344 Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals [9 Nov 2015]

Last week I mentioned a group of chemicals called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which mimic our hormones causing many different health problems. They are chemically similar and have some but not all of the physiological properties of our real hormones.

Here is how the Environmental Working Group (EWG) describes them:

“There is no end to the tricks that endocrine disruptors can play on our bodies: increasing production of certain hormones; decreasing production of others; imitating hormones; turning one hormone into another; interfering with hormone signaling; telling cells to die prematurely; competing with essential nutrients; binding to essential hormones; accumulating in organs that produce hormones.”

The EWG lists the 12 worst endocrine disruptors, the conditions they have been linked to, and how to avoid them, in a booklet called “Dirty Dozen”:
• Bisphenol-A (BPA) – mimics estrogen, linked to breast cancer, early puberty & other reproductive problems, and heart disease
• Dioxin – persistent, linked to lower sperm quality, carcinogenic
• Atrazine – breast & prostate cancer, delayed puberty
• Phthalates – male reproductive birth defects, testicular cell death
• Perchlorate – competes with iodine causing thyroid dysfunction
• Fire retardants – polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), imitate thyroid hormones, very persistent (found in polar bears and breast milk)
• Lead – deadly toxic, lowers sex hormones, reduces resistance to stress
• Mercury –interferes with women’s cycle, concentrates in fetal brain
• Arsenic – small amounts cause skin, bladder and lung cancer; trace amount interferes with sugar regulating hormones
• Perflourinated chemicals (PFCs) – affects thyroid and sex hormones
• Organophosphate pesticides – affects brain development, thyroid, fertility
• Glycol ethers (brake fluid, solvents) – shrinks testicles, fetal defects

“Dirty Dozen” is downloadable from their website ewg.org. For a more detailed technical discussion see the Endocrine Society’s EDC Statement.

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

235 Boosting Testosterone [23 Sept 2013]

Men’s production of the male hormone testosterone declines as we age, approximately 10% each decade after age 30. This brings with it a number of health problems including fatigue, hair loss, lower libido, ED, moodiness (think “grumpy old men”), increased belly fat, muscle loss, reduced bone density, BPH, and increased risk of prostate cancer. I wrote about this in April 2009 #009. Hormone therapy is not recommended because of the side effects (like testes atrophy!). A better approach is to boost your body’s natural production. But how?

Brad King in his 2008 book Beer Belly Blues describes in a humorous way, how to increase testosterone with stress reduction, exercise (resistance and interval training), diet improvements, and certain supplements.

Dr. Jonathan Wright M.D. suggests this program:
• 30-50mg zinc;
• 40,000-50,000 IU vitamin A;
• 3 mg Boron; and
• 250-750 mg Tribulus terrestris (optional).

The Institute for Natural Healing offers "5 easy ways" to raise testosterone:
1. Reduce stress – high cortisol levels reduce testosterone production
2. Get enough sleep – missing sleep can lower testosterone levels 10-15%
3. Eat sufficient healthy fats – EFAs are required for testosterone production
4. Get enough vitamin D – a precursor for sex hormones including testosterone
5. Get adequate zinc – from oysters, crab, liver, pumpkin seeds & supplements

King in Beer Belly Blues discusses additional supplements:
• whey protein isolate – increases bone and muscle
• Chrysin – inhibits conversion of testosterone to estrogen
• Maca, Horny Goat Weed and Tongkat Ali – improve sexual function
• Beta Sitosterol – reduces BPH and prostate cancer risk
• Nettle root extract – increases free testosterone and protects prostate
• Indole-3 Carbinol (I3C) – from cruciferous vegetables, suppresses “bad” estrogens
• Lycopene – promotes prostate health

Conveniently there are testosterone boosting supplement formulas available with many of these ingredients. I still recommend reading King’s book for the full picture.

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

214 Zinc – the Sex Mineral

The final mineral in this series is zinc. Zinc plays many roles in the body as a component of over 100 enzymes – including insulin and SOD – but is best known for its roles in sexual maturation and function in both males and females.

Zinc is found in all tissues and organs but is concentrated in the prostate, liver, eye, pancreas, blood cells and the part of the brain associated with smell. A steady intake of this mineral is required as the body has no zinc storage system.

A zinc deficiency can occur during infancy, puberty, child-bearing years, use of oral contraceptives, pregnancy, periods of high stress (physical, mental, emotional), diabetes, alcoholism, or high copper levels. A deficiency can result in:
• delayed sexual maturation of both boys and girls
• some types of adolescent acne
• loss of taste and smell; loss of appetite
• enlarged prostate in older men
• delayed wound healing
• frequent colds and infections
• offensive body and breath odors
• white spots on fingernails
• hair loss

Health Canada’s daily RDA varies with age and gender: infants & young children 2-4mg; male teens & adults 11mg; female teens & adults 8mg; pregnancy 11 and breastfeeding 12. Good food sources include sardines, herring, beef liver, beef, lamb, egg yolks, dark poultry meat, grains, legumes, nuts and pumpkin seeds.

Zinc is available as a supplement, either as part of a multi vitamin/mineral or on its own. Typical strengths are 15 to 50 mg, as zinc sulfate, citrate or chelate. Caution – the higher doses should only be used for a short time while treating a known deficiency. Zinc and copper are antagonists so a high intake of one can cause a deficiency in the other. For this reason oysters and lobster, although high in zinc, are not a dependable source as they can also be quite high in copper.

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

180 Nitric Oxide – Say “NO” to Disease [27 August 2012]

Nitric oxide (NO) is a simple molecule – just one atom of nitrogen and one of oxygen – but it plays some very important roles in the body. The discovery of NO’s role in cell communication won a 1998 Nobel Prize. I touched on the functions of NO in my June 11 article (#169) on the amino acid arginine. Here is more information on nitric oxide:

• NO lowers blood pressure by relaxing the smooth muscles of the endothelium (lining of the blood vessels) thus dilating the arteries. It also prevents or reverses arterial plaque, keeping the artery walls flexible.
• NO increases blood flow when partially blocked arteries to the heart cause angina pain (which is how nitroglycerine pills work).
• NO increases blood flow when partially blocked arteries to the leg muscles cause muscle pain called intermittent claudication.
• The increased circulation dramatically reduces nerve and joint inflammation, providing relief for arthritis sufferers and improves healing of wounds and diabetic foot ulcers.
• NO lowers cholesterol – a clinical trial found that increasing NO lowered triglycerides by 27% in 30 days, from an average 232 down to 168 (mg/dL).
• Insulin requires NO to function properly; low levels of NO result in insulin resistance which, as I’ve written on extensively in past articles, can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and Type 2 Diabetes.
• Low NO levels are associated with depression; treatment with antidepressants increases NO.
• NO is essential for both short-term and long-term memory.
• NO is also essential for penile erection; a deficiency of NO is a common cause of erectile dysfunction in older men.
• As we age, NO production in our bodies decreases; most people over 40 don’t produce enough. A simple saliva test can tell you where your level is.

Until recently taking arginine has been the best way to increase NO, but a much more effective supplement called Neo40 is now available in Canada. For more information on NO and Neo-40 see www.neo40.ca and a book called “The Nitric Oxide (NO) Solution” by Nathan S Bryan and Janet Zand, 2010.

With all these functions of nitric oxide, and most of us over 40 having insufficient levels, Neo40 has tremendous potential for improving our health in many different ways. I’m excited to learn what it will do for me. How about you?

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

169 Arginine – the NO Precursor [11 June 2012]

Arginine is an interesting amino acid. It is considered “essential” (meaning it is required in our diet) in infants and children whose synthesis pathways are undeveloped, and “conditionally essential” (meaning that some is required in our diet) in adults. Arginine is usually sufficient in our diets – it is found in meat, poultry, dairy, seafood, whole grains, nuts, seeds and even chocolate – but in certain situations is also taken as a supplement. As with all amino acids, look for the L-arginine form.

An important function of arginine is the production of the gas nitric oxide (NO). NO lowers blood pressure by relaxing the smooth muscles of the endothelium (lining of the blood vessels) thus dilating the arteries. This process increases blood flow when partially blocked arteries to the heart cause angina pain, or to the leg muscles cause intermittent claudication. Nitroglycerine works similarly in treating angina by releasing NO. NO is also essential for penile erections, so arginine is often used for erectile dysfunction.

Arginine has several other uses. Taken with RNA and the essential fatty acid EPA, arginine improves wound healing, especially bone injuries, and shortens post-surgery recovery time. Arginine is sometimes taken along with ibuprofen for migraine headaches. Arginine also plays an essential role in the detoxification and elimination of ammonia through the liver and kidneys.

There are several important cautions regarding arginine supplementation:

·         do not take arginine if you have had a recent heart attack

·         arginine may be helpful with congestive heart failure, but use with medical supervision.

·         take under medical supervision if you are on prescription drugs for high blood pressure or angina

·         stop two weeks before surgery, resume a few days after

·         women: avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding

·         men: use caution if you take arginine along with sildenafil (Viagra) as the combination may lower blood pressure too far

·         avoid if you are subject to cold sores as arginine reduces the absorption of another amino acid, lysine, which is believed to play a role in combating herpes simplex infections.

Despite all the precautions, arginine supplementation can be safe and effective in certain conditions. I’ll explore more about lysine and its relationship with arginine next week.

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

163 You Can’t Beat Beets [30 April 2012]

We are often told that eating more vegetables will improve our health. One vegetable that we should eat a lot more of is beets. Besides being a good way to test bowel transit time, recent research has found that beets contain many unique nutrients with great health-giving properties.

The deep red color in the beet root comes from unique pigment compounds called betalains. Two of these, betanin and indicaxanthin are strong antioxidants. Another, vulgaxanthin [who makes up these names?], has anti-inflammatory and detoxification properties. These pigments have been shown in recent lab studies to slow tumour growth by reducing inflammatory enzymes and by increasing oxygen flow.

 Beets were first studied as a cancer treatment in the 1950s by Hungarian doctor Alexander Ferenczi. In 1974 he reported in the Hungarian Journal of Medicine on the success of his raw beet juice treatment on patients in the final (cachexic) stage of cancer. Other studies since then have supported his claim that beet juice is an effective addition to cancer treatment. For best results start early and stick with it. Even better, eat beets regularly (once or twice weekly) to help prevent cancer. The betalains are destroyed by heat so raw beet juice is the best source (caution: the juice is a powerful detoxifier so start slowly). Steaming for up to 15 minutes or roasting for less than an hour is acceptable.

 Beets have shown an even greater benefit in preventing heart disease. A beetroot extract has been developed that is more effective than L-Arginine in boosting nitric oxide (NO) in the blood vessels. NO is a vasodilator, relaxing blood vessels, lowering high blood pressure and reducing atherosclerosis. It is also a requirement for male erections, essential for a healthy sex life. Watch for more on this product, Neo40, in a future column.

 When it comes to healthful vegetables, you just can’t beat beets!

 Sources: "Beets: What's New and Beneficial About Beets" The World's Healthiest Foods; "Beetroot Therapy: Dr. A. Fenenci, MD." Annie Apple Seed Project; "Using Vegetables for Cancer Therapy — Beetroot Fights Disease and Even Cures Cancer." by Danica Collins; "Introducing Neo40®Daily."

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

134 Maca [3 Oct 2011]

A radish-like plant from the Andes Mountains of South America is growing in popularity in Europe and North America as a medicinal herb.

The root of the maca plant (Lepidium meyenii) has several medicinal properties that:
• increase energy and endurance
• relieve stress
• strengthen the immune system
• restore hormonal balance in both men and women
• enhance libido and sexual function.

Controlled clinical trials over the past 20 years have confirmed many of the nutritional and healing properties of maca. For example, athletes have been using it to improve performance, and trials have shown that maca increases energy, strength, endurance and blood oxygenation.

Maca’s other benefits appear to be hormonally facilitated. Its unique nutritional profile supports the pituitary and hypothalamus glands which control all the other endocrine glands. This explains why it benefits both men and women, easing menopausal symptoms in women, improving erectile dysfunction in men, and increasing libido in both. Maca’s (indirect) support of the adrenal glands explains how it increases athletic endurance, improves the ability to deal with stress (both physical and mental), and enhances the immune system.

Side effects of insomnia, anxiety and headaches have been reported in some people. Consult a health care practitioner before using maca if you are taking antidepressants, blood thinners, digoxin, or are diabetic. And, as always: This article is intended for educational purposes only; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.