HealthBeat News

Category: Health Questions

  • I’m Allergic To That ‘Sulfur Drug’…

    Sulfa, Sulfites, Sulfur – Which Is Which! I’m Allergic To One Of Them…

    We often hear people tell us in somber, deathly serious tones “I have to be really careful – I’m allergic to sulfur. I took a sulfa drug once and the doctor told me if I ever took it again I could have a reaction and die!”

    It is tragic that so many well-meaning doctors are so woefully ignorant of basic inorganic and organic chemistry – they must have skipped those classes – and they have terrified generations of patients with their unfounded warnings.

    Let’s look at the truth about these substances:

    Sulfur (chemical symbol: S) is a naturally occurring non-metallic element that comprises 0.25% of the human body. It is the 8th most prevalent element in the body. (1)

    Elements found in the human body at their approximate amounts:

    • Oxygen (65%)
    • Carbon (18%)
    • Hydrogen (10%)
    • Nitrogen (3%)
    • Calcium (1.5%)
    • Phosphorus (1.0%)
    • Potassium (0.35%)
    • Sulfur (0.25%)
    • Sodium (0.15%)
    • Magnesium (0.05%)
    • Copper, Zinc, Selenium, Molybdenum, Fluorine, Chlorine, Iodine, Manganese, Cobalt, Iron (0.70%)
    • Lithium, Strontium, Aluminum, Silicon, Lead, Vanadium, Arsenic, Bromine (trace amounts)

    Sulfur is an essential mineral, meaning that the body MUST have it. Sulfur is found in two amino acids, cysteine and methionine. Methionine is an essential amino acid. (2)

    Sulfur is a component of many proteins, vitamins and hormones. Sulfur-containing compounds in humans include methionine, cysteine, homocysteine, cystathione, S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), taurine, thiamin, biotin, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), coenzyme A, glutathione (GSH), chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate, fibrinogen, heparin, metallothionein, and inorganic sulfate. (3)

    There is no such thing as a sulfur allergy, just as there is no such thing as an allergy to oxygen , carbon or calcium, all of which also occur in the human body in high amounts. Anyone who was truly allergic to sulfur would find it impossible to live!

    Sulfate (SO4) is a molecule which contains sulfur and oxygen. It occurs in nature and is found in most natural water including rain water. It is also the form of sulfur most commonly used to fertilize plants. (4) Sulfate may have a laxative effect that can lead to dehydration, especially in infants. Adults become “acclimatized” to high sulfate levels. (5) The current U.S. EPA national Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level for sulfate, is 250 mg/L (U.S. EPA, 1990).

    Sulfite (SO3) is another molecule that contains sulfur. Sulfite is used on foods and some wines as antioxidants, and can cause asthmatic reactions. Sulfites are rare in medications.

    Sulfites are used as preservatives on vegetables, especially vegetables in salad bars. This is probably the most common source of sulfite allergy reactions.

    Sulfa drugs (for example the sulfonamide class of antibiotics), contain sulfur but allergies and other reactions are not from the sulfur per se. Rather, the complex sulfonamine molecule can form proteins that are allergenic in some individuals. The sulfur atom is NOT the allergenic agent and being allergic to sulfa drugs does NOT imply having an allergy to sulfur.

    Sulfa antibiotics include Septra®, Bactrim® and Pediazole®.

    So, yes, you may have had a reaction to a sulfa-type drug some time in the past. Many drugs, especially antibiotics of this type, are complex molecules that have plenty of potential to cause allergy-like reactions. And it is quite possible that you are sensitive to sulfites as they are used commonly on vegetables and in wines and many other foods as preservatives. Many people share these sensitivities, to the extent that many products must be labeled to indicate that they contain sulfites.

    But is incredibly unlikely for anyone to be allergic to sulfur – it is as important to our lives as water and oxygen!

    References

    1. Reference: H. A. Harper, V. W. Rodwell, P. A. Mayes, Review of Physiological Chemistry, 16th ed., Lange Medical Publications, Los Altos, California 1977.

    2. Reeds PJ. “Dispensable and indispensable amino acids for humans.” J. Nutr. 130 (7): 1835S–40S, 2000.

    3. Parcell Stephen. Sulfur in Human Nutrition and Applications in Medicine. Alternative Medicine Review Volume 7, Number 1 2002.

    4. Sulfate -vs- Elemental Sulfur Part I: There Is A Difference. Educational brochure by Agri-Facts ™

    5. Wilkes University Center for Environmental Quality, Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. “Sulfates and Hydrogen Sulfide -That Rotten Egg / Sulfur Smell – Sulfate Reducing Bacteria “(SRB).

  • How To Stay Healthy For The Holidays

    How To Stay Healthy For The Holidays

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    We get questions like this every year around the holidays – most folks intuitively know that they are increased risk for catching “cooties” over the holiday season – with all the crowds, traveling and stress.

    Here is the question:

    Q: Is there anything specific someone could take to help prevent catching a virus while flying on a plane.  I leave Friday for the holidays to spend with my family and I will be on the plane for about 10 hours going from a warm climate to freezing temperatures.  What can help keep me healthy?

    And here are Dr. Myatt’s suggestions:

    A: Wow! Ten hours on a plane! You probably know most of the drill… be really well-rested before your flight, avoid caffeine and alcohol while traveling, drink plenty of pure water, get up and stretch frequently, wash hands ~VERY~ frequently (remember, all those things that you touch in the terminal and aircraft have also been touched by a gazillion other people!). I have seen some people even wearing paper masks while in public areas and on aircraft (very common in Japan too) but really, most of these bugs are transmitted by hand contact. Be sure to eat high-protein meals and avoid sugars, fruit juices and simple carbs. Protein keeps the immune system strong, sugars and simple carbs suppress the immune system.

    Now to some specifics – you will hopefully have all of this on hand…

    • In addition to your regular daily MaxiMulti (you are taking 3 caps, 3 times daily, right?) you should take an extra 1000 mcg of selenium daily for a couple of days before you leave and have it on hand to take a similar dose for a few days if you suspect that you might be coming down with something.
    • Bromelain, 400 mg of 2400 GDU, one capsule three times daily between meals will help your immune system better resist any bugs, and will also help to prevent blood clots that can form while sitting immobile for a long time on the plane.
    • Dr. Myatt’s Immune System Support – one capsule two times daily, and may increase to 2 caps three times daily for additional support if the immune system is under stress (like when traveling)
    • Echinacea & Goldenseal tincture is a classic herbal immune formula. Dr. Myatt has the most potent available.

    Now, if the above doesn’t keep you from catching something, your herbal “first aid kit” should contain:

    These, taken AT THE VERY FIRST HINT OF A COLD OR FLU can be a big help to your body and can help to lessen the severity and possibly even the duration of the infection.

    Additionally, for nasal and chest congestion you can use Baar Herbal Breathing inhalant formula – formerly known as Inspirol inhalant; 4 to 6 times per day. Inspirol was a tried-and-true favorite for many Wellness Club members, but is no longer available. Dr. Myatt has found Baar Herbal Breathing formula to be every bit as good – maybe even better!

    Have a great trip, and a wonderful holiday.

  • Magnesium Stearate – And Other Scary Chemicals

    Are we really being bombarded with toxic chemicals, even in our vitamins?

     

    By Nurse Mark

     

    The world is a scary and dangerous place, and we hear every day about new threats to our health and well-being. Bacterial contamination in foods causing illness, industrial toxins finding their way into our water and air, even supposedly safe FDA approved drugs like steroid injections now found to be killing people with fungal meningitis – is there nothing, and nowhere that we can feel safe?

    Marketers know they can use peoples legitimate fears to their advantage. As a consequence, many otherwise innocuous and even healthy substances are made to sound “bad” so that advertisers can promote their products as being free of the supposedly “dangerous” substance.

    The vitamin and supplement industry, like any other industry, is not immune to the siren call of marketing hype. When you are offering a product that is the same as that offered by your competitors you must work hard to find a way to be different, to be better – to give the consumer a reason to buy yours, and not the other guy’s. Sometimes the easiest way to do that is to suggest that there is something wrong – something bad or dangerous – about the other guy’s product but that yours is safe and good because it doesn’t have that bad thing. Entire ad campaigns can and have been built on that premise – theirs is bad, ours is good – and it is one of the oldest marketing techniques around.

    We get a lot of questions about chemicals and additives and the safety of supplements and vitamins – since people are being bombarded daily by advertising from Big Pharma telling them that supplements are dangerous and drugs are safe, and by supplement marketers claiming that their vitamin is somehow better than everyone else’s because everyone else’s is bad.

    Sharon recently wrote to ask:

    I like the multiple vitamin capsules for post menopausal women. The mg and mcg amounts are the amounts I like to take, however I do not like the magnesium stearate that is used in the capsules. I like capsules with no fillers. I have seen other companies make vitamins without magnesium stearate. Can you explain why it’s used.
    Thank you, Sharon

    And here is our reply to Sharon:

    Hi Sharon,

    This is a great question – and questions like this are received often enough here that we have written about “chemical additives” several times and even produced a video dealing specifically with Magnesium Stearate.

    Dr. Myatt recently addressed the Magnesium Stearate issue. A reporter saw Dr. Myatt’s video and interviewed her on the subject for an industry publication. You can see the video and read that interview here.

    Here is a link to our original HealthBeat News article and Magnesium Stearate video – I hope you will take a moment to enjoy it.

    Here are a couple of other articles that I have written regarding chemicals and chemical additives – I hope you will find them entertaining and educational.

    Chemicals That Kill? Or Just Frighten?

    Scary Chemical, Scary Advice

    By the way, while Maxi Multi does contain tiny amounts of magnesium stearate to ensure homogenicity and dose consistency it also contains Arabinogalactan as a “filler.”

    Dr. Myatt takes great care when she designs her formulations, and Arabinogalactan, while technically listed as a “filler” is actually a valuable form of fiber that has been shown in some studies to have antineoplastic and anti-metastatic (anti-cancer) properties – so you see, everything present in Maxi Multi is there for a very, very good reason!

    Learn more about Maxi Multi, including it’s ingredients, here.

    Hope this helps and I hope you’ll subscribe to our free HealthBeat newsletter for more information like this!
    Cheers,
    Nurse Mark

  • Liver Cancer: Is There A One-Pill Treatment?

    By Nurse Mark

     

    “All this in one tiny, easy-to-swallow softgel caplet…”

     

    Big Pharma sure has done a good job of marketing. Their sales researchers discovered long ago that most people, even in the face of life-threatening illness, are really quite unwilling to do anything more than absolutely necessary to get well – and that if someone else can do it for them, with a “shot” or I.V. therapy, or surgery where they really don’t have to do any more than show up and say “fix me doc!” they are even happier.

    Gastric surgery or liposuction for weight loss (instead of a healthier diet) is a perfect example, as is the use of “acid blockers” to stop the heartburn caused by poor digestion, or the use of dangerous drugs to control diabetes symptoms instead of simply correcting the problem – it is so much easier to just “take a pill” or “see the doc and get it cut on” than it is to actually address the cause of the problem.

    That’s why Big Pharma works so hard to offer their wares in “one tiny, easy-to-swallow softgel caplet”, and “convenient, once-daily dosing.” Never mind that their stuff often doesn’t work – at least it’s convenient… and probably covered by insurance.

    Here’s a letter that we see from time to time – more often than we would like, really – from a fellow who not only wants his health to be easy and convenient, but who also sounds like he has given up hope of any improvement and is willing to settle for just a bit more energy. How sad!

    Charles wrote:

    I have been found to have HCC (cancer) tumor as a result of long term HCV and cirrhosis. 
    I want to purchase a vitamin supplement that is simple and easy to take and aids in liver cancer support.
    I looked at all of the stuff to take for cancer and I can’t take that many pills a day. 
    Instead of Multi Vitamins and a boatload of other supplements, I’m very interested in the vitamin pack (take one daily with food).
    I’m not looking for a cure but some vitamin support to help me with deficiencies and give me a little more energy.
    Would the multi-packs be okay for me?
    Thanks,
    Charles

     

    Here’s my answer to Charles:

    Hi Charles,

    You’re messing with me, right? Kidding me to see what kind of a sense of humor I have?

    I don’t know the stage of your liver cancer, but liver cancer at any stage is very serious business and the survival rate under conventional treatment is not good at all.

    I wish I could tell you that there is one vitamin or herb that will help, and that better yet it involves only one tiny easy-to-swallow capsule a day – but I can’t.

    Even your conventional oncologist and hepatologist cannot tell you that about their chemotherapies – and they really don’t work very well anyway.

    On the other hand, your conventional oncologist will probably be able to offer you chemotherapy in the form of intravenous infusions, or maybe radiation therapy, or maybe even surgery – and those might seem more convenient to you than a hand-full of vitamins and other dietary supplements a few times a day…

    And, you are telling me that you are “not looking for a cure”?

    I won’t judge you; perhaps you have decided that the time has come for your life to end and that you don’t want to interfere with that process, but please know that death as a result of liver cancer is not a comfortable, convenient, or pretty thing. If it were me in your shoes I would be battling it with every cell of my being.

    You can be sure that if I was in your position I would not allow the minor inconvenience of having to take more than just a few pills more than once a day to keep me from fighting such a disease in every way I could.

    Having said that, you should also know that Dr. Myatt and our team at The Wellness Club are not strangers to dealing with both Hep C and with liver cancer.

    One of our current patients came to us a couple of years ago complaining of fatigue and abdominal pain – her own doctor (from Yale no less!) thought maybe she was constipated or had some bowel problem.

    Dr. Myatt told her what tests to ask for and she was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer. As you know, the survival statistics for stage 4 liver cancer are dismal – with very few patients living beyond 6 months to a year and most usually being very sick for a lot of that time.

    Our patient, who is in her 70’s, is now over 2 years out from her diagnosis, with almost no evidence of disease and reporting an energy level of 10 on a scale of 10. Yes, she takes more than a few vitamins and herbs and other supplements several times each day, but I doubt you could persuade her to stop. You see, she is enjoying life just too much! She travels (to Europe!), she volunteers, she dances, she attends school, she has a very busy and fulfilling life – and her multiple numbers of “pills” each day don’t seem to get in the way of all that.

    Another patient, a man in his 40’s, came to us when his doctors told him “there’s nothing more we can do for you” – after making him into a cardiac cripple with their hepatitis C treatments.

    Dr. Myatt told him to mark that date on his calendar since it was a red-letter day for him, and he did. He can still tell you, years afterward, exactly when he started working with Dr. Myatt.

    He went from not being able to walk the length of his driveway to his mailbox to being a healthy, robust, weight-lifting, jogging, basketball playing man who recently got married. Oh, and yes, he had to take a whole bunch of pills, several times a day for a while, and still takes what you might call a “boat-load” since it is more than a few and more than just once a day.

    So, yes – to answer your question, taking a “vitamin pack” such as My Pack Once Daily is going to be ‘way better than taking some “fairy dust dose” one-a-day vitamin tablet, and certainly better than nothing at all. But please bear in mind that My Packs are designed for otherwise healthy people who want convenience for traveling – not for people with life-threatening illnesses who need serious nutritional deficiency correction. And they are not targeted nutrients for liver disease.

    In your case, a minimum protocol would be: Maxi Multi Optimal Dose Multiple Vitamin, Maxi Marine O3 fish oil, and Milk Thistle. If you wanted to do something extra for energy in addition to the healing supplements I listed you could add some vitamin B-12 – B12 Extreme is a little tablet that dissolves under the tongue – so it wouldn’t add too much to your daily “burden” of pills…

    You can learn more about these on our website:

    Maxi Multi

    Maxi Marine O3

    Milk Thistle

    B12 Extreme

    If you are truly serious about dealing with your illness then you will book a brief consultation with Dr. Myatt – and sooner, not later.

    The liver is a very forgiving organ if it is treated right. Given a half a chance it can heal and regenerate. Liver cancer need not be a “death sentence.”

    Hope this helps,
    Nurse Mark

  • Eggs As Bad As Smoking: Really?

    Sensational Headline Says Eating Eggs Is “Almost” As Dangerous As Smoking. So, What’s The Truth?

     

    Dr. Myatt answers patient questions – with a forward by Nurse Mark

     

    It seems that a Canadian researcher and professor at the University of Western Ontario by the name of Dr. John David Spence is once again enjoying a few minutes basking in the glow of media attention. In a press release titled “Research finds egg yolks almost as bad as smoking” which discusses a research article by Spence and co-researchers Jenkins and Davignon titled “Egg yolk consumption and carotid plaque” the doctor continues his long-standing crusade against cholesterol, eggs, and egg yolks in particular with a retrospective study that asked participants to remember how many eggs they ate and how many cigarettes they smoked in past years.

    It is no surprise that the press worldwide has seized upon this rather dramatic headline and parroted it in sensational article after sensational article, panicking their readers and leading a number of our HealthBeat News readers to write us to ask for the truth.

    One of those who wrote is a university professor, scientist, and doctor who is also a patient of Dr. Myatt. Since his diet is now The Myatt Diet and liberally includes eggs he was concerned that there might be any basis to this research.

    Here is Dr. Myatt’s answer to Dr. Keith:

     

    Let’s look at this “study.” It wasn’t an intervention study, it was a retrospective, “questionnaire” study.

    That means it is in the same category as “The Rooster Crowing Brings the Sun Up.” Please read here to remind yourself how this works. This is an excellent article if I do say so myself.

    Secondly, other variables were not examined. Do egg yolks really cause atherosclerosis in people consuming a low-carb diet? We don’t know if the remainder of diet composition makes a difference because that wasn’t looked at. Even the authors of the paper you cite state, “this hypothesis should be tested in a prospective study with more detailed information about diet, and other possible confounders such as exercise and waist circumference,” meaning other variables can cloud the issue.

    I submit to you that the remainder of the diet makes a HUGE difference as to whether or not egg yolks or other cholesterol-containing foods have a deleterious effect.

    Fats and cholesterol are not problem foods. They only become so when the diet is high in carbs. It is actually the carbs that are inflammatory and atherogenic. (1-4)

    There’s been a lot of wrong things said about fats including saturated fats.

    The “dietary cholesterol causes high cholesterol” debate is in serious question because the data which “support” this position are inconclusive, spotty and with much conflicting evidence. Read “Saturated Fats: Another Big Fat Lie” to learn more.

    Finally, and not least of all, I have been using a low-carb diet with patients for 23 years now, which has given me the opportunity to observe how health changes including cardio risk factors, diabetes and even cancer. These things always get better when the diet is followed correctly. (Some people claim they are following the diet but an examination of a diet diary can reveal that they are cheating enough so as to be “not doing it”.)

    Remember, for any question, you will find published studies on both sides of an issue. There is almost never “black and white” in medicine or in anything else. So one must consider the preponderance of evidence, and how well-done and interpreted the studies are, and if the researchers had any bias, etc. etc. Just because you find one contrary study about eggs does NOT a “smoking gun” make!

    In case you want to see some evidence on the other side of the equation, here are just a few of the many scientific studies which show that low-carb diets –which typically include eggs “ad libitum” — prevent atherosclerosis and high-carb diets promote atherosclerosis. (see references 4-15)

    And with this current defamation of eggs yolk, I must defend their honor. Egg yolks are chock-full of  “super nutrients” including:

    • lutein and zeaxanthin: two carotenoids which help protect the eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration.
    • choline: a B-vitamin-like essential nutrient needed for structural integrity, cell-signaling and acetylcholine synthesis. Choline is a major source of methyl groups which are are required for liver function, cellular replication, and detoxification reactions.
    • lecithin / phosphatidyl choline: needed for cell membrane integrity and intracellular communication
    • essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E, D, and K, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, B12, and panthothenic acid

    Anything else I can clarify for you today? If not, go eat an egg…!!!

    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt

    References

    1.) Torres-Gonzalez M, Shrestha S, Sharman M, Freake HC, Volek JS, Fernandez ML.
    Carbohydrate restriction alters hepatic cholesterol metabolism in guinea pigs fed a hypercholesterolemic diet. J Nutr. 2007 Oct;137(10):2219-23. [Dr. Myatt’s Note: I’m not ordinarily impressed with animal studies but guinea pigs do not produce endogenous vitamin C and neither do humans, making them one of the best experimental animals for human research.]
    2.) Kopp W. The atherogenic potential of dietary carbohydrate.Prev Med. 2006 May;42(5):336-42. Epub 2006 Mar 15.
    3.) Faghihnia N, Tsimikas S, Miller ER, Witztum JL, Krauss RM. Changes in lipoprotein(a), oxidized phospholipids, and LDL subclasses with a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet. J Lipid Res. 2010 Nov;51(11):3324-30. Epub 2010 Aug 16.
    4.) Wood RJ. Effect of dietary carbohydrate restriction with and without weight loss on atherogenic dyslipidemia. Nutr Rev. 2006 Dec;64(12):539-45.
    5.) Feinman RD, Volek JS. Low carbohydrate diets improve atherogenic dyslipidemia even in the absence of weight loss. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2006 Jun 21;3:24.
    6.) Leite JO, DeOgburn R, Ratliff J, Su R, Smyth JA, Volek JS, McGrane MM, Dardik A, Fernandez ML. Low-carbohydrate diets reduce lipid accumulation and arterial inflammation in guinea pigs fed a high-cholesterol diet. Atherosclerosis. 2010 Apr;209(2):442-8. Epub 2009 Oct 12. [Dr. Myatt’s Note: I’m not ordinarily impressed with animal studies but guinea pigs do not produce endogenous vitamin C and neither do humans, making them one of the best experimental animals for beginning human research.]
    7.) Westman EC, Feinman RD, Mavropoulos JC, Vernon MC, Volek JS, Wortman JA, Yancy WS, Phinney SD. Low-carbohydrate nutrition and metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug;86(2):276-84.
    8.) Volek JS, Fernandez ML, Feinman RD, Phinney SD. Dietary carbohydrate restriction induces a unique metabolic state positively affecting atherogenic dyslipidemia, fatty acid partitioning, and metabolic syndrome. Prog Lipid Res. 2008 Sep;47(5):307-18. Epub 2008 Mar 15.
    9.) Adam-Perrot A, Clifton P, Brouns F. Low-carbohydrate diets: nutritional and physiological aspects. Obes Rev. 2006 Feb;7(1):49-58.
    10.) Brehm BJ, Seeley RJ, Daniels SR, D’Alessio DA. A randomized trial comparing a very low carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted low fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Apr;88(4):1617-23.
    11.) Gardner CD, Kiazand A, Alhassan S, Kim S, Stafford RS, Balise RR, Kraemer HC, King AC. Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: the A TO Z Weight Loss Study: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2007 Mar 7;297(9):969-77.
    12.) Grieb P, Klapcinska B, Smol E, Pilis T, Pilis W, Sadowska-Krepa E, Sobczak A, Bartoszewicz Z, Nauman J, Stanczak K, Langfort J. Long-term consumption of a carbohydrate-restricted diet does not induce deleterious metabolic effects. Nutr Res. 2008 Dec;28(12):825-33.
    13.) Kim JY, Yang YH, Kim CN, Lee CE, Kim KI. Effects of very-low-carbohydrate (horsemeat- or beef-based) diets and restricted feeding on weight gain, feed and energy efficiency, as well as serum levels of cholesterol, triacylglycerol, glucose, insulin and ketone bodies in adult rats. Ann Nutr Metab. 2008;53(3-4):260-7. Epub 2009 Jan 9.
    14.) Seshadri P, Samaha FF, Stern L, Chicano KL, Daily DA, Iqbal N. Free fatty acids, insulin resistance, and corrected qt intervals in morbid obesity: effect of weight loss during 6 months with differing dietary interventions. Endocr Pract. 2005 Jul-Aug;11(4):234-9.
    15.) Yancy WS Jr, Olsen MK, Guyton JR, Bakst RP, Westman EC. A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-fat diet to treat obesity and hyperlipidemia: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2004 May 18;140(10):769-77.