319 Increasing Glutathione – Who Can Benefit? [18 May 2015]

Last week (#318) I showed you how to raise your glutathione levels. Which brings up the question of who would benefit from increasing glutathione.

In medicine we think of one drug for one disease, and are taught to be skeptical of “panaceas” that promise everything. But in natural healing many different nutrients must work together to improve one condition; and a single nutrient can improve many different conditions. Glutathione is a perfect example of the latter because its powerful antioxidant properties make it essential for health in every cell of the body.

You could benefit from increasing glutathione levels if you:
• want to look and feel younger – as we age our bodies produce less glutathione
• are an athlete – improves strength, endurance and reduces recovery time
• are a smoker, welder, mechanic, chemical farmer, consume alcohol, or are otherwise exposed to chemical toxins – protects your organs from damage
• use a cell phone or WIFI, are exposed to microwaves or ultraviolet radiation – protects cells from radiation damage
• have a chronic disease like asthma, Alzheimer’s, Lupus, Parkinson’s, arthritis, macular degeneration – all associated with low glutathione
• are fighting a viral infection such as a cold, hepatitis, herpes, bronchitis, pneumonia, even AIDS – strengthens the immune system to fight infections
• have impaired or diseased organs including heart, liver, kidneys, prostate, stomach, intestines, colon – all benefit from increased glutathione
• have atherosclerosis (risk for heart attack & stroke) – prevents lipid peroxidation and plaque formation
• are healing from trauma – promotes growth of healthy new tissue
• want to sleep better – promotes better more restful sleep
• are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired – supports mitochondria to produce more energy
• are healthy and want to stay that way – helps prevent all above conditions

Sources:
Immunotec website
Nutraxis website

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

128 Cell Phone Safety [22 August 2011]

I’ve written about this before [columns #004 March 23, 2009 & #068 June 21, 2010] but two recently published studies show why there is still some uncertainty about cell phone safety. It is not surprising that the study which reported no conflict of interest found serious cause for concern while the one funded by the telecommunications industry (along with other conflicts of interest) was more reassuring. 

The first study “Long-Term Exposure to Microwave Radiation Provokes Cancer Growth…” Exp Oncol 2011 begins “In this review we discuss alarming epidemiological and experimental data on possible carcinogenic effects of long term exposure to low intensity microwave radiation…” and calls for “urgent reevaluation… of safety limits for non-ionizing radiation…” 

The second study “Mobile Phones, Brain Tumours and the Interphone Study: Where Are We Now” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2011, concludes: “Although there remains some uncertainty, the trend in the accumulating evidence is increasingly against the hypothesis that mobile phone use can cause brain tumours in adults.”

Not true says Dr. Magda Havas, Associate Professor of Environmental & Resource Studies at Trent University, who reviewed these studies in her website [www.magdahavas.com]. She found that the NIEHS study ignored “inconvenient” evidence and misinterpreted other data. For example the Interphone Study referred to does in fact show an increase in ipsilateral gliomas (brain tumours on the phone side of the head) after 10 years of exposure. The NIEHS study also dismisses childhood studies for being shorter than 15 years, ignoring a study which showed that those who started using a cell phone before the age of 20 increased their risk of brain tumours 5 fold well before 15 years. 

You can reduce your risk by minimizing the use of your cell phone (see my March 2009 column for tips) and by installing an electromagnetic shield on your phones. I recently found a source of inexpensive cell phone radiation shields [www.cellshieldforyou.com]. 

This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

068 Cell Phone Safety & Brain Tumors [21 June 2010]

Does the use of cell phones increase the risk of brain cancer? The report of a $30 million study designed to answer that question was published last month in The International Journal of Epidemiology. The report, called Interphone, was based on a series of international studies coordinated by the WHO examining a large number of people exposed to radiation from cell phone use between 1999 and 2004.

On the surface the results appear reassuring. The US FDA’s summary concluded “The study reported little or no risk of brain tumors for most long-term users.”

Cell phones (and cordless phones) emit non-ionizing radiation in radio wave frequencies, believed too weak to break chemical bonds or cause DNA damage. For this reason links between cell phone use and brain tumors have been dismissed by many groups including the American Cancer Society and the US FDA.

Other scientists remain concerned. Earlier studies supporting a link were considered inconclusive because of the short study periods and small numbers of people studied. The large Interphone study was planned to overcome these limitations. So what did it find?

Possibly the most significant finding was a 40% increase in glioma, a type of brain tumor, in participants with the highest level of cell phone use. Tumors were most frequent on the phone side of the head and in the temporal lobe which is closest to the ear. The report did not consider the data conclusive but did call for further investigation.

Critics of the study’s report believe the risk is underestimated and pointed out serious flaws in the study:
• Children and young adults were not studied and are more vulnerable to radiation because their brains are still growing
• People who had died or were very ill from their brain tumor were excluded
• Cordless phone users (exposed to similar radiation) were included in the control group
• Only a few types of brain cancers were included in the study
• Heavy use was defined as 2 hours a month – many people now use their phones 2 hours a day!
• Cancer risk from radiation is cumulative and often delayed 10 to 30 years so even a slight increase now is significant

For a more detailed critique of the Interphone report see
http://electromagnetichealth.org/electromagnetic-health-blog/
and click on “Risk of Brain Cancer…”.

This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

004 Cell Phones and Cancer [23 March 2009]

   
The proliferation of electronics, particularly wireless technologies, has brought with it a proliferation of electromagnetic pollution. This comes in two forms – radio frequency electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and electromagnetic fields (EMF). Many adverse effects of EMR and EMF have been documented. These include tumours, cancers, headaches, migraines, sleep disturbances, concentration and memory loss, and DNA damage.

A recent article in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix (March 17, 2009) reported on Swedish research that found 1 year of cell phone use increased brain tumours by 5.2 times in children and 1.4 times in adults. Evidence was consistent from 15 studies in 6 different countries. While not yet conclusive, the scientists believed the evidence “sufficiently strong [to warrant] public warnings” and that “the present guidelines in Canada … are not protective of human health.” The results seem to support what others such as Dr. Joseph Mercola [mercola.com] have been warning for years – that children, whose brains are still growing and skulls are thinner, are more susceptible to the effects of radiation and EMF. With tumours sometimes taking years to develop following exposure, the concern is of an epidemic of brain cancers in the near future. The comparison to lung cancer and smoking is unavoidable.

Alas, I fear our society’s addiction to wireless technology and cell phones, is stronger than a smoker’s addiction to nicotine. There are, however, some things we can do about it without discarding the technology completely. First, limit length of calls and shut the phone off between calls. Two types of devices have been developed to reduce exposure from cell phones. Blue Tube headset (not to be confused with Bluetooth) allows the phone to be worn on the belt with the sound carried acoustically in tubes to and from the ears and mouth. Other devices such as the BIOPRO Cell Chip attach to your cell phones and neutralize the effects of both EMF and EMR.

I predict two things about cell phone radiation and health. First, that the telecommunications industry (including the Canadian government) will continue to deny there are any effects. Secondly, that the reports of studies like this one from Sweden will keep piling up until they can no longer be ignored. Don’t wait until then to do something to protect yourself and your family.

This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.