to Dr. Myatt’s Muffins

    Dr. Myatt recently revealed her recipe for Dr. Myatt’s Muffins – the tasty, heart-healthy, high-fiber, low carbohydrate treat that can be enjoyed guilt-free and cooked in 90 seconds in a microwave oven.

    Myatt Muffins are a hard act to follow! But follow it we have…

    Work has continued tirelessly here at the Wellness Club Culinary Research Laboratory (also known as Dr. Myatt’s kitchen) and we are proud and pleased to announce that we have developed a similarly tasty, low-carb, high fiber, guilt-free substitute for bread and English Muffins.

    That’s right, now you can enjoy a sandwich, or eggs Benedict, or a toasted English muffin even when you are on a strict low-carbohydrate diet!

    Not only that, but this recipe is so high in fiber that your gut will love you – one of these and one Dr. Myatt’s Muffin each day is certain to give you “Happy Bowel”!

    The “Baking” Directions Are Ridiculously Easy And Convenient!

    • Mix egg and water
    • Combine dry ingredients and mix
    • Place into a small flat-bottomed microwaveable dish or container – we use a square-shaped container for “bread” and a round container for “English Muffins”.
    • Microwave on high for 90 seconds.

    Makes 2 servings – use a bread knife to make 2 slices. It is best if toasted.

    This proprietary, copyright recipe is available at this time only to Dr. Myatt’s private practice patients.

    Please contact Dr. Myatt if you wish more information or to obtain this recipe.