Chia Seeds: New Super Food for Health
Monday, May 11th, 2009
I have been espousing the wonders of ground flax seeds for breast, heart and bowel health for years. Now I want to help you to explore a new “super food,” Chia seeds. Yes, the same seeds that give us furry green pets can help spring cleanse our bowel, pump us with Omega 3 fatty acids (linolenic acid), provide us with protein and calcium (as much as 2%milk), and hydrate us. This ancient (Aztec) food source is rich in insoluble and soluble fiber, which have been shown to lower risks of breast and colon cancer, lower blood sugar, triglyceride and cholesterol, and boost the immune system.
Chia seeds are tiny, white or black (both are equally beneficial) and found in most whole food stores. They are amongst the highest plant source for essential omega 3 fatty acids, important for stable moods, and hormone function. They are inexpensive and because they swell, like tapioca, have been used as a satisfying food source in weight loss and very helpful for IBS, constipation, and as part of any detox program.
Drink them with warmed almond milk in the morning, add them to cereals, soups, or smoothies. Check out www.eatchia.com for information and recipes.
0 Comments | Permalink | Posted in super foods, Bone Health, Breast Cancer, Cardiovascular
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Feeling Great Is The Goal!
Sunday, April 26th, 2009
I was having breakfast with a friend who proudly confided that she had successfully weaned herself off of all hormone support, less than one year after her total hysterectomy. “Why?” I asked, horrified. “I thought that was the goal,” she replied. “That’s what my doctor said and even you said so in your book.”
She was woefully misinformed. Hormones are not an evil to be avoided and weaned from. Let me clarify: stopping hormone support is not the goal. Feeling great is the goal. Staying healthy as we age is the goal. Having strong bones to dance at your 100th birthday is the goal. Enjoying sex, feeling joy at the sight of your great grandchildren, remembering phone numbers and how to drive your car in your nineties. These are the goals. Using natural hormones, safely, for the rest of your life will make this possible.
Why do we need hormones? Because our bodies are designed to last roughly seventy years, eighty max. If you win the gene lottery you may make it into your nineties- but it won’t be pretty. Tour a nursing home. Ask the ages. See for yourself what lies ahead. Ask how many women there had total hysterectomies without hormone support (they are the ones using walkers).
Studies have shown that women who use estrogen in the first 10 years of menopause have less calcifications (hardening of the arteries) around their heart. Studies have also shown that using hormones reduces memory loss, bone loss, depression, weight gain, and wrinkles. Hormones prevent sexual dysfunction, urinary tract infections, and vaginitis. The references are in my book.
Ask your doctor for estradiol (patch or cream), natural progestereone (pill or cream). Measure your DHEA-S, maintain your DHEA in the midrange- it will support your testosterone and it has been shown to improve sex drive. Keep your eye on the prize. The world needs more healthy women.
0 Comments | Permalink | Posted in Menopause, Progesterone, Natural Hormones, Osteoporosis, Estrogen, Heart Disease, Cardiovascular, Hormones, Uncategorized
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How I am Treating My Lyme
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
Many of you have emailed asking how I have been treating my Lyme disease. Lyme is the fastest growing infectious disease in the U.S. and most doctors do not diagnose or treat it properly. If you are not suffering from, or interested in Lyme please skip this blog but pass it on to whomever may be suffering. I hope this will help anyone struggling with this illness.
I am not a Lyme expert, but I found doctors who are and I am doing really well. Lyme disease is curable. Here is what has been working for me.
- Testing for Coinfections. Most people with Lyme also have other infections, called co-infections. Some people never fully recover from Lyme even after their initial infection is succesfully treated because they have untreated/undiagnosed coinfections. One coinfection (that I was diagnosed with) is Babesia. Babesiosis is protozoal infection similar to Malaria that infects the brain. The only laboratory that found my Babesiosis was Igenex Labs (listed in my book). Some say that “everyone tests positive at Igenex.” This is not so. I have tested many chronic fatigue patients over the years for Lyme with Igenex and many test negative. It is important to understand that negative tests for Lyme or co-infections is not always accurate. There are many reasons for this. In the case of Lyme, the infection could be in a form that is invisible to the immune system (L form or cysts, see below). False negative tests can occur if a particular bacterial strain was not tested or if a weakened immune system is unable to form an antibody response to the infection. Symptoms are the most important way to determine what co-infections are present. Some infections are not obvious initially, but as treatment progresses, symptoms change, and coinfections become more obvious. As I complete my Babesial treatments I now suspect that I have Bartonella. My Bartonella tests thus far are negative but as symptoms emerge and persist (neuralgia, persisting fatigue, nausea/malaise), I suspect this coinfection and plan to treat for it. I am also doing further testing for it, (Endothelial Cell Growth Factor Test).
- Treating Coinfections. My Babesisos was treated with Mepron, Azithromycin and herbs (below). You must treat Babesisos for at least 5 months- if your doctor says otherwise get another opinion. It must be treated for the full life of a red blood cell (4 months) otherwise the infection will recur. Studies have shown that treatments lasting 5 months had less failures. After 3 to 4 months headaches, and noise/light sensitivity, chills and sweats improved. Using a high dose homeopathic (LM or Q dosing of Nux Vomica) with a skilled homeopath finally got rid of my headaches. I would not recommend doing a homeopathic treatment early on as homeopathy can flare a symptom before it improves it, and that can be confusing. Make sure your homeopath is very experienced.
- Antibiotics. I used Doxyclycline initially for Lyme, which is a great treatment, but I became very depressed on this. Because of mood problems my Doxycycline was switched to Omnicef (300 mg twice daily) and after 1 month, Probencid was added to further increase Omnicef levels. Antibiotics drive the Lyme infection from the blood into the tissues, where it persists in a cyst or L form. These forms are not detected by the immune system, so blood tests may be negative, although the infection remains in the tissues. For this reason throughout my treatment I have used Una de Gato (Cat’s Claw) because it treats the cyst/L forms. Flagyl also treats cysts, so I currently “pulse” this in every 3 weeks for 2 weeks. In addition, I use two herbs, Artemesin (initially I used the less potent Artemesia) and Enula, (from Nutramedix), to treat Babesia and support immune function. Herbal remedies cause die-off symptoms similar to antibiotics (below) so, if you add these in, do so gradually and of course under your doctor’s supervision.
- Die-off. As infections are treated, the body reacts to the dead bacteria/protozoa and the symptoms from this are called “die-off.” Die-off is a bitch. Everyone experiences it differently, but die-off makes the treatment of this disease the most difficult part of this disease. My die-off symptoms were depression, severe unrelenting headaches, numbness, fatigue, brain-fog (literally feeling as if your head is stuffed with cotton), confusion, poor name recall, memory loss, executive function problems (missed appointments, unable to add columns of numbers, forgetting to pick up kids, difficulty organizing/prioritizing/sometimes getting lost in the neighborhood, vertigo, and ADD with difficulty keeping organized or on task), soaking sweats,freezing cold, and joint pains. Cholestyramine (see below) is a prescription medication that helped reduce my die-off symptoms. Supplements that also helped were Pectasol from Douglas (a natural form of cholestyramine - I use both), and Pinella extract (an herbal “brain clearing extract” from Nutramedix). Doing less, asking for help, asking for reminders from friends and family, keeping lists and pre-planning my days (best done the night before so that I could problem shoot and ask for help with driving, shopping, etc) were key.
- Mood. Mood symptoms were perhaps the worst symptom for me. Many people experience depression from long term tetracycline antibiotics (Doxycycline, Minocycline, Biaxin). Switching to Omnicef helped my mood. Lithium Orotate (4.8 mg) 2 pills three times/day (this is not the same as lithium carbonate used in bipolar illness) was also helpful. During a workshop with Dr Christiane Northrup I was introduced to a world wide healing practice, Bruno Groening Circle of friends, which involves meditation to music (downloaded from the web). This practice has been dramatically helpful both physically and mentally.
- Sleep. Adequate rest is critical to treat and recover from Lyme. Unfortunately, die-off symptoms and neurotoxins can interfere with sleep. I found using L-Tryptophan 500mg (4 capsules on empty stomach) one hour before bed and 9 to 15 mg melatonin worked very well. (Yes, this is a high melatonin dose, but melatonin is a powerful brain antioxidant which helps protect the brain from neurotoxins) Regular rest and naps are essential to recover.
- Cholestyramine. This prescription medication is a resin that is normally used to bind fat. Fortunately for Lyme sufferers, it also binds neurotoxins and can be very helpful to limit neurologic symptoms. There are a few things to know about it. Most doctors prescribe it in packets or yellow powder that contain dyes and substitute sugars not well tolerated by Lyme patients. As a result, many patients give up on it, which is a shame as I found this remedy very helpful to reduce die-off symptoms. Be sure to ask for Generic cholestyramine in a tub. It is a white, pleasant tasting powder. Two pharmacists had trouble finding this for me- if you have trouble, call Pierce Apothecary (617-566-4080) and they can order it for you with your doctor’s prescription. To avoid constipation while using it, take 4 to 6 tablespoons of ground flax seeds. Cholestyramine must be taken between meals and at least 3 hrs away from Mepron, because it will absorb your medications and food. Good times to take this is during the night if you wake up, and late afternoon 2-3 hours before dinner. It can deplete certain minerals so I now take iodine, potassium , vitamin K2 and vitamin D3 in addition to magnesium glycinate and calcium aspartate.
0 Comments | Permalink | Posted in Lyme Disease
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