What Supplements Might be Missing from your Health Regimen? [Archive]

onawah

4th April 2022, 03:19

A frequent topic that Dr. Mercola covers is what vitamins, supplements, herbs, foods etc. might be missing from our health regimens for optimal health.
Here is one I had not considered, which seems to be quite important.

The Most Important Health Factor You May Be Missing
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
4/3/22
https://www.bitchute.com/video/loOIO220Etae/
loOIO220Etae
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2022/04/03/iron-copper.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1HL&cid=20220403_HL2&mid=DM1145864&rid=1451214218

"Depending on the cell, each can have as many as 2 million mitochondria. Your mitochondria produce energy, but they're also a critical recycling center and a literal factory that creates water for your metabolism. To function properly, they need this, but it's been the No. 1 nutrient deficiency for 80 years.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE
Minerals play a crucial role in the activation of enzyme pathways, which are responsible for metabolism.
This, in part, is what makes minerals so foundational for good health.
If you don’t have the required minerals, the “batteries” of your cells, the mitochondria and the nuclei, won’t work.
Inflammation is poor energy production, and the reason goes back to mitochondrial dysfunction.
Iron and copper are highly interdependent and need to be considered together.
If you don’t have copper in your diet, hemoglobin production becomes impaired, along with many other aspects of iron metabolism.
So, being anemic does not automatically mean that you’re iron deficient.
You may be deficient in copper.
Anemia typically relates to iron dysfunction or dysregulation, not deficiency
The best way to lower excessive iron is to donate blood, one to four times a year.
Most adult men and postmenopausal women have high iron and could benefit from regular blood donation, as high iron is extremely toxic and destroys health.
An even better strategy is to remove smaller amounts of blood every month and a recommended schedule is providedTo raise your copper level, you could use a copper supplement, but foods like grass-fed beef liver, bee pollen and whole food vitamin C are better
If you’re a farmer or grow your own food, the best way to put copper back into the soil, to get it into the food, is to add copper sulfate.
Before you plant, simply spray the soil with copper sulfate, 10 to 15 pounds per acre

Morley Robbins, MBA, CHC,1 founder of the Magnesium Advocacy Group and best known as the Magnesium Man, has also written a book called “Cu-RE Your Fatigue: The Root Cause and How to Fix It on Your Own.”

In this book, he goes well beyond magnesium into other nutrients such as copper, iron, vitamins A and D and more, and his Root Cause Protocol2 is the implementation of that information. I’m impressed with the book because Robbins covers every basic cause for disease that I am aware of. Most people who write about health will miss a few, but I believe he really nails all of them.

The Importance of Copper
Minerals play a crucial role in the activation of enzyme pathways, which are responsible for metabolism. This, in part, is what makes minerals so foundational for good health.

If you don’t have the required minerals, the “batteries” of your cells, the mitochondria, won’t work properly. In a nutshell, good health depends on ample and robust energy production and utilization, and for that, you need copious amounts of highly-functioning mitochondria that have limited oxidative stress.

Robbins describes mitochondria not as a power plant but as a factory. And what goes on in a factory? Of course, there’s activity that depends on an energy source, but there’s also movement of raw materials, the production and movement of end products, and the recycling of them.

“People don't think about that — and the fact that the mitochondria are connected to both the endoplasmic reticulum and the lysosomes,” Robbins says. “Well, suddenly you've got lysosomes being the recycling center and the endoplasmic reticulum being where the proteins are going to get made. It's like a completely different idea.

We all have this image from our high school biology class of what the picture of a cell looks like, and it has one or two mitochondria. Well, I've come to realize that that picture was drawn by Walt Disney, because it's a complete distortion of reality.

The average cell has 500 mitochondria; the average liver cell has 2,000 mitochondria; kidney cell, 4,000 mitochondria; heart cell, 10,000 mitochondria. The mature eggs in a woman's body have anywhere from 100,000 to 600,000 mitochondria.

And then the brain region, the substantia nigra, it has 2 million mitochondria per neuron. That's a game changer, when you begin to understand the concentration of activity.”

As an example, Parkinson’s disease is rooted in defective mitochondrial function in this area of the brain. According to Robbins, by the time you get a diagnosis of Parkinson's, 66% of those neurons are dead. Multiply 66% times 2 million mitochondria per neuron, and you realize we're talking about a massive loss of mitochondrial energy.

Conventional medical doctors will typically prescribe L-DOPA to treat Parkinson’s, but that actually makes the situation much worse in the long run, and in no way, shape or form addresses the loss of these mitochondria. “This whole concept of energy production is so essential, and it's overlooked,” Robbins says.

Inflammation Is a Lack of Energy
Another description of “lack of energy” is inflammation, Robbins says. Inflammation is poor energy production, and the reason goes back to mitochondrial dysfunction. He likens mitochondria to a two-stroke engine with two copper centers, Copper A (two Copper atoms) and Copper B (with one Copper atom).

Copper A is the easy stroke that produces hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which is a source of oxidative stress. The hydrogen peroxide then needs to be turned into two molecules of water (H2O). If your body keeps producing H2O2 rather than water, it’s because you don’t have enough copper to achieve the transformation into two molecules of H2O.

This typically implies that the Cytochrome c Oxidase enzyme in Complex 4 of the mitochondrial electron transport chain is not doing its job. And as hydrogen peroxide builds, you end up with loads of free radicals that results in mitochondrial oxidative damage.

“We live on a planet that has two very active elements, oxygen and iron, and we know they don't mix well, because they create rust,” Robbins says. “Yet the terminal destination for both iron and oxygen are the mitochondria. That's an important thing to understand. And so, inside these organelles, these factories, are a series of proteins that are loading electrons onto oxygen and hydrogen.

The term used in the literatures is we're activating oxygen and hydrogen to create water. The mitochondria are water wheels, they're the source of water in our metabolism. And when minerals are in optimal levels, we can make water.

And once we make water — which implies the pH of 7, because that's when water exists — that releases the precursor to energy, called ADP. ADP goes over to another complex to become ATP. And, as many people might know, those proteins, ADP and ATP, actually have magnesium in them to give them structural integrity. It's a very important aspect of energy dynamics.”

The Role of Mitochondrial Complexes
Inside the electron transport chain (ETC) in the mitochondria are five complexes. Complex 1, 3 and 4 work together as a unit and are known clinically as the “Respirasome.” Complex 4, also known as Cytochrome c Oxidase (CcOX), is an electron shuttle that has multiple elements of copper in it. It’s actually a dimer, so that means there are actually six atoms of copper, and the job of those copper atoms is to turn oxygen into water.

“Here's where I think it gets really fascinating. Every kitchen has a stove, right? And they're usually made of iron, steel, and they're cooking something. But does the stove run itself? Does the stove know what food to put into the pot? What temperature? How long to keep it on?

Of course not, it needs a chef. I call them Cuisine artists, so we can see the symbol for copper, Cu, and I for iron. And so, inside Complex 4, there is a stove, and it's called heme a3. It holds oxygen.

And then Copper B comes along and slices and dices, it lets the electrons and hydrogen flow through, and voila, we have water. Then, that releases ADP to go over to Complex 5, which is called ATP Synthase, and it's like a rotor, a little motor inside the mitochondria. These are stacked like pancakes. We don't really know how many Complex 5s are in one mitochondria, it could be hundreds, it might be thousands.

But they're each spinning at 150 revolutions per second, and every time it goes around, it's releasing three Mg-ATP. Just think of the vortex of thousands of these little rotors inside one mitochondria, much less thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions. The sheer elegance of the design of human physiology is absolutely amazing.”

Complex 4, or CcOX, is an electron shuttle, and needs retinol (vitamin A) to function. Robbins explains there’s a four-part component called the Signalosome, but:

“... if retinol isn't there in adequate levels, it's going to set the stage for what's called the Warburg effect. And that's going to take us down a whole different bunny trail, but whoever knew about retinol being critical for energy production? That's not something typically discussed in clinical circles.”

Retinol is not the same as beta-carotene. There are no plant sources of retinol, it only comes from animal sources, which is yet another profoundly good reason to regularly include animal foods in your diet. Butter, heavy cream, egg yolks, liver and CLO are particularly high in retinol. Your body can make retinol from beta-carotene, but ONLY if you have adequate copper in the tissue to activate BCMO enzyme.

Why Sun Exposure Is so Important
Another important point to understand is that while sun exposure is important for making vitamin D, it is also crucial for transforming retinol into its active metabolites, called retinoids. There are nuclear receptors and retinoic acids, which are hormones, that are incredibly important. The nuclear receptors allow your thyroid to work, for example, by binding TR (Thyroid Receptor) to RXR (a key Retinoid X Receptor. With absent adequate RXR, the condition is called hypothyroidism.

Infrared radiation from sunlight also triggers the production of melatonin in your mitochondria. So, when you’re getting sun exposure, you’re accomplishing three very important things.

You’re activating vitamin D, you’re converting vitamin A to its active form, which allows vitamin A to perform its many regulatory functions, and you’re producing melatonin in the mitochondria, which radically reduces oxidative stress in the mitochondrial factories.

As explained by Robbins, vitamin A is a light sensor and vitamin D is a light filter. “It’s a fascinating concept to think of those as parallel yin-yang functions,” he says. “They need to be considered together.”

Being anemic does not automatically mean that you’re iron deficient. You may be deficient in copper. Anemia is really iron dysfunction or dysregulation.
Similarly, iron and copper need to be considered together. “Iron serves at the pleasure of copper enzymes,” Robbins says. If you don’t have copper in your diet, you can’t make hemoglobin and you cannot properly metabolize Iron. So, being anemic does not automatically mean that you’re iron-deficient. You may be deficient in copper. Anemia is really iron dysfunction or dysregulation.

If you’re a farmer or grow your own food, the best way to put copper back into the soil, to get it into the food, is to add copper sulfate. Before you plant, simply spray the soil with copper sulfate, 10 to 15 pounds per acre. Most farmers merely use NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) fertilizer and NPK blocks copper uptake in the plants, which was highlighted by Andre Voisin, Ph.D., in his 1957 classic (which, sadly, is now out of print): “Soil, Grass & Cancer.”

Iron Toxicity Is Likely Your Biggest Health Danger
Unfortunately, the focus on iron loading can be disastrous, as excess iron increases oxidative stress. Robbins explains:

“Iron dysregulation is the elephant in the room. It is front and center of why we have metabolic dysfunction. When we go back into the mitochondria, again, they're not just making energy. They are critical recycling centers. Again, if iron has a terminal destination in the mitochondria, that means it needs to be recycled.

What's it's supposed to be recycled into? It's either going to become a heme group or it's going to become iron sulfur clusters. Those are the two principal sources of using iron in the body, beyond the dominance that hemoglobin plays.

It turns out that to make heme and to make iron sulfur clusters, we've got to have copper. Four of the eight enzymes to make heme are copper dependent and found within the mitochondrial matrix, and the rate limiting variable in making iron sulfur clusters, Glutaredoxin-5, requires copper.

If, in fact, there is a deficiency in copper — which I would argue exists because farming and food processing have lowered copper's presence in the soil and in the food — by virtue of that, the concentration of copper in the mitochondria has changed.

It is lower today than it was 90 years ago. It's been the No. 1 nutrient deficiency on the farm for 80 years. At the same time, what the World Health Organization will tell you is that iron deficiency is the No. 1 nutrient deficiency. Well, those two are connected and they don't know that ...

There are 50,000 atoms of copper in each mitochondrial matrix. That's a big deal. If the copper's not there, then the heme enzymes and the iron sulfur cluster enzymes are not going to work right. Iron is going to start to build in the mitochondria and then ultimately into the tissue.

It's going to go into what's called mitoferrin, a storage locker in the mitochondria, and then it might spill out into the ferritin inside the cell itself. When that starts to build, it's called the labile iron pool (LIP), and labile does not mean happy. It does not mean free. It means REALLY reactive.

It's important to understand what that word means. As that iron is rising, there can be a 40% loss of energy, a 60% loss, 80% loss up to a 94% loss of energy it’s damaging the ETC [electron transport chain] — Complexes 1, 3 and 4. It’s also affecting the ability to work with oxygen. There's just a wholesale breakdown.

In simple terms, it’s rust ... Complex 4 must turn oxygen into water. If that doesn't happen, you're going to create super oxide. That's an oxygen molecule with an extra electron. It's not super, it's actually Hyper-oxide. You're going to create hydrogen peroxide. You're going to create the hydroxyl radical [*OH].

These are violently reactive, and ... it begins to increase the acidity inside the cell. When the cell becomes more acidic, it can't make energy. And that's ultimately what iron is doing. It’s causing this increased acidity because of its reactive nature with oxygen and these proteins in the ETC.”

[B]Why Blood Tests Aren’t Dependable
As noted by Robbins, there’s a big difference between iron deficiency in the blood and iron dysregulation in the mitochondria and in the cell. This is something that’s not adequately understood.

In 2004 biochemist Bruce Ames determined there’s 10 times more iron in the cell than in the blood.3 This means the blood tests we rely on are not accurate. They don’t reveal the whole story of iron metabolism. You need to measure iron activity in several ways, such as:

CBC

Serum zinc

Serum copper

Serum ceruloplasmin

Transferrin percent saturation

Ferritin, Total Iron Binding Capacity, serum iron and hemoglobin

Serum retinol

Where Is Most Iron Stored?
So, where is most of the iron in the body, and what is the most accurate reflection of that? According to Robbins, inside your body, the ideal ratio of iron to copper is, on average, 50-to-1. Ideally, you would have about 5,000 milligrams of iron and about 100 mg of copper in your body.

The highest concentrations of iron, 70%, is in the hemoglobin. So, ideally, in your blood you would have about 3,500 mg of iron, but there is only 1 mg of copper. Now, inside your bone marrow, where blood is actually made, you’d have about 24 mg of iron and 47 mg of copper. Your body is very dependent on copper to make that blood. When copper is deficient, your hemoglobin level will decline.

Robbins cites 2021 research by Yohan Kim and Rocio Perez-Gonzalez that showed when you eliminate copper, iron loading takes place in the liver, and the gene responsible for that is a gene that’s affected by loss of copper.

High Ferritin Is Not a Sign of Iron Sufficiency
So, getting back to the issue of anemia. What does that actually mean? Where is the iron? As explained by Robbins, the iron is stuck, because it can't properly recycle. Ideally, iron isn’t stored but rather continuously recycled. Ferritin is an iron storage protein, which measures iron in the tissues, but not when it shows up in the serum, which is far more important.

Years ago, Robbins asked Dr. Douglas Kell, a world-renowned iron researcher, “What is the ideal ferritin level for a human?” His answer: Zero. Robbins thought he was joking, but he was not. Kell told him, “Rising ferritin is not a sign of iron vitality. It's a sign of organ pathophysiology.”

Unfortunately, few doctors understand this. In conventional medicine, anyone with a ferritin level of 20 is assumed to have iron deficiency. So, how can you properly diagnose what’s going on? Robbins explains:

“Here's how I explained it to the Amish farmers to make sure they understood it. I said, ‘If you want to know how many bales of hay you have in your barn, would you go out in the field and start counting them?' And they went, ‘No.’ Well, that's what they're doing with blood tests.

The ferritin protein is designed to be inside the cell. What Dr. Kell was pointing out is that under intense inflammation, there's a change in how the lysosomes work to break down the ferritin protein and then allow for the recycling of the iron.

We're getting at some really esoteric physiology and I'm going to try to keep it really simple. The narrative is that serum ferritin is an accurate indication of ferritin in the cell. No, it’s not. This idea that looking inside the blood is going to be an indicator of what's happening inside the cell is a leap of faith.

My sweet spot is between 20 and 50. When Dr. Kell said zero, I said, I don't think people would believe me if I said zero. So, I went back into the research and 20 to 50 seems to be an acceptable tolerance. What I've learned is that, in the blood testing, when the serum ferritin for a woman gets above 150, that's when the red flag goes off for women. And when it gets above 300, that's when the red flag goes off for men.

It usually correlates with liver inflammatory activity. And there's some dysregulation, some stressor. It might be diet, it might be just environmental stress, it could be a number of factors ...

And I would argue [iron metabolism] is the most complicated, most sophisticated and least understood part of human physiology. It is not a dipstick function. Iron is not low or high. Iron is either dysregulated or it's functional. And if it doesn't have adequate supplies of copper, you don't have “functional” iron metabolism.

The fact is these two metals don't have separate metabolism. They are joined at the hip of the master antioxidant protein, Ceruloplasmin. That's what gives the metals their integrity. Ceruloplasmin expresses many enzymes but the most important ones are the ones that regulate iron and oxygen.

Copper's the only element on the planet that can manage the two most reactive elements in our body. All the others are kind of the observers, if you will. And so, copper is central to the process of keeping oxidative stress at a moderate level but optimizing energy production.

That's the magic sauce — making sure there's a healthy balance between energy and exhaust, just like there is in our car. We're going to produce exhaust. And so, it's like we've got to be able to optimize both the energy and the exhaust.”

My Clinical Experience
I first became aware of the danger of excess iron over 30 years ago when I diagnosed my dad with hemochromatosis. His ferritin level was close to 1,000. I learned the danger of iron through health and science journalist and radio personality Bill Sardi, who recently passed away. Sardi had recommended an iron chelator called IP6, but I found it was worthless and the only thing that lowered my dad’s ferritin was for him to do blood donations.

My dad had beta thalassemia, which predisposed him to iron accumulation. I inherited that from my father and my ferritin was also in the 100s in the 1980s. Thankfully, I have been relatively aggressive about lowering my iron through regular blood removal, but Robbins helped me understand that there is a huge gap here and we need to be hyperdiligent about keeping our iron levels low.

I used to measure serum ferritin on all my patients and nearly everyone was over 100, which is consistent with Robbins’ observation that this is a major issue for nearly everyone. I used to regularly mention this in my newsletter but have neglected it in recent years. Thanks to Robbins, I now understand just how important this is and will be doing additional articles on how you can lower your iron.

Why Removing Iron Is so Important to Stay Healthy
I had read Robbins’ book and listened to many of his interviews but never really appreciated the main crux of the problem of iron storage. What is typically taught is that you have 5,000 mg (5 grams) of iron in your body. But this number does NOT include iron stored in your tissues.

Robbins explains that we accumulate about 1 mg of iron every day (based on the research of leading Iron biologists), and unless we lose blood, we retain that amount. This is largely related to many of the processed foods being supplemented with dangerous forms of iron like iron fillings. So, by the time you are 65, you may have accumulated over 20,000 mg of storage iron.

This storage iron will radically increase the oxidative stress and tissue damage in your body. It also is one of the most common causes of fatigue because of how it impairs the mitochondrial production of energy.

When you donate a pint or half a liter of blood, you are actually removing 250 mg of iron from your tissue iron. Donating four pints a year is far more than most people do but you can see that if you had 20,000 mg of storage iron, it would take you 20 years of donating blood four times a year to get it down to normal levels.

Although blood donation is one highly effective way to lower your iron, it is not the ideal, as losing 10% of your blood in one sitting can be a problem for many. It is far easier on your system to remove blood in smaller amounts once a month on the schedule I have listed below. If you have congestive heart failure or severe COPD, you should discuss this with your doctor, but otherwise this is a fairly appropriate recommendation for most.

Men

150 ml

Postmenopausal Women

100 ml

Premenopausal Women

50 ml

Most Will Benefit From Blood Donation
As I mentioned above, most adult men and postmenopausal or nonmenstruating women, have excessive iron levels. Fortunately, there’s a simple remedy. Simply donate blood one to four times a year. The more the better. However, four pints is an aggressive schedule and an easier approach to your system is to do it monthly at your home.

I will be doing a future video on this, but all it requires is hiring a phlebotomist to come to your house and drain the appropriate amount of blood as per the chart above. This could be pricey, but if you expand your network of family and friends you may be surprised that you already know someone who is a trained phlebotomist.

According to Robbins, people who donate blood a few times a year wind up living a lot longer because it reduces their iron and associated pathology. Can you imagine if you were donating the equivalent of four pints a year? In my view, it may be the single best way to improve your health.

Your body has no enzyme, no hormone, no active mechanism to address excess iron, other than blood loss, which allows it to leave your body. It's a profoundly basic principle. Robbins cites a famous iron biologist at Indiana University, the late Eugene D. Weinberg, who wrote an influential 2010 article in which he stated that at the first onset of not feeling well, he would donate a pint of blood and invariably feel better.

“What is aging?” Robbins asks. “It's iron accumulation in our eyes, in our hearing, in our hair, in our heart, our liver, our joints. All these conditions of old age are just iron accumulation. Why is it accumulating? Because it's not being recycled. And what's falling as we age? Critical minerals: magnesium drops, copper drops and retinol gets stored.

Retinol is not available in our metabolism. Why? Because it gets stuck in our liver because it's not being attached to the retinol binding protein, so it stays as retinyl esters in the liver and it has no function then.

The other connection that people need to know about is the connection between iron and sugar. There are two axes that run the body: Copper and fat, and iron and sugar, and never the twain shall meet ...

I've read a lot of articles. How many have I found that actually talk about the metabolism of fat in the mitochondria? One. And I think the mitochondria actually are fat organelles. They really prefer fat, but we've been corralled into a diet based on sugar, which is really toxic with iron. Most people don't know that. It's amazing what it does to the chemistry of the cell.”

Summary
To summarize some of the key points, ferritin can generally be used as a crude assessment tool for iron status, with the understanding that it’s not reflective of intercellular iron stores, which is the more important parameter. So, if your ferritin is between 20 and 50, you’re probably in the ballpark.

That said, Robbins warns that ferritin alone should never be used as an assessment of iron status. A far more powerful indicator is to measure your hemoglobin, as it’s a bigger pool of iron and is constantly recycled. High hemoglobin would be suggestive of higher iron content.

If your ferritin is below 20, there may be some serious problems afoot, typically parasites. So, don’t just jump to the conclusion that you have iron deficiency and start taking iron supplements, because iron is one of the most toxic supplements there is. Excessive iron is one of the easiest ways to destroy your health, and most of the iron added to processed foods are problematic as they can be carcinogenic.

“If people understand the importance of lowering the iron footprint and increasing the copper footprint, that produces this access to vitality and longevity that very few people talk about,” Robbins says.

It is important to understand you still need to seriously consider depleting your high iron stores. The only ones who may be safe are those who have been regularly donating blood; probably donating over 20 pints would get you in the safe range.

As for raising your copper intake, it’s best to get your copper from food and not a supplement. Good sources include bee pollen, grass fed beef liver and other organ meats. You also want plenty of saturated fats in your diet, as copper is a fat-soluble mineral. If you don't have fat in your diet, your ability to absorb copper plummets.

Whole food vitamin C can also be helpful, as vitamin C contains an enzyme called tyrosinase, which has 2 atoms of copper in it. Acerola cherry is one excellent source. A single acerola cherry contains about 80 mg of whole food vitamin C. Ascorbic acid is prooxidant, while vitamin C complex is actually an antioxidant. Anything that has copper is going to be antioxidant.

As noted by Robbins, “The antioxidant enzyme capacity is really dependent on available copper, so food-based forms are very important.”

More Information
For more information, be sure to listen to the interview in its entirety, and pick up a copy of “Cu-RE Your Fatigue: The Root Cause and How to Fix It on Your Own.” The book is available in paperback, ebook and audio. You can also learn more on his website, TheRootCauseProtocol.com.

“If people can just lower their iron footprint and increase their focus on nutrient dense food, with a special bias towards the copper, as we've discussed today, it's going to have a significant change in how your body generates energy, and how you feel,” Robbins says. “And if you want to get into the real depth of it, both the book and the website go into more detail.”

Sources and References-
1, 2 The Root Cause Protocol, Morley Robbins
3 Antioxid Redox Signal. 2003 Oct; 5(5): 507–516

meat suit

4th April 2022, 09:21

this is really interesting...

blood letting was common in the old days as a treatment for all sorts.

it might be worth looking into colloidal copper as a supplement, its as easy to make as colloidal silver, and presumably bio available in that form,

Agape

4th April 2022, 10:12

My grandma used to donate her blood to the bank for couple decades of her life as far as I’m aware of and she’s been always strong in her spirits, hard worker, in service to the family and community for life.

On my own life path-as we are all different- I found that my state of perfect and natural health depends mostly on things I can “do without” and the remaining few I can “do with” each time rather than on some elaborate dietary list and list of supplements to add.

Tried the other method too but it may also resolve nearly nothing.

Most of our generation predecessors suffered and died from obesity at some point in their life causing severe metabolic disbalance and further complications to the cardio vascular system.

Sometimes it’s too late to lament. But even people in their 60s and 70s can change and return to state of health IF they consciously choose to do so.

Even then, the condition of overweight bears more severe health impact on every organism longer it lasts, the risks are multiplying.

While current “Big Pharma” attacks custom pockets again and again, ignoring their offers for fast improvement,

I advise categorising your food to “medicinal units” instead
and applying them cautiously in order of the day.

With or in case of increasing air temperatures
hot drinks and foods should be abstained from during the day
to prevent overheating
and may be better eaten in small quantities after sunset hours or later in the evening.

Against all book advice and under extreme weather conditions
follow the temperature read cautiously especially with babies and vulnerable individuals, avoid direct sun exposure if possible.

The ratio of liquids to solid food should not exceed 2 litres: 200 grams of solids
especially during heat waves.

In gist and unless your body is severely adjusted otherwise,
we probably don’t need much more than that.

There is very good meaning in returning to the “essential items” list whenever you feel so inspired. Munching on whatever does not stop you from any kind of work and it should be also invigorating, inspiring and generally the most uplifting form of nourishment.

It’s down at the bottom of your cell metabolism to find what it really needs, to remember it’s last healthy cycle and restart itself “from scratch” and in order to make it happen,
try to remove most of the “outer influences” you’ve or that were given to it during your life time including spices, traditional grains and cereals, milk and diary and so forth.

Once you found your “bottom line “ or “native function” again, start adding items cautiously following your old/new natural tastes and body intelligence, only this time act with better precision - since you have times more information now.

Repeat this process as many times as necessary , don’t give up on patience , as long as you can grab for your healthy native function at the end of the process,
it was worth all the risks and saved thousands of dollars.

In the rather improbable case that you break down in the middle of the process and end up in acute surgery ward, I beg it had to happen anyway and it better happened while you were also prepared and could be saved.

Food has turned to drug and curse of the modern age, followed by health foods and supplements market , they still play us the Hunger Games.

In between the lines I guess

we are still sound & safe.

😀

yelik

4th April 2022, 17:47

Here's the basic Supplements recommended by Dr Lawrence Wilson who's protocols I have followed for quite a few years. He is self funded and has dedicated his life to nutrition and wellbing. Not all supplements are equal - the purity and quality is very important but not easy to identify.

Basically we should pretty much flood our body with nutrients because of poor quality food due to intensive farming practices. Monsters like Gates wants to ban vitamins and minerals - I wonder why

BASIC SUPPLEMENTS
https://www.drlwilson.com/Articles/SUPPLEMENTS-BASIC.htm

Mari

4th April 2022, 19:35

Often overlooked...water.
I believe without adequate hydration, none of the aforementioned vits and minerals would be able to do their job because your body wouldn't be able to assimilate them properly.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/252871.Your_Body_s_Many_Cries_for_Water

mojo

4th April 2022, 19:53

onawah

5th April 2022, 00:18

Glucosamine Chondroitin is the form I've been taking for years, and it makes a huge difference in how I feel. I don't know what I'd do without it.
I sustained lots of damage to my bones and joints in a NDE accident decades ago, so that has been a real issue for me.
I've also been teking fermneted turmeric (from Dr. Mercola) to help with chronic pain; so much safer than BigPharma pain killers!
I have to do it consistently, so I take 2 caps in hot tea at night with lime juice and honey.
Two more of my old standbys are Spirulina (from New Phoenix Rising) --a real superfood,, and fresh aloe vera gel in my morning smoothies (great for inflammation, also anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, partly due to all the oxygen in it).
Plus of course, all the supplements we need especially nowadays since the Plandemic started--Vitamins C & D, Zinc, iodine, NAC & Quercetin.
I'm doing pretty well for somone pushing 75, though I think I have a urinary tract infection now which I got from stupidly buying chicken from my local health food store which is non-GMO, but not organic.
I was too trusting that would be safe, and I think even with all the preventative measures I take, I was still vulnerable to the god-awful infection from chickens. .
The article I posted recently from Dr. Mercola explains why factory farm chicken has become so dangerous, and why the infections it produces are so hard to get rid of.
See: https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?117557-Poisoning-the-Food-Supply&p=1491198&viewfull=1#post1491198
Stay well everyone!

Great idea for a thread! I'm not sure what is missing yet from my healthy regimen and probably everyone is different. But when learning about something helpful I would like to say most of us would be trying it out. That's why I started taking Glucosamine and should have started sooner. Amazing how it helps with joints & bones. If your older please check it out.

mojo

5th April 2022, 00:40

Really appreciate the insight and want to check out your mention of Spirulina as adding more greens would be great. I havent done smoothies but that also sounds really good. For a month now have been on an elliptical daily and shedding fat and recently started focusing on diet. It's awesome, so far no symptoms of my type 2 diabetes.

onawah

5th April 2022, 01:06

Spirulina has so much chlorophyll in it naturally, that if you were to buy as much chlorophyll itself, it would cost much more.
The company I buy from is staffed by a lot of people who were in the original Light Force Spirulina company, which was founded by my late mentor, Dr. Christoper Hills, who first brought spirulina and chlorella to the US, so they know their algae!
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hills
I was getting my aloe leaves for awhile from a local Mexican Market, but something has gone wrong down the line somewhere, and the leaves haven't been fresh, and are therefor less potent.
But I just placed an order with Aloe Labs in Harlingen, Texas, for a 32 lb. box of organic leaves to be shipped to me.
It's pricey buying that way, but I was assured the leaves are fresh and that makes all the difference (I've bought them there before, and they've always been great).
They will keep a month or more if refrigerated, and I wrap them in cotton rags to keep them dry, stacked all together on one shelf.
I don't think the processed aloe products are nearly as effective, though certainly more convenient....
I can practically make an aloe smoothie in my sleep by now...
Here's a quick demo:
Z4fyDZXSRwc

Really appreciate the insight and want to check out your mention of Spirulina as adding more greens would be great. I havent done smoothies but that also sounds really good. For a month now have been on an elliptical daily and shedding fat and recently started focusing on diet. It's awesome, so far no symptoms of my type 2 diabetes.

pyrangello

5th April 2022, 01:59

Magnesium, no more nighttime leg / thigh cramps, nothing like waking up to a cramp in the middle of the night knowing you have 5 minutes of hell about to start. Magnesium stopped that,

Johnnycomelately

5th April 2022, 04:01

Great idea for a thread! I'm not sure what is missing yet from my healthy regimen and probably everyone is different. But when learning about something helpful I would like to say most of us would be trying it out. That's why I started taking Glucosamine and should have started sooner. Amazing how it helps with joints & bones. If your older please check it out.

I agree about the thread.

I learned of and tried glucosamine back when I was regularly hurting my joints doing athletic hobbies. Didn’t work, maybe because joint problems might be different if caused by impact.

I do want to share something else, even though this didn’t seem to work for me either, Moth Lentils. When I messed up my hip joints in my latter 30’s, getting out of kilter on fast downhill runs on pavement, a lady working at a small pizza joint noticed my tortured gait and suggested that. Said that in India, where she was from, they fed that (proportion, dunno) to livestock that had joint problems. Took me 10+ years to check that out, still hurting myself so remembered that, asked an Indian lady what “Mote lentils” are lol.

Since I’m talking about impact to joints, all I have from experience to recommend is to use those joints. The harder and more often, the better. The only time that strategy didn’t work out for me was after I damaged soft tissue adjacent to one of those by-then-OK hip joints, and that was self-imposed too. By the time I got an interview with the doc who subsequently did my replacement, that side was 1/2 in. shorter than the other. He called it “fused”, but it still moved enough to act as the pushing leg for cruising the skateboard.....though walking was 90+ y.o. style. ~8O

Harmony

5th April 2022, 07:17

ExomatrixTV

5th April 2022, 13:06

I use pure & raw biological (non-GMO) CBD oil (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cbd-oil-benefits) pills (does anyone know what nutrients CBD oil has?) ... And I use Curcumin (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=Curcumin) (aka Tumuric (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/)) 1 thee-spoon in a glass of mineral source-water I drink when I just woke up on an empty stomachache ... Bit of Maca (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=Maca) powder added in most of my meals ... Many people do not know that Raw Cacao (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBtWZa2oMok) contains enough natural Magnesium (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-v3XPyyipk) if you drink or eat it once a day! ... I use pink Himalayan Salt (http://www.natural-salt-lamps.com/salt.html) and Cayenne Pepper (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U9gk0QVGaA) every day added to my meal.

<<-- edit update! -->>

CBD oil contains a number of beneficial nutrients. In addition to containing all of the cannabinoids found in the hemp plant (if the extraction level is full spectrum), CBD oil also contains beneficial terpenes and amino acids. Other nutrients in CBD oil include thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folate, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, and manganese. CBD also contains healthy fats, such as Omega 6 fatty acid.

source (https://www.greenwellnesslife.com/nutrients-in-cbd-oil)

I wonder if there are any Avalonians that also uses all the above ... or am I alone in that?

cheers,
John

Mari

5th April 2022, 17:13

Magnesium, no more nighttime leg / thigh cramps, nothing like waking up to a cramp in the middle of the night knowing you have 5 minutes of hell about to start. Magnesium stopped that,

If you have trouble with taking magnesium tablets, as they can alcalise your stomach making digestion difficult for some people, or just don't seem to absorb them, try adding raw cocoa into your diet, it really works. It will give you very absorbable magnsium as well as many other minerals and amino acids.

I can vouch for that - I eat (good) dark chocolate - 85% cocoa solids almost everyday. If that's too strong, then 70% should do it. Has other wonderful benefits too. It has knocked those agonising leg cramps for six.

onawah

5th April 2022, 19:29

Me too, John, except I don't use Cayenne ( hot spices give me acid reflux) and I use Real Salt (from ancient salt beds in Utah) instead of Himalayan.
Avalonian Dennis Leahy, who is an organic famer, did some research on CBD and the best source he found is Lazarus Naturals. https://www.lazarusnaturals.com/product-guide
...which is where I've been getting my CBD.
(They also have a program for low income customers, which I doubt many other vendors do.)
I recently started taking Chaga mushroom from Dr. Mercola. Clif High has been saying lots of good things about Chaga.

I use pure & raw biological (non-GMO) CBD oil (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cbd-oil-benefits) pills (does anyone know what nutrients CBD oil has?) ... And I use Curcumin (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=Curcumin) (aka Tumuric (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/)) 1 thee-spoon in a glass of mineral source-water I drink when I just woke up on an empty stomachache ... Bit of Maca (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=Maca) powder added in most of my meals ... Many people do not know that Raw Cacao (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBtWZa2oMok) contains enough natural Magnesium (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-v3XPyyipk) if you drink or eat it once a day! ... I use pink Himalayan Salt (http://www.natural-salt-lamps.com/salt.html) and Cayenne Pepper (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U9gk0QVGaA) every day added to my meal.

<<-- edit update! -->>

CBD oil contains a number of beneficial nutrients. In addition to containing all of the cannabinoids found in the hemp plant (if the extraction level is full spectrum), CBD oil also contains beneficial terpenes and amino acids. Other nutrients in CBD oil include thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folate, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, and manganese. CBD also contains healthy fats, such as Omega 6 fatty acid.

source (https://www.greenwellnesslife.com/nutrients-in-cbd-oil)

I wonder if there are any Avalonians that also uses all the above ... or am I alone in that?

cheers,
John

Catechism

5th April 2022, 20:59

Terpentine Oil Dr. Jennifer Daniels turpentine discovery .
As she was studying slavery with her children, a cure-all was mentioned. This perked her curiosity. She knew if the slaves had access to a cure-all, it had to be cheap and readily available. She continued to research to find this mystery cure.
https://www.healbygod.com/dr-jennifer-daniels-turpentine/

Mike

5th April 2022, 21:04

mojo

5th April 2022, 22:55

Dennis is an organic farmer? I had no idea. That's awesome!

One supp that's really made a huge change in my life is molecular hydrogen. It's a dissolveable tablet. Just drop it in some water and wa-la...

Nat suggested it. I use the Mercola brand, for what it's worth.

My energy - mental and physical - has really improved. My sleep. My strength. You name it.

Of all the supps I've used over the years, with the exception of coq10, it's had the most impact on my life

Never heard of this before and only think of hydrogen in gas or very cold in liguid form... Can you help explain the benefits?

Mike

5th April 2022, 23:32

mojo

6th April 2022, 01:38

thanks Mike very interesting ie.this part,

Molecular Hydrogen Summary:
Neuroprotective
Most powerful and effective antioxidant known to man
Anti-inflammatory
Protects organs
Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar
Improves a wide variety of diseases

ExomatrixTV

6th April 2022, 13:32

23 Signs Your Body Is Deficient in Nutrients

680401416653407

source (https://www.facebook.com/drericberg/videos/680401416653407)

Mari

6th April 2022, 17:45

onawah

7th April 2022, 01:21

FDA Dangles the Axe over NAC--Action Alert from Alliance for Natural Health
4/6/22
https://anh-usa.org/the-latest-on-nac/
https://anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ANH-logo300.png

"Two important updates on the future of NAC, a critical antioxidant supplement—and why we need to keep fighting for access. Action Alert!

FDA Denies NAC Citizens Petition

Last week, the FDA denied two Citizens Petitions from the supplement industry requesting the agency reach a determination that N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) is included in the definition of a dietary supplement. Recall from our previous coverage that the agency has stated in warning letters to supplement makers that NAC does not meet the definition of a supplement because it was approved as a drug first in 1963.

We, and many others, believe there are many issues with the FDA’s legal arguments that NAC is not a supplement. We think it has a lot to do with recent excitement about NAC in the drug industry: a drug company is investigating NAC as a treatment for a rare genetic disorder that damages the myelin sheath, which insulates nerve cells in the brain. The Phase 1 trial was completed in March 2020. There are 17 trials looking at NAC, in both drug and supplement form, in the treatment of COVID. Additionally, there are over 50 trials looking at NAC for a variety of other conditions. Given these facts, it seems reasonable to assume that the FDA is setting the stage for a new NAC drug to come to market by removing the competition from much cheaper NAC supplements.

FDA Dangles the Axe over NAC

In the same Constituent Update denying the Citizens Petitions, the FDA said it is “considering exercising enforcement discretion” regarding NAC supplements as it decides whether to issue a rulemaking allowing NAC to be a legal supplement. Translation: NAC supplements may be safe from FDA enforcement…for now. But until the legality of NAC supplements is established, the FDA could act at any time to remove them from the market.

Despite this tentative determination, much damage has already been done. Last year Amazon announced its plans to remove NAC supplements from its website. We’ve also heard reports that PayPal will not process payments that contain NAC supplements.

We cannot wait for the FDA to act. We must continue to push Congress to take action to protect NAC.

Action Alert! Tell Congress to protect NAC supplements. Please send your message immediately. https://anh-usa.org/the-latest-on-nac/

(More Medical Tyranny!! Many credible sources of health info have been recommending NAC for protection from COVID and from what the jabbed are transmitting.)

ExomatrixTV

7th April 2022, 02:29

What would be the best way to detox yourself from nano-tech? (like graphene oxide (https://particleandfibretoxicology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12989-016-0168-y))?

Conclusions in 2016 (https://particleandfibretoxicology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12989-016-0168-y):

In the past few years, GFNs have been widely utilized in a wide range of technological and biomedical fields. Currently, most experiments have focused on the toxicity of GFNs in the lungs and livers. Therefore, studies of brain injury or neurotoxicity deserve more attention in the future. Many experiments have shown that GFNs have toxic side effects in many biological applications, but the in-depth study of toxicity mechanisms is urgently needed. In addition, contrasting results regarding the toxicity of GFNs need to be addressed by effective experimental methods and systematic studies. This review provides an overview of the toxicity of GFNs by summarizing the toxicokinetics, toxicity mechanisms and influencing factors and aimed to provide information to facilitate thorough research on the in vitro and in vivo haemo- and biocompatibility of GFNs in the future. This review will help address safety concerns before the clinical and therapeutic applications of GFNs, which will be important for further development of GFNs in biological applications.

source (https://particleandfibretoxicology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12989-016-0168-y)

mojo

15th April 2022, 20:20

I wanted to thank a member that mentioned Magnesium stopped his muscle cramps. I have been taking that supplement for a few months now and realized havent suffered from those agonizing painful calf spasms since starting it. Also I added Quercetin for a few months now. I'm hoping it will be effective against Covid & flu since Ivermectin is still hard to get.

onawah

18th April 2022, 08:12

Action Alert!! Alliance for Natural Health USA
https://anh-usa.org/fdas-major-food-failure/?fbclid=IwAR1O2EqV25bcZA_6PMOEK2ZxeFLQebo-MaHI7WjfJYZBDEx71kJVORkJKNk
4/18/22

"An in-depth analysis reveals deep, structural problems that prevent the FDA from adequately ensuring the safety of our food—so why is the agency attacking supplements? Action Alert!

A major investigation into the FDA’s food safety work from Politico shows a profoundly broken agency unable to do the jobs it has been tasked with.

Some major takeaways from the report include:

The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition lacks clear leadership, “suffers from a deep-seated culture of avoiding hard decisions and has a near paralyzing fear of picking serious fights with the food industry,” (emphasis added).
The FDA has not put standards in place for the water used to grow fresh produce, which were part of a 2011 food safety bill.
The agency has dragged its feet in regulating heavy metals and other contaminants in baby food.
This confirms what ANH has been saying for some time. The FDA defers to the interests of Big Food and Big Pharma, and works to protect their interests. This means undermining and attacking dietary supplements, which compete with drugs. That’s why we see dangerous policies being pursued like mandatory product registration for supplements.

Our previous coverage details everything wrong with mandatory product registration for supplements. The problem is that many of your elected officials in Congress still think this proposal is completely harmless. Even though we know the bottom line is that if it gets approved, more than 41,000 supplements could be removed from the market.

Supporters of this proposal are working quickly behind the scenes so there is no time to lose!

Action Alert! Write to Congress and tell them to oppose “mandatory filing” for supplements. Please send your message immediately. Please also forward this alert to three friends and ask them to act. We need all hands on deck to defeat this proposal being pushed by Senator Durbin!"
https://anh-usa.org/fdas-major-food-failure/?fbclid=IwAR1O2EqV25bcZA_6PMOEK2ZxeFLQebo-MaHI7WjfJYZBDEx71kJVORkJKNk

Trisher

18th April 2022, 10:52

One of the most important things for the body to function properly is to have a healthy gut. I take ION BIOME. It used to be called Restore. This is an ancient soil messenger for healthy gut bacteria and closes the tight junctions against Glyphosate to allow the body to detoxify. It was developed by Zac Bush and it is very effective.

Glf6hSaINY4

onawah

26th April 2022, 21:33

Supplement Bombshell Coming
From Alliance for Natural Health-USA
04/26/2022
https://anh-usa.org/supplement-bombshell-coming/

"Senator Durbin’s (D-IL) supplement regulation threatening 41,000 supplements is moving forward, and on multiple fronts. We must respond immediately. Urgent Action Alert!

For months now, we’ve been telling you about Sen. Durbin’s plan to impose new requirements on dietary supplements. These new requirements threaten more than 41,000 products on the market. If we want to preserve access to the supplements we rely on to stay healthy, we must contact our elected representatives immediately and tell them not to support this policy.

Here’s what we know. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) has agreed to join Sen. Durbin in introducing a bill to require mandatory product registration for supplements; this morning, Sen. Durbin gave a speech introducing the bill on the Senate floor. But that’s not all. Separately, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is independently moving forward with plans to attach mandatory product registration for supplements to the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act that must pass by the end of September. This is a common tactic in Congress to enact policies that could not pass on their own; simply sneak the policy into must-pass legislation and hope no one is paying attention.

As we mentioned previously, powerful forces on multiple fronts are converging to get this policy across the finish line. With Senator Braun, it now has bipartisan support; Senator Murray, HELP Committee Chair, supports it; President Biden supports it; and we know the FDA wants it. Only with a powerful grassroots response can we hope to stop this terrible policy in its tracks.

Our previous coverage details everything wrong with mandatory product registration for supplements. The problem is that many of your elected officials in Congress still think this proposal is completely harmless. Even though we know the bottom line is that if it gets approved, more than 41,000 supplements could be removed from the market.

Why are more supplement regulations such a priority for these federal authorities? Supplements are overwhelmingly safe. According to the FDA, in 2021, the agency received 2,400 adverse event reports related to dietary supplements. To put this in context, according to the FDA’s adverse event database, in 2021 FDA received a total of 2,333,453 adverse event reports. That means that dietary supplements make up 0.1% of the adverse event reports to the FDA. National reports consistently show zero deaths from dietary supplements; according to the FDA’s database, in 2021 alone drugs killed 187,750 Americans. That supplements are the products getting federal attention speaks to the power of the drug industry lobby and the willingness of elected officials and FDA officials to do their bidding.

Your House and Senate members need to hear from you, their constituent, that this proposal is an enormous waste of taxpayer dollars that you don’t want. We need to flood their inboxes with this message to be sure they hear it. Please share this action alert with others who care about natural health and access to supplements and ask them to also reach out to Congress and tell them to oppose this policy!

Supporters of this proposal are working quickly behind the scenes so there is no time to lose!

Action Alert! Write to Congress and tell them to oppose “mandatory filing” for supplements. Please send your message immediately.
Please also forward this alert to three friends and ask them to act.
We need all hands on deck to defeat Durbin." Send letters here: https://anh-usa.org/supplement-bombshell-coming/

Bubu

27th April 2022, 10:44

The only zupplements that I keep coming back to. Are detox herbs. It makes sense when one is living in a place full of toxins

onawah

6th May 2022, 01:06

Durbin Bill Signals End of High-Dose Supplements
By ANH-USA On 05/05/2022
https://anh-usa.org/durbin-bill-signals-end-of-high-dose-supplements/
Alliance for Natural Health ACTION ALERT

"Powerful forces, including Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bill Gates, and the National Academies, are working to bring about supplement bans. We must stop them. Action Alert!

Relative to the rest of the world, the US consumer has access to a wide range of supplements at a variety of dosage levels. This includes higher doses which are often used by integrative doctors to regenerate our health. That could all change if Sen. Durbin’s newly-introduced mandatory product listing bill for supplements gets enacted by Congress. History has shown that Sen. Durbin’s end game is to target high-dose supplements because he tried to do this in previous versions of this bill. This is in line with supplement bans being devised in the European Union, which is setting draconian restrictions on the maximum level of nutrients supplements can deliver. We must act now to avert this disaster.

An analysis of a previous iteration of Sen. Durbin’s bill in 2013 is telling. It had two sections. The first was similar to his current bill, mandating that supplement companies register all of their products with the FDA, submitting a description of each product, a list of ingredients, and a copy of the label. But the second section called on the Department of Health and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to create a list of supplement ingredients that could cause “potentially serious adverse events.”

NASEM, known previously as the Institute of Medicine, has already developed levels above which they believe nutrients can cause adverse events (referred to as tolerable upper levels, or “ULs”). This was done decades ago. It seems obvious, then, that Sen. Durbin intends for his bill to be used to eliminate high-dose supplements; this second section was omitted in the current bill, but we believe his intent and long-term plan is the same. In fact, the new version of the bill specifically requires companies to submit the amount per serving of ingredients and the percent of the daily value of each ingredient, if such information is required by other regulations.

It’s a one-two punch: companies are required to register all their products with the FDA, giving the agency a list that can be referenced when maximum levels of nutrients are set for supplements under the guise of preventing “potentially serious adverse events.” The FDA can then eliminate these products at the drop of a hat.

The situation in Europe provides the blueprint. Europe’s march toward banning high-dose supplements has been going on for decades. The intention of EU law is to implement EU-wide, harmonized limits on maximum levels of vitamins and minerals in supplements. While EU authorities pursue that goal, individual member countries have issued their own restrictions on high-dose supplements. For example, Germany has decreed that magnesium supplements cannot contain more than 250mg of magnesium. Similar maximum limits have been created for a number of other nutrients in several countries, including Italy, France, Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

If you think that this can’t happen in the US, think again. The maximum permitted levels in nutrients created by European authorities are derived from ULs. The framework is already in place for US regulators to do exactly what some European countries have done in restricting dosages based on ULs. “Harmonization” of nutrient levels permitted in supplements is coming. All of the pieces are falling into place to eliminate the supplements that compete with drug companies.

This isn’t just speculation. In 2018, at the request of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NASEM convened a workshop to “assess methodological approaches that could be applied uniformly across countries in setting nutrient intake recommendations.” The big players, like the pharmaceutical giants and the supplement companies they own, want global harmonization because it makes it easier to do business. These discussions are being had, hidden behind layer upon layer of bureaucracy. This is a very real threat.

Why should we care about maximum permitted levels, like magnesium being capped at 250mg in supplements? Magnesium supplements in the US are very commonly sold at dosages above 250mg; 400 and 500mg capsules are routinely available. Without these higher dosages, it would be difficult to take advantage of the many therapeutic effects of high dose magnesium. Take hypertension, for example. A meta-analysis found supplementation with magnesium at an average of 410mg a day for 11 months significantly reduced blood pressure, with an even greater effect at higher doses.

Additionally, Germany’s limit on magnesium was devised without consideration of the different forms of magnesium, the different effects they produce, and with a flawed risk assessment model that ignores benefits—subjects we will return to in the future.

All of this signals the main purpose behind these ridiculous supplement restrictions: governments, beholden to pharmaceutical interests, do not want consumers using affordable, safe natural products for disease prevention and treatment; they want you buying expensive and dangerous drugs that make you sick but lots of other people very rich.

We cannot emphasize this point enough. If European-style standards come to the US, thousands of products would immediately be banned, a project made even easier by Sen. Durbin’s bill. This would be a disaster for public health. As we will elaborate in future articles, high-dose supplements are required to derive therapeutic benefits from nutrients. Government regulators seem unable, or unwilling, to grasp this fact.

The threat of Durbin’s mandatory FDA registration is urgent. Members of Congress do not understand the problems stemming from this mandate. They are currently considering attaching this proposal to the must-pass prescription drug user fee legislation. This could become law in a matter of a couple months if we don’t ensure that Congress understands why this is such a bad idea. We need to act now to preserve our freedom to stay healthy, naturally.

Action Alert! Write to Congress and tell them to oppose Sen. Durbin’s bill and mandatory product listing for dietary supplements. Please send your message immediately."

https://anh-usa.org/durbin-bill-signals-end-of-high-dose-supplements/

Inversion

16th May 2022, 14:54

I had a small bruise on my right bicep and it wasn't healing. I stopped taking my morning vitamins and protein drink and it healed quickly. I'm thinking that whatever they've done is having an opposite effect. About 25 years ago I purchased a powdered product called Ricotrine (not sure of the spelling and I couldn't find a reference to it on the net). It was a green powder derived from rice husk. Women in Indian would go to the factories to get the husk if their babies got sick. It's loaded with vitamins and nutrients.

mojo

16th May 2022, 19:41

The possibility of someone infiltrating the food industry is maybe 98%? The same with the companies making baby formula, it is even worst. I do not doubt that the evil cabal POS are on a mission to depopulate the World and if they created a poison jab they will do anything. And, Bill Gates is big into PHARMA & FOOD supply. We absolutely need to clean out the institutions and get better oversight. Yet I will not live in fear, my journey with supplements started a year ago and personally know some have helped greatly. Our food supply has lost nutrient values for sure so I guess what I changed is reading the bottles of the supplements better and finding out where they are made. Used to have Spring Valley supplements until finding out they were made in China. One of the greatest changes realized personally is that Magnesium supplement stopped my muscle cramps.

onawah

16th May 2022, 20:04

You do have to be careful of what brands you use.
(Anything that WalMart carries is likely to be junk.)
I get most of my supplements from Vitacost.
They have a huge variety of brand names and items to choose from, and if you buy $49 worth, you get free shipping.
Their prices are much better than buying locally, and I can usually get everything I need with one monthly purchase, including various consumables, personal care and household products as well.
Their service is excellent, and they have frequent sales.
If you sign in, load up your shopping cart and then just leave it for a few days, they will email you with a 10% discount offer if you make the purchase.

Our food supply has lost nutrient values for sure so I guess what I changed is reading the bottles of the supplements better and finding out where they are made. Used to have Spring Valley supplements until finding out they were made in China.

onawah

25th May 2022, 01:31

FDA Backs Glutathione Ban
By ANH-USA
05/19/2022
https://anh-usa.org/fda-backs-glutathione-ban/

https://anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/handcuffed-practitioner.jpeg

"The threat to this critical medicine deepens. We have to act fast to protect glutathione. Action Alert! Sign here: https://anh-usa.org/action-center/

Ahead of the June 8th meeting of an FDA advisory committee, the FDA has released its own recommendation for whether glutathione should be permitted to be made at specialized pharmacies for individual patients—and the news isn’t good. The agency has recommended that compounded glutathione be banned from pharmacy compounding. We need to work fast to make sure the FDA and its committee knows that patient health will be harmed if we do not have access to compounded glutathione.

In its materials released ahead of the June 8th meeting of its Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (PCAC), the FDA explains its reasoning for backing a ban on compounded glutathione. The FDA cites safety issues with glutathione, including hepatoxicity, or damage to the liver. Huh? Is the FDA aware that n-acetylcysteine (NAC), which tells the body to make glutathione, is the standard treatment for acetaminophen poisoning—which causes liver injury? What is the FDA thinking?

The FDA doesn’t appear to be concerned about the common drugs on the market that can also lead to liver injury, like many antibiotics (amoxicillin-clavulanate, flucloxacillin, sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim, and erythromycin) and NSAIDs (diclofenac, Ibuprofen). In fact, the FDA has an entire database of drugs known to cause liver injury with over 1,000 entries.

This exposes what a sham the FDA’s process is. The precursor to glutathione is used to treat drug-induced liver injury in hospitals, and glutathione is being banned…because it damages the liver? It doesn’t pass the sniff test. This supports our theory from the start: the FDA is doing whatever it can to protect drug industry profits. We reported previously on the wide range of uses for glutathione—and that’s the problem. Because it is so useful for such a variety of conditions, it competes with and threatens the financial viability of lots of different drugs. Here comes FDA, once again, to save Big Pharma’s bacon and the expense of patients.

Your ability to use individualized glutathione to stay healthy is in jeopardy. An FDA committee that has already voted to ban many natural medicines from being made at specialized pharmacies is meeting soon to help decide the fate of glutathione. A glutathione ban would be a disaster. It has a wide variety of medical applications, and there is no commercially available glutathione drug, so a ban would mean loss of access.

The FDA and the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (PCAC) need to hear from patients about why we need to have access to this critical treatment. Write to Congress, the FDA, and PCAC, urging them to retain consumer access to personalized glutathione!
We need a strong response from patients to show the FDA and PCAC that people care about and need access to this medicine. We encourage advocates to add a personal story if you have one when filling out the action alert below

Action Alert! Post a message to regulations.gov defending glutathione; you will also send a message to the FDA, PCAC, and Congress. Please send your message immediately. GO TO:
https://anh-usa.org/action-center/

onawah

26th May 2022, 23:49

Turmeric and Curcumin are discussed starting here: https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?118687-Turmeric--Curcumin--New-Research-Is-Game-Changing-&p=1499939&viewfull=1#post1499939

onawah

27th May 2022, 03:42

Action Alert--Feds Colluding Against Supplements/ FDA: No More Detox
5/26/22
From Alliance for Natural Health USA via votervoice.net https://anh-usa.org/what-if-durbin-gets-his-way/
Go here to read more and take action here: https://anh-usa.org/action-center/
"A well-organized, coordinated campaign from the FDA and Big Pharma is threatening access to the supplements you depend on. Using the false premise that supplements are unsafe, the FDA is working to gain more power over the regulation of supplements in order to further solidify Big Pharma’s monopoly over medicine. These efforts must be opposed.
Write to Congress and tell them to oppose efforts to establish a "mandatory filing" for supplements."
https://anh-usa.org/action-center/

mojo

27th May 2022, 19:12

Just crushed my finger trying to repair my elliptical. The muscle and bone exposed. Is there any herbs for trauma & healing tissue?

Unicorn

27th May 2022, 19:33

Just crushed my finger trying to repair my elliptical. The muscle and bone exposed. Is there any herbs for trauma & healing tissue?

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is used for muscular and bone trauma. And among the Bach flowers remedies, Star of Bethlehem is the choice.

Hoping your quick recovery

onawah

4th June 2022, 06:49

LAST CHANCE to Protect Glutathione!
By Alliance for Natural Health-USA
06/03/2022
https://anh-usa.org/last-chance-to-protect-glutathione/

"The clock is ticking for us to demonstrate massive grassroots opposition to a ban on compounded glutathione. Act now! Action Alert!

On Wednesday, June 8th, an FDA advisory committee is meeting to discuss whether glutathione can continue to be made at compounding pharmacies. The FDA has already suggested that the committee recommend a ban. The deck is stacked against glutathione and other natural medicines; we have to mount a substantial grassroots response to protect this critical antioxidant.

Our previous articles over the last few weeks detail the tremendous health benefits of glutathione. It helps with cancer treatment, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, pulmonary disease, immune enhancement, autism spectrum disorder, COVID-19, headaches, detoxification, and more. The main reason glutathione can have help with such a diverse array of conditions is its role in reducing oxidative stress—an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants.

Compounded glutathione is especially critical. Glutathione is not absorbed well when taken in oral supplement form; that’s why many integrative doctors opt for compounded forms which can be delivered through intravenous, intranasal, or sublingual administration. There are no commercial versions of glutathione in these forms, so an FDA ban would mean loss of access to all of these forms.

In detailing its reasoning for backing a ban on glutathione, the FDA cites safety issues. The FDA cites safety issues with glutathione, including hepatoxicity, or damage to the liver. Is the FDA aware that n-acetylcysteine (NAC), which tells the body to make glutathione, is the standard treatment for acetaminophen poisoning—which causes liver injury? What is the FDA thinking?

Further, the FDA’s adverse event reporting system lists 114 total adverse events from glutathione between 1991 and 2022. That’s an average of just under 4 adverse events per year. As with any medicine, there is always the possibility of side effects, particularly when that medicine is used irresponsibly. But 4 adverse events a year? What FDA-approved drug can boast such a safety profile? Tecfidera is considered a safer drug for multiple sclerosis; it averages 11,789 adverse events per year. Tylenol, for which there is adverse event data all the way back to 1970, averages 462 adverse events per year.

We cannot let this happen. If the FDA’s advisory committee votes to ban glutathione, it is a certainty that the FDA will issue a proposed rule to ban glutathione along with other natural medicines it doesn’t like. As we’ve argued elsewhere, we believe the FDA is doing all of this to protect drug industry profits. Glutathione is a threat to the drugs that treat the disease conditions mentioned above. In fact, there are several clinical trials that are looking, or have already looked at, glutathione to treat Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, cystic fibrosis, HIV infection, COVID-19, and more.

Action Alert! Go to the link to post a message to regulations.gov defending glutathione; you will also send a message to the FDA, PCAC, and Congress. Please send your message immediately."

https://anh-usa.org/last-chance-to-protect-glutathione/

onawah

17th June 2022, 19:28

Action Alert! Senate Committee Passes Bill with Mandatory Supplement Listing
Alliance for Natural Health
06/16/2022
https://anh-usa.org/senate-committee-passes-bill-with-mandatory-supplement-listing/

"Supplement restrictions are moving forward in Congress. Lawmakers need to hear that this is a bad idea. Action Alert!

This week, the Senate HELP Committee voted to approve its FDA user fee bill with mandatory dietary supplement product listing attached.

Requiring supplement companies to register all of their products with the FDA sounds innocuous but will have far-reaching, negative effects on your supplement access. This policy is being spear-headed by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), and we believe his ultimate goal is to eliminate higher dosages of supplements, as is being done in Europe. You can read more about the damage this policy will do to your supplement choices here, here, here, and here.

During the committee markup, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) offered the only supplement related amendment, which aimed to ensure this unnecessary regulatory burden wouldn’t expose supplement company trade secrets. Unfortunately, the amendment failed as committee Republicans supported it and Democrats opposed it. We expect the bill to receive a full Senate vote soon, so it is critical to let your Senators know we do not want mandatory supplement listing included.

The House has already passed its version of the FDA user fee bill, which does not include mandatory supplement listing. As a result of the differences, the House and Senate will have to reconcile their bills.

ANH will be letting Congress know we want to follow the House version and do not want mandatory supplement listing included in the final bill.

We have to oppose this terrible policy that will restrict consumer choice.

Action Alert! Write to Congress and tell them to oppose mandatory product registration for supplements. Please send your message immediately."

Take action here: https://anh-usa.org/senate-committee-passes-bill-with-mandatory-supplement-listing/

This is the message that will be sent:
"I urge you to oppose S.4090 and attempts to attach supplement mandatory product listing to drug user fee reauthorization legislation.

The FDA wants to register all supplements with dosage information so they can easily identify and wipe out high-dosage supplements as has been done in Europe. These doses are needed so consumers can reap the benefits of vitamins and minerals.

If anyone doubts this, look at the previous version of the bill. It is spelled out there.

"Registration" can also easily lead to pre-approval. Then supplements will cost as much as drugs.

There are also jail sentences for non-compliance. Why criminalize health products?

The NIH has already spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars creating its own supplement product label database. If only a database is wanted, why another?

Supplements are already regulated. The FDA can withdraw any for real cause. They are also overwhelmingly safe. In 2021, the FDA received 2.3mm adverse event reports. Only 0.1% related to supplements. They are also an American growth industry.

Please oppose mandatory dietary supplement product listing."

onawah

24th June 2022, 16:09

Are your “organic” supplements clean?
From:Nick Pineault np@theemfguy.com
6/24/22
https://supplementsrevealed.com/ebook-vitamins/?a_aid=emf&a_bid=4ab8460a

(This looks time consuming, but will probably have some good info. Sometimes they will offer transcripts with these docuseries, so that you can skim through to find what you want, instead of having to watch the videos from start to finish. In any case, the booklet is free if you sign up for the free docuseries. And they aren't selling any brand of supplements.)

"Download your FREE copy of
Vitamin Buying Guide: What Every Multivitamin User Needs to Know...
Do you know the most important supplements you should be taking?
Or how about the problem with many “vegetarian” or “organic” supplements?
Get the answer to these questions and much more in your free copy today…

ADDITIONAL BONUS: You have qualified for a special FREE airing of the new Supplements Revealed 2022 docuseries presented by Health Answers. Get your free guide book AND access this groundbreaking series now…"
Sigh up here: https://supplementsrevealed.com/ebook-vitamins/?a_aid=emf&a_bid=4ab8460a

If you just want the free ebook it's here: https://supplementsrevealed.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Vitamin-Buying-Guide-2022.pdf

mojo

24th June 2022, 19:55

I just ordered a food blender and planning on making smoothies. I have never made them before and know Im behind the curve... But you can teach an old dog new tricks!

onawah

29th June 2022, 01:28

The ads for this docuseries stated they were not not selling a brand of supplements, but the very first speaker is touting the brand that he created. It's probably a relatively good one (though probably quite expensive too) but still...:facepalm:
That episode is airing today for free here: https://supplementsrevealed.com/e1-akg/
Over 2 hours of this doctor (with a huge ego) going on and on (lots about himself), but you have to buy the whole series to get the time-saving transcripts.
Very frustrating to me that these kinds of docuseries usually have some good info, but their chief motive is obviously profit.

Are your “organic” supplements clean?
From:Nick Pineault np@theemfguy.com
6/24/22
https://supplementsrevealed.com/ebook-vitamins/?a_aid=emf&a_bid=4ab8460a

(This looks time consuming, but will probably have some good info. Sometimes they will offer transcripts with these docuseries, so that you can skim through to find what you want, instead of having to watch the videos from start to finish. In any case, the booklet is free if you sign up for the free docuseries. And they aren't selling any brand of supplements.)

"Download your FREE copy of
Vitamin Buying Guide: What Every Multivitamin User Needs to Know...
Do you know the most important supplements you should be taking?
Or how about the problem with many “vegetarian” or “organic” supplements?
Get the answer to these questions and much more in your free copy today…

ADDITIONAL BONUS: You have qualified for a special FREE airing of the new Supplements Revealed 2022 docuseries presented by Health Answers. Get your free guide book AND access this groundbreaking series now…"
Sigh up here: https://supplementsrevealed.com/ebook-vitamins/?a_aid=emf&a_bid=4ab8460a

If you just want the free ebook it's here: https://supplementsrevealed.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Vitamin-Buying-Guide-2022.pdf

(If I was going to recommend a brand of supplements, I would recommend Dr. Mercola's. He goes to great lengths and at risk to himself to get the truth out about supplements, health, and other vital information, which is why he is often censored. I trust his integrity. )

mojo

29th June 2022, 01:58

Made my first smoothie today. Put carrots in and made if very pulpy, but at least getting lots of fiber. Also past the 16 week cardio regimen and was sweating considerably over a liter and never realized people usually lack Potassium after sweating a lot and of course salt as well, but we usually get plenty of salt in our diets but not so Potassium.

onawah

29th June 2022, 02:55

It's hard to get all the nutrients you need if you are ingesting a lot of pulp.
I recommend the Omega Masticating Juicers. They start as low as $150.
The motors in these things are awsome. I had my first one for 10 years and I used it twice daily, fruit juice on the am, vegie in the pm.
I'm on my seond one now, and still using some of the parts from the first one.

See: https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/omega-h3000r%20horizontal-slow-juicer-in-black/5483645?
skuId=69533103&enginename=bing&mcid=PS_bing_nonbrand_kitchenelectrics_Online&product_id=69533103&adtype=&product_channel=Online&adpos=&creative=&device=c&matchtype=e&network=o&msclkid=8579ed07d2a41c1e111c8fbc6cb4f06c&wmSkipPwa=true

Made my first smoothie today. Put carrots in and made if very pulpy, but at least getting lots of fiber. Also past the 16 week cardio regimen and was sweating considerably over a liter and never realized people usually lack Potassium after sweating a lot and of course salt as well, but we usually get plenty of salt in our diets but not so Potassium.

onawah

19th July 2022, 19:37

Big Pharma Wants to Put an End to Vitamins and Supplements
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
July 19, 2022
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2022/07/19/supplement-industry-big-pharma.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20220719&mid=DM1217334&rid=1552669987
1LAXE_kN4pU

"STORY AT-A-GLANCE
One of the latest attempts to thwart your ability to access nutritional supplements comes in the form of draft legislation that would require premarket approval for dietary supplements.
In short, it would require supplements — which are food — to undergo the same approval process as drugs
In the past, the drug industry and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has tried to ban certain supplements, including vitamin B6 and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), by reclassifying them as new drugs
Another strategy the drug industry has been using to gain a monopoly over the supplement industry is to buy up supplement brands.
Just 14 mega corporations — many of them drug companies — now own more than 100 of the most popular supplement brands on the market
This monopoly over the supplement industry gives drug companies enormous regulatory influence, and that’s a way by which they could eliminate independent supplement makers who can’t afford to put their products through the drug approval process.
Indeed, it seems that’s what the Durbin-Braun premarket approval proposal is trying to accomplish
Take action to protect widespread access to dietary supplements.
Contact your Senators and urge them to oppose the Dietary Supplement Listing Act of 2022, and its inclusion in the FDA Safety Landmark Advancements Act

In the video above Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director for the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), interviews Gretchen DuBeau, the executive and legal director for the Alliance for Natural Health, who in addition to being a lawyer also has a master's degree in applied healing arts, talk about Big Pharma's efforts to eliminate one of its greatest competitors, namely nutritional supplements.

One of the latest attempts to thwart your ability to access nutritional supplements comes in the form of draft legislation that would require premarket approval for dietary supplements. In short, it would require supplements to undergo the same approval process as drugs.

The Durbin-Braun Premarket Approval Proposal
A discussion draft of the legislation was released by the United States Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) in mid-May 2022. As reported by Vitamin Retailer:1

"On May 17 [2022], the United States Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) released a discussion draft of its legislation to reauthorize FDA user fees for drugs, biologics and medical devices package, which includes the controversial and divisive Durbin-Braun premarket approval concept and more that would be damaging to the industry, according to the Natural Products Association (NPA).2

'The NPA is significantly concerned with Chair Murray and Republican Leader Burr who failed to reject the radical and dangerous legislation from Senators Durbin and Braun that would require premarket approval for dietary supplements and weaken key privacy protections of the Bioterrorism Act, which protects the dietary supplement supply chain,' said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D. president and CEO of the NPA.

'Last time I checked, dietary supplements are not drugs, biologics or medical devices, so why Congress or anyone supporting nongermane legislation that will only add costs to consumers who are doing all they can to stay healthy is extremely troubling.

Groups who [sic] have supported this legislation, have stated there are protections for technical disagreements with the FDA like those with hemp, CBD, NAC, and several other products. However, if this legislation were to pass, it is abundantly clear these products would be eliminated from the market.'"

For years, the drug industry, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's support, has tried to get nutritional supplements off the market. One of the most often used tactics has been to try to reclassify them as drugs.

Usually, they would target specific nutrients that stood in their way of profits, but legislation such as the Durbin-Braun premarket proposal would allow the drug industry to monopolize the market in one fell swoop.

Big Pharma Tried to Ban Vitamin B6
The fight over vitamin B6 (pyroxidine) is one example of how Big Pharma tried to eliminate a natural substance that stood in the way of a drug patent. In 2007, Medicure Pharma submitted a citizen's petition to the FDA in which it argued that any dietary supplement containing pyridoxal 5'-phosphate — vitamin B6 — were "adulterated" under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, article 402(f).3

In essence, Medicure wanted all vitamin B6 products banned, because they undermined the company's incentive to continue development of it's drug version of B6.

Medicure had gotten wise to vitamin B6's effectiveness against ischemia (inadequate blood flow), and decided to make a drug out of it by simply renaming the vitamin "MC-1." They entered it into the drug bank and then argued that B6 supplements contained "their" MC-1. The drug bank even admits the renamed vitamin B6, i.e., MC-1, is:4

"... a biologically active natural product which can be regarded as a chemical entity that has been evolutionarily selected and validated for binding to particular protein domains."

The main reason why drug companies engage in this kind of sleight of hand is because once a substance is classified as a drug, you can jack up the price by 1,000% over the supplement's typical retail.5

FDA Cracking Down on NAC
Perhaps the most recent example of the FDA trying to shut down easy access to nutritional supplements was its 2020 attack on N-acetylcysteine (NAC). NAC has been a widely-used dietary supplement for six decades, yet the FDA suddenly decided to crack down on it in late July 2020 — right after it was discovered how useful it was for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.6

According to the FDA, NAC was excluded from the definition of a dietary supplement because it had been approved as a new drug in 1963.7 But if that was the case, why did they wait until 2020 to take action?

As reported by NPI at the time,8 there were more than 1,170 NAC-containing products in the National Institutes of Health's Dietary Supplement Label Database when the FDA started sending out warning letters9 to companies that marketed NAC as a remedy for hangovers.

Members of the Council for Responsible Nutrition also worried the FDA might start to target NAC more widely. So far, that hasn't happened, but Amazon immediately stopped selling all NAC products after those warning letters went out, whether the sellers marketed it as a hangover remedy or not.

Also, the selection of "hangover" for those warning letters seemed arbitrary at best. The fact is that several scientists had called attention to NAC's benefits against COVID, and shortly afterward, the FDA came up with this ridiculous excuse to limit the availability of it. It just smacked of conflict of interest.

Another Way Big Pharma Is Seeking to Take Over
Another strategy the drug industry has been using to gain a monopoly over the supplement industry is by simply buying up supplement brands. Nestlé Health Science, for example, has acquired Garden of Life, Vital Proteins, Nuun, Pure Encapsulations, Wobenzym, Douglas Laboratories, Persona Nutrition, Genestra, Orthica, Minami, AOV, Klean Athlete and Bountiful.10

Bountiful, in turn, owns brands like Solgar, Osteo Bi-Flex, Puritan's Pride, Ester-C and Sundown, all of which are now under Nestlé's control. The Bountiful brands alone generated net sales of $1.87 billion in the 12 months ending March 31, 2021, so the $5.75 billion agreement to acquire a majority stake, signed in August 2021, didn't necessarily burn a big hole in Nestlé's pocket. According to J.P. Morgan analyst Celine Pannuti, quoted by Natural Products Insider:11

"Through the acquisition of The Bountiful Co., Nestlé can build a 'leading position' in the 'fragmented category' for vitamins, minerals and supplements, which 'has delivered the highest and most consistent growth in consumer health care over the past 10 years.'"

The 'Free Market Competition' Lie
In all, a mere 14 mega corporations — many of them drug companies — now own more than 100 of the most popular supplement brands on the market. The graphic below is from Neal Smoller, PharmD, the holistic pharmacist's website.12

It doesn't show the ownership of all available brands, but it gives you an idea of just how small the ownership circle has become. As noted by Smoller, many competing brands are even owned by the same corporation, rendering the notion of free market competition null and void.

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2022/July/14-mega-corporations.jpg

Importantly, owning the lion's share of supplement companies puts the drug industry in a unique position to get rid of them whenever they so desire. They could intentionally make the company tank simply by cutting advertising, for example. Cutting quality could have a similar effect, while simultaneously cheating customers who rely on dietary supplements for optimal nutrition and health.

Most important of all, however, this monopoly over the supplement industry gives drug companies enormous regulatory influence, and that's a way by which they could eliminate independent supplement makers who can't compete financially. Indeed, that seems to be what the Durbin-Braun proposal is all about.

Supplements Have Phenomenal Safety Profiles
This new proposed legislation would technically ban most supplements, as few supplement makers have the financial resources required to meet drug approval requirements. The only ones with pockets deep enough to do that would be the mega-corporations.

Putting vitamins and nutrients through the drug evaluation and approval process would automatically eliminate many supplements from the market and result in higher retail prices for whatever remains. It would also allow drug companies to rename basic nutrients, label them drugs, and jack up the price even further.

We cannot let this happen. Dietary supplements are FOOD, plain and simple. They should not be treated as drugs, which must undergo rigorous testing to evaluate effects and safety. Supplements have a long history of near-spotless safety and don't need drug-style testing.

Supplements Are the Safest Foodstuffs Available
Deaths associated with use of dietary supplements are extremely rare compared to the death toll from prescription drugs, yet supplements are routinely singled out as being potentially dangerous,13,14 either due to lack of testing, lack of regulation or both. The thing is, supplements don't need safety testing, as they are food, and they are, in fact, fully regulated.

In 2015, CBC News published a Marketplace report15 in which they claimed a number of supplement makers had ripped off customers by failing to live up to the claims on their labels. Two months later, they had to retract the report,16 when it was proven their tests were inaccurate. That's just one example of how the pharma-owned media tries to give supplements a bad rap.

Nutritional supplements are the safest foodstuffs available; adverse reactions to pharmaceutical drugs are 62,000 times more likely to kill you than nutritional supplements.
Meanwhile, in the real world, not a single death has ever been reported as a direct result of taking a supplement. On the contrary, data provided in a 2012 report by the UK-based Alliance for Natural Health International (ANHI), showed nutritional supplements are the safest foodstuffs available.

Your risk of dying from an herbal product or dietary supplement is less than 1 in 10 million, comparable to your risk of being killed by lighting. ANHI also calculated that adverse reactions to pharmaceutical drugs are 62,000 times more likely to kill you than nutritional supplements.17

So, the one thing that can be conclusively said about supplements is that they may be the safest category of any consumable product. On the whole, junk food and drugs are FAR more likely to harm or kill you.

What's more, lack of human trials does not mean supplements are unregulated. They're regulated by both the FDA18 and the Federal Trade Commission19 (FTC). The FDA regulates the finished product and individual ingredients, while the FTC regulates the advertising of supplements. So, while not regulated as drugs, but rather as a food, they are fully regulated.

Take Action NOW to Protect Your Supplements From Disappearing
As noted by NPA president and CEO, Daniel Fabricant:20

"The war is far from over. We need America's health and wellness advocates to continue writing their members of Congress through the NPA Action Center. Grassroots involvement over the coming weeks is absolutely critical to defeating this radical and dangerous proposal."

I join Fabricant in urging you to contact your senators and urge them to oppose the Dietary Supplement Listing Act of 2022, and its inclusion in the FDA Safety Landmark Advancements Act. A list of contact numbers can be found here. https://www.npanational.org/senator-contact-list/
On that same page, the NPA also has a sample script with key talking points.

If you take supplements and you want to continue the freedom to take them in the future, it is VITAL that if you live in the U.S. that you let you representatives know. Not only would I email them in the link below (be sure to customize it and change it) but I would also call your representatives! It worked previously and will work now, but you need to be involved.
https://anh-usa.org/action-center/

Alternatively, you can take action by sending an email. The Alliance for Natural Health makes it easy on SaveSupplements.com. Phone calls are more effective, but if for some reason you don't want to call, Alliance for Natural Health has created a prewritten email that will be automatically sent to the U.S. president, senators and representatives.

- Sources and References
1, 20 Vitamin Retailer May 23, 2022
2 NPA National May 17, 2022
3, 5 Online Holistic Health January 5, 2012
4 Drug Bank MC-1
6 Researchgate, April 2020 [Preprint]
7 New Hope Network April 27, 2022
8 Natural Products Insider August 11, 2020
9 FDA.gov July 29, 2020
10, 11 Natural Products Insider August 9, 2021
12 Dr. Neal Smoller March 30, 2018
13 Alliance for Natural Health October 15, 2015
14 NewHope360 January 20, 2016
15 CBC News Marketplace Report November 20, 2015
16 CBC January 21, 2016
17 Nutraingredients July 11, 2012
18 FDA Regulation of Dietary Supplements
19 Federal Trade Commission, Dietary Supplements: An Advertising Guide for Industry

mojo

19th July 2022, 19:46

Really appreciate this thread.... was reading about exercise and sweating and found out that, not only is Sodium released in our sweat but a good amount of Potassium. This is another nutrient that our bodies are needing that's in short supply even more than you get in things like bananas. Bananas are high in Potassium but they only supply 10% of bodily needs. I also added Spirulina to my smoothie. I wonder if Spirulina powder is active/alive as the container says keep out of sun or heat.

onawah

19th July 2022, 19:52

They say “Multivitamins are a waste of money”—REALLY??
By ANH-USA Alliance for Natural Health
07/12/20220
https://anh-usa.org/they-say-multivitamins-are-a-waste-of-money-really/?fbclid=IwAR2orSsbahgUO5ctWSbUSQBd_YfwIhpJtax9qnBvy9HbS7iuZ_5158eaF74

"Multivitamins containing most of the essential vitamins and minerals at doses that provide greater than 100% of the RDA are the most commonly used dietary supplements; approximately 1/3 of US adults takes one or another formulation.

But the bloom is off the rose with major press outlets declaring:

“Multivitamins are a waste of money for most people”—Study Finds
“Multivitamins continue to disappoint”—Sydney Morning Herald
“Multivitamins and Supplements—Benign Prevention or Potentially Harmful Distraction?”—JAMA
One of their themes is that gullible people will take multivitamins as a bulwark against all misfortune while engaging in unhealthy diet and lifestyle practices. The emphasis, the experts intone, should be on diet and exercise.

This is one of the shibboleths that I’ve been battling for my entire career. The overwhelming majority of my patients and audience take multivitamins not as a substitute for, but rather as an accouterment of, a concerted effort to eat healthily and maximize physical fitness. I can count on one hand the number of patients I’ve encountered in a 30-plus year career who continue to smoke, gourmandize, and skip workouts because they were under the erroneous impression that supplements could shield them from their habits’ toll.

Let’s take a closer look at the studies that have lately called into question the efficacy of multis."

Read the full article: https://drhoffman.com/article/they-say-multivitamins-are-a-waste-of-money-really/

They say “Multivitamins are a waste of money”—REALLY??
July 8, 2022 | By Dr. Ronald Hoffman

(Many hyperlinks in the article that are not embedded here)

"Multivitamins containing most of the essential vitamins and minerals at doses that provide greater than 100% of the RDA are the most commonly used dietary supplements; approximately 1/3 of US adults takes one or another formulation.

But the bloom is off the rose with major press outlets declaring:

“Multivitamins are a waste of money for most people”—Study Finds
“Multivitamins continue to disappoint”—Sydney Morning Herald
“Multivitamins and Supplements—Benign Prevention or Potentially Harmful Distraction?”—JAMA
One of their themes is that gullible people will take multivitamins as a bulwark against all misfortune while engaging in unhealthy diet and lifestyle practices. The emphasis, the experts intone, should be on diet and exercise.

This is one of the shibboleths that I’ve been battling for my entire career. The overwhelming majority of my patients and audience take multivitamins not as a substitute for, but rather as an accouterment of, a concerted effort to eat healthilyvitamins and maximize physical fitness. I can count on one hand the number of patients I’ve encountered in a 30-plus year career who continue to smoke, gourmandize, and skip workouts because they were under the erroneous impression that supplements could shield them from their habits’ toll.

Let’s take a closer look at the studies that have lately called into question the efficacy of multis.

One is the COSMOS trial that evaluated the impact of either of two interventions: taking a multi vs. taking a cocoa flavanol supplement. Interestingly, the cocoa arm of the study obtained a significant reduction in major cardiovascular events. It curbed cardiovascular death by 27%!

The multivitamin takers did not fare as well. There was no overall effect on cancer incidence (which in some ways is reassuring because some previous trials hinted that beta carotene and alpha tocopherol and perhaps folic acid could increase risk of certain cancers); there was a small signal that the multi was protective against lung cancer. The good news, however, is that the multivitamins showed no tendency to hasten cancer recurrence in previous survivors of cancer, which had been a concern, albeit theoretical.

When it came to cardiovascular disease prevention, the multis struck out. This is notwithstanding a 2018 review that recently showed B vitamins could reduce the risk of stroke—but only in a subpopulation with elevated homocysteine. But the COSMOS trial showed no benefit of multivitamins overall.

A closer look may explain the “meh” results of multivitamin supplementation. The research was sponsored in part by Pfizer Consumer Care, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline, who supplied the Centrum Silver®️ used as a multi. I’m not a fan!

Except for B12, which delivers over 10 times the RDA, most of its nutrients are pretty paltry. For example, there’s only 60 mg of vitamin C; 3 mg of vitamin B6; 50 mg of magnesium; and 19 mcg of selenium.

Also the quality of the ingredients is suboptimal: Vitamin A is provided as beta carotene instead of broad spectrum carotenoids; vitamin E as synthetic DL-alpha Tocopheryl Acetate instead of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols; folic acid instead of more bioavailable l-methyl folate; and magnesium as cheap, poorly absorbed magnesium oxide.

Contrast that with a more comprehensive, potent multi like Alpha Base from Ortho Molecular with premium delivery forms of critical nutrients.

It might also be noted that the study duration was just 3 1/2 years, which might not be enough time to capture the long-term benefits of supplementation.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) was quick to issue an opinion that:

“The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to determine the balance of benefits and harms of supplementation with multivitamins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer.”

But the USPTF has recently drawn fire for concluding that prostate screening for asymptomatic men over 70–the mainstay of many cancer prevention campaigns—is unwarranted. They’re equal opportunity skeptics about any clinical intervention, even concluding that statins for high cholesterol in healthy adults over 75 aren’t justified.

And remember, we’re talking about a narrow category of nutritional supplements—multivitamins. They’re less likely to be beneficial at low doses for a relatively healthy population not suffering from malnutrition. Studies like COSMOS have little to say about targeted supplementation according to specific needs with higher amounts of, for example, vitamin D, magnesium, fish oil, or nutraceuticals like CoQ10, curcumin, or probiotics.

Unfortunately, for vast swaths of the public, multivitamins are conflated with anything you take in pill form as a supplement; on a recent TV ad, for example, I saw a folksy testimonial from someone who said that the fruit and veggie pills they were taking were their favorite “vitamin”.

Of course, there’s systemic bias in the media against supplements. A great 2019 paper by Vasquez and Pizzorno entitled “Concerns about the integrity of the scientific research process—focus on the negative publications regarding nutrition, multivitamins, fish oil and cardiovascular disease” nails it:

“A major and serious problem arises when unskilled and invalid research is published by authors (including nonphysician journalists) in major journals which mischaracterizes the validity of nutrition interventions (e.g. essentially always concluding that nutritional interventions are inefficacious or potentially hazardous) and then such research is used politically and in the media to disparage, restrict and regulate practitioners and the nutrition supplement industry to the detriment of human health.”

In this context, it’s worthwhile to note that there continues to be a concerted campaign to rein in the supplement industry and limit consumer choices. A chorus of voices within the FDA, Congress, academic medicine, the pharmaceutical industry and their enablers in the press want more restrictions. Is the current negative publicity about multivitamins a coincidence—or is it furthering a narrative?

Check out our SOS (Save Our Supplements) campaign here: https://drhoffman.com/anh/
...and let your voice be heard.

(See also my previous articles: “16 Reasons Why Most Studies Are Wrong”, “‘Don’t take your vitamins’? So not!”, and “The New York Times has a bias problem (No, it’s not what you think)”)

Congress is seeking to enlarge the FDA’s purview over supplements. It’s truly an “all-hands-on-deck” moment, and I’m personally committed to doing everything I can to preserve your access to potent, innovative supplements of your choosing.

For a limited time, I’ll be matching all donations made by my audience to ANH, up to a total of $5000. Simply click: https://drhoffman.com/anh/ to support ANH’s important work!"

onawah

20th July 2022, 04:46

I use and recommend this brand of spirulina: http://bioluminaspirulina.com/
Phoenix Rising company was started by some people who originally worked with the late Dr. Christopher Hills, who introduced Spirulina to the Western market.
Spirulina is freeze dried, and it can be reactivated when water and light are added and that's why it's advisable to keep it protected from light and water.
This company sells a black mison jar for $30 to store the powder in, which keeps it dry and potent,
I've been using Spirulina for years and when I run out (which doesn't happen often) I really feel the lack.

Really appreciate this thread.... was reading about exercise and sweating and found out that, not only is Sodium released in our sweat but a good amount of Potassium. This is another nutrient that our bodies are needing that's in short supply even more than you get in things like bananas. Bananas are high in Potassium but they only supply 10% of bodily needs. I also added Spirulina to my smoothie. I wonder if Spirulina powder is active/alive as the container says keep out of sun or heat.

mojo

21st July 2022, 00:27

onawah just found this channel and he sounds pretty good, covering the vitamins and liver function. I was super happy to hear his solution with Kale, Blueberries and Kiefer??? Kiefer looked like cheese but thats a new one on me. Thanks for helping and making some lifestyle changes especially in nutrition & health. I hope to never go back, but my type 2 Diabetes is still not solved perhaps there is no cure?

4YcYAVAyk9E

onawah

21st July 2022, 01:24

Dr. Gabriel Cousens reveals method for reversing diabetes with raw living foods in exclusive interview
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
https://diabetestalk.net/diabetes/dr-gabriel-cousens-diabetes
PODCAST: https://www.naturalnews.com/podcasts/Interview-Dr-Gabriel-Cousens.mp3

"(NaturalNews) This is a "must listen" interview for anyone suffering from diabetes, obesity or blood sugar disorders. It's commercial-free and it's a free download of an MP3 file that will play on any computer or MP3 player. What you'll hear in this interview will absolutely astound you -- it rocks the world of conventional medicine and its failed diabetes treatments.

This is an interview with Dr. Gabriel Cousens, founder of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona (www.TreeofLife.nu). In this audio interview, you'll hear Dr. Cousens describe why and how consuming raw foods really works to initiate dramatic reductions in fasting blood sugar levels, effectively reversing diabetes in a matter of just a few weeks.

This is essentially a cure for diabetes. Not coincidentally, Dr. Cousens is the author of the book There Is A Cure for Diabetes. The book documents the successes of eleven people who went on a raw foods diet and experienced rapid and remarkable improvements in physiology, including:

• Curing of both type-1 and type-2 diabetes.
• Rapid loss of body fat
• Rapid stabilization of blood sugar
• Remarkable improvements in cognitive function

Listen to the full interview here:
https://www.naturalnews.com/Index-Podcasts.ht...

This is a must-listen interview for anyone suffering from diabetes or blood sugar disorders.

For type-2 diabetes, the process described by Dr. Cousens in the interview boasts a 90% - 95% cure rate. This is truly astounding. Nothing from the world of conventional medicine can offer even a 1% cure rate for diabetes.

Diabetes is "incurable?"
Conventional medicine (and the American Diabetes Association) continues to insist that diabetes in incurable. The approach of conventional medicine, based on extremely toxic chemical medications and processed dead foods, simply does not work. It's actually quite toxic to patients rather than healing. Diabetes medications are well known to cause severe liver damage, for example.

But the conscious consumption of raw living foods turns on the body's innate healing processes. This creates a rapid healing response that allows the body to reverse many of the physiological degeneration processes that created disease in the first place. That's why juicing and juice feasting have become such popular self-healing therapies for weight loss, diabetes reversal and enhanced longevity.

Conventional medicine remains utterly ignorant of the healing power of raw living foods, preferring instead to rely on patented chemical medications that simply don't work to heal anyone or anything. No person suffering from diabetes has ever been cured of diabetes through pharmaceutical medications. It has never happened in the history of medicine. And yet type-2 diabetes can be cured at a rate of 90% - 95% with a raw living foods diet.

At the Tree of Life, Dr. Cousens offers a 21-day rejuvenation experience based on living foods. Learn more about the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center at www.TreeofLife.nu

Dr. Cousens' book There Is A Cure for Diabetes is available at booksellers everywhere, including Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/There-Cure-Diabetes-21...

Download the full audio interview right here:
https://www.naturalnews.com/Index-Podcasts.ht...

By the way, the best new juicing machine for making your own raw living juices in your own kitchen is the Hurom Slow Juicer. It's a truly revolutionary machine that juices fruits, vegetables and grasses. It also makes fresh raw almond milk, pumpkin seed milk, sesame milk and other nut milks. Read my review here: https://www.naturalnews.com/028128_Hurom_slow...

Enjoy this amazing audio interview with Dr. Gabriel Cousens!"

onawah just found this channel and he sounds pretty good, covering the vitamins and liver function. I was super happy to hear his solution with Kale, Blueberries and Kiefer??? Kiefer looked like cheese but thats a new one on me. Thanks for helping and making some lifestyle changes especially in nutrition & health. I hope to never go back, but my type 2 Diabetes is still not solved perhaps there is no cure?

mojo

21st July 2022, 01:32

wow... Guess I have some homework...thank you.

onawah

21st July 2022, 02:58

It's not just living foods, but sprouted, fermented and cultured foods which are very healing and rejuvenating.
You can find lots of info online and in various books about that and design your own program using the foods that appeal to you most.
When we reach a certain age our bodies stop producing enzymes; we need enzymes to reverse aging, and that's what such a program can provide.
Legumes, grains, seeds and nuts can all be sprouted and when eaten in that form are full of enzymes and easily absorbed vitamins and minerals which are extremely healing and energizing.
Jaffe Brothers is a good organic source of these, and they are guaranteed to sprout.
See: https://organicfruitsandnuts.com/organicseeds.html
Also see: https://www.trueleafmarket.com/collections/handy-pantry-products?msclkid=434a615c7b6c1669fb010384c4ec2209&utm_campaign=S+-+Sprouting&utm_content=Sprouting&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_term=sprouting
(Sometimes even such foods that you buy at a health food store are no longer viable enough to sprout, so sources like the two above are preferable.)
There is a Facebook support group here with info about fermenting and culturing foods: https://www.facebook.com/groups/387476208103299

wow... Guess I have some homework...thank you.

onawah

1st August 2022, 22:17

What You Need to Know About Melatonin
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
July 31, 2022
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2022/07/31/what-you-need-to-know-about-melatonin.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20220731&mid=DM1226763&rid=1563589708

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

"Melatonin is one of the most important antioxidant molecules and certainly the most ancient, as it has been part of biological life for over 3 billion years.
It's present in prokaryotes, which are bacteria, and even in plantsIn the human body melatonin not only has independent direct antioxidant effects on its own, but it also stimulates the synthesis of glutathione and other important antioxidants like superoxide dismutase and catalase
Mitochondrial melatonin production is one of the reasons why regular sun exposure is so crucial.
The near-infrared spectrum, when hitting the skin, trigger the generation of melatonin in your mitochondria
Considering melatonin’s function within the mitochondria, and the fact that mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of most chronic disease, it makes sense that melatonin would be helpful against a number of different diseases, including the two most common — heart disease and cancer
Melatonin and methylene blue belong in every emergency medical kit.
In cases of an acute heart attack or stroke, melatonin can help limit the damage, while methylene blue augments cytochromes to allow the continued production of ATP even without the use of oxygen, which also helps minimize cell death and tissue damage

https://www.bitchute.com/video/mKzPPm0jwqcD/ mKzPPm0jwqcD/

In this interview, Russel Reiter, Ph.D. — a world-class expert on melatonin — discusses some of the biological activities and health benefits of this important molecule. With some 1,600 papers to his credit, as well as three honorary doctor of medicine1 degrees, he’s published more studies on melatonin than anyone else alive.

Melatonin 101
Melatonin is one of the most important antioxidant molecules and certainly the most ancient, as it has been part of biological life for over 3 billion years. It's present in prokaryotes, which are bacteria, and even in plants. In the human body — aside from having direct antioxidant effects — it also stimulates the synthesis of glutathione and other important antioxidants like superoxide dismutase and catalase. Reiter continues:

“Melatonin has been here forever ... and its functions have evolved. It has learned to work successfully with other molecules during this three-billion-year evolution. One of the molecules with which it collaborates is glutathione ... But the antioxidant activity of melatonin is extremely diverse.

It in fact is a very good radical scavenger. There are other radical scavengers — vitamin C, vitamin E and so forth — but melatonin is superior to those. But beyond that, it stimulates antioxidative enzymes, especially in mitochondria. Mitochondria are small organelles in the cell that generate the bulk of the free radicals.

So, it's very important to have a good antioxidant at the level of the mitochondria and melatonin happens to be located and is, in fact, synthesized in the mitochondria. Melatonin scavenges radicals that are generated, but it also stimulates something called sirtuin-3, which activates or deacetylates super oxide dismutase (SOD), which is a very important antioxidative enzyme.

It also removes free radicals and prevents the degeneration of the mitochondria, and why this is so important is because mitochondria are really the center of the action within a cell. In other words, there's strong evidence that aging, frailty of aging, senescence of cells as we age, relate to molecular damage at the level of the mitochondria, and melatonin seems to be very efficient at protecting mitochondria from that damage.”

Melatonin increases glutathione through a genomic effect on the enzyme that regulates the synthesis of gamma glutamylcysteine synthase, the rate limiting enzyme in glutathione synthesis. Melatonin activates that enzyme.

Glutathione tends to be found in high concentrations in cells, although some is also found, to a lesser degree, in the extracellular space and the mitochondria. Meanwhile, 95% of the melatonin in your body is concentrated within the mitochondria inside the cells.

Its antioxidant effects are quite diverse, but include preventing free radical generation by enhancing the efficiency of the electron transport chain so fewer electrons leach onto oxygen molecules to generate super oxide antiradical.

How Mitochondrial Melatonin Is Generated
Mitochondrial melatonin production is one of the reasons why regular sun exposure is so crucial. Most people understand that sun exposure on bare skin generates vitamin D, courtesy of UVB (ultraviolet B radiation). Few, however, understand that the near-infrared spectrum, when hitting your skin, triggers the generation of melatonin in your mitochondria. Reiter explains:

“Near-infrared radiation penetrates relatively easily the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Every one of those cells contains mitochondria and it appears that near-infrared radiation that is detected in fact induces melatonin production. That is important, because we now think that melatonin within mitochondria is inducible under a lot of stressful conditions.

That is not definitively proven, but it appears that under stress, all cells may upregulate their ability to produce melatonin because it's so highly productive. And typically, under stress, free radicals are generated. That is emphasized by the [fact] that in plants ... that happens.

In other words, if you expose plants to drought, heat, cold, to metal toxicity, the first thing they do is upregulate their melatonin, because all of those situations generate free radicals. And we suspect, although that has not yet been definitely proven, in animal cells as well, including human [cells].”

Identifying the specific wavelengths that trigger melatonin production can be tricky, but generally speaking, it’s likely to be the range between 800 to 1,000 nanometers (nm). This range of near-infrared is invisible, and has the ability to penetrate tissue. Visible wavelengths generally do not penetrate the skin, and therefore cannot stimulate your mitochondria.

Anytime your skin is exposed to natural sunlight, however, you can be sure you’re receiving the necessary wavelengths of near-infrared to generate melatonin in your mitochondria. Conversely, when indoors under artificial lighting, you can be certain you’re not getting any. This is because most window glass is low-e and filters out a good portion of the near-infrared, so even sitting near a window is not going to provide you with this benefit.

To compensate for time spent indoors, I use a 250-watt Photo Beam near-infrared bulb from SaunaSpace in my office. I keep it lit when I'm in my office and have my shirt off. Considering most people spend most of their days indoors, mitochondrial melatonin deficiency is likely rampant. And, since many also do not get enough sleep, they also have a deficiency in the melatonin synthesized in the pineal gland in response to darkness.

The Two Types of Melatonin
As hinted at above, there are two types of melatonin in your body: The melatonin produced in your pineal gland, which traverses into your blood, and subcellular melatonin produced inside your mitochondria.

Importantly, the melatonin that your mitochondria produces does not escape your mitochondria. It doesn't go into your blood. So, you're not going to directly increase your blood or serum level of melatonin by sun exposure. But, bright sun exposure around solar noon will indirectly help your pineal gland to produce melatonin during the night.

It is important to understand that your blood level of melatonin is indicative of the melatonin produced in your pineal gland, and/or oral supplementation. Conversely, the melatonin produced by your pineal gland cannot enter into the mitochondria, which is why it is so important to get regular sun exposure. Reiter explains:

“In other words, if you surgically remove the pineal gland from an animal or human, blood levels of melatonin are essentially zero. Not totally zero — I think what happens is that the mitochondria in other cells continue to produce melatonin and some of that leaks out into the blood and gives you a residual — but you have no circadian rhythm.

Melatonin production in the pineal gland is highly rhythmic, depending on the light-dark cycle. This is not true for melatonin in mitochondria. It's not cyclic. It's not impacted by the light dark environment. It may be affected by certain wavelengths of energy, but it's not affected by the light dark environment.

So, blood levels are derived from the pineal gland, and this rhythm is very important for setting circadian rhythms. In other words, the function of that melatonin is quite different from the function of the mitochondrial produced melatonin. It sets the rhythm. Of course, there's always some scavenging by that melatonin as well, but the real scavenging s involved with mitochondrial-produced melatonin.”

Oral Supplementation Neutralizes Free Radicals
Oral supplementation, however, can enter your cells and mitochondria. This is a detail I was wrong about before, and which Reiter clarifies in this interview:

“If you supplement with melatonin, it can also enter cells and get into the mitochondria as well. And that is also very important ... As you age, mitochondrial melatonin diminishes. If you supplement with melatonin, it will get into your mitochondria and, in fact, do what melatonin does — neutralize free radicals and protect the mitochondria's function.”

Melatonin Is Vital to Heart Attack and Stroke Recovery
Considering melatonin’s function within your mitochondria, and the fact that mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of most chronic disease, it makes sense that melatonin would be helpful against a number of different diseases, including the two most common — heart disease and cancer.

As explained by Reiter, one of the situations that is most devastating for the heart and brain is temporary interruption of the blood supply as a result of a cardiac arrest or stroke. This deprives the tissues of oxygen, and without oxygen, they rapidly deteriorate.

When the blood vessel reopens, which is called reperfusion, and oxygen flows back into those oxygen-deprived cells, this tends to be the time of maximum damage, as loads of free radicals are generated once the blood starts flowing again.

“There's a large host of studies, including some in humans, where if you give melatonin to induced heart attack in animals or an accidental heart attack in humans, you can preserve or reduce the amount of cardiac infarct, the amount of damage that occurs in the heart,” Reiter says.

“There's a very famous cardiologist in the Canary Islands, professor Dominguez-Rodriguez, whom I worked with. And we, about three years ago, published a paper where we infused melatonin directly into the heart after the vessel was opened. That reduced cardiac damage by roughly 40%.

The other thing that happens in a heart attack is that cardiac cells do not regenerate. Once you lose a cardiac cell, they're done ... and are replaced by fibrous tissue. Of course, fibrous tissue is not contractile, so you get heart failure.

We just published a paper, again with this same cardiologist, showing that if people who are potentially suffering with heart failure because of a damaged heart, they survive better and longer if they are given melatonin on a regular basis. It's a small study ... but I think that would be a worthwhile field to exploit.”

Dosage Suggestions for Acute Heart Attack
In terms of dosage, it’s difficult to translate doses used in animal studies onto human subjects. In animals, doses between 5 to 10 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight are used. In humans, however, the dose is calculated on the basis of surface area rather than on body size, and that significantly reduces the amount of melatonin that you have to give.

That said, Reiter stresses that melatonin has no known toxic threshold, so even though we don’t know what the ideal dose is, we do know it’s safe even at high doses. Additionally, the timing of the dose will be important. The first dose should be taken immediately, but subsequent melatonin dosing should follow circadian biology, so around 10 a.m., 4 p.m., and before bed.

“If I had a heart attack and I had melatonin on my person, I would take melatonin,” Reiter says. “The question is how much? ... This is not a recommendation to any of your patients, but I would not be hesitant about taking 50 milligrams at the time, and some subsequently for the next 24 hours, even during the day. Because you don't want to lose any more heart cells than is absolutely necessary ...

I have suggested this a number of times. In other words, an emergency medical technician goes out, picks up a patient who has clearly a heart attack. I think on site, immediately, melatonin should be given intravenously rather than orally. It'd be difficult to give it orally. That would be my recommendation.”

Emergency Medical Kit for Acute Heart Attack or Stroke
In cases of an acute heart attack or stroke (which have virtually identical tissue damage mechanisms, just one affects the heart and the other your brain), I would also add methylene blue. Methylene blue is well-documented to be highly beneficial for reperfusion injuries,2 especially if you do it right at the beginning of the event, because it augments cytochromes to allow the continued production of ATP even without the use of oxygen.

Melatonin and methylene blue belong in every emergency medical kit. In cases of an acute heart attack or stroke, melatonin can help limit the damage, while methylene blue augments cytochromes to allow the continued production of ATP even without the use of oxygen, which also helps minimize cell death and tissue damage.
So, together, methylene blue and melatonin could act as a one-two punch if you've got a stroke or heart attack. They really should be part of every emergency kit.

As an interesting side note, melatonin can also be useful in people with Type 2 diabetes. Reiter notes he has diabetic colleagues who take 1 gram of melatonin daily to counteract the free radical damage caused by hyperglycemia. Keep in mind that melatonin does not treat the cause of the diabetes. It only helps to counteract the damage being caused.

Half Life and Bioavailability of Melatonin
The half life of melatonin in the blood is only about 40 minutes. Within cells, the half life varies according to the level of oxidative stress present. If oxidative stress is high, the melatonin is destroyed much faster, and oxidative stress is low, it remains within the cell much longer.

Reiter also notes that in addition to being a free radical scavenger, all of melatonin’s metabolic kin — its active metabolites, such as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine — are also excellent scavengers. While quickly used up in the presence of high oxidative stress, melatonin is also rapidly taken up when used orally, hence the suggestion to take multiple doses spread out.

Ideally, you’d want to use sublingual or intravenous melatonin, because it’ll enter your bloodstream much faster. Another option is to make your own rectal suppositories. If you swallow it, it needs to pass through and be metabolized by your liver.

Melatonin Is Also a Potent Antiviral
In addition to its antioxidant potency, melatonin also has antiviral capacity. These two features combined is thought to be why it’s been so useful against COVID-19.

“I'm going to give you a very specific example,” Reiter says. “Here's a local physician, Dr. Richard Neil, whom I have known for a number of years. When COVID-19 became common, he called me, we discussed it, he started giving 1 mg per kilogram of body weight (once a day) for about five days, at the time of diagnosis. He has now treated more than 2,000 patients, very successfully, with melatonin.

The importance of melatonin in reference to COVID is that it is not specifically for [the original Wuhan strain]. The variants, Delta, Omicron, they're viruses we think will respond. We currently have a paper in press where we showed that in animals, Zika virus toxicity is also prevented by melatonin, and we've checked four different coronaviruses in pigs.

That paper also shows that melatonin prevents the damage — the consequence — of those viruses. I think [melatonin] is generally a quite good antiviral agent and should be considered as useful. When President Trump was hospitalized with COVID, one of the molecules he was given was melatonin. Obviously, the physicians treating him knew this literature.”

So, to summarize, if you have symptoms of COVID, you could consider taking oral or sublingual melatonin 30 to 45 minutes before bedtime, first thing in the morning, at 10 a.m. and again at 4 p.m. You clearly want to avoid it a few hours before and after solar noon, as taking supplementation during that time will likely impair pineal nighttime melatonin secretion.

Reiter points out that slow-release melatonin has not been widely studied, and he generally doesn’t recommend it for that reason.

Melatonin for Cancer
Melatonin can also be useful in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Reiter explains:

“Cancer cells are clever. They do everything they can to permit their continued survival. It seems counterintuitive, but what they do is they prevent pyruvate from entering the mitochondria, and that reduces ATP production. But as a consequence of doing that, they accelerate something called glycolysis and that's very inefficient in producing ATP, but it does it very rapidly. So, then they have sufficient energy.

The importance of preventing pyruvate from entering the mitochondria, we now think is the fact that pyruvate is a precursor to something called acetyl coenzyme A. Acetyl coenzyme A is a cofactor for the enzyme that regulates melatonin production in the mitochondria.

So, by eliminating or preventing pyruvate from getting into the mitochondria, [the cancer cells] prevent or reduce melatonin production, because they don't allow the necessary cofactor to be produced. In other words, we predicted about four years ago that, in fact, the mitochondria of cancer cells would produce less melatonin.

We have subsequently shown that in two studies, both uterine cancers. Clearly, melatonin levels and the activity of the enzymes in the mitochondria of these types of cancer cells are at least about half what they would normally be. The prevention of pyruvate into the mitochondria, that's Warburg type metabolism.

The other thing is the pyruvate is metabolized into lactic acid. It escapes the cell and produces an acidic environment for the cancer cell, and cancer cells like that acidic environment. So, if you can reduce the Warburg type metabolism, you may be able to limit the growth of cancer cells and perhaps also the metastasis ...

Some cancer cells may only be part-time cancerous because [during nighttime] when they have high melatonin, then they avoid Warburg type metabolism. The interesting thing about Warburg type metabolism [is that] ... many pathological cells, inflammatory cells, cells that are affected by amyloid beta in the brain, exhibit this specific type metabolism ...

And we know that inflammatory cells — M2 and M1 inflammatory cells — can be converted back and forth by melatonin. The inflammatory cells can be prevented by giving them melatonin its effect on Warburg type metabolism. So, Warburg type metabolism is common in many, many pathological cells.”

[B]The Link Between Metabolic Flexibility, Melatonin and Cancer
One of the reasons for why cancer is so prevalent likely has to do with the fact that 93% of Americans are metabolically inflexible and cannot seamlessly transition between burning carbs and fats for fuel.3 Glucose (sugar) is one of the primary fuels that most people have. Glucose has six carbons and is metabolized into pyruvate, which is a three-carbon molecule. Pyruvate, in turn, is metabolized in the mitochondria to acetyl-CoA.

The reason the Warburg Effect works is b pecauseyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) inhibits the inflow of pyruvate into the mitochondria so it cannot be converted into acetyl-CoA, and acetyl-CoA is not only needed in the production of melatonin, but is also used to efficiently produce ATP in the mitochondria and is how glucose is used in the mitochondria.

Another source of acetyl-CoA is beta oxidation of fats, which breaks down the fat to the two carbon molecule acetyl-CoA, which enters the mitochondria an active transport molecule, courtesy of MCT (mono carboxylase transporter). My point here is that when you are metabolically inflexible, the Warburg Effect becomes massive. But if you're cardiometabolically healthy and can burn fat, you can effectively bypass that defect.

Prior to my interview with Reiter, I certainly knew that limiting carbs and preventing the Warburg effect was important in cancer treatment, but I hadn’t realized that one of the metabolic byproducts of acetyl-CoA was needed to produce melatonin. So, being metabolically flexible not only impairs the Warburg effect, but also supplies melatonin to combat the excessive oxidative stress in cancer.

This is why I would strongly encourage each and every one of you to regularly engage in two activities the rest of your life. First, expose as much of your skin as you can to an hour of sunshine a day around solar noon.

Second, you have to eliminate all seed oils from your diet, as excess seed oils are the primary reason why most people are metabolically inflexible. While the average person’s consumption of these oils is around 25% to 30% of total daily calories, it should only be about 1% to 2% (mine is 1.5%)."

onawah

3rd August 2022, 20:00

New Bill to Remove FDA Control Over Supplements
By ANH-USA Alliance for Natural Health
08/02/2022
https://anh-usa.org/new-bill-to-remove-fda-control-over-supplements/

"The new bill, introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Rep. Rose DeLauro (D-CT), moves all of the FDA’s food safety authorities, which include dietary supplements, to a newly-created Food Safety Administration.
This would be a very positive move, as we’ve long argued that the FDA has a massive conflict of interest in regulating drugs and supplements, which are competitors, while FDA receives substantial funding from the drug industry.
With some important caveats, we should support this important bill.

The stated purpose for this bill is that the FDA has failed to adequately ensure the safety of the American food supply.
To address this failing, these authorities will be transferred to a new agency, the Food Safety Administration, single-mindedly focused on regulating food and curbing preventable foodborne illnesses. According to the law, moving foods to a new agency means that agency will also be responsible for regulating dietary supplements, which are defined as food in the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
The FDA would be renamed the “Federal Drug Administration.”

ANH-USA has long advocated for an independent agency to regulate supplements, separate from both food and drugs.
However, moving supplements into this new food safety agency would be a much better option than keeping them under the FDA’s jurisdiction.
At the FDA they are seen as competition for drugs, and it is drugs that pay the FDA’s bills. In other words, FDA supervision of supplements involves a massive conflict of interest.

Just look at the numbers: the FDA receives 45% of its operating budget directly from drug companies in the form of “user fees” (used for the approval of new drugs, biologics and devices), but 65% of the funding for human drug regulatory activities are derived from user fees. In our view, this is the main reason the agency has so consistently attacked and undermined dietary supplements.

There are some causes for concern, though.
According to our allies, Sen. Durbin, confirmed prior to the bill’s introduction that supplements would be kept under the Federal Drug Administration’s authority.
To do so, however, would have required many changes to current law, since supplements are defined as food.
This would make the bill harder to pass.
We know Sen. Durbin’s endgame is to install drug-like pre-approval requirements on supplements because he has pursued these regulations in the past and is still doing so currently.
The bill that has been introduced does keep supplements with food in the new Food Safety Administration, but the bill could be changed at any point moving forward.
For example, the USDA has some food safety responsibilities, but this new bill does not transfer those authorities to the new Food Safety Administration.
This means that the bill could be viewed as incomplete and require multiple revisions, so at any point supplements could be carved out of the “food” definition and placed back under the FDA as we think Sen. Durbin intends.

The point is this: if what Senator Durbin is planning is consistent with his previous legislative efforts, it will have the intended effect of removing supplements from the shelves or making them too expensive for anyone but the rich to buy.
He may be taking an incremental approach to this goal with this new bill, so we have to keep a sharp eye on these developments.

This isn’t the first time this bill has been introduced. In fact, Sen. Durbin and Rep. DeLauro have been introducing versions of this bill for the last several years. Previous versions of the bill also took food safety responsibilities from the USDA and placed them under the new Food Safety Administration.
None of these previous iterations of the bill picked up any steam in Congress.

For these reasons, we are cautiously optimistic about this bill.
We have to be on the lookout for changes to the language that undermine supplement access, but moving supplements out from under the FDA’s thumb would be a huge step in advancing their wider use throughout American healthcare and society.

Action Alert! Write to Congress, telling them you support the Food Safety Administration Act of 2022 ONLY if dietary supplements are regulated along with other food at the Food Safety Administration. Please send your message immediately.
Send message here: https://anh-usa.org/new-bill-to-remove-fda-control-over-supplements/

onawah

8th August 2022, 02:34

The Benefits of Vitamin C in Cancer Treatment
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
August 07, 2022
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2022/08/07/benefits-of-vitamin-c-in-tumor-treatment.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20220807_HL2&mid=DM1232374&rid=1570106984

tLFoK7w6GNIK/

"STORY AT-A-GLANCEExamples of holistic therapies used for cancer include vitamin C alone and in combination with Artesunate (a malaria medication) and/or hyperthermia, curcumin, melatonin and mistletoe
One key point to be made about holistic oncology is that the earlier you start this kind of treatment, the better. Most patients who seek alternative strategies have already done tremendous damage to their bodies with one or more rounds of chemo, which makes natural remedies less capable of achieving complete healing
Whole food vitamin C and IV vitamin C serve two different functions.
Whole food vitamin C is not suitable for the treatment of cancer, but does wonders for general health support, whereas high-dose vitamin C with sodium ascorbate has powerful drug-like effects suitable for acute and severe infections and cancers
Vitamin C has a wide variety of precision effects, which can be generally classified into genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and immunomodulatomic effects
Vitamin C is typically thought of as an antioxidant, which is true orally and at lower doses, but in high doses, it becomes a pro-oxidant, and that’s actually what allows it to kill cancer cells and gives it its significant antiviral and antibacterial properties

IIn this interview, Dr. Nathan Goodyear discusses the benefits of vitamin C in cancer treatment. We are both scheduled speakers at the Vitamin C International Consortium Institute’s annual conference in Tampa, Florida, September 9 and 10, 2022.

Goodyear started out as a gynecologist and pelvic floor surgeon. Once out of residency, however, he noticed that a lot of what he’d been taught in medical school didn’t work. Then, in 2006, he developed pheochromocytoma, a rare type of tumor that develops in the adrenal gland, causing it to excrete high amounts of norepinephrine, which in turn causes extremely high blood pressure and heart rate.

Holistic Oncology
That experience pushed him to make the transition into the field of cancer. The last five and a half years, he’s been working with Brio-Medical, a holistic cancer clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, of which the last six months he has served as medical director. He works with four other physicians — two medical doctors and two naturopathic physicians.

“The conventional approach seems to follow the logic ‘destroy to heal,’ and I just don't know where that really occurs in nature outside conventional cancer treatment. Healing has to be your focus and goal to achieve healing. You have to heal to heal. Our healing strategy focus in cancer is to tap into the body’s designed capacity to heal itself through the targeting of the root causes,” Goodyear says.

“When you look at holistic natural therapies, there's this assumption by many, including conventional medicine, that we are just throwing darts up on the wall and hope they stick.

But in actuality, we're following the science of genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and immunomodulomics. This is the future of medicine that's here now, and we're being incredibly specific and targeted for the dysfunction within the cancer, but with natural holistic or integrated therapy.”

Examples of Holistic Therapies for Cancer
Examples of holistic therapies used for cancer include vitamin C in combination with artemisinin or artesunate (a primary malaria medication). This combo is very good for prostate and breast cancer in particular. Curcumin and melatonin both also have significant anticancer effects. Goodyear likes to combine hyperthermia with high-dose vitamin C and curcumin.

“Studies have shown that when you give vitamin C with whole body hyperthermia, you actually achieve a higher plasma ascorbic acid concentration. So that's going to impact the fight against cancer more,” he explains.

Mistletoe is another excellent cancer treatment. I’ve previously interviewed Dr. Nasha Winters about the use of mistletoe in oncology, so for more in-depth information, see that interview.

One key point to be made about holistic oncology is that the earlier you start this kind of treatment, the better. Unfortunately, most patient who seek alternative strategies have already done tremendous damage to their bodies, particularly the immune system, with one, two or even three rounds of chemo, which really impairs your body’s ability to heal naturally.

“If we can get them earlier in the process ... before they get conventional chemo and/or radiation, the impact is huge,” Goodyear says.

“Before you destroy the immune system, one can actually heal with the immune system. I can't tell you how many ladies with breast cancer have been able to preserve their breasts with this cancer healing strategy. You can actually heal the body, not destroy it. That is a novel concept because when you destroy the immune system through conventional therapy, you're going to see cancer recur and spread.”

How Cancer Kills
Typically, it’s not the initial cancer that kills you. What kills is when the cancer spreads (metastasizes) to other areas of your body. Also, most cancer patients don’t actually die from the cancer, but from the treatment that conventional oncologists use to treat the cancer.

“The literature is very clear — especially in the last five to 10 years — that 90% of morbidity and mortality associated with cancer is when it spreads,” Goodyear says. “Thankfully, research has provide a good understanding of how this chemotherapy and radiation-induced metastasis process occurs.

So, let's look at maximum tolerated chemotherapy. The literature is very clear on this and ... shows the mechanisms in how it [contributes to death]. Maximum tolerated chemotherapy actually induces the mechanisms to spread the cancer. In breast cancer, maximum to tolerated chemotherapy will reduce the primary tumor, yet at the same time, cause it to spread to distant locations in the body.

Thus, that leads to 90% of morbidity and mortality associated with cancer. So, the very treatment being used in conventional oncology to treat the tumor is actually resulting in 90% of morbidity and mortality associated with cancer ... That is in unforced error.

A lot of people that come to us, they're so surprised. They ask, ‘Why didn't I know about this? Why didn't I know that surgery can cause metastasis? Why didn't I know chemotherapy and radiation can cause metastasis?’”

Vitamin C Basics
The story of vitamin C demonstrates that the devil’s in the details. Roughly 50 years ago, Linus Pauling demonstrated that intravenous vitamin C (10 grams a day for 10 days) improved cancer survival. Later, researchers at the Mayo Clinic tried to reproduce the results, but didn’t use IV vitamin C. They instead gave 10 grams orally, and found no benefit.

In the academic battle that followed, Mayo won and for the next several decades, the conventional thought was that vitamin C doesn’t work. That began to change around 2000, when Dr. Ping Chen, a conventional oncologist started looking into vitamin C and publishing papers on its pharmacokinetics.

Since then, there’s been a combination of pushback against the idea that vitamin C works on the one hand, and on the other, growing research that points to vitamin C’s effects as powerful as any drug.

Vitamin C Is Natural but Has Drug-Like Effects
Vitamin C does have drug-like effects, and I like to refer to it as a pharmaco-mimetic, but it’s still a natural biological molecule that cannot be patented, and hence cannot be a drug. Also, to be clear, there are distinct differences between whole food vitamin C and ascorbic acid.

They really have two very different purposes. Whole food vitamin C is not suitable for the treatment of cancer, but does wonders for general health support, as it interacts favorably with copper and iron in your cells and mitochondria. I only recommend and use high-dose IV vitamin C in cases of acute infection or illness, as it does have very potent “drug-like” effects. Goodyear adds:

“It's actually inducing metabolic changes and epigenetics. That's the great thing about natural therapies. Conventional medicine will take an approach to kind of throw a monkey wrench in to the body’s physiology to shut everything down ... without a holistic perspective of how that affects the whole body. It's a very compartmentalized approach.

A holistic approach is like a pebble thrown into a calm pool in the morning. Its effects ripple throughout the physiology of the body. That is the beauty of natural therapies.

Now in cancer and sepsis ... when we're dealing with the major dysfunction found in cancer, where things have metabolically, genetically, immunologically gone off the rails, we have to come in and really work to turn the tide. That's where the intravenous vitamin C delivery is required. That's where the sodium ascorbate comes in, because that's the only way we're going to be able to change that tide.”

Oral Versus IV Vitamin C
When treating cancer, IV needs to be used because you simply cannot take the high dosages required orally. Doses over 10 to 20 grams of ascorbic acid will cause loose stools when taken orally, but IV administration bypasses the limitation of the gut. It also allows the vitamin C to get directly into the blood to the extracellular fluid, into the tumor microenvironment, to penetrate the tumor and saturate the entirety of the tumor.

Now, if you feel like you’re coming down with an infection, such as a flu or cold, oral vitamin C is plenty adequate. Oral dosing of vitamin C, using a nonliposomal product, can double your blood level of vitamin C, and using liposomal vitamin C — which is what I’ve been recommending for years — can increase it three- to fivefold — up to about 300 micromolar. So, liposomal vitamin C can make a big difference.

However, when you’re dealing with cancer, you need a minimum 1,000 micromolar, or 1 millimolar, in the extracellular fluid to kill cancer cells, which is why you really need to use IV. In the case of large tumors, or significant cancer spread, much higher plasma concentrations are required.

While the dosage is highly individual to each patient, as a general benchmark, Goodyear typically starts at 1.5 grams per kilogram, which for the average person would be somewhere between 100 and 200 grams per dose, three times a week.

So, to be clear, I do not advise taking ascorbic acid for daily vitamin C requirements. I strongly suggest you use whole food vitamin C which is far superior as a daily supplement.

Actions of Vitamin C
Vitamin C has a wide variety of effects, which can be generally classified into the following: genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and immunomodulatomic.

“The point here is that vitamin C is not just directly killing cancer cells, what we would call cytotoxic effects. Vitamin C is actually working to change the metabolism of the cancer.

What that means is, it creates an energy crisis. It actually depletes the body of certain intermediates that make it so this cancer, which is addicted to sugar, cannot use [the sugar] efficiently to make energy (ATP), so it ... dies. It also depletes [the cancer] of its ability to detoxify.

So, to be specific, research shows that vitamin C depletes the cancer of reduced glutathione. And getting rid of that glutathione in that cancer eliminates its ability to handle the high oxidative stress that this pro-oxidative vitamin C therapy induces, which kills the cancer cell.

It also disrupts how cancer makes energy. And it's fascinating because everybody looks at this and they ask, ‘Well, how will this affect my healthy cells?’ This is the paradigm changer with vitamin C.

The environment — as much as the dose, as much as the delivery, as much as the tumor saturation — the environment encountered by that vitamin C dictates the result as much as the dose itself. So, you can induce a pro-oxidative effect, a detoxification crisis, an energy crisis, in cancer cells, and healthy cells do just fine.”

Using Pro-Oxidation to Kill Cancer Cells
When you think of vitamin C, you’re probably thinking it’s an antioxidant, which is true, but in high doses only available through IV, it actually becomes a pro-oxidant, and that’s what allows it to kill cancer cells and gives it its antiviral and antibacterial properties. Goodyear explains:

“Everybody's familiar with the buffer system related to acid and base. When you look at redox — reduction oxidation — that's really just the flow of electrons. It's a buffer system, very similar to that acid base balance. So, in oral doses, even in a lower dose, in an environment that allows it, vitamin C is antioxidative.

And there's plenty benefits of that. That's why it's so helpful in viral and bacterial infections. It's countering that cytotoxic burst found in infection. It's donating an electron and becomes oxidized [which neutralizes oxygen] ... That's why vitamin C ... can help people with sepsis, including COVID sepsis, and the associated COVID cytokine storm that causes most of the lung damage and the associated increase in mortality.

But in the higher doses — again, its different effects are dictated by the different environments — it can become pro-oxidative. It's very different in that it's delivering the oxidative stress to the tumor and creating it through hydroxyl free radicals, hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anions.”

Melatonin for Cancer
Goodyear also uses melatonin for cancer, and monitors patients’ melatonin levels to ensure proper dosage. Typically, patients will start off with IV melatonin at a dose of 10 to 20 milligrams daily for two weeks, to get the level up as quickly as possible, while simultaneously taking oral melatonin at a dose of about 60 mg per day. The oral dose is then titrated upward, based on bodyweight and other parameters.

“Ideally, your blood level is supposed to peak at around midnight. So, with that in mind, if you're going to do the oral dose, you want to take the highest dose right before bed, maybe 45 minutes before, and then right before bed.

The other doses, if you're going to do it three times a day, would be maybe 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. You really want to keep it away from solar noon. Otherwise you're going to [impair your] chronobiology.

When patients go home, we do work more toward a more appropriate circadian rhythm of the delivery of melatonin. But when patients come to us, so many of them are in an advanced stage, so, in that acute setting, we have to use these therapies in combination and sequence, together, to really turn the tide against the cancer.”

What Kind of Results Can You Expect From Holistic Oncology?
Goodyear and I cover a lot more ground in this interview than I’ve summarized here, so I encourage you to listen to the full interview. In closing, what kind of results might you get using a holistic approach to cancer treatment? Goodyear says:

“I'd say probably 90% of our patients are metastatic and [have had] prior treatment. In those patients, in a six-week or maybe eight-week cycle, we can see a significant reduction in tumor burden. What I tell them is, ‘When you come into our clinic, my goal is [for you to have] no evidence of disease when you leave.’

They ask, ‘Is that possible?’ Well, as that one case study I mentioned, it was achieved. Now, she ended up being with us for nine weeks, but the point is she came in a wheelchair, she walked out, her PET-CT scan [showed no sign of disease], and her tumor markers [were] normal upon discharge.

Our goal is no evidence of disease, but we're going to typically see — in most of our patients, well over 50% — a significant reduction in that tumor burden while they're here with us. The after-care, is very important to continue that process. What we're talking about here is at least a 50% reduction in the tumor that you can see clinically, through labs and through imaging.

And so, many of our patients will come in where the breast is a whole tumor, [or] their spine lights up like a Christmas tree. So, it's not like we have a patient coming in and they have a small little nodule, OK? These are patients that have failed chemotherapy twice or more, [have had] surgery, radiation [and the cancer] recurred, not just once, but often two or even more times.

It's a tough spot to be in, but if we can set a goal of ‘no evidence of disease’ and see a 50% reduction in these patients, hey, that's something that we can work with, because we're not destroying the body; actually we're working to heal the body.”

As mentioned earlier, most of the patients have destroyed much of their bodies’ innate healing ability through repeated toxic treatments, which makes holistic treatment far less effective. Once chemotherapy damages your immune system it becomes extraordinarily difficult to treat it.

I know how panic-stricken one can get when given a cancer diagnosis, but if you’re in the early to mid-stages, you have virtually nothing to lose by going holistic FIRST. Your chances of total remission will be far greater than waiting until all other treatments fail, and you may be able to save your breasts and other parts of your body that would otherwise be cut out.

A Case History
To make his point, Goodyear offers the case history of a woman with bilateral breast cancer who’d been told she needed a bilateral mastectomy, bilateral radiation with chemo, and lymph node dissection — six to 12 months of brutal and toxic treatments that would have left her disfigured.

“When I was talking to her before she came, I said, ‘Let me tell you my approach. Since you've not had any treatment, if we take this in a healing perspective and through a holistic integrative approach, you may just save your breasts, and you may negate the need for any of those other harmful therapies.’

And in fact, now she's over two years out — cancer-free, no breasts removed, no lymph nodes removed. So, here is a person who was headed down that road that would be life changing in a negative way. We hit the pause button.

She took a chance to think, she took a chance to read. And then she said, ‘You know what? I want a different approach.’ We addressed it with a holistic evidence-based, integrative approach ... and now she has both breasts and she's living cancer-free.

She even had COVID and did great ... When the immune system is not destroyed, things work so much better, and full-dose chemo destroys the immune system.”

More Information
If you’d like to book an appointment, schedule a free phone consultation, or simply get more information, you can do that through his website, Brio-Medical.com.

onawah

12th September 2022, 02:57

The Poorly Understood Role of Copper in Anemia
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
September 11, 2022
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2022/09/11/morley-robbins-copper-supplement.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20220911_HL2&cid=DM1258585&bid=1601411117

eNYSzLSGEduu/

"STORY AT-A-GLANCE
Iron and copper are highly interdependent and need to be considered together.
If you don’t have enough copper in your diet, hemoglobin production becomes impaired, along with many other aspects of iron metabolism
Being anemic does not automatically mean that you’re iron deficient.
'Anemia typically relates to impaired iron recycling, not deficiency, and impaired iron recycling is caused by copper and retinol deficiency
The best way to lower excess iron is to donate blood, one to four times a year.
Most adult men and postmenopausal women have high iron and could benefit from regular blood donation, as high iron is extremely toxic and destroys health.
An even better strategy is to remove smaller amounts of blood every month
To raise your copper level, you could use a copper supplement, but foods like grass-fed beef liver, bee pollen and whole food vitamin C are better
If you’re a farmer or grow your own food, the best way to put copper back into the soil, to get it into the food, is to add copper sulfate. Before you plant, simply spray the soil with copper sulfate, 10 to 15 pounds per acre, or use a copper sulfate foliage spray

Morley Robbins, MBA, CHC,1 a repeat guest, is the founder of the Magnesium Advocacy Group. He’s best known as the Magnesium Man, and is the author of “Cu-RE Your Fatigue: The Root Cause and How to Fix It on Your Own,” in which he explains the roles of magnesium, copper, iron, vitamins A and D and other essential nutrients.

His Root Cause Protocol2 is the implementation of that information. We’re currently planning to write a book together, which will focus on the little-understood importance of copper and its interaction with iron.

As explained by Robbins, if copper is lacking in your diet, iron will build up in your liver, which changes its physiology and immunoproperties. Liver metabolism is highly dependent on copper and retinol, and there's not a lot of awareness of that.

“It's a very sophisticated process of interaction between copper and iron, and if that interaction doesn't go well, iron is going to start to accumulate in the tissues. It's going to start in the liver, but it's going to go elsewhere too,” he says.

“I think that is kind of the takeaway of these conversations — to make sure people know that iron does accumulate, and that iron can be reduced through blood donations. Especially as you get into your 50s, 60s, 70s, it needs to be a regular part of your health routine.”

Three Ways to Measure Iron Status
The clinical term for excess iron in the liver is hemosiderosis, and it’s so pervasive as to be near-universal. But where does the excess iron actually come from? And why is it that many with high iron stores have low serum ferritin?

As Robbins explains, oftentimes, low serum ferritin is not at all a sign of iron deficiency, but rather a deficiency in copper and retinol. The deficiency in copper basically locks iron in the liver and prevents it from being recycled as it should:

“It's important for practitioners to not measure iron status with just one marker. I think a lot of practitioners are falling into that trap of just using serum ferritin. There are three key ways to measure iron status: Hemoglobin, serum iron and serum ferritin.

The biggest concentration of iron in the body is in our hemoglobin; 70% of the iron is in our red blood cells ... Hemoglobin is essential to understand what is going on with the biggest bulk of iron.

The second marker that I really focus on is called serum iron. It's less than 1% of the iron, but it's a very important measure of iron because it's really getting at the iron recycling program. Every second of every day, we have to turn over 2.5 million red blood cells. That's a lot of activity. In the course of 24 hours it's 200 billion red blood cells that need to be turned over.

But what's a surprise is to learn that only 25 milligrams (mg) of iron are needed to support that 24-hour cycle, but 24 of those 25 milligrams, 95% of the iron, is coming from this recycling program. So, it’s a very significant understanding that the serum iron only represents a small percent, but it represents the efficiency of the iron recycling.”

Ideally, hemoglobin should be between 12.5 and 13.5 for women, 14.5 to 15.5 for men. Serum iron should ideally be about 100 for women and 120 for men. The closer serum iron is to these, the more efficient your recycling is.

What You Need to Know About Serum Ferritin
The third iron measure is serum ferritin. There are four different types of ferritin in your body, broadly categorized as heavy chain and light chain. Heavy chain ferritin refers to ferritin protein inside cells and mitochondria that require copper to work properly. Serum ferritin refers to ferritin in your plasma, is outside the cell — and also outside the red blood cells, the hemoglobin.

“What is not well-known is that this ferritin that shows up in the blood is very iron-poor. It doesn't have iron in it. The iron has been discharged in the liver and then the protein gets secreted out ... So, serum ferritin is not representative of iron per se. The iron was discharged in the liver ...

I would never use ferritin only as an indication of iron status. You need to see hemoglobin, serum iron, and serum ferritin. You need to see them in relationship to each other ...

[When] serum ferritin starts to get high, it's highly correlated with inflammation or an infection. And again, it makes sense. The liver is taking it on the chin. Iron is not being metabolized properly. Pathogens might be involved. And so, the body starts to secrete the ferritin in a more significant way ...

Serum ferritin should be between 20 and 50. That seems to be a nice sweet spot for people. When the serum ferritin begins to get up in the hundreds, there's a significant likelihood that there's pathology in the liver that's causing that ...

For women, the serum ferritin red flag goes up at 150. For men, the red flag goes up at 300. It can go up into the 5,000s and even higher, with severe chronic disease and inflammation ...

Low ferritin is an indication of metabolic breakdown in the spleen ... it's some kind of parasitic dynamic that's affecting protein production. The ferritin protein is not getting transcribed properly ...

So, low ferritin ... means low recycling. Something in the iron recycling system is out of balance and needs attention. I would argue that, almost without exception, it's a lack of bioavailable copper. The spleen organ is intensely copper dependent. The liver intensely copper dependent. That's not well known in clinical circles.”

So, to summarize, one of the most common errors doctors will make is to prescribe iron pills when serum ferritin is low. More than likely, what’s needed is copper, retinol and other factors to support iron recycling. Unfortunately, articles and textbooks on iron metabolism rarely if ever mention the copper side, even though copper plays a far more important role in the recycling of iron.

Why Blood Donation Is so Important
Most all men and non-menstruating women have excess iron. The reason for this is because many foods are fortified with iron, and your body has no excretory system for iron besides blood loss. So, it accumulates, and if the recycling mechanism doesn’t work properly, the iron gets lodged in tissues.

This is why regular blood donations are so important. Less iron means less oxidative stress, which is going to create less metabolic dysfunction, which results in fewer health problems and less tissue damage.

Every day you’re alive, your body accumulates about 1 mg of iron. Add up 1 mg of iron for every day of your life, and you’ll realize you won’t be able to eliminate all of it even if you tried. When you take out one unit of blood (500 cc), you remove about 250 mg of iron.

If donating a full pint (half a liter, 500 ml or about 8 ounces) of blood three to four times a year is problematic, you can remove blood in smaller amounts once a month on the schedule listed below.

Men

150 ml

Postmenopausal Women

100 ml

Premenopausal Women

50 ml

If you have congestive heart failure or severe COPD, you should discuss this with your doctor, but otherwise this is a fairly appropriate recommendation for most. I personally remove 60 cc or 2 ounces of blood once a week, which is about 7 pints per year. This is a large amount but because it is done slowly it is far better tolerated. Robbins adds:

“I think what's amazing is the sheer simplicity of doing a blood donation, and what it does to revitalize the body. When you have that blood loss, it trips a wire for erythropoietin, a very important hormone that triggers the production of new red blood cells.

And the beauty is it actually has two signals. The second signal is, let go of the iron in the tissue. It has a very powerful effect of releasing the iron to get it back down to the bone marrow, where it's needed to make the new red blood cells.”

Hepcidin and Hemosiderin
To fully understand iron metabolism, you also need to understand the roles of hepcidin and hemosiderin. A ferritin protein can hold as many as 4,500 atoms of iron. Each iron atom has four unpaired electrons, which causes oxidative stress. Hemosiderin, an iron-storage complex composed of partially digested ferritin and lysosomes, can hold 10 times more iron than ferritin.

This also means it holds 10 times more unpaired electrons. When hemosiderin builds up in your tissue, that's when you start having serious issues with iron regulation.

“What's wildly confusing is hepcidin, [which is encoded by] the HAMP gene,” Robbins says. “Hepcidin is an antimicrobial peptide. So, it's got some connection to pathogens. And what's it trying to do? Hepcidin is trying to get iron out of the circulation, to get it away from the pathogens. But it's a bit of a slippery fish because it reacts to iron status. It reacts to inflammation status. It reacts to hormonal status.

Estrogen and testosterone have significant influence over hepcidin. It's reacting to copper status ... Elevated levels of active hormone D [vitamin D] can suppress hepcidin. Retinol deficiency can increase hepcidin ...

The key is understanding that this constant recycling system of the red blood cells, the iron doorway, is being opened by a copper doorman. And if copper isn't doing its job, we're going to have a problem. And what is hepcidin's job?

Hepcidin shuts down the iron doorway. So, we have this significant dynamic between this very important iron egress that needs bioavailable copper, and if bioavailable copper's not there, this hepcidin protein is going to shut it down.

That's where a lot of the confusion is because the true anemia that exists on the planet isn't one of iron deficiency. It's one of copper deficiency not allowing for proper iron recycling. That's a very important nuance.

And the misunderstanding is that iron may look low in the blood, ferritin looks low or hemoglobin looks low, serum iron looks low, but it's high in the tissue. There's no blood test that measures iron status in the tissue.”

Excess Iron Can Cause Dysfunction in Many Organs
A colleague of Robbins in Miami, Florida, has developed a way to measure iron in the liver and brain using a Tesla 2 MRI and a novel scoring technique. This technique was catalyzed by my previous interview with Robbins, because the doctor in question was initially skeptical, but after measuring his own liver iron, he was shocked at the amount stored in there.

But iron is also stored in other organs, including your heart, which can have serious consequences. Robbins explains:

“Jerry Sullivan, a pathologist — his real focus was on cardiology — developed what became known as the iron heart hypothesis. It's not a very popular thesis with cardiologists, but he was able to prove that it was accumulation of iron in the heart muscle cells that were causing the wide spectrum of all the issues, whether it's atrial fibrillation, enlarged heart, any kind of myocardial infarct.

He was able to link it back to the accumulation of iron, and what that was doing to kill energy production in that incredibly important organ in our body. So, the accumulation of iron in our organs is very significant, because these organs are supposed to be producing energy to do their function ...

Too much iron syncs up with the symptoms that are laid out in the Merck Manual. You can trace just almost every one of them back to this iron-copper dysregulation, because copper's supposed to be regulating the iron. And when it doesn't do that, it starts to accumulate ... and then cause dysfunction and dysregulation in the body.”

Food Supply Nearly Devoid of Copper
As mentioned, iron recycling depends on copper and retinol, both of which are lacking in our food supply, thanks to depleted soils. Copper is further eliminated through processing and refining. Making matters worse, our food supply is chockful of iron, sugar and seed oils (which are loaded with linoleic acid) and this triad suppresses copper and retinol function.

For these reasons, copper supplementation can be a good idea, especially if you’re anemic, in addition, of course, to reducing or eliminating iron, sugar and seed oils.

“My new phrase, and I don't know whether it's going to get traction or not, but I'm coming to the opinion that sugar is white iron,” Robbins says. “People don't realize how glucose metabolism influences iron metabolism, especially accumulation of iron, and it's absolutely staggering when you get into it.

So, I think it's important for people to just be aware that sugar isn't just bad, it's really bad. And I think the coupling with the linoleic acid, it's out of control.”

Facts About Retinol
Retinol is vitamin A, which is not the same as beta carotene. They are two different distinct molecules, not to be confused, although nutrition labels get away with conflating beta carotene with vitamin A. Vitamin A also should not be confused with retinyl palmitate.

What people believe is “vitamin A toxicity” is actually a sign of iron toxicity in the liver, caused by copper deficiency. What happens is, when you get vitamin A from your diet, be it cod liver oil, beef liver or free range eggs, the retinol is turned into retinyl palmitate and gets stored in the stellate cells in your liver.

To function properly, the retinyl palmitate then needs to be turned back into retinol, so it can be transported on the transthyretin (TTR) protein, composed of T4 and retinol. Without the retinol, TTR becomes destructive. While Robbins cannot prove it yet, he’s convinced that copper is required for the conversion of retinyl palmitate to retinol.

“And while we're talking about retinol, it's probably important for people to know [that] retinol as a key component of the movement of electrons from complex 3 to complex 4. The electron actually rides the back of the retinol structure. That alone is mind blowing to think about that.

If retinol is not in our diet, then it's not in our electron transport chain, then it's not able to support the optimal generation of energy. So think of retinol as an energy-focused nutrient. It's very unusual, because most of its [known benefits are] around immune system or vision.”

Retinol is best obtained through whole foods, such as cod liver oil, beef liver, free range egg yolks (the deeper orange the yolk, the more retinol it contains), cacao and hot cocoa, and organic grass fed butter, ghee and heavy cream.

More on Copper
Copper also plays an interesting role in energy production. Your mitochondria produce melatonin in response to natural sunlight, and melatonin in turn catalyzes and upregulates glutathione, which is important for energy production, antioxidant protection against free radical damage and more.

As explained by Robbins, glutathione is also the “greeter” of copper in the cell’s cytoplasm. There are two metabolic steps to make glutathione, and one of the steps involve cysteine, which has a very tight relationship with copper.

Furthermore, a copper-dependent enzyme is required to convert serotonin into melatonin. Copper is also instrumental in regulating immune function. All of these functions are yet more reasons to make sure your copper level is optimal.

How to Optimize Your Copper Level
As for raising your copper intake, it’s best to get your copper from food and not a supplement. Good sources include bee pollen, grass fed beef liver and other organ meats. You also want plenty of saturated fats in your diet, as copper is a fat-soluble mineral. If you don't have fat in your diet, your ability to absorb copper plummets.

If you do opt for an oral supplement, Robbins suggests 3 to 4 mg of copper bisglycinate per day, taken with a fatty food (as it’s a fat-soluble mineral). The upper tolerable limit is 10 mg. This is so good because it has no charge on the molecule and readily penetrates cell membranes.

If you’re a farmer or grow your own food, you can put copper back into the soil, to get it into the food, by adding copper sulfate. Before you plant, simply spray the soil with copper sulfate, 10 to 15 pounds per acre. Alternatively, use a copper sulfate foliar spray, which is what I do.

Most farmers merely use NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) fertilizer and NPK actually blocks copper uptake in the plants, which was highlighted by Andre Voisin, Ph.D., in his 1957 classic (which, sadly, is now out of print): “Soil, Grass & Cancer.”

Vitamin C Can Help Augment Copper Level
Whole food vitamin C can also boost your copper level, as vitamin C contains an enzyme called tyrosinase, which has 2 atoms of copper in it. Acerola cherry is one excellent source. A single acerola cherry contains about 80 mg of whole food vitamin C. Ascorbic acid is prooxidant, while vitamin C complex is actually an antioxidant. Anything that has copper is going to be antioxidant.

Do not make the mistake of taking ascorbic acid, however, as it is NOT the same as whole food vitamin C. If you were to compare the two to a car, vitamin C would be the whole car, fully functional, and the engine is an enzyme called tyrosinase, while ascorbic acid is the car frame, with no moving parts.

Importantly, ascorbic acid chelates copper out of tyrosinase, which is exactly what proton pump inhibitors do. It's my view that ascorbic acid is a “pharmacomimetic.” While it’s a natural molecule, it has drug-like effects. It acts differently from vitamin C because it’s been taken out of the vitamin C complex. For example, ascorbic acid does not prevent or treat scurvy. Only whole food vitamin C does.

Ascorbic acid was identified by two scientists who also discovered ceruloplasmin, the major copper-carrying protein in your blood, and ascorbic acid can affect the structure and the copper composition of this crucial copper protein too.

The ideal ratio of copper to ceruloplasmin is copper around 100, and ceruloplasmin at 30, giving us a ratio of 3.33. If that ratio starts to rise or fall, then you likely have some kind of pathology going on.

A ratio in the fours and fives is often indicative of inflammation or an infection of some sort. When it starts to drop precipitously, it's a clear sign that there isn't adequate copper to fuel the function of ceruloplasma protein. So, to summarize the key take-home, if you’re going to take vitamin C, use whole food vitamin C, not ascorbic acid.

More Information
If you missed our last interview, where we went deep into iron metabolism and recycling, you can find it here. https://takecontrol.substack.com/p/iron-copper
You can also learn more on Robbins’ website, RCP123.org, which stands for Root Cause Protocol.https://therootcauseprotocol.com/?source=rcp123

“We have an RCP community that you can join, where every other week we have Q&As. https://therootcauseprotocol.com/rcp-institute/ People get to ask questions and we do our best to answer them. And then we offer training through the RCP Institute. We're about halfway through the class now. Historically, we've had 20 or 30 students in each class.

It started to creep up, and this class is 220 students. So, word is getting out. And it's a very switched on group of people. I'm absolutely blown away by the caliber. But we have intakes and the classes are in the beginning of the year and then the second half of the year, for 16 weeks.”

Anu Raman

12th September 2022, 18:05

Vitamin C with organic folate/folic acid.

You guys always talk about other supplements, but never about real organic folate. Wonder why?

You got synthetic folic acid in your blood... some of it unmetabolized.

Think what that synthetic folic acid will do to you when you get a virus which is reliant upon furin enzyme.

:facepalm:

onawah

12th September 2022, 19:13

Dr. Mercola has written a lot about folate/folic acid.
Unfortunately, due to heavy censoring, most of his articles are behind a paywall now.

Vitamin C with organic folate/folic acid.

You guys always talk about other supplements, but never about real organic folate. Wonder why?

You got synthetic folic acid in your blood... some of it unmetabolized.

Think what that synthetic folic acid will do to you when you get a virus which is reliant upon furin enzyme.

:facepalm:

mojo

12th September 2022, 23:02

Just recovering from a bout of food poisoning. Im about 70 percent back after 4 days. Thought to take a probiotic since whatever caused it went through my body and probably destroyed my natural biota. Felt illness in my head & achiness in the bones... What do others recommend for coming back 100%?

Anu Raman

12th September 2022, 23:09

onawah

12th September 2022, 23:20

Here's that article:

Note: New information in post #13.

I am happy to have found Dr. Mercola's pdf file in the Avalon library regarding vitamins which you can find here:

https://avalonlibrary.net/Coronavirus_%28Wuhan_2019-nCov%29/Covid-19_Treatments/Vitamin_B/B_Vitamins_Might_Help_Prevent_Worst_COVID-19_Outcomes_%28Mercola%29.pdf

The part which indicates about Folic Acid aka Folate, listed under the "Vitamin B9" section, which specifically stated that it has been recently found that Folic acid inhibits the furin enzyme, thus blocking the viral spike protein.

In early 2020, I requested this specific nutrient to be outlined in heavy detailed research at the Royal Society of Chemistry. A group of Iranians decided to fulfill my request and did the explicit analysis. The report you can find here outlines it well:

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2021/ra/d1ra03299b

As you can see, it was peer reviewed and accepted into the main RSC library.

However, the request was only for determining folate aka folic acid interaction with the furin enzyme and an depth comparative analysis with Folicin. It was found that folic acid, has a better 'communicative pathway' with how it deals with the enzymatic processes.

However, this had left out a crucial component regarding the so called 'Synthetic folic acid' which is a common fortifier in our food today.

Synthetic folic acid (SFA) was created somewhere from 1930 to 1945 and it has been introduced in our food since the 1990s'. Synthetic folic acid, a man made composition is pretty much the same as the real thing, with an exception of how it is metabolized coming from the blood plasma. SFA does leave un-metabolized particles in the blood plasma and it does not get excreted the way metabolized compositions do. Real folate does not leave any parts of it 'un-metabolized' as it is completely absorbed by the body.

With that being said, this 'un-metabolized' SFA in the blood plasma is highly suspect involving issues with SARS-Cov-2 infected individuals. Unmetabolized SFA is first hijacked by the virus and it increases the speed of transition to the nearest cell in order to replicate. Such replication of the viral counterpart, causes the immune system to delay response to churn out proper immune cells and antibodies. This SFA, accumulated in the blood over years of food consumption has actually delayed the immune response system. Science has always indicated that it takes 2 to 3 weeks for the immune system to churn out the proper antibodies in an attempt to destroy the viral particles...and it has been recently found that SFA is largely responsible for.

The validation of SFA interaction with Sars-Cov-2 has not been vindicated, because there is no more money coming into the folate analysis project. This was a one time thing as it costs a lot of money to procure a such report. Therefore the project had been left idle, abandoned until the next investor comes along and request a such explicit detailed report. I know now, that this most likely will never happen. There has been so much control over this SFA issue that it involves multitudes of manufacturers, product making, etc, on a factory level that it has to be completely re-investigated. I had my chance at convincing the ISC, a scientific community panel, to re-investigate SFA; as they indicated in their judgment that they will do this explicit work. So.. I had to accept it as it is and move on.

As example - SFA is heavily used in high processed foods. They strip the real folate from them and replace it with SFA. Since Folate is a sensitive water soluble vitamin, it is also stripped from fruits and veggies via the use of pesticides. Red meat is also stripped of natural folate due to antibiotics use in animals. Every time you look up on a search site about the contents of fruits or veggies, for example, it lays out details of how much folate are in them.. well.. that is if they are not sprayed with pesticides...

This is why I am sharing this with you today - I am trying to spread this information to other people, forums, etc, and keep going with it.. and perhaps someday it will reach the mainstream media level, which I kinda heavily doubt due to the ever constant propaganda coming from the vaccination front - as this would conflict with their agenda. If they were to find out that real food folate actually kills the virus in the initial infection stage, there would be no need for vaccines, now would there be?

So here is my simple advice:

If you are an avid vitamins taker, please get REAL FOOD FOLATE.. such example which I purchase from Swanson vitamins - Label "Real Food Folic Acid" and has an ingredient list of "Folate - 1665 mcg" etc and is 'prenatal' version. Prenatal versions are usually the strongest out of the whole batch. Do not be tricked into purchasing labeled folic acid as they are synthetic. Make sure you look at the ingredient list on the back.. You could add this to your collection of vitamins because I've noticed that everyone, is always talking about vitamin C, D, zinc, HCQ, IVM, etc.. but mostly never about real food folate. But as a warning, be very careful in using this type of folate.. you may need to build yourself up from using a weaker form of real food folate for temporary until you are ready to take the strongest one. This is due to reports of vomiting from other people regarding the strength of the swanson folate, which was indicative of a viral infection in the gut biome which reacted with it.

Preventative method is simple.. Vitamin C as a "placeholder" along with a pill form of real food folate. It can be taken everyday, or once every few days, depending on what situation you are in, involving potential infected individuals.. This would make an excellent viral preventative.

This real food folate from Swanson which I use, actually worked when I was infected with covid. I have my own home clinitest antigen rapid test from another country, and I've tested positive 3 times confirmed, and at the end of the day, I tested 3 times negative. It was a risky experiment, placing myself as a lab rat in this scenario, for just hanging out with a group of confirmed, sick infected people, without a mask, etc.. This had confirmed the validation of the RSC Folate report - I needed to find out to 'prove it'... and now I can hang around with infected individuals without worrying about getting seriously ill. The cellular conversion rate has been increased with the real food folate. Ever wonder why our grandmothers have always told us to eat real fruits from trees?

Keep in mind, that the SARS-Cov-2 virus WILL cause an influenza pathway if it cannot invade your cells to replicate. After all, it is a Chimera type virus... and it's the ONLY ONE out of all the coronaviruses to have an DIRECT attachment to furin enzymatic processes. This 'flu' is temporary which comes with low fever for a couple days, as the immune system will automatically kick start, giving you quicker and faster immunity processes.

So, for writing this up for you to read..
PLEASE SHARE this information with your family and friends...
If there is ever any doubt about any of this, have them RESEARCH this at their own leisure..

Thank you so much for reading.
-An

Dr. Mercola has written a lot about folate/folic acid.
Unfortunately, due to heavy censoring, most of his articles are behind a paywall now.

Vitamin C with organic folate/folic acid.

You guys always talk about other supplements, but never about real organic folate. Wonder why?

You got synthetic folic acid in your blood... some of it unmetabolized.

Think what that synthetic folic acid will do to you when you get a virus which is reliant upon furin enzyme.

:facepalm:

Not censored here: ;)

https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?116757-Folate-alternative-treatment-for-Covid

And here's post #13:

UPDATE STATUS: RED ALERT.

The so called "Omicron" variant no longer has the "Q52R" amino component in the viral spike protein S1 "housing". It was previously validated to bind to human ACE-2 via ELISA, which is now 'substituted' in the N terminal. Therefore,
instead of no longer overly focusing on the ACE-2 binding, it will now overly focus binding to furin enzymatic processes instead -aka cleavage, etc. To keep it sweet, short and simple, this variant should be mild, however, in expressive terms due to the
no longer placed Q52R amino, it will "bind" to enzymatic processes, thus causing myriad reactions of sorts. Hopefully the "reactive" process will be kept minimal as long there is less accumulative unmetabolised synthetic folic acid in the blood plasma.

This is indicative of a possible conflict within the furin cleavage, aka protease thus causing apoptosis (cellular death) cascade instead of forming new replication. This is now an open possibility unlike previous variants which would occur but on a rare occasion. This, we will have to see with validation of reports. Again, those who are taking vitamins, please resort to taking real food folate, with of course, vitamin C as "placeholder" to make it 'last longer' in your blood plasma, because this variant will have the capability to hijack SFA on a more repetitive basis.

This is more of a warning... instead of just information. I understand now why health officials have greater concern about this particular variant.

Edit: This variant has the potential to end covid once for all... but we will have to see about that.

That is all.

-An

Additional info:
https://www.timesnownews.com/health/article/omicron-variant-what-are-the-mutations-that-have-raised-alarm-among-experts/836603

onawah

3rd December 2022, 03:11

EDIBLE MUSHROOMS FOR HEALTH
Email message today 12/2/22 from:
Ocean Robbins <ocean@email.foodrevolution.org>
https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/b-VSscmFstEGLMMUD5AwIzVQnsdSTu6dRCkzxfzEisJHfJecBhYh18yT6SPbHXuRzMHEq81N4JzGkibEZl5haX_KxpMfTTJ1rhTgc1 kq_5z5wyI=s0-d-e1-ft#https://cdn.foodrevolution.org/email/images/frn-logo-email@2.png
"What’s brown, white, yellow, or beige and is shown to prevent cancer?

If you guessed mushrooms, you’re right!

One landmark study concluded that women who consumed even a slice of cooked mushroom daily were 64% less likely to develop breast cancer.

In the free Food For Health Masterclass, we cover which type of mushrooms to eat, along with 9 other must-have tips.
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You’ll learn:

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You’ll also hear some of my dad's heartwarming stories (including what my Grandpa Irv, who founded Baskin-Robbins, said to us on his deathbed.)

>> Watch the free Food For Health Masterclass here.https://thriving.foodrevolution.org/masterclass/?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ppt-202212&utm_content=relaunch-promo-1-masterclass-landing&j=172083&sfmc_sub=17615750&l=137_HTML&u=2234768&mid=514008241&jb=510

Yours for healing food wisdom,

Ocean Robbins

P.S. Tens of thousands of people have watched and loved the Food for Health Masterclass. My dad and colleague, John Robbins, and I created it because we want to empower you with the most urgent breakthroughs that you can apply starting right away. Find out what it’s all about right here."

onawah

13th December 2022, 21:54

Politicians Make New Attempt to Ban Supplements
Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
December 13, 2022
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2022/12/13/politicians-new-attempt-ban-supplements.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20221213&cid=DM1305710&bid=1668095107

"STORY AT-A-GLANCE
Proposed legislation is calling for a federal database for dietary supplements, which requires supplement makers to submit information to the FDA
Known as mandatory product listing (MPL) for dietary supplements, supporters claim it’s a way for the FDA to know what products are on the market and what ingredients they include
Opponents suggest the move, which is redundant and burdensome for small supplement companies, could ultimately give the FDA more power to ban supplements from the market
MPL could pave the way for the FDA to gain premarket approval power — changing access to supplements as we know it
Multinational companies like Bayer, Nestle, Unilever, Proctor & Gamble and Clorox have also been buying up supplement companies at a frenzied pace.
In 2018, there were 83 such transactions; this rose to 137 in 2021

The U.S. supplement market was valued at $48.4 billion in 2021, with an expected compounded annual growth rate of 8.9%.1 In the U.S., where 80% of Americans use dietary supplements, the industry is viewed as trustworthy by the majority of adults (79%).2 However, access to high-quality supplements is continually being threatened by legislation, along with corporate mergers and acquisitions.

Proposed legislation is calling for a federal database for dietary supplements, which could pave the way for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to gain premarket approval power — changing access to supplements as we know it.

Mandatory Product Listing for Supplements May Be Coming
In April 2022, Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Mike Braun, R-Ind., introduced the Dietary Supplement Listing Act of 2022.3 The Act would require supplement makers to provide information about their products to the FDA, including (but not limited to):4

A list of all ingredients
An electronic copy of the label
Allergen statements
Health and structure/function claims
Known as mandatory product listing (MPL) for dietary supplements, supporters claim it's a way for the FDA to know what products are on the market and what ingredients they include. But opponents suggest the move, which is burdensome for small supplement companies, could ultimately give the FDA more power to ban supplements from the market. According to Natural Products Insider:5

"Pete Evich, vice president of the lobbying firm Van Scoyoc Associates in the nation's capital, cited 'immense pressure' from MPL proponents to get the proposal into an omnibus bill … Durbin is expected to lobby aggressively for MPL during the lame-duck session."

Why the Push for Mandatory Product Listing?
The information that MPL would require is already available via existing sources, including facility registrations and product labels, which include ingredients and dosing information readily available for the public to see. The National Institutes of Health Dietary Supplement Label Database also contains some supplement label information.

Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), told Nutritional Outlook, "We keep … wonder[ing] why the reporting requirement is so redundant. It requires submission of not just the label but also a whole bunch of information that's already on the label … You gotta ask this question: Should American taxpayers pay for two databases?"6

Meanwhile, a prominent concern is that along with being unnecessary and burdensome, MPL could turn into a tool for premarket approval, which the FDA could use to keep dietary supplements off the market. Daniel Fabricant, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA), explained to Nutritional Outlook:7

"The thing is, if the safeguards were there" — meaning language built into the bill to clearly state that the law doesn't let FDA reject any database submissions — "they would be specifically spelled out. They would say, 'Hey, nothing in this act would allow the Secretary to remove an ingredient that isn't the subject of final agency action.'

… That would give you a safe harbor, but we haven't seen any language here that would present that [in the current bills]. And, again, if the goal is … to get FDA labels? OK, those would meet that goal.

Now, if the goal is something else, well then people need to be honest about what that goal is. If that goal is to get FDA an administrative tool that's in effect premarket approval? Yeah, that's not going to work at all. Everyone is opposed to that."

There's also the possibility that MPL would bring the U.S. closer to adopting universal limits on supplement dosages and formulas — a move that would also restrict consumer's access to therapeutic levels of such products. According to Alliance for Natural Health USA:8

"As we've seen in issues like GMO-labeling, where some states required labeling of GMO foods and others didn't until federal law pre-empted state labeling laws, big companies don't like dealing with a patchwork of regulations.

Mega-corporations doing business across the world would likely welcome harmonized levels of supplements so they can sell their products on the world market without having to change formulations or labels.

Higher-end products would be eliminated because they wouldn't meet the 'harmonized' nutrient levels, and all that would be left are the most basic, cookie-cutter products that don't support patient needs but make the most money — think of the supplements you see at CVS, or Walgreen's, etc."

'We Need To Be Aware of FDA's History'
Given FDA's history of attacking dietary supplements, MPL needs to be viewed with extreme caution, particularly with regard to what it could morph into in the years to come via "regulatory drift."9

Supporters have claimed an MPL database would help protect consumers by keeping fraudulent or adulterated products off the market, but even this is misleading, since criminals could easily submit fraudulent labels. AHPA's McGuffin explained:10

"Again, we don't see any words in there that say, 'This is premarket approval.' We don't see any words in there that say, 'This could never become premarket approval.'

And that's why we've continued to push back on that detail. If the language is cleaned up, then we'd be back to, 'Could somebody please clarify with a great deal of certainty why this is needed, because we're still at that point of we don't really see the need. We think it's redundant to FDA's existing authority to get as many labels as it wants.'

We think it's unlikely to work because … the companies that we really want pushed out of the market are those creepy-creeps that sell products that say 'dietary supplements' and contain undeclared drugs. But we don't think that this will fix that, because they'll just register. And then, apparently, they're compliant.

And then we're also concerned about potential regulatory drift. Where does FDA go with this over the next 10 or 15 years? It's not crazy to think, or I would be naïve to think, that based on decades and decades of history, we should assume that FDA will treat this exactly as we think it should be treated.

I think anybody with experience in the trade would have to agree that we need to be aware of FDA's history, which is to seek narrowing of availability of natural products and dietary supplements …"

Another Threat: FDA's 'New Dietary Ingredient' Guidance
Another threat to dietary supplements that could also turn into a preapproval system is the FDA's New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) Guidance.11 An NDI, under the FDA's definition, is any "dietary ingredient that was not marketed in the United States in a dietary supplement before October 15, 1994." Manufacturers that want to market a dietary supplement containing an NDI must notify the FDA about the ingredients.

While large corporations will have no problem complying with FDA's burdensome NDI requirements, many small supplement makers may be pushed out of the market as a result. Alliance for Natural Health USA noted:12

"Simply put, the FDA is trying to install a quasi pre-approval system for 'new' supplements — those introduced to the market after 1994. In its revised guidance document explaining how they intend to implement this provision of the law, the FDA has signaled its intention to treat many, many common supplements as 'new' and thus subject to the onerous NDI requirements before they can come to market.

Note that the law passed by Congress only calls for a premarket notification system for 'new' supplements, but the FDA has tried to usurp power to turn this into a premarket approval system like the one they have for drugs. An economic analysis estimated that, if implemented as is, the NDI guidance could lead to the elimination of over 41,000 products from store shelves."

Is the FDA Intent on Turning Supplements Into 'Drugs'?
The FDA recently concluded that beta-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), an antiaging ingredient, cannot be marketed or sold in dietary supplements,13 because it was investigated as a pharmaceutical drug.14

The conclusion came in response to an NDI notification submitted for NMN. The takedown of NMN is a harbinger of things to come, according to Chris Masterjohn, who has a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences. He tweeted that the FDA's ruling that NMN is "an article authorized for investigation as a new drug," is a "backdoor into essentially banning all supplements that do anything useful."15

The key narrative continues to be the FDA honing in on the most successful supplements and essentially turning them into pharmaceutical products. Masterjohn continued:16

"I am not a lawyer and I am not an expert on FDA regulations, but I believe the FDA's interpretation … means that the following will happen: a) company A wants to make a health claim for a supplement. They have to fill out an IND [investigational new drug]. b) company B does not want to do that.

They want to sell their supplement and make no claims. However, company A filled out an IND. Now, FDA concludes company B's supplement is a drug.

With this interpretation, what will happen is slowly but surely everything on the market will be chipped off from "dietary supplements" and stacked onto "drugs" because companies that want to do research studies to show health effects will have to fill out INDs.

Once they fill out an IND, according to FDA's current interpretation, that thing has become a drug, can no longer be a supplement, and is no longer a nutrient or food. In short, the FDA is completely unhinged."

Big Corporations Taking Over Supplement Companies
Meanwhile, multinational companies like Bayer, Nestle, Unilever, Proctor & Gamble and Clorox have been buying up supplement companies at a frenzied pace. In 2018, there were 83 such transactions. This rose to 137 in 2021.17 For instance, Nestle Health Science, a division of Nestle, now owns:18

Pure Encapsulations

Douglas Foods

Garden of Life

Vital Proteins

Nuun

Wobenzym

Persona Nutrition

Genestra

Orthica

Minami

AOV

Klean Athlete

Bountiful, which owns Solgar, Osteo Bi-Flex, Puritan's Pride, Ester-C and Sundown

"Several of these brands are higher quality supplement companies," Alliance for Natural Health USA noted.

"What will happen to them now that they are owned by mega-corporations that have not historically had core natural health principles as the foundation of their businesses? We've spoken to several of the largest and highest quality brands that have not been purchased; they have confirmed that larger companies have made several unsuccessful attempts to purchase them."19

Why are there continued attempts to make supplements drugs and for mega-corporations to acquire their makers? "Where there's money to be made, big players will want to cash in," Alliance for Natural Health explained.20 The end result for consumers could be disastrous, however, including restricted access to supplements and inferior products on the market:21

"Overall, this level of consolidation isn't good for competition, because just a small number of companies can make decisions that affect our supplement access, and many of them do not share the values of small, independent companies who go into business to fill a need in the natural health sector.

Issues over quality of supplements and access to higher dosages become the decision of a smaller and smaller contingent of companies — this is not good from a health freedom standpoint."

- Sources and References
1, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Alliance for Natural Health USA November 15, 2022
2 Nutraingredients-usa.com October 22, 2021
3, 5 Natural Products Insider November 22, 2022
4 Dick Durban April 26, 2022
6, 7, 9, 10 Nutritional Outlook May 31, 2022
11 FDA, New Dietary Ingredients in Dietary Supplements, Background for Industry
13 Dicentra November 14, 2022
14 Natural Products Insider November 10, 2022
15, 16 Twitter, Chris Masterjohn November 14, 2022

onawah

28th March 2023, 08:05

Vitamin D Reduced Dementia Risk by 40%
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
March 27, 2023
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2023/03/27/vitamin-d-and-dementia.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art2ReadMore&cid=20230327&cid=DM1371166&bid=1756437160

-U4CD1uKnZA

"STORY AT-A-GLANCE
A study in a cohort of 12,388 persons showed that vitamin D exposure over 10 years could lower the risk of dementia by 40%; women in the study experienced a greater benefit than men
There are 50 million people worldwide with dementia and experts estimate that number will nearly triple by 2050; vitamin D deficiency is also a widespread problem with a worldwide prevalence of up to 1 billion people
Vitamin D has a neuroprotective effect, can reduce the percentage of people who move from prediabetes to diabetes, and can help prevent and/or treat certain cancers, gastrointestinal diseases, uterine fibroids, lupus, obesity, and neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis
There is a synergistic effect with magnesium, vitamin K2 and calcium and an imbalance may raise the risk of heart attack and stroke; the only way to determine how much sun exposure or supplementation you need is to test your vitamin D level

In this 18-minute video, retired nurse educator John Campbell details the results of a 2023’ study1 demonstrating the effect that vitamin D deficiency has on the development of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
At this point, there is simply no question that optimizing vitamin D levels is a crucial part of maintaining optimal health.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, also referred to as calciferol. It can be found naturally in some foods and is produced endogenously when your skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun. Vitamin D supplementation in the U.S. is available as vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).2

If you're unsure of your vitamin D levels, it's important to get tested. Seeking to optimize your vitamin D can potentially help you live longer since low levels have been associated with an increased risk of several health conditions,3 some of which increase your risk of premature death.

The data demonstrating the efficacy of vitamin D in your health continue to mount and, as Campbell notes in his presentation, “This is cheap, it's natural, it doesn't cost anything and we're not paying thousands of dollars per year to a pharmaceutical company.”4

Vitamin D Deficiency and Dementia
The researchers in the featured study5 note that despite vitamin D deficiency having been associated with dementia in past studies, the role it plays remains unclear. The researchers gathered data from 12,388 persons from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center who were dementia-free and had an average age of 71 at the time of enrollment.

The researchers measured baseline exposure to vitamin D and compared dementia-free survival between the groups of individuals who were exposed to vitamin D and those who were not. Vitamin D exposure was measured as taking vitamin D3, vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 plus calcium. The results showed that across all these groups, exposure to vitamin D was associated with a significantly longer time period without dementia and a lower incidence rate overall.

The researchers controlled for other covariates such as gender, cognitive status and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4. As Campbell explains,6 the APOE gene is known to increase the risk of dementia in those who carry it. Approximately 25% of the population carries one APOE gene and 3% carries two. Individuals who have two genes will have a much higher risk than those who carry one.

The data suggest that all formulations of vitamin D tracked in the study reduced the incidence of dementia by 40% when compared to those who had no exposure. Interestingly, the effect was significantly greater in females versus males and in those with normal cognitive ability versus those who began the study with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).7

The effect was also greater in those who were not APOE carriers versus those who were. The researchers concluded that “vitamin D has potential for dementia prevention, especially in the high-risk strata.”

Campbell notes that this was a large effect and while it does not prove correlation or causation, it suggests the results are more likely to be causal. The researchers plotted out the data published in figure A, which showed benefit to those exposed to vitamin D began roughly at the end of the first year and continued to confer greater benefit the longer the participants were followed.

Over the 10 years, Campbell notes that 2,696 of the participants got dementia. Of those, 2,017 (74.8%) had no exposure to vitamin D while only 679 (25.2%) who took vitamin D were diagnosed with dementia, which he calls an “impressive protective effect.”8

Vitamin D Has Neuroprotective Properties
Campbell asks why people with the APOE gene do not experience the same benefit from vitamin D as those who do not have the gene. He hypothesizes that they may require higher doses of vitamin D or the gene may override the benefits of the vitamin.9

The researchers from the current study10 note that 50 million people worldwide currently have dementia and the number is expected to nearly triple by 2050. Vitamin D deficiency is also recognized as a widespread problem, “with a worldwide prevalence of up to 1 billion.”

Past research has demonstrated that vitamin D has a neuroprotective effect. It is known to help clear amyloid beta aggregates in the brain,11,12 which is a hallmark sign of Alzheimer's disease. The researchers know that vitamin D has also demonstrated a neuroprotective effect against amyloid beta-induced tau hyperphosphorylation,13 which is implicated in neurofibrillary tangles,14 another structural abnormality found in Alzheimer's disease.

Past studies have also implicated vitamin D deficiency in the increased risk of dementia. In a study published by the University of South Australia, researchers found those with the strongest association were in people with vitamin D levels below 10 ng/ml (25 nmol/L).15

Low vitamin D levels were also associated with lower brain volumes, and genetic analyses suggested there’s a causal relationship between vitamin D deficiency and dementia.16 Further, the researchers found that up to 17% of dementia cases in some populations may be prevented if people raised their vitamin D levels to 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L).

In a separate study17 of 1,658 people over a 5.6-year period, vitamin D deficiency was associated with a substantially increased risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s. When measuring Alzheimer's disease specifically, severe vitamin D deficiency was linked to a 122% increased risk as compared to a 69% increased risk for those who were moderately deficient.18

Deficiency Raises the Risk of More Health Concerns
Campbell notes that past research has demonstrated that people taking vitamin D experience protection against progressing from prediabetes to diabetes. He notes that those who are more likely to get diabetes are also more likely to get dementia, so with the association of vitamin D and a lower risk of dementia, it “seems to make perfect sense to give these people extra vitamin D.”19

Vitamin D also has a significant beneficial impact on cancer risk, possibly both preventing and treating the disease. In a 2020 reanalysis of a 2018 study20 that measured the results of giving participants just 2,000 IUs a day, data showed a 17% reduced risk for metastatic cancer and death and as much as a 38% reduced risk in those who maintained a healthy weight.21

This information is significant because initially this same study had concluded that vitamin D doesn’t reduce the overall risk of cancer at all, although it did “hint” that it might decrease the risk of cancer deaths. So. In the reanalysis, the team looked specifically at the risk of metastatic or fatal cancer.

When they did that, they found that “body mass may influence the relationship between vitamin D and a decreased risk of advanced cancer.” One of the corresponding authors, Dr. Paulette Chandler, commented:

“These findings suggest that vitamin D may reduce the risk of developing advanced cancers, Vitamin D is a supplement that's readily available, cheap, and has been used and studied for decades. Our findings — especially the strong risk reduction seen in individuals with normal weight — provide new information about the relationship between vitamin D and advanced cancer.”

In still other studies, a 2020 review22 published in the British Journal of Cancer noted that low vitamin D levels were associated with poor colorectal cancer survival and a 2019 review23 of 10 randomized controlled trials found the reduction in mortality from cancer was “significant.”

As I have written in the past, research has also shown that higher levels of vitamin D can help prevent and/or treat gastrointestinal diseases,24 inflammatory rheumatic diseases,25 lupus,26 obesity27 and neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis.28

And, as I found in my own peer-reviewed study,29 vitamin D also reduces the risk for COVID-19 infection. Also, as I discuss in more detail below, vitamin D works even better when it’s balanced with other nutrients, such as magnesium and vitamin K2.

A 2022 study30 also examined how Vitamin D may affect the development and progression of uterine fibroids. These are muscular tumors that grow in the wall of the uterus. They're nearly always benign, but symptoms are difficult to live with. They occur in up to 70% of white women and more than 80% of black women, sometimes without symptoms.31

The objective of the study was to find a treatment for fibroids that would preserve fertility. They enrolled 1,610 women and found that serum levels of vitamin D equal to or greater than 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L) were associated with an estimated 9.7% reduction in the growth of fibroids when compared to people with vitamin D levels less than 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L).

The researchers also found a 22% reduction in the incidence of fibroids and a 32% increase in fibroid tissue loss in individuals whose vitamin D levels were equal to or greater than 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) when compared to individuals whose levels were less.

The Interplay of Vitamin D, Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin K2
If you are unable to maintain optimal levels of vitamin D from sensible sun exposure, it's important to remember there are synergistic effects with other nutrients when you're supplementing. When taking a vitamin D supplement, you may also need to increase your intake of magnesium, vitamin K2 MK7 and calcium.

Together, these vitamins work in tandem, and an imbalance is why calcium supplements have been associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and why some experience symptoms of vitamin D toxicity. Here's a summary of some of the most important correlations:

•Excessive vitamin D without adequate vitamin K2 may cause overabsorption of calcium, which in turn may result in calcium deposits in the tissue. Part of the explanation for these adverse side effects is that vitamin K2 keeps calcium in its appropriate place — in your teeth and bones and out of soft tissues and arteries.

While the optimal ratios between vitamin D and vitamin K2 have yet to be established, taking somewhere between 100 and 200 micrograms (mcg) of K2 is beneficial. Telltale signs of vitamin K2 insufficiency include osteoporosis, heart disease and diabetes. You’re also more likely to be deficient if you rarely eat vitamin K2-rich foods.

•Vascular calcification is also a side effect of low magnesium, so when taking vitamin D3, you need both vitamin K2 and magnesium to make sure everything is working properly.

•Maintaining an appropriate calcium-to-magnesium ratio is also important, as magnesium helps keep calcium in your cells so they can function better. Based on your personal health needs an ideal ratio of calcium-to-magnesium may vary from 1-to-1 to an optimal 1-to-2.

•Magnesium and vitamin K2 also complement each other, as magnesium helps lower blood pressure, which is an important component of heart disease.

What Are Optimal Levels of Vitamin D?
I’ve long recommended a vitamin D level of 60 to 80 ng/ml (150-200 nmol/L) for optimal health and disease prevention. A level upward of 100 ng/mL also appears safe and beneficial for certain conditions, especially cancer.

Remember that the only way to determine how much sun exposure is enough and/or how much vitamin D3 you need to take is to measure your vitamin D level, ideally twice a year. The D*Action Project by GrassrootsHealth32 is a cost-effective way to do this, while simultaneously progressing valuable research.

To participate, simply purchase a D*Action Measurement Kit and follow the registration instructions included. If you need to supplement, then GrassrootsHealth also has a vitamin D calculator33 to help you estimate the dose you need to reach your target level.

You’ll input your weight, current vitamin D supplement, serum level and target level to find the maintenance dose needed to reach your desired level within three months. Once you’ve confirmed your vitamin D levels via testing, remember to retest in three to four months to make sure you’ve reached your target level.

If you have, then you know you’re taking the correct dosage and/or getting the right amount of sun exposure. If you’re still low (or have reached a level above 80 ng/ml), you’ll need to adjust your dosage accordingly and retest again in another three to four months."

Sources and References
1, 5 Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring, 2023; doi: 10.1002/dad2.12404
2 ClinCalc.com, It’s Time to Say “Goodbye” to Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol)
3 Aging and Disease, 2017;8(3)
4 YouTube, March 13, 2023, 14:49
6 YouTube, March 13, 2023, 4:09
7 Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring, 2023; doi: 10.1002/dad2.12404 Abstract/Discussion/Bullets
8 YouTube, March 13, 2023, 8:20
9 YouTube, March 13, 2023, 10:36
10 Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring, 2023; doi: 10.1002/dad2.12404 Background para 1 top
11 Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2012;29(1)
12 Science Daily, March 6, 2012
13 International Journal of Molecular Science 2020;21(12)
14 Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2013;33(1)
15 The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2022;116(2)
16 University of South Australia, June 14, 2022
17 Neurology, 2014;83(10)
18 Science Daily, August 16, 2014, para 2,3
19 YouTube, March 13, 2023, 00:23-00:50
20 JAMA Network, 2020;3(11)
21 The ASCO Post. November 19, 2020
22 BJC, 2020;123
23 Bioscience Reports, 2019;39(11)
24 Scientific Reports, 2020;10(21641)
25 Intechopen, 2018; doi: 10.5772/intechopen.88677
26 Helio, September 4, 2015
27 Clinical Nutrition, 2012;32(3)
28 PLOS, August 25, 2015
29 Nutrients. 2020 Nov; 12(11): 3361
30 Fertility and Sterility, 2022; doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.08.851
31 Gynecology and Obstetrics 2020; doi: 10.1002/ijgo.13102 Abstract/top
32 GrassrootsHealth, D*Action Project
33 GrassrootsHealth, Vitamin D Calculator

Parsi-X

28th March 2023, 10:46

Johnnycomelately

4th April 2023, 06:44

Vitamin D supplements reduce suicide attempts by 50% overall, and 68% in African Americans: US Veterans Administration. Huge study, near a million veterans, split into a control group and the ones taking supplements.

As suicide is indicative of depression, anybody who feels down may be helped by this info.

New US Vit D research

Dr. John Campbell
2.74M subscribers

146,672 views Apr 3, 2023

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTyOkOhbtKE

Johnnycomelately

6th April 2023, 07:02

TIL Lion’s Mane Mushroons. “Evidence of neuroregenerative benefits” (1:15:20 - 1:16:15).

I have not searched Avalon for prior references nor the wide web, thought it interesting enough to just post right up and ask current readers about. To me, Dr. JC is credible.

Reminds me of what what Paul Rosolie said (post#35485 on up at the ranch, yesterday, sorry no time stamp) about 3 Amazon plants (not specified/identified) that cured infection, that western medicine does not know that.

Triggernometry interview, perceptive questions

Dr. John Campbell
2.74M subscribers

28,927 views Apr 5, 2023
“Great discussion with Francis and Konstanin”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrTJokuMos4

Rawhide68

8th April 2023, 00:18

Withot reading throw all above
Magnesium is nr one for blodpreeaure anyway, I take it before I go to bed, helps you sleep as well.
Vitamin D is vital if you don't get enough sunlight, much good talks about that was a major subject keyword banned to could stop COVID, now even on youtube for some reason.

palehorse

8th April 2023, 09:12

anyone here taking medicinal mushrooms? Ive been taking reishi and lions mane to decompress and cordyceps has helped me lift brain fog and almost make me feel extremely "awake and aware" the first few times i had cordyceps i felt like my brain just woke up from a long slumber.

Am currently using Life Cykle mushroom extract drops sublingually and powdered reishi and lions mane from SuperFeast from Australia.

Would be grateful if anyone can recommend high spectrum products that contain the actual mushroom fruiting body rather than the extracts.

I am doing tea with Heishi mushroom also known as "Lingzhi" in Thailand, I am not using extract in powder form or pills.. I am using the dried one, despite it is a hard mushroom it won't last much time after harvesting, best option to preserve is to dry it and slice as you need.. usually 2 thin slices is enough for a cup of hot tea, taste not really good, but I can feel the benefits, just don't drink it right before bed, it is a bit diuretic, also a small cup is all you need. Mine I do infusion for almost until it cool down, I don't drink it very hot.

I recommend to buy any sort of mushrooms in the fresh market or chinese fresh market, it is indeed the best option to get the raw thing and not the extract which is processed using same equipment for a variety of other things.. I mean you always will be getting something else with the extract, even if a little tiny bit.. some sellers they even write in the fine prints "it may contain soy, corn or something else".

Also "Chaga" shroom is a strong immune booster, there is some pigments in the back of the shroom body which is a very strong antioxidant and is even better than Lingzhi, can be ingested as tea as well, or just add on top of the food, strong taste but not bad.

cordyceps I had never tried I can't say anything about, but I saw they have it in dried form for sale, maybe I will try some next time.

In general I feel great with Lingzhi, I would prefer take Chaga instead, but it is not easy to find here and I don't want to take it in powder form simply because I don't know what they added in there beside the mushroom of course... the famous brands are too expensive, really a rip off and do not worth the price, specially when you know how much it cost.. I see all these super inflated brands today selling the same thing I can get for a fraction of the price, in the end you are paying to ****ty marketing.

onawah

21st April 2023, 03:06

Glycine to Increase Longevity and Decrease Depression
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
April 20, 2023
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2023/04/20/glycine-increase-longevity-decrease-depression.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20230420&cid=DM1385569&bid=1777662937
HhPQOOhsvh0

"STORY AT-A-GLANCE
Glycine has been shown to extend lifespan in animal studies and mitigate chronic disease and disability, thereby increasing healthspan
Glycine has anticancer effects, reduces insulin and alleviates neuroinflammation; it may also protect against depression and is essential for collagen synthesis
To gain all of glycine’s healing potential, doses of 10 to 20 grams a day may be optimal
You need at least 12 grams of glycine daily for optimal collagen turnover, plus another 3 grams per day to form glutathione
Excess methionine from eating animal products without the connective tissues decreases longevity, but adding glycine will reduce the methionine/glycine ratio to counter the negative side effects of excess methionine
Glycine has neurotransmitter qualities, improves depression and is also useful for improving sleep quality by helping relaxation at night by being very similar to the neurotransmitter GABA
Glycine, a nonessential amino acid, meaning your body can make it, but most of us as we age are simply unable to make enough of it, especially if our dietary intake is low because we are not eating enough connective tissue and collagen in our diet.

New research is emerging showing glycine is a powerful longevity enhancer, one that's not only inexpensive but also has a pleasant, slightly sweet flavor. In fact, glycine is sometimes used as a sugar substitute, and I personally take 1 teaspoon with each of my two meals and before bedtime for its health-enhancing qualities.

Research shows glycine extends lifespan in worms, mice and rats while improving health in models of age-related disease.1 If there were any doubt about its importance, consider that collagen — the most abundant protein in your body2 — is made mostly of glycine. It's also a precursor to glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that declines with age.

As noted by Siim Land, author of "Metabolic Autophagy," in the video above,3 however, there are two glycine benefits that appear key to its actions as a veritable fountain of youth — inducing autophagy and mimicking the longevity benefits of methionine restriction.4

How Glycine May Influence Aging
Glycine is a receptor for the enzyme glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT), which plays a role in methionine clearance, according to a review published in Ageing Research Reviews.5 Glycine is the acceptor for GNMT, an enzyme responsible for methionine clearance. GNMT converts glycine to sarcosine, "an autophagy-inducing metabolite."6

Further, in mice deficient in GNMT, levels of free methionine may be seven-fold higher, while S-adenosyl-L-methionine may increase by 35-fold.7 This matters, as methionine is involved in cancer cell growth and metabolism, while methionine restriction inhibits cancer cell growth.8

Methionine restriction has been shown to improve longevity, extending lifespan in mice while lowering levels of insulin, glucose and insulin-like growth factor 1. Limiting methionine also yields a host of additional antiaging benefits in ice, like reducing liver damage after exposure to dangerous amounts of acetaminophen and reducing overall frailty.9

"Since a low level of methionine signifies a low nutrient state, methionine restriction is thought to act as a caloric restriction mimetic," the Ageing Research Reviews report explains.10 Glycine, in turn, the researchers noted, "may prolong life by serving as a methionine restriction mimetic."11 It does this because it lowers the methionine/glycine ratio which may be more important than the absolute level of methionine consumption.

You Need Glycine for Collagen Synthesis
Indeed, in a study on mice using data from the National Institute on Aging's Interventions Testing Program, a team of scientists revealed that feeding a diet with 8% glycine increased lifespan significantly, by 4% to 6%, in males and females, while offering additional benefits like reduced risk of dying from lung cancer.12

Some animal studies have shown up to a 28.4% median increase in lifespan when eating a diet containing 8% or 12% glycine.13 There are also direct antiaging effects via collagen synthesis. Land explains:14

"Glycine also has a very important role in antiaging directly by helping to reduce wrinkles, and collagen synthesis. Glycine makes up every third amino acid in collagen, which is why there is such a large requirement of glycine for optimal collagen turnover.

The less collagen or glycine you consume, the slower your collagen turnover is. Slow collagen turnover increases the damage that occurs to your collagen, such as glycation and oxidation, and reduces collagen deposition into tissues.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, making up approximately 30% of all your protein by mass. It makes up your hair, teeth, skin, nails, organs, arteries, cartilage, bones, tendons and ligaments. Collagen is literally the glue that holds you together. So making sure that you preserve your collagen is very important for slowing down aging, especially when it comes to wrinkles.

Starting at the age of 20 you lose just under 10% of your skin's collagen content every decade. So, by the time you're 75 years old you would have lost 50% of your skin's collagen content … up until very recently it was thought that the collagen turnover was very slow and it only happened over the course of many years — over the entire lifespan.However, recently it was shown that collagen turnover happens every day and is part of your daily protein turnover."

Glycine Protects Against Age-Related Disease
Also significant is glycine's potential to mitigate chronic disease and disability, thereby increasing healthspan throughout your body. Glycine receptors exist in the central nervous system, for instance, which means glycine acts as a neurotransmitter.15 The Ageing Research Reviews study compiled multiple examples of glycine's ability to fight age-related disease in animals, including:16

Suppressed tumor growth in mice with melanoma17

Decreased fasting glucose, insulin, triglyceride and insulin-like growth factor 1 in male rats18

Preserved muscle mass and reduced inflammatory markers in mice with cancer cachexia19

Improved endothelial function in older rats20

Even intermittently restricting methionine leads to benefits like improved glucose homeostasis, reduced obesity and protection against fatty liver

Reduced weight gain and improved bone mineral density in a mouse model designed to mimic postmenopausal bone loss21

Protected against cardiac hypertrophy22

Alleviated neuroinflammation and protected against cognitive deficits in mice with neurodegeneration23

Human trials confirm what the animal models suggest — that glycine is protective against a range of chronic diseases. In a study of 60 people with metabolic syndrome, 15 grams of glycine a day for three months had reduced oxidative stress and improved systolic blood pressure.24

In older adults, limited availability of glycine and cysteine may lead to decreased synthesis of glutathione — composed of the three amino acids cysteine, glycine and glutamic acid — such that glutathione deficiency is widespread in this population.25 The lack of glutathione, perhaps driven by limited glycine, in older adults may be a key element driving the oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction that lead to age-related degeneration. Land notes:26

"The benefits of glycine generally have to do with improving the blood sugar levels, fasting insulin levels, triglycerides, even lowering the demand for sleep, improving brain function and health, helping with just overall aspects of vitality.

… a lot of the longevity benefits come from the methane restriction and the autophagy stimulation that pretty much helps to clean out the cells from the dysfunctional components as well as boosting glutathione levels, which just enables the body to function with less inflammation and oxidative stress, which is very crucial for aging and it also pretty much buffers against the methionine toxicity."

Glycine With NAC Supports Mitochondrial Health
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine also looked into supplementation with a combination of glycine and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), two glutathione precursors known as GlyNAC when taken together.

They had previously shown that young mice deficient in glutathione had mitochondrial dysfunction, and supplementing with GlyNAC in older mice not only improved glutathione deficiency but also mitochondrial impairment, oxidative stress and insulin resistance.27

Additional previous research they conducted in HIV patients28 found GlyNAC supplementation improved "deficits associated with premature aging" in this population.29 This included improvements to oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, genotoxicity, strength and cognition.30

A subsequent pilot trial in older humans found similar results, with GlyNAC supplementation for 24 weeks correcting glutathione deficiency and improving multiple measures of health, including:31

Mitochondrial dysfunction

Oxidative stress

Inflammation

Endothelial dysfunction

Insulin resistance

Genomic damage

Cognition

Strength

Gait speed

Exercise capacity

Body fat levels

Waist circumference

Further, GlyNAC supplementation improved four of nine hallmarks of aging associated with most age-related disorders — mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, insulin resistance and genomic damage.32 Glycine, the team noted, is an important methyl-group donor. "Methyl groups are abundant in DNA and are important components of multiple cellular reactions. Glycine is also important for normal brain function."33

In addition to supporting brain function,34 supplemental glycine may be useful for the "prevention and control of atherosclerosis, heart failure, angiogenesis associated with cancer or retinal disorders and a range of inflammation-driven syndromes, including metabolic syndrome."35

Glycine's Link to Depression
As a major neurotransmitter,36 glycine's role in brain health is receiving increasing attention. The results of a 15-year study conducted by University of Florida researchers also suggest it may be involved in depression. The finding relates to a receptor called GPR158. When suppressed in mice, stress-induced depression is less likely.

When they determined the structure of GPR158, they realized it's an amino acid receptor — for glycine. "We were barking up the completely wrong tree before we saw the structure," study author Kirill Martemyanov told Medical News Today. "We said, 'Wow, that's an amino acid receptor. There are only 20, so we screened them right away and only one fit perfectly … it was glycine."37

After learning that GPR158 binds to glycine and acts as a metabotropic glycine receptor, they named it mGlyR.38 The team explained in the journal Science:39

"Glycine signals through mGlyR to inhibit production of the second messenger adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate. We further show that glycine, but not taurine, acts through mGlyR to regulate neuronal excitability in cortical neurons. These results identify a major neuromodulatory system involved in mediating metabotropic effects of glycine, with implications for understanding cognition and affective states."

Glycine is also useful for improving sleep quality.40 "It can help to relax at night by being very similar to GABA," Land says. "… It's beneficial for … reducing the time it takes to fall asleep. People who ingested 3 grams of glycine within one hour before bedtime saw an improvement in subjective sleep quality, fell asleep faster and were less sleepy during the day."41

How Much Glycine Is Enough?
To gain all of glycine's healing potential, doses of 10, 15, or 20 grams a day may be necessary. Land suggests you need at least 12 grams of glycine daily for optimal collagen turnover, plus another 3 grams per day to form glutathione and other compounds:42

"Your body only makes 3 grams of glycine per day, and if you only consume around 2 to 3 grams of glycine from foods then it means that almost all of us are in a 10-gram glycine deficit every day," he says.

"… I think most people would benefit for at least 5 to 10 grams of glycine a day, which is, uh kind of a moderate amount … if you are eating a lot of muscle meat … or you're just interested in getting more of the benefits of glycine then you can take even up to 20 grams a day."

In addition to supplements, collagen is an outstanding source of glycine. My personal preference is to use a less denatured (unhydrolyzed) organic collagen supplement, as it has a more balanced amino acid profile or, better yet, simply boost your collagen intake by making homemade bone broth using bones and connective tissue from grass fed, organically raised animals."

Sources and References
1 Ageing Research Reviews March 31, 2023, Highlights
2 Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2011 Jan; 3(1): a004978
3 YouTube, Siim Land, Glycine Longevity Benefits Are Amazing – New Study Confirms April 5, 2023
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Ageing Research Reviews March 31, 2023
12 Aging Cell January 23, 2019
13 Ageing Research Reviews March 31, 2023, Table 1
14 YouTube, Siim Land, Glycine Longevity Benefits Are Amazing – New Study Confirms April 5, 2023, 5:49, 7:31
15 Ageing Research Reviews March 31, 2023, Intro
16 Ageing Research Reviews March 31, 2023, Table 2
17 Carcinogenesis, Volume 20, Issue 5, May 1999, Pages 793–798
18 The FASEB Journal April 1, 2011
19 Clinical Nutrition June 2014, Volume 33, Issue 3, Pages 448-458
20 Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology June 2015, Volume 93, Number 6
21 Amino Acids volume 48, pages 791–800 (2016)
22 Biochemical Pharmacology January 1, 2017
23 Journal of Neuroinflammation October 15, 2020
24 Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology June 17, 2013
25 Innov Aging. 2019 Nov; 3(Suppl 1): S416
26 YouTube, Siim Land, Glycine Longevity Benefits Are Amazing – New Study Confirms April 5, 2023, 5:49, 7:00
27 Clinical and Translational Medicine March 27, 2021, Abstract, Background
28, 30 Biomedicines September 30, 2020
29 Baylor College of Medicine March 29, 2021
31 Clinical and Translational Medicine March 27, 2021
32 Clinical and Translational Medicine March 27, 2021, Section 4.12
33, 34 Clinical and Translational Medicine March 27, 2021, Section 4.13
35 Medical Hypotheses January 15, 2019
36, 38, 39 Science March 30, 2023, Abstract
37 Medical News Today April 4, 2023
40 Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015 May; 40(6): 1405–1416
41 YouTube, Siim Land, Glycine Longevity Benefits Are Amazing – New Study Confirms April 5, 2023, 5:49, 8:50, 11:56
42 YouTube, Siim Land, Glycine Longevity Benefits Are Amazing – New Study Confirms April 5, 2023, 5:49, 8:50, 13:46

onawah

11th August 2023, 07:35

The Many Benefits of CoQ10 and Ubiquinol
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
August 10, 2023
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2023/08/10/many-benefits-of-coq10-and-ubiquinol.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20230810_HL2&foDate=true&mid=DM1448060&rid=1879271291

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2023/August/PDF/many-benefits-of-coq10-and-ubiquinol-pdf.pdf

"STORY AT-A-GLANCE
CoQ10 is a powerful, fat-soluble antioxidant that also has anti-inflammatory effects and plays a role in energy production
It’s found throughout your body in cell membranes, but it’s most abundant in your heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas and adrenal glands
CoQ10 offers significant benefits for heart health, kidney function, liver disease, migraines and more
Your production of CoQ10 peaks around the age of 25, then begins to decline; by the age of 65, your body typically produces only about half the amount it did at 25
Many people, including older adults, those with certain chronic diseases and people taking statin drugs, benefit from ubiquinol supplementation; ubiquinol is the reduced version of CoQ10 that’s more easily absorbed
Coenzyme Q10 or simply CoQ10, (ubiquinone) is a fat-soluble molecule that is found in all cells of your body.
It plays a crucial role in the electron transport chain, which is a series of reactions that occur in the mitochondria to generate energy in the form of ATP.1

In addition to its role in energy production, CoQ10 also has antioxidant properties. It can neutralize harmful free radicals and protect cells from oxidative damage. This is particularly important in mitochondria, as the electron transport chain can sometimes leak electrons, leading to the formation of free radicals. CoQ10 helps prevent this leakage and reduces the risk of oxidative stress.

It is worth noting that the quality and composition of CoQ10 supplements can vary. Some commercially available CoQ10 products may be dissolved in vegetable oil, which can affect the interaction between it and other molecules. This may have implications for its respiratory function and potential toxicity for mitochondria.

"CoQ10 is essential for the health of virtually all human tissues and organs," a review in the Journal of Pharmacy & BioAllied Sciences notes.2 While it’s found throughout the body in cell membranes, it’s most abundant in your heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas and adrenal glands.3

As the third most consumed dietary supplement,4 CoQ10’s reputation for health and wellness has gotten around, but its clinical relevance is still very much underappreciated. And the same holds true for ubiquinol — the reduced, electron-rich form of CoQ10 that your body produces naturally.

How CoQ10 Benefits Your Health
CoQ10 protects cellular membranes from oxidative stress induced by free radicals. It also has anti-inflammatory properties. Supplementing with 60 milligrams (mg) to 500 mg of CoQ10 for eight to 12 weeks can significantly reduce tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP);5,6 three measures of widespread inflammation, impacting a number of chronic diseases. CoQ10 also plays a role in a number of other important functions, including:7

Cholesterol metabolism

Regeneration of vitamins C and E

Maintaining lysosomal pH

Sulfur metabolism

Amino acid metabolism

Gene expression

Heart health, however, is CoQ10’s claim to fame. Many conditions, including heart disease, appear to be rooted in mitochondrial dysfunction.8 Cardiac muscle cells have about 5,000 mitochondria per cell,9 where CoQ10 concentrates. For further comparison, mitochondria make up about 35% of the volume of cardiac tissue and only 3% to 8% of the volume of skeletal muscle tissue.10

Further, scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a reduction in oxidative stress are an essential part of keeping the heart functioning normally,11 including helping to ward off atrial fibrillation.12

Atrial fibrillation is an abnormal, often rapid, heart rhythm that occurs when the atria, your heart's upper chambers, beat out of sync with the ventricles, the heart's lower chambers. It's a common symptom in those with heart failure or heart disease.

In one study, 102 patients with atrial fibrillation were divided into two groups. One group was given a CoQ10 supplement while the other group was given a placebo. After 12 months of supplementation, 12 people in the placebo group had atrial fibrillation episodes compared to only three people in the CoQ10 group.13 Levels of malondialdehyde, a known biomarker of oxidative stress, also went down significantly in the CoQ10 group.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of cardiovascular risk factors spanning 884 randomized controlled trials with 883,627 participants also found CoQ10 decreased all-cause mortality events.14 Meanwhile, CoQ10 influences several other aspects of heart health, including:

High blood pressure — CoQ10 acts directly on your endothelium, dilating your blood vessels and lowering blood pressure.15,16 CoQ10 also decreases aldosterone, a hormone that makes you retain salt and water.17,18 When aldosterone goes down, excess salt and water are excreted through your kidneys, often causing your blood pressure to go down.
Stroke — Systemic inflammation, oxidative stress and nerve cell damage play a role in the development of stroke. Research suggests supplementing with CoQ10 can reduce ischemic lesions and improve outcomes in patients who have been treated with a statin drug after having a stroke (statins reduce CoQ10 levels in your body).19
CoQ10 Benefits Migraines, Kidney Function, NAFLD and More
If you suffer from migraine headaches, you may be interested to know that CoQ10 may play a preventative role in the condition. A meta-analysis of five studies found CoQ10 was more effective than placebo in reducing the number of migraine days per month, along with migraine duration.20

CoQ10 is also protective of the kidneys and may be useful in cases of acute kidney injury due to drugs like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, sepsis and other causes. The protective benefits are likely due to CoQ10’s "anti-inflammatory effects, gene expression regulation, enhancement of the activity of antioxidant enzymes, free-radical scavenging, and lipid bilayer membrane stabilization."21

Its ability to reduce oxidative stress makes CoQ10 useful for age-related diseases as well, with some studies suggesting it can increase lifespan in animal models.22 Benefits have also been found for improving fertility in older women and reducing fertility decline in men.23 It may also stop the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

In one study, 44 patients were divided into two groups. One group was given 100 mg of CoQ10 each day, while the other was given a placebo. After four weeks of supplementation, the group taking CoQ10 dropped weight and had lower levels of serum AST, a blood marker that indicates liver disease and/or damage.24

CoQ10 Levels Decrease With Age
Your body can naturally make CoQ10, but genetic alterations in metabolism, poor diet, oxidative stress, chronic conditions and aging can all interfere with CoQ10 production and lead to CoQ10 deficiency.

While the optimal daily requirement for CoQ10 isn’t known, it’s been estimated at 500 mg per day. Since only an estimated 5 mg comes from dietary sources, most of this is dependent on being synthesized within your body. Your production of CoQ10 peaks around the age of 25, however, then begins to decline. By the age of 65, your body typically produces only about half the amount it did at 25.25

A CoQ10 deficiency can result, which causes a number of deleterious effects, not the least of which is impaired antioxidant defense against oxidative stress caused by free radicals. According to researchers with Liverpool John Moores University in the U.K.:26

"Primary CoQ10 deficiency can affect any part of the body, but particularly the brain, muscle and kidney tissues, as a consequence of their high energy demands. The severity and time frame of symptoms are variable; severe symptoms may be evident in infancy, whereas mild symptoms may not become apparent until the individual is in their 60s."

In the brain, CoQ10 deficiency can lead to impaired balance and coordination known as ataxia, along with other neurological symptoms. In the kidneys, lack of CoQ10 may cause dysfunction, while in the heart, a weakened heart muscle, similar to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, can occur.27 Further, the U.K. team explained:28

"Secondary deficiencies of CoQ10 typically occur in the mitochondrial myopathies, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, chronic kidney disease, liver disease and critical illness. Depletion of CoQ10 in these disorders may compromise cellular antioxidant status and result in impaired mitochondrial function and cellular energy supply, resulting in, for example, heart failure."

If you take statin cholesterol-lowering drugs, be aware that they block HMG coenzyme A reductase in your liver, which is how they reduce cholesterol. But this is also the same enzyme that makes CoQ10, making its depletion likely.

Statin-induced CoQ10 deficiency may be responsible for the myopathic — or relating to muscle control — side effects often attributed to these drugs. Interestingly, LDL cholesterol is the major carrier of CoQ10 in your circulation, so it’s also been suggested that the decrease in CoQ10 among statin users is related to the decrease in LDL.29

The Difference Between CoQ10 and Ubiquinol
Ubiquinol is the reduced version of CoQ10, also known as ubiquinone. They're the same molecule, but when CoQ10 is reduced it takes on two electrons, which turns it into ubiquinol. In your body, this conversion occurs thousands of times every second inside your mitochondria.

The flipping back and forth between these two molecular forms is part of the redox (oxidation/reduction) process that transforms food into energy. Young people are able to use CoQ10 supplements quite well, but older people do better with ubiquinol, as it's more readily absorbed. You can get some CoQ10 from food as well. Food sources include wild-caught salmon, mackerel, sardines, eggs and organ meats.30

You may also be able to improve your body's conversion of CoQ10 to ubiquinol by eating lots of green leafy vegetables, which are loaded with chlorophyll, in combination with sun exposure.31,32

CoQ10 and Ubiquinol Dosing
Before we get to the dosing, if you plan on supplementing with CoQ10 you must be absolutely certain the supplement does not contain any vegetable oil in it, as the unsaturated fat will damage the CoQ10 and it will not work optimally.

Most of your CoQ10 requirements are met by making your own. But if your body’s production has declined with age or due to other reasons, like statin drugs, supplementation may be beneficial. Dosing requirements vary depending on your individual situation and needs.

If you're just starting out with ubiquinol, start with 200 mg to 300 mg per day. Within three weeks, your plasma level will typically plateau to its optimum level. After that, you can go down to a 100 mg per day maintenance dose. This dose is typically sufficient for healthy people. If you have an active lifestyle, exercise a lot or are under a lot of stress, you may want to increase your dose to 200 to 300 mg per day.

If you're taking a statin drug you must also take at least 100 to 200 mg of ubiquinol or CoQ10 per day, or more. Supplementation is also appropriate for those with chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), chronic fatigue and autism. Ideally, split the dose up so you’re taking it two or three times a day, rather than taking it all at once, as this will result in higher blood levels.

To find out the best dose for your needs, you'll want to work with your integrative physician. Remember, too, that CoQ10 is a fat-soluble antioxidant, so consume it along with a healthy source of fat for optimal absorption."

Sources and References
1, 30 Cleveland Clinic, What Is CoQ10 March 28, 2022
2, 3 J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2011 Jul-Sep; 3(3): 466–467
4 Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2020 Mar;19(2):574-594. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12539. Epub 2020 Feb 19
5 Pharmacol Res. 2017;119:128-136
6 Pharmacol Res. 2019;148:104290
7 Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep; 21(18): 6695., Intro
8 Integr Med (Encinitas). 2014;13(4):35-43
9 PeerJ. 2018;6:e4790
10 Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2014;307(3):H346-52
11 Antioxidants (Basel). 2020;9(4)
12, 13 J Investig Med. 2015;63(5):735-9
14 Journal of the American College of Cardiology December 13, 2022, Volume 80, Issue 24, Pages 2269-2285
15 Molecular Aspects of Medicine. 1994;15(1):s257-s263
16 Circ Res. 1989;65(1):1-21
17 Am J Physiol. 1965;208:1275-80
18 Molecular Aspects of Medicine. 1994;15(1):s265-s272
19 Nutr Neurosci. 2019;22(4):264-272
20 Acta Neurol Scand. 2019 Mar;139(3):284-293. doi: 10.1111/ane.13051. Epub 2018 Dec 3
21 Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2022; 27: 57
22 Nutrients. 2019 Sep; 11(9): 2221., Conclusions
23 Nutrients. 2019 Sep; 11(9): 2221., Section 3.3
24 Arch Med Res. 2014;45(7):589-95
25 Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep; 21(18): 6695
26, 27, 28, 29 Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep; 21(18): 6695., 3. Clinical Consequences of CoQ10 Deficiency
31 Photochem Photobiol. 2013 Mar-Apr;89(2):310-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.2012.01230.x. Epub 2012 Sep 26
32 NutritionFacts.org April 4, 2016

onawah

17th September 2023, 16:47

Trashing the Eight Glasses of Water a Day Recommendation
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
September 16, 2023
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2023/09/16/trashing-8-glasses-of-water-a-day-recommendation.aspx

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2023/September/PDF/trashing-8-glasses-of-water-a-day-recommendation-pdf.pdf

PWr-KNSwhbM

"STORY AT-A-GLANCE
Most in the wellness industry will tell you to drink lots of water and limit your salt intake, but that is the opposite of what you want to do
Not only do these strategies not improve your hydration, but they may also cause many of the issues they’re intended to prevent, including headaches, skin problems, detox problems, decreased immune function and lower metabolism
By limiting salt, you may initially lower your blood pressure, but it comes at a cost.
In the long run, it worsens dehydration and ultimately results in higher blood pressure
Drinking excess water can mimic having insufficient sodium, ultimately aggravating dehydration and high blood pressure
On a cellular level, hydration allows the cells to maintain their proper structure.
But water is not the only factor in hydration. The ratios of electrolytes inside and outside the cell also play a role, as does the protein structure of the cell, and the amount of energy the cell has available
The same strategies that optimize your metabolism and cellular energy production will also ameliorate high blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels and calming the stress response

In the Energy Balance podcast above, health coach and independent health researcher Jay Feldman and Mike Fave, a registered nurse and independent researcher, discuss how your water and salt intake affect the energy production in your body, and your blood pressure. Feldman and Fave both specialize in bioenergetic medicine, pioneered by the late Ray Peat, a biologist and physiologist who was one of the founders of the pro-metabolic diet based on the bioenergetic theory of health.1

I have only recently been diving into their YouTube channel and am very impressed with their ability to share accurate information about health and bioenergetic medicine. After going through 35 podcasts, I have not heard them make any inaccurate statements.

If you are interested in learning more about optimizing mitochondrial energy production and bioenergetic medicine, I would strongly recommend going to their YouTube channel and start listening to their podcasts — but start from episode 1, which is only about 4 years old as I believe this is the best YouTube channel to learn BioEnergetic medicine that can change your life and the information is free. Hard to get much better than that.

This podcast dispels the myth of drinking eight glasses of water per day. Most in the wellness industry will tell you to drink lots of water and limit your salt intake, but that is the opposite of what you want to do.

Not only do these strategies not improve your hydration, but they may also cause many of the issues they’re supposed to prevent, including headaches, skin problems, detox problems, decreased immune function and lower metabolism.

"We might actually want to be drinking less water and eating more salt," Feldman says. "We’ll also talk about how we can address high blood pressure, and why the general recommendations to drink more water and eat less salt might not be a good idea for high blood pressure."

Unfounded Claims
Surprising as it may seem, the recommendation to drink eight glasses of water (or more) each day "is in many ways a baseless recommendation that isn't supported by research," Feldman says. Even more surprising, perhaps, is that drinking water is not by itself a strategy that will guarantee hydration.

Many different factors can affect your cells’ capacity to use the water available to them, including the mineral balance in your body and your blood volume. Drinking excessive amounts of water, to the point that your urine is clear, also comes at a cost.

The same, but in reverse, can be said for salt. Very low salt intake, which is recommended for cardiac patients and those with high blood pressure in particular, likely does more harm than good. High salt intake is also wrongly accused of causing dehydration.

There’s More to Hydration Than Water
On a cellular level, hydration allows the cells to maintain their proper structure. But water is not the only factor in hydration. The ratios of electrolytes inside and outside the cell also play a role, as does the protein structure of the cell, and the amount of energy the cell has available. All these factors interact to maintain hydration of the cell.

Electrolytes are positive or negative ions of specific minerals. The primary intracellular electrolyte is potassium, and the main extracellular electrolyte is sodium.

Other important electrolytes include magnesium and calcium. These four interact with each other in various ways. Calcium and magnesium, for example, are antagonistic toward each other, as are sodium and potassium, so they need to be properly balanced.

"The interaction of water with the electrolytes and proteins [in the cell membrane] gives the water structure, [it] creates a gel state [editors note: structured water or EZ water, which stores energy and strengthen mitochondria2]," Fave explains.

"So ... you need not only water, you need electrolytes and proteins as well. And then ... you need energy to maintain the proper concentration gradients or maintain the proper ratios of electrolytes inside and outside the cell.

In the plasma membrane theory, you need a proper amount of ATP, which is produced by oxidative phosphorylation, mostly, in order to run the membrane-based pumps that control the gradients inside and outside the cell.

In the gel state theory, or the gel water theory, you need proper energy production of the cell to maintain a specific charge of the protein structure and the water in general, so that they interact appropriately and maintain the proper shape.

In both theories, when you have a breakdown of energy production, you get swelling of the cell, and that's because the cell has been unable to maintain the proper gradients between electrolytes from the inside to the outside, or in the gel state theory, just the proper electrolyte interaction with the water and structure.

So now we have a much bigger picture, where to maintain proper tissue and cellular hydration you need electrolytes. You need your water first of all but you also need electrolytes, and you need the proper proteins and amino acids, and the proper cellular energy metabolism ... Just dumping water into the system doesn't solve the problem if you have dehydration.

You have a whole bunch of other requirements, and when you start taking in an excess amount of water relative to what your body actually needs, the process of eliminating that water is a bit wasteful to some of those other requirements."

Structured Water Is Not Plain Water
EZ water or structured water is a gel-like type of negatively charged water that forms inside your cells. It’s not the same as the water you drink. EZ water acts like a charged battery in that it both stores and delivers energy.

But for EZ water to form, energy is also required. So, you may have enough water in the cell, but if there’s not enough energy, it won’t be structured properly and will cause the cell to swell.

Basically, the severe swelling (edema) you sometimes see in cardiac patients or patients receiving intravenous fluids for an infection is likely due to a severe energy deficit, an electrolyte deficit, or both. Other contributors to edema and dehydration include eating high amounts of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) and having a high endotoxin load in your gut.

An important point that Feldman and Fave do not discuss is that EZ water also forms when you expose water to infrared light, so an easy way to encourage the formation of EZ water in your body is to get regular sun exposure.

Salt Deficit Promotes Dehydration and High Blood Pressure
Water and salt go together. Salt will attract water, so having an appropriate amount of salt in your blood allows you to maintain an appropriate blood volume, which in turn allows for proper circulation. When you don’t have enough salt (sodium) in your blood, your blood volume is reduced, which impedes your ability to transport waste.

As explained in the podcast, the idea behind low-sodium recommendations is that if you take in more salt, the sodium level in your blood will go up, which will increase your blood volume, thereby causing your blood pressure to rise. However, this isn’t how things work, because your body has an adaptation system.

By limiting salt, you may initially lower your blood pressure, but it comes at a cost. In the long run, it worsens dehydration and ultimately results in higher blood pressure.
So, when your salt intake is very low, your body responds to the decrease in blood volume by preventing your kidneys from excreting sodium. By retaining sodium, it helps increase your blood volume. It also increases vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels) to bring the blood pressure back up.

In short, by limiting salt, you may initially lower your blood pressure, but it comes at a cost. In the long run, it worsens dehydration and ultimately results in higher blood pressure, which is what you were trying to address in the first place.

And, by forcing your kidneys to retain sodium, they will excrete potassium and magnesium instead. Again, these are the primary intracellular electrolytes and are required for hydration. They’re also important for relaxation.

Low magnesium and potassium also leads to further vasoconstriction and increased sympathetic nervous system activity. Your sympathetic nervous system is the gas pedal that speeds up the systems involved in the fight or flight response, so it causes stress.

Norepinephrine is also released when sodium levels are low, which also fuels the stress response. The stress response, in turn, ratchets up blood pressure. So, in the long run, too little salt promotes both dehydration and high blood pressure.

The Importance of Proper Sodium-to-Potassium Ratio
If you notice that your blood pressure rises when you add more salt, try increasing your salt intake more slowly. Typically, the rise in blood pressure is a temporary artifact and will decrease once your body adapts. If it doesn’t, it could be that you don’t have enough of the other electrolytes (calcium, potassium and magnesium). Your sodium-to-potassium ratio is particularly important.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (formerly Institute of Medicine) recommends 4,700 mg per day for people over the age of 14,3 and it’s generally recommended that you eat five times more potassium than sodium.

If you're unsure of your sodium and potassium intake, use chronometer.com/mercola. https://cronometer.com/signup/?tid=mercola
This nutrient tracker allows you to enter foods and then calculates the ratios automatically.

Potassium helps lower your blood pressure by relaxing the walls of your arteries, and according to Harvard Health,4 many people with high systolic blood pressure can successfully lower it simply by increasing their potassium intake.

In my view the best way to increase your potassium is by eating ripe fruit. I typically get around 3,000 mg from watermelon, orange juice and tangerines, and another 2,000 mg from other sources.

For a more complete list of potassium-rich foods, see DietaryGuidelines.gov’s "Food Sources of Potassium" page.5 Taking potassium supplements is not a good strategy and simply will not provide you with the benefits you seek.

Too Much Water Mimics Salt Deficiency
As explained in the podcast, since water dilutes salt, drinking too much water can mimic having insufficient sodium. It causes the same stress response that results in the loss of potassium and magnesium, the same cellular swelling, inhibition of cellular energy production and, ultimately, dehydration!

On top of that, while the conventional claim is that water increases metabolism, research has shown that the energy expenditure is caused by activating your stress systems, including your sympathetic nervous system. So the increase in energy expenditure comes at a severe cost. It just increases stress.

Research has also shown that when you drink water that has the same concentration of salt as your blood (normal saline), you do not activate the stress response. This suggests the increase in energy expenditure from drinking plain water is due to the dilution of sodium, Feldman notes.

Key Take-Away
The take-away from all this is that it’s important to get enough salt in your diet, and much better to drink water that contains electrolytes than plain water. How can you make sure you’re getting enough salt and water without going overboard in either direction?

One of the simplest and best ways to do that is to listen to your thirst and salt cravings. Drink when you’re thirsty and salt your food to taste. Don’t force yourself to drink a predetermined amount of water "just because."

"There’s a misconception that by the time you're thirsty, you're already too dehydrated," Feldman says, "and that's not the case. The research has shown that that our sensitivity to thirst and hydration is actually pretty spot-on, it's pretty sensitive.

So, we know that ... we get thirsty ahead of time. We're able to tell within a pretty small range ... if we're getting slightly dehydrated or if we need more liquid, which of course makes sense.

That's the whole point of thirst — to tell us that we need more liquid. It wouldn't make sense if that happens too late ... This is shown in animals as well, that they have very sensitive thirst signals that allows them to stay adequately hydrated.

The same is true for salt. Our signals that tell us how much salt we need are pretty sensitive ... so if you're craving salt ... that might mean that you need more salt."

General Recommendations to Optimize Hydration and Salt Intake
Feldman points out that while conventional recommendations say to limit salt intake to 1,500 or 2,000 milligrams or less, research has shown that this range is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality compared to higher ranges of 4,000 to 6,000 mg.

"The the point being that if we were to eat a lot more salt than we're told to eat, we’d actually be much better off," Feldman says.

"And as far as thirst goes, this brings us to the best food and drink options for hydration. We don't want to just drink plain water. A lot of the other places that we could get liquid from have a lot more of the things that we would need to actually stay hydrated."

Examples offered by Fave include mineral water, tea with honey, fruit juice, coconut water, milk, fruit and vegetable smoothies, cooked vegetables and ripe fruit. These contain minerals, vitamins and sugars that aid hydration better than plain water. When you do drink plain water, make sure it’s well-filtered to avoid water contaminants like fluoride, chlorine and disinfection byproducts (DBPs).

Also, in cases where you need to consume large amounts of water because you’re sweating profusely, consider adding electrolytes to it. A super-simple and extremely cost-effective way to do that is to dissolve a small pinch of Himalayan salt into your water. A small amount of lemon or lime juice will improve the taste.

When it comes to salt, steer clear of iodized highly processed table salt, as it contains anticaking agents and can contain undesirable contaminants, including plastic, as well. Instead, make sure you’re using a natural unprocessed salt. Mediterranean sea salt, Celtic sea salt and Himalayan pink salt are good options. Then, listen to your cravings and salt your food to taste.

Optimizing Metabolism Is Important if You Have Hypertension
Other factors that affect hydration and blood pressure, aside from water and salt intake, include making sure you’re getting enough of the other three electrolytes (potassium, calcium and magnesium) and optimizing your cellular energy production.

"For people who are concerned about their blood pressure, these are definitely important things to consider," Feldman says.

"Factors that affect energy production play a pretty major role in blood pressure, so that means making sure you're getting the right types of fats — avoiding PUFAs and favoring the more saturated ones — getting enough protein, getting enough carbs, making sure you're digesting your food well and don't have a lot of endotoxin production ...

If you're having hypertensive issues, in general I would say there's a lot more going on than you're just eating too much salt. I would say you either have an endotoxin issue, some vascular damage from oxidized polyunsaturated fats, maybe some type of latent infection, maybe you have an overactive adrenergic system ... from some sort of electrolyte imbalance or some type of chronic stressful situation, or a lack of nutrients ...

Another point to consider ... Hypertension is ... an excessive amount of tension ... The blood vessels are being contracted to an excessive amount and that's what leads to the high blood pressure. Well, all of the things that support energy production work to to release that tension."

To learn more about how to optimize your metabolism and cellular energy production — which as Feldman notes may help address your high blood pressure — check out my interviews with biohacker Georgi Dinkov, featured in "Crucial Facts About Your Metabolism,":
https://takecontrol.substack.com/p/mitochondria-glucose-metabolism

"Important Information About Low Carb, Cortisol and Glucose":
https://takecontrol.substack.com/p/georgi-dinkov-cortisol-part-1

and "A Surprising Reason Why You May Need More Carbs in Your Diet.":
https://takecontrol.substack.com/p/surprising-reason-why-you-may-need-more-carbs "

Sources and References
1 Umzu. Who Is Ray Peat?
2 Dave Asprey EZ Water
3 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Table S-3
4 Harvard Health Publishing, January 23, 2017
5 DietaryGuidelines.gov Food Sources of Potassium

onawah

29th September 2023, 05:25

Sodium Bicarbonate
Dr. Sircus
9/29/23
https://drsircus.com/?s=sodium+bicarbonate
https://www.facebook.com/drsircus

"Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is a natural substance used to regulate pH as a counterbalance to acid build up and accompanying low oxygen conditions. Sodium bicarbonate is the easiest, fastest and safest way to rush oxygen to the cells and it is a biological fact that cancer cells hate oxygen.

Baking soda affects the pH of cells and tissues, balances cell voltage, and increases CO2, all of which helps with oxygenation. We might not be able to say that bicarbonate cures cancer but certainly baking soda helps patients survive their cancer. It certainly helps patients survive chemotherapy and that is why it is quietly used to buffer the toxic effects during chemo administration.

Sodium Bicarbonate can be used as a first line of defense for a vast range of sickness including, cancer, flu, diabetes, kidney disease and even the common cold. Sodium Bicarbonate can be used in many forms whether transdermally in a bath, orally or nebulized for lung conditions. It can be used against radiation exposure. The US Army has known for decades that it protects the kidneys against uranium toxicity.

The Post wrote, “Treatment is based on the theory that cancer is caused by a form of yeast infection and that sodium bicarbonate can kill the yeast. This claim is not supported by science or clinical evidence and is contrary to widely-accepted basic facts of oncology and microbiology.”

Only a few brave souls say that cancer is a fungus but certainly most patients with late stage cancer have fungus infections, which doctors do not know how to treat, because most medical organizations come out clearly against the use of sodium bicarbonate, which is after all a good anti-fungal."

onawah

15th November 2023, 22:57

Reduce Inflammation and Reverse Autoimmune Issues Without Expensive Drugs
From:Health Truths <support@supplementsrevealed.com>
11/15/23

"According to US News and World Report, properly prescribed medications are putting many people in the hospital instead of treating their illnesses.

Not only that, but a study by Donald Light reveals that around 2,460 people die from drugs that were properly prescribed on a weekly basis!

Can you imagine the horror of going six feet under thanks to something that PROMISED you that you will get better?

And that’s not all…

More studies are finding out that these meds are triggering the onset of various autoimmune conditions, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.

If prescription medicines themselves are causing these conditions, where do you run to?

Fortunately, our good friend Jonathan Otto has created this e-book on 21 Natural Remedies for Autoimmune Disease which you can download below…

mod note: In post below, a member (leavesoftrees) had security issues with this book link.

Download your F.REE copy of the e-book: https://naturalmedicinesecrets.com/21remedies/?uid=1&oid=2&affid=162&sub1=231115HTJV020010I

Here’s what you’ll discover:

✅ The natural remedies that are more effective for reducing inflammation than the top 3 anti-inflammatory drugs on the market

✅ Spices that are proven to be as effective as common antidepressants, but without the side-effects

✅ Stress-reducing plant medicines that lower your cortisol, and promote calm and well-being

✅ The antioxidant plants that are helping you slim down effortlessly

✅ The science behind these miracle remedies

As an added bonus, downloading this e-book also gives you a F.REE pass to watch Jonathan’s brand new docuseries, Natural Medicine Secrets.

Discover the top natural healing protocols from 55 of the world's best natural medicine doctors, who have developed these over decades of clinical practice.

The information you’ll get from the e-book and the docuseries are stuff that you likely won’t get from any doctor.

So don’t miss this chance to learn how natural medicine can change your life and unlock a healthier future for you.

Download the e-book + get F.REE access to watch all 9 episodes of Natural Medicine Secrets.

Potent, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory vitamins, herbs, plants, and spices that protect your brain, your digestive system, your liver, as well as improve your sleep and your mood;
The natural remedies that are more effective for reducing inflammation than the top 3 anti-inflammatory drugs on the market;
Spices that are proven to be as effective as common antidepressants, but without the side-effects;
Stress-reducing plant medicines that lower your cortisol, and promote calm and well-being;
The specific compound found in certain plants that mimics the effects of insulin, helping transport sugar from the bloodstream to your cells
The antioxidant plants that are helping you slim down effortlessly
The science behind these miracle remedies.
Natural medicine has been used to heal people for millennia, across civilisations.
Nowadays, when modern medicine shows its limits, scientists are turning to the ancient wisdom of traditional medicines, and understanding the power of herbal remedies as potential healing agents. What they discovered is simply astounding.

In this eBook, you have the best scientifically-based research of the most potent plants for treating inflammation and autoimmunity at your fingertips.

To your health,

The Health Truths team"

leavesoftrees

18th May 2024, 23:42

onawah

24th September 2024, 01:31

Dr. Christopher Hills, All About Spirulina
Earl Beecher
252 subscribers
Jun 23, 2021

(Spirulina is a superfood, a complete food with many health benefits that can sustain human life by itself alone.
The late Dr. Christopher Hills researched deeply into spirulina and was responsible for bringing it to the West from Japan.
Currently, the company Phoenix Rising, Biolumina Spirulina is the offshoot of the company that Dr. Hills started years ago, Light Force.
More about Dr. Hills work here:http://hillsfoundation.org/)

l9p34M0sHE4

Bill Ryan

10th October 2024, 13:41

A new article from Dr. Mercola that might well belong on this thread. :thumbsup:

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/10/10/global-micronutrient-deficiencies.aspx

Billions Worldwide Face Micronutrient Deficiencies, Study Finds

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2024/October/PDF/global-micronutrient-deficiencies-pdf.pdf

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2024/October/PDF/global-micronutrient-deficiencies-pdf.pdf

onawah

11th October 2024, 16:54

DMSO Could Save Millions from Brain and Spinal Injury
Analysis by A Midwestern Doctor
October 11, 2024
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/10/11/dimethyl-sulfoxide-dmso.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20241011&foDate=true&mid=DM1642580&rid=138437677

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2024/October/PDF/dimethyl-sulfoxide-dmso-pdf.pdf

"Story at-a-glance
DMSO is a remarkably safe chemical that protects cells from otherwise fatal stressors (e.g., freezing, burning, shockwaves, ischemia)
Since the heart, brain, and spinal cord are particularly vulnerable to injury, DMSO can produce miraculous results when those injuries happen
Despite decades of research, many serious shortcomings exist with how we treat strokes (including brain bleeds), heart attacks, and spinal cord injuries
As I will show here, had the FDA not sabotaged DMSO’s adoption, in addition to countless lives being saved, millions could have been protected from a lifetime of disability or paralysis

If I were stranded on a desert island or knew the world was ending and I could only bring a few therapies with me, one of them, without a doubt, would be DMSO. This is because:

It effectively addresses acute injuries (e.g., sprains) and chronic musculoskeletal disorders (e.g., arthritis).
It’s one of the most effective pain killers in existence.
It treats severe, often incurable illnesses and prevents long-term disability.
It’s one of the safest medically active substances available.
Yet, despite it taking the world by storm in the 1960s and thousands of studies being performed that corroborated its benefits, outside of it being a laboratory chemical or an alternative therapy some people use for joint pain, few are even aware of DMSO’s existence.

This was due to the FDA waging a multi-decade long war against DMSO (despite widespread outcry from Congress and the public).

What Is DMSO?
Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) exists throughout nature1 and has two breakdown products within the body.

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/September/what-is-dmso.jpg

Most of it is oxidized to methylsulfonylmethane (MSM — a commonly used joint healing supplement), while a small amount is reduced to DMS and gives rise to DMSO’s characteristic "side effect" a distinctive garlic or clam-like odor that is excreted through the mouth and skin for a few hours that some individuals have difficulty tolerating.

Note: Individuals with insufficient oxidation (who are in a state of reductive stress) are more likely to produce DMS. In turn, when this is addressed, their "DMSO odor" often disappears.

Due to its unique chemistry, DMSO has two remarkable properties:

It acts as a near-universal solvent (e.g., it interacts with a vast range of biomolecules).2,3
It’s able to pass through biological membranes without damaging them (something to my knowledge, nothing else can do).4
Because of this, DMSO will rapidly enter the body (including the brain) regardless of its route of administration (e.g., within 5 minutes after going on the skin it can be found in the blood,5 and within an hour it can be found within the bones6), but simultaneously does not accumulate within the body.7

DMSO, in turn, has an almost endless number of uses as it can be applied in almost any manner. Almost any drug or substance can be combined with it and administered through the skin (e.g., steroids, NSAIDs, vitamin C, or hydrogen peroxide). In many cases, the effect of those drugs is enhanced, and simultaneously, their toxicity is reduced (although, in some cases, the toxicity increases).

Cellular Protection
DMSO’s ability to spread throughout the body (including into the brain) initially seems concerning — however rather than be toxic to cells, DMSO heals them and protects them from damage from many otherwise lethal stressors (e.g., heat, blood loss, radiation, sonic shockwaves).

For example, since DMSO does not expand when it freezes and greatly lowers the freezing point of cells, it was a revolutionary substance for preserving frozen cells,8 and likewise, many cases exist of DMSO saving the fingers or toes that otherwise would have required amputation.

Note: Due to the intense scrutiny DMSO received, thousands of papers have been published on its biological effects (including numerous animal safety studies and one where humans were exposed to 3 to 30 times the typical dose for 90 days9) — all of which did not report any significant side effects from DMSO.

In turn, those studies found the most common side effect (affecting 50% to 75% of users) is (reversible) irritation at the site when 70% DMSO is applied topically on the skin (which can be easily mitigated) and the most significant was an allergic reaction in approximately 1 out of every 2000 people (which can easily be screened for).

Circulatory Disorders
DMSO is remarkably effective in managing circulatory disorders, effectively protecting tissues and enhancing blood flow by removing excess fluid, improving circulation, and dissolving clots. Its benefits are particularly evident in conditions like Raynaud’s syndrome, where it eliminated symptoms in 50% of patients,10 and in diabetic circulatory issues, with studies showing over a 94% success11 rate in treating diabetic ulcers.

DMSO also works wonders for varicose veins, often providing noticeable improvements within minutes by strengthening vessel walls and enhancing capillary circulation. In a study of 67 patients with varicose ulcers,12 remarkable responses were documented, even in chronic cases. Additionally, DMSO has been shown to help many other circulatory disorders:13,14

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/September/dmso-condition.jpg
https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/September/dmso-condition-1.jpg

Key mechanisms behind DMSO’s effectiveness include:

•Heart function — It can increase or decrease heart contractions without affecting rhythm, enhancing cardiac output and simultaneously dilates critical blood vessels.15

•Anticlotting properties — DMSO prevents blood clot formation in the body, reduces clot promoting prostaglandins, and is a powerful platelet deaggregator.16,17,18 Its ability to safely block platelet bonding, scavenge harmful radicals, and inhibit tissue factor expression makes DMSO a standout in circulatory health.19

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/September/dmso-cardiac-actions.jpg

Given all of these protective and circulatory enhancing properties, DMSO is an immensely promising treatment for heart attacks and heart attack recovery,20 and this benefit has been demonstrated in numerous animal studies.21,22 Likewise, I and colleagues have had a few situations arise where DMSO was administered to someone having a heart attack and successfully treated it.

Note: We’ve also had some success treating heart attacks by rapidly restoring someone’s physiologic zeta potential.

DMSO and Strokes
Roughly 3.1% of adult Americans have experienced a stroke23 (a figure we expect to rise from the COVID-19 vaccines). Each year, this translates to about 800,000 people in the United States having a stroke, in 2022, 165,393 dying and between 20% to 40% of survivors experiencing long term disability.24

Because of the harm strokes pose to society, and the rate at which brain tissue deteriorates once its blood supply is lost, the medical system prioritizes treating strokes as soon as possible.

Strokes come in two main types: ischemic (caused by clots blocking blood flow) and hemorrhagic (due to ruptured blood vessels). The standard treatment for ischemic strokes is tPA,25 a clot-busting drug. However, administering tPA can be deadly if the stroke is hemorrhagic, so patients must first wait for a CT scan before receiving it.

Furthermore, tPA is only effective within a limited time frame (up to 3 to 4.5 hours26), and only a small percentage of patients (1.8% to 8.5%) actually receive it. Among those who do, only 13%27 see significant improvement. Additionally, tPA can cause serious bleeding complications28 (e.g., 6.4% risk29 of a symptomatic brain bleed) and can’t eliminate larger clots.

In short, strokes remain a leading cause of death and disability worldwide.30 This highlights the need for a better treatment that can safely:

Effectively treat ischemic strokes

Has no risk of worsening a hemorrhagic stroke

Could easily be taken at home, and more importantly, be quickly given on ambulances

Protected brain tissue from dying

Prevented reperfusion injuries

Healed damaged brain tissue after a stroke

DMSO has been known for over 50 years to do just that. For example, a 2002 trial with DMSO combined with fructose diphosphate (FDP — a source of cellular energy) indicated that 63% of elderly patients experienced improved neurological status when treated within 12 hours of a stroke, compared to only 20% with standard care.31

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/September/dmso-fdp.jpg
https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/September/dmso-angiogram.jpg

One of the most important aspects of this trial was that while DMSO is the most helpful when given immediately after a stroke, the trial showed DMSO could save the neurons long after the stroke had happened.32

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/September/dmso-stroke.png

Given the existing options for strokes, a trial like this should have been immediately replicated by premier institutions around the world — but instead almost no one even knows it happened.

Note: Numerous animal studies (listed here) have also demonstrated DMSO’s effectiveness in treating ischemic strokes. Sadly this revolutionary medical treatment remains a forgotten side of medicine.

After I learned how unconscionable the FDA’s prohibition against DMSO was, I made a point to begin telling people I felt were at risk of a stroke to stock DMSO at home, and since then, I’ve had instances where someone (or their caretaker) called me up, described a stroke, I gave them instructions on what to do (since they already had DMSO at home), and by the time they got to the ER, the stroke was "resolved."

Note: In my opinion, IV DMSO would have been ideal (and more effective) in those situations, but in each case, it was not feasible to implement.

Likewise, many compelling cases have been recorded33 of individuals who treated their strokes with DMSO:

"A Los Angeles school teacher suffered a major stroke just after Christmas, found unconscious at home. Immediately, she was treated with DMSO: first applied topically to her head and then given by intramuscular injection — all without ever going to the hospital, thanks to a family friend's advice.

Remarkably, she regained consciousness later that day and continued daily DMSO treatments. By the time school resumed in January, she was back teaching, fully recovered and without any mention of her ordeal. She continued her teaching career until retirement, healthy and free of disability."

In another case, a woman in a coma for three months after a stroke showed no signs of life. Daily topical DMSO treatment was started, and within a month, her brain began to respond. After four months, she returned home and began a regimen of daily DMSO in water alongside topical applications. Three years later, she was living a normal life with only a slight speech defect, claiming her memory was sharper than her husband’s.

Note: There are also many reported cases of individuals who took DMSO for musculoskeletal or pain disorders (by far the most common use of DMSO) who then experienced a permanent improvement of stroke symptoms.

Hemorrhagic Strokes and Traumatic Brain Injuries
While ischemic strokes are difficult to treat, hemorrhagic ones (and other traumatic brain injuries) are even more challenging, and after decades, there has been surprisingly little progress in neurologic intensive care, particularly in preventing long-term paralysis and disability.34

"It was, as if the hand of God had somehow touched the [experimental] animal’s forehead. ‘I don’t believe it,’ I stammered. But it was true. I felt a tingling in my spine because this reawakening of a virtually dead animal had all the markings of a medical breakthrough.

Instead, the discovery, the potential for saving lives and the continued research that should have uncovered other uses for dimethyl sulfoxide and similar agents was quietly laid to rest in the coffers of forgotten medicine."

Note: Dr. Jack de la Torre’s observations were partly based on the fact he saw numerous animals with flatlined EEGs (which typically precede brain death and then actual death) have the EEGs come back within 10 minutes of receiving DMSO.

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/September/dmso-eeg.jpg

In cases of severe brain bleeds, key challenges like increased intracranial pressure (ICP) and inflammation can severely damage brain tissue. Common treatments often fail, leading to further complications (e.g., the most commonly used ICP lowering agents like mannitol can create a "rebound ICP" which is higher than it was at the start).

Remarkably, DMSO35 effectively lowers ICP36 without the rebound effect seen with other agents, while enhancing cerebral blood flow and reducing inflammation.

Research shows DMSO can significantly improve outcomes in traumatic brain injuries. In several studies, patients with elevated ICP experienced rapid decreases in pressure and improved neurological function after DMSO treatment. For instance, one study demonstrated a drop in ICP within 30 minutes for patients with closed head trauma, leading to long-term neurological improvement.37

Additionally, DMSO also addresses many other critical aspects of traumatic brain injuries and brain bleeds (which under conventional care requires many different drugs):

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/September/dmso-pathologic-event.png

Animal studies further support these findings, showing DMSO's ability to reduce brain swelling and improve survival rates in models of brain injury. Its unique properties make it a standout option in neurocritical care, addressing multiple challenges associated with brain injuries.38 To put all of this into context:

"A January 11, 1981, a news report39 in the Ocala Star Banner [page 6], carried the headline: 'DOCTOR CLAIMS DMSO SAVED 11.' The story read:

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A doctor at the University of San Diego credits the controversial drug DMSO with saving the lives of 11 people who suffered severe head injuries. Dr. Perry E. Camp, a UCSD Medical School neurosurgeon, said Friday that dimethyl sulfoxide was effective for 11 of 30 people judged near death and for which other lifesaving methods have proved useless.

'To take patients like that and have even one out of 10 survive is phenomenal,' Camp said. 'The fact that we have any survivorship at all ... doesn’t sound like much, but it is extremely encouraging,' Camp said."

Sadly, however, despite the immense amount of research conducted and these results being dramatically better than what the standard of care can offer, this remains an almost completely forgotten side of medicine.

Note: Many of the same principles hold true for concussions, and the pioneers of DMSO felt it was an essential treatment for athletes after they experienced one — particularly since unhealed concussions can predispose the athlete to long-term cognitive issues (e.g., both boxers and professional football players have a threefold risk of dementia).40,41

Spinal Cord Injuries
"We used to think that the damage caused at the moment of injury in a severe head or spinal cord injury was irreversible. But now there are animal studies and a handful of clinical cases that tell us something different. There is still a little bit of time before the injured cells die.

Based on what we’ve seen in animal studies and a handful of human situations, we think that if you can treat a head injury victim within a few hours of the injury, or a spinal cord victim within one hour, there is a good chance of preventing death or the paralysis that would otherwise occur." — Dr. Jack de la Torre

As much of the same pathology that causes permanent damage in the brain also occurs in the spinal cord (the loss of blood flow and compressive post-traumatic swelling), DMSO can produce miraculous results.42 Despite decades of research, steroids remain the standard treatment, even though they’re largely ineffective and come with significant side effects.43 In fact, spinal surgeons often use steroids simply to avoid lawsuits.44

The greatest success comes when DMSO is administered intravenously within 90 minutes of injury.45 For example, dogs that were expected to be paralyzed after spinal cord trauma regained nearly normal function after DMSO treatment.

Numerous other animal studies have also shown46 DMSO prevents spinal cord injuries from causing paralysis, and in humans numerous miraculous stories exist, such as a 16-year-old quadriplegic girl gradually regained organ function and eventually walked after a year of DMSO therapy. Even older injuries see results — one man, paralyzed for 12 years, regained some feeling and movement after using a DMSO lotion.

Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
Since many neurological disorders are linked to poor blood flow to the brain, previous traumas (e.g., concussions or microstrokes), the accumulation of misfolded proteins or an autoimmune process (all things DMSO is also remarkably effective at treating), it stands to reason that many cognitive disorders would respond to DMSO.

In turn, we find that much in the same way DMSO reverses many other complications of aging (e.g., skin issue, hair loss, poor organ function) IV DMSO is one of the most effective antiaging therapies for the brain (along with ultraviolet blood irradiation or improving the physiologic zeta potential).

Likewise, IV DMSO is one of the only therapies I know of which can help challenging neurological diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and ALS. Likewise, I periodically come across anecdotes of DMSO consuming centenarians who have no cognitive impairment despite their age. Numerous animal and human studies demonstrate this. For example:

•18 patients with probable Alzheimer’s disease47 were treated with DMSO and tested regularly for nine months, with great improvements being noted after only three months of treatment, and becoming especially noticeable after six months of treatment. Areas of improvement included memory, concentration, and communication alongside a significant decrease of disorientation in time and space.

•100 patients with cerebrovascular diseases48 (e.g., a previous stroke, cerebral embolism, or a hardening of the arteries of the brain), many of whom were senile received DMSO orally and through intramuscular injections over the course of 50 days. In addition to their coronary heart disease (i.e., atherosclerosis) and high blood pressure improving in 96.12% of them, the observing neurologist noted that their cognition, mood and behavior improved.

•A study of49 104 elderly adults with a disease process causing impaired cognition found DMSO was highly favorable for both their cognitive and psychiatric function.

Note: Since many psychiatric conditions are neurological in nature, DMSO has also been shown to be remarkably effectively here (e.g., a study50 found it had a 100% success rate in treating acute schizophrenia, and an excellent effect on psychosis from manic-depression or alcoholism, chronic schizophrenia, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder).

Conclusion
DMSO was discovered during a time when the scientific community was open to exploring unconventional ideas, as science had not yet been handcuffed by a grant system designed to thwart unconventional ideas. In turn, thousands of studies were published on its potential, thanks to dedicated researchers with strong institutional support.

However, despite this promising research, the FDA suppressed its development, consigning years of scientific effort and countless animal sacrifices to the dustbin of history.

This is particularly tragic given the immense suffering caused by conditions that DMSO could potentially alleviate. Decades of research and billions of dollars later, conventional medicine still struggles to treat many of these disorders effectively. Dr. Pierre Kory, after reviewing this article, shared my sentiments:

"In over 15 years of running ICUs and treating brain injuries, strokes, and bleeds, it saddens and infuriates me to know an intervention like DMSO could’ve helped so many. The treatments I relied on were often limited or came with major risks."

My goal in presenting this work is to give DMSO another chance to flourish and help those in need. I sincerely thank you for your attention and allowing me to do this!

Author's note: This is an abridged version of a longer article about the remarkable utility of DMSO which goes into greater detail on the points mentioned here (e.g., stroke recovery and spinal cord paralysis or how DMSO protects tissues from a variety of stressors), others not covered (e.g., the wealth of evidence DMSO can treat immensely challenging conditions like amyloidosis and Down Syndrome), and the protocols for internal DMSO use.

That article and its additional references can be read here (along with a companion article discussing DMSO’s remarkable utility for a variety of musculoskeletal injuries and chronic pain conditions).

A Note from Dr. Mercola About the Author
A Midwestern Doctor (AMD) is a board-certified physician from the Midwest and a longtime reader of Mercola.com. I appreciate AMD's exceptional insight on a wide range of topics and am grateful to share it. I also respect AMD’s desire to remain anonymous since AMD is still on the front lines treating patients. To find more of AMD's work, be sure to check out The Forgotten Side of Medicine on Substack."

+ Sources and References
1 Nature. 1963 Nov 30:200:885. doi: 10.1038/200885a0
2 Biosci Rep. 1994 Dec;14(6):259-81. doi: 10.1007/BF01199051
3, 4, 5 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1975 Jan 27:243:20-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1975.tb25340.x
6 Annals of NYAOS, March 1967, Volume 141, Issue 1, Pages 85-95
7 J Clin Oncol. 1998 Feb;16(2):610-5. doi: 10.1200/JCO.1998.16.2.610
8 Cryobiology. 1987 Feb;24(1):11-6. doi: 10.1016/0011-2240(87)90003-4
9 The Human Toxicology of Dimethyl Sulfoxide, August 25, 2011 (Archived)
10 DMSO, The True Story of a Remarkable Pain-Killing Drug, January 1981 (Archived)
11 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1975 Jan 27:243:408-11. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1975.tb25383.x
12 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1975 Jan 27:243:395-402. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1975.tb25381.x
13 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1975 Jan 27:243:403-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1975.tb25382.x
14 Annals of NYAOS, March 1967, Volume 141, Issue 1, Pages 586-598
15, 16 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1975 Jan 27:243:110-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1975.tb25350.x
17, 19, 46 The Forgotten Side of Medicine, September 16, 2024
18 Prostaglandins. 1976 Apr;11(4):599-607. doi: 10.1016/0090-6980(76)90063-0
20, 35 Pharmacological Reports, 2009, 61, Pages 225-235 (Archived)
21 J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2010 Jan;55(1):106-9. doi: 10.1097/FJC.0b013e3181c87a65
22 Amazon, The Persecuted Drug: The Story of DMSO
23 CDC, Cerebrovascular Disease or Stroke
24 Brain Neurorehabil. 2022 Mar; 15(1): e5
25 NINDS, Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Acute Ischemic Stroke (Alteplase, Activase®)
26 Stroke, Volume 40, Number 6, doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.108.544171
27 Arch Neurol. 2008;65(11):1429-1433. doi: 10.1001/archneur.65.11.1429
28, 29 Neurohospitalist. 2011 Jul; 1(3): 138–147
30 Journal of the American Heart Association, Volume 11, Number 21, doi: 10.1161/JAHA.122.027044
31 Neurol Res 2002; 24: 73-80
32 Neurol Res. 2002 Jan;24(1):73-80. doi: 10.1179/016164102101199567
33 Amazon, The DMSO Handbook for Doctors
34 Ciba Found Symp. 1975:(34):3-21. doi: 10.1002/9780470720165.ch2
36 Neurosurgery. 1981 Jul;9(1):28-33. doi: 10.1227/00006123-198107000-00005
37 Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1991;40(1):113-4. doi: 10.1007/BF00315149
38 J Neurosurg. 1980 Jul;53(1):58-62. doi: 10.3171/jns.1980.53.1.0058
39 Google News, Ocala Star Banner, January 11, 1981
40, 41 eClinicalMedicine. 2023 Jul; 61: 102056
42 Surg Neurol. 1973 Jan;1(1):16-22
43 Korean J Neurotrauma. 2022 Apr; 18(1): 22–30
44 Can J Neurol Sci. 2008 Mar;35(1):41-5. doi: 10.1017/s031716710000754x
45 Amazon, Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease
47 Medical University, Kisheinev
48 Rev. Hosp. San Fco. De Borja, 1970
49 Rev. Hosp. Psiquiátrico (Santiago), 1970
50 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1967 Mar 15;141(1):655-67

onawah

13th October 2024, 21:08

The FDA and FTC War on Wellness: Why & How Supplements Are Under Attack!
By The ANH Team
10/11/2024
https://anh-usa.org/the-fda-and-ftc-war-on-wellness-why-how-supplements-are-under-attack/

https://anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/241010-Promoting-free-speech-about-supplement-benefits.jpg

(Hyperlinks in the article not embedded here)

"With chronic diseases on the rise, the FDA’s push to limit access to dietary supplements could further undermine Americans’ health, restricting vital tools for wellness and prevention.

Listen to the audio version of this article:https://podcastle.ai/editor/player/67095afa8ea6843c5777d2a5

THE TOPLINE

Alarming health statistics, such as rising rates of autism, obesity, diabetes, and early death, reflect a failing healthcare system focused on treatment rather than prevention.
The FDA, along with the FTC, is pushing for stricter regulations on dietary supplements, including requiring expensive clinical trials for health claims, a move that could cripple the industry and limit access to natural health solutions.
By demanding clinical trials for supplements and censoring claims without them, the government is violating First Amendment rights, restricting the flow of truthful information about the health benefits of supplements.
Consider the following facts:

Autism rates in kids are 1 in 36 nationally, compared to 1 in 1500 in the early 1990s.
74 percent of American adults are currently overweight or obese.
1 in 5 children and adolescents have obesity.
50 percent of American adults have prediabetes or diabetes.
30 percent of teens now have prediabetes.
Sperm counts are decreasing by 1 percent per year.
40 percent of 18–29-year-olds meet criteria for psychiatric disorder.
Cancers in people under 50 are up 79 percent.
Americans are dying earlier, driving life expectancy to its lowest point in decades.
These staggering figures tell us a simple truth: we are a profoundly sick country, and it’s only getting worse.

The causes of this decline in our health are many. There’s the standard American diet pushed by Big Food, full of processed carbs, sugar, and ultra-processed foods; there’s our toxic environment, where we’re exposed to pollution and a cocktail of dangerous chemicals and pesticides. But these are also the results of a healthcare system that prioritizes treating sick people rather than preventing chronic diseases that are killing us in record numbers.

Dietary supplements have been shown to have a dramatic impact in keeping us healthy and staving off chronic diseases. They aren’t a silver bullet, but can be instrumental in maintaining wellness. But, as we’ve argued so many times, the federal government has, in large part, mobilized against the wider use of supplements. The FDA, and its allies like Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) want to treat them like drugs and require pre-approval—which we’ve argued would be the death knell of the supplement industry as we know it.

Censored Free Speech
https://anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/censored_68015557.jpg

Equally as important, the government has been determined to censor truthful speech about the benefits of supplements. The latest attack was launched by the FTC when it sent letters to 670 companies, including those selling dietary supplements, homeopathic products, and functional foods, warning them that if they make claims without proper scientific substantiation, they will face large civil penalties. What is “proper scientific substantiation”? In the government’s view, it means one thing: clinical trials.

We asked our Executive and Scientific Director, Rob Verkerk, Ph.D., what he thought:

Randomized Controlled Trials or RCTs are often inappropriate for studying food and nutrients. A new-to-nature drug molecule can be better isolated in its effects, because you can omit it completely in your placebo group, standardize your variables across both treatment and placebo groups, and get very high statistical validation. That doesn’t mean you necessarily learn about drug interactions, which is why polypharmacy (the regular use of 5 or more medications at the same time, something that’s common in many elderly people) can reveal such shocking and unexpected results.

When it comes to nutrients, you just can’t remove them from your placebo without disastrous consequences. Foods and supplements often also depend on co-factors. For example, if you’re looking at studies on bone health and look only at studies with supplemental calcium, you’ll see mixed evidence, including evidence of harm. That’s because many people already have adequate calcium in their diet and you only start to see consistent benefits when a range of other cofactors are consumed, notably supplemental K2, vitamin D, magnesium, and trace elements like boron.

RCTs are also prohibitively expensive for most companies. High quality RCTs of the type regulators take note of because they follow standards set for pharmaceuticals cost an average of $600 million, and sometimes much more. Clinical trials of integrative medicine can be even more expensive because effect sizes for each intervention are often small, these need to be studied separately so interactions can be quantified and treatment durations may be long and benefits delayed, necessitating long periods of follow-up.

Given that RCTs are the only methodology viewed by regulators as being adequate to determine conclusive proof, you’ll find nearly all nutritional interventions remain tarred with the brush of “inconclusive evidence.”

Then there’s the financial constraints. As nutrients and other integrative therapies generally cannot be patented, there isn’t a way for a commercial interest to recoup the astronomical costs of conducting RCTs. Only pharmaceutical companies making drugs, which can be robustly patented, can afford theses costs.

There are also problems with the FTC’s actions on legal grounds. Jonathan Emord, Esq., ANH’s General Counsel, explained:

The supreme law is the First Amendment. Consequently, any agency act or regulation that deprives the public of speech protected by the First Amendment is unlawful. The blanket RCT requirement effectively imposed by FTC in the health product context is by its very nature unconstitutional.

FTC fails to comprehend a fundamental First Amendment lesson: that speech can be true even if inconclusive. That was the lesson the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit accepted in the case I litigated, Pearson v. Shalala.

In a world where almost all accepted scientific relationships are more probable than not, but rarely—if ever—deemed conclusively proven, when government erects a barrier to speech that is a rigid, costly one, like the demand for RCTs, government necessarily censors truthful speech, violating the First Amendment.

Emord continued to describe how the FTC, by requiring clinical trials, is engaging in prior restraint and thus violating the First Amendment:

The First Amendment places a burden of proof and production on the government to prove in every instance not that speech is potentially false but that it in context is provably false. The FTC cannot shift those burdens to speakers by demanding that they be prohibited from speaking unless and until they have an RCT or two before uttering a peep. That is a classic prior restraint. There is no more central purpose of the First Amendment than to disarm the federal government of any prior restraint over speech and press.

These are the reasons that the FTC’s Health Products Compliance guidance violates the First Amendment.

It’s a shame that it has to come to legal actions and a need for new legislation to get federal agencies to allow the American public to learn about products that can improve their health. We’re fighting for changes that allow the free flow of information about supplements. With our newly-appointed General Counsel, Jonathan Emord, we’re also going to be leveraging the recent Supreme Court decisions to use litigation to open up the marketplace to truthful statements about the benefits of supplements.

We’ve got exciting news we’re going to be able report regarding court filings later this month — make sure you keep abreast of our free weekly newsletter
https://anh-usa.org/register-newsletter/
and you’ll find updates on this in a forthcoming issue!"

onawah

25th October 2024, 22:45

DMSO Is a Miraculous Therapy for Pain and Tissue Injury
Analysis by A Midwestern Doctor
October 25, 2024
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/10/25/dmso-pain-tissue-injury.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20241025_HL2&foDate=true&mid=DM1649019&rid=148258852

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2024/October/PDF/dmso-pain-tissue-injury-pdf.pdf

(Many hyperlinks in the article not embedded here)

"Story at-a-glance
The standard approach for managing pain and musculoskeletal injuries often involves NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen), which are linked to serious risks, including tens of thousands of deaths annually
DMSO is a highly effective, natural pain reliever that has helped individuals disabled by chronic pain (e.g., from failed spinal surgery or severe arthritis) regain their quality of life.
It also addresses conditions that other therapies struggle to alleviate like complex regional pain syndrome
DMSO is effective in promoting wound healing and healthy scar formation, making it remarkable for surgical recovery and burns
DMSO has an 80% to 90% success rate for treating a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, including arthritis, back and neck strains, sprains, bursitis, and traumatic injuries.
Its rapid and dramatic effects have made it popular among professional athletes for quick recovery

Modern medicine often sidelines "miracle" drugs that work too well. Despite decades of evidence showing that the naturally occurring chemical Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) is a remarkably safe and versatile treatment for a range of challenging conditions — such as strokes, head trauma, spinal cord injuries, dementia, and even Down Syndrome — it has been largely overlooked.
See; https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/dmso-could-save-millions-from-brain

This sidelining is particularly remarkable as DMSO is also one of the most effective treatments for acute and chronic pain, musculoskeletal injuries, and chronic degenerative conditions (e.g., arthritis).

DMSO, Nature’s Healer
DMSO is a powerful, natural compound with several unique properties that make it an incredibly versatile healing agent:

Rapid absorption — When applied to the skin or ingested, DMSO quickly spreads throughout the body.

Cellular protection — It shields cells from lethal stressors like burns, frostbite, blood loss, radiation, and shockwaves, and can rescue already damaged cells on the verge of dying.

Safety profile — DMSO is extremely safe,1 and in almost all cases, its only side effects are temporary skin irritation or creating a garlic-like odor. In contrast, the standard of care (NSAIDs) kill tens of thousands of Americans each year and are the leading cause of drug induced hospital admissions.

Conduction blocking — DMSO selectively blocks pain signals from small nerve fibers (e.g., C fibers)2,3,4 which are often involved in chronic pain (e.g., DMSO is one of the most effective treatments for complex regional pain syndrome). This blocking effect is reversible and doesn't cause tolerance.

Choline esterase inhibition — By inhibiting acetylcholinesterase,5,6,7,8 DMSO boosts acetylcholine levels, enhancing parasympathetic function and reducing pain.

Anti-inflammatory action9 — DMSO is incredibly effective at rapidly reducing inflammation (e.g., it lowers inflammatory cytokines, scavenges free radicals, and drains edema that would otherwise compress tissues).

Muscle relaxation — DMSO rapidly relaxes skeletal muscles, easing pain from tension and spasms.10,11,12

DMSO and Tissue Healing
DMSO greatly improves wound healing (e.g., from burns or surgeries). For example:

•A study of 1371 chronic skin wounds that had often remained unhealed for years (e.g., infected ulcers or severe burns) found 95.04% had a rapid and complete recovery (e.g., no burn scars).13 Likewise, a systematic review found DMSO effectively treated ulcers.14

•Numerous studies show that DMSO accelerates limb regeneration in animals15 and surgical wound healing in humans.16 It also enhances the viability of skin grafts and flaps, offering benefits for plastic and reconstructive surgery.17,18,19,20,21,22

•Animal studies have shown DMSO increases the tensile strength of surgical scars23,24 (which significantly improves surgical outcomes), decreases experimentally induced intestinal adhesions25 (a common complication of abdominal surgeries) by 80%, prevents hypertrophic (excessive) scar formation.26

•Human studies show DMSO can flatten and loosen keloid scars27 and gradually eliminate subcutaneous fibrosis induced by radiation.28

•Finally, DMSO is also sometimes used to repair keloid scars. For example, in one study of ten people with keloids, applying 50% to 80% DMSO a couple of times a day induced scar flattening with the loosening of the collagen surrounding the fibrous bundles.29 Similarly, another study found DMSO eliminated (through a gradual softening and reduction of it).30

DMSO and Musculoskeletal Injuries
Many of the early adopters of DMSO went from skeptics to believers because of the rapid and dramatic improvements they saw from it healing acute injuries (e.g., as they had patients with debilitating bursitis in the shoulder recovering within minutes of receiving DMSO).

As it was far safer and more effective than any other way to treat musculoskeletal injuries, joint disorders or chronic pain, DMSO was rapidly adopted by doctors and pharmaceutical companies across the country (e.g., millions were invested to bring DMSO products to market and hundreds of thousands of Americans had life-changing benefits from it).

https://x.com/MidwesternDoc/status/1845727169273868623

Unfortunately, as DMSO’s use was skyrocketing, on November 10, 1965, the FDA decided to globally ban all research on it by falsely claiming it was incredibly dangerous. Because of this, there was an explosion and then sudden disappearance of DMSO research, which sadly continued even with Congress repeatedly trying to get the FDA to overturn their indefensible prohibition of DMSO.

Note: A detailed review of DMSO’s extensive safety data and toxicology studies can be viewed here. https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-remarkable-history-and-safety

As a result, very little knowledge now exists of DMSO’s use in human musculoskeletal injuries other than it existing in a few FDA approved products (where it typically is combined with another agent). Remarkably however, it is fully permitted in veterinary medicine (which led to a lot of Americans using DMSO that was "meant for horses") where it is frequently utilized for musculoskeletal injuries. Those forgotten studies include:

A 1964 study,31 where 22 out of 25 patients with subacromial bursitis experienced a rapid improvement within 30 minutes of DMSO, while in chronic cases 32 of 40 patients improved and in some patients, a reduction in shoulder calcium deposits was also noted (which in a later 1967 study,32 were shown on X-ray to disappear following DMSO).

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/October/1965-study-img.png
https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/October/1967-study-table-4.png
https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/October/1967-table.png
https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/October/musculoskeletal-disorders.png
https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/October/diagnosis-table.png
https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/October/condition-table.png
https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/October/blinded-study-table.png
In that study, its author (a former president of the Aerospace Medical Association43) remarked:

"I am convinced that the topical application of DMSO in the treatment of acute musculoskeletal conditions is a striking and significant therapeutic contribution. During the period of time I conducted clinical investigation with this medication, I practically discarded physical therapy as treatment for musculoskeletal problems because the rehabilitation of my patients was so prompt with DMSO.

There was little or no necessity to prescribe narcotics and tranquilizers since pain was promptly mitigated following topical application of DMSO."

He then conducted a follow-up double-blind study44 on patients with sprains, strains, bursitis, or tendinitis which found DMSO significantly improved those conditions and reduced the time patients lost from work.

A 1994 blinded study45 gave 157 patients with acute tendinopathies (e.g., tennis elbow) 10% DMSO gel or a placebo ointment three times a day for 14 days within 3 days of symptoms starting. Pain of movement under loading and the mobility of the joints were significantly improved after, respectively, 3 and 7 days of treatment with DMSO. After 14 days on DMSO, a further improvement was observed, and 44% of the patients (and 9% of placebo) were pain-free.

Note: DMSO has also been reported to be effective for carpal tunnel syndrome46 (and other hand issues like trigger fingers). For those struggling with carpal tunnel syndrome, I discussed our approaches to the disorder here. https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-forgotten-history-of-carpal-tunnel

Finally, a 1967 analysis47 of 76 studies using topically applied (90%) DMSO for musculoskeletal conditions found 72% improved. Specifically:

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2024/October/overall-therapeutic-result.png

Note: The review also included 102 Traumas (contusion, fracture, etc.), 29 Tenosynovitis, 27 Neuritis, 20 Muscle spasms, 20 unspecified types of arthritis, and 220 miscellaneous issues (e.g., fibrositis, epicondylitis, synovitis, calcific tendinitis).

To quote the authors:

"It is difficult to declare that a drug has efficacy on the basis of uncontrolled studies in a heterogeneous group of diseases. However, from these data and from discussions with many of our investigators, we feel that DMSO is a unique and effective agent for the treatment of many acute musculoskeletal disorders.

Beneficial results are unpredictable, but they occur frequently and are sometimes dramatic, particularly in acute conditions, which require low doses and short treatment periods. In chronic conditions, improvement occurs at a lower rate and is less dramatic."

Finally, at a symposium on DMSO,48 data on 9,521 patients were presented, which showed DMSO was effective therapy in a wide variety of acute traumatic conditions, in acute and chronic subacromial bursitis, osteoarthritis, gouty arthritis, and in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis (along with other conditions such as early Dupuytren’s contracture).

Note: A later 1981 study49 also found DMSO was superior to indomethacin in the treatment of gout.

Sports Injuries
"What I like about DMSO is that you don’t have to interrupt your training every time you get a minor pull or sprain. It doesn’t pump you up like certain pills. It’s simply a very useful thing to use for simple athletic injuries.

Some people have told me that you shouldn't use it because it might mask the pain of a serious injury, but a good athlete knows his body well. Even when I’m using DMSO, I know when I can push and when I can’t." — Al Oerter, a discus thrower and the first American to win 4 consecutive Olympic gold medals.50

One of the greatest challenges professional athletes face are sports injuries which prevent them from returning to the field, particularly since many sports injuries are a product of micro-injuries building up until a critical point is passed (e.g., from adhesions and scars in the soft tissue).

In turn, since DMSO both heals micro-injuries and rapidly treats traumatic injury (returning them to full functionality), DMSO was rapidly adopted by professional athletes once they realized what it could do for their careers (and being off the field was often devastating to their careers).

In turn, due to the voice their position afforded them, a few professional athletes (e.g., Atlanta Falcons Quarterback June Jones51 — who now is a coach52) became some of the most impactful advocates for DMSO (e.g., Jones stated in Congressional testimony53 that "veterinary" DMSO was widely used but athletes were afraid of publicly discussing it). Likewise, in 2013, a Dallas Cowboys Lineman stated:54

"You get it [from] the veterinarian and it goes right to the bloodstream. It’s an ointment that’s like anti-inflammatory. You put it on your skin and you put it on a muscle, and I guarantee you, in about 30 minutes you’d feel it. It wasn’t on the list [of banned substances] ... we used DMSO and people knew it. Everyone knew about it."

Furthermore, in his riveting testimony, Jones provided cases that left the Congressmen in disbelief, such as a teammate with a bone chip and a torn ligament (which would require months of recovery and hence end their season) taking DMSO immediately after the injury and 7 or 8 days later returning to the field (with the bone chip remaining but no longer causing issues).

Likewise, at that Congressional hearing, the former team physician for the Oakland Raiders55 testified that he’d used 70% topical DMSO on a careful and controlled basis for his players 20 to 30 times a year for 5 years. From this, he observed that DMSO was the most beneficial when given in the first 3 to 4 days of an acute injury where a muscle or joint had severe swelling, particularly of the extremities, especially the ankle, elbow, hands, or wrist.

Overall, he stated that DMSO provided good to excellent results 70% to 80% of the time (e.g., through reduced pain and swelling) and the players felt they were able to return to play 50% to 75% faster than they had from similar injuries in the past. Conversely, they did not find DMSO was helpful for chronic injuries, but this may have been due to it not being used long enough for the effects to kick in.

Note: He also emphasized that DMSO would transform the field of occupational medicine. I fully agree with his assessment, especially given just how frequently Worker’s Comp fails to help its patients.

Similarly, podiatrist Lowell Scott Weil (who was the physician for both the Chicago Bears and the United States Olympic gymnastics team) used DMSO on a regular basis (particularly injured gymnasts).

After 12 years of using it, he shared,56 he’d seen it rapidly heal injuries (e.g., he had a gymnast who suffered an ankle sprain expected to end her season, but instead quickly recovered and made the U.S. Olympic team, and a football player who tore his hamstring but was able to rapidly return to the field).

Overall, he had a 60% treatment success rate and saw the best response to DMSO for tendinitis, myositis, and post-injury situations such as muscle pulls, ankle sprains, strains, and tears of the soft tissue (and conversely the only side effects he had were skin irritation). Additionally, he also used it for arthritic patients (especially rheumatoid arthritis) with many having dramatic relief. Many other compelling anecdotes exist.

For example, this book57 discusses the experience of an Oregon State track coach and early adopter of DMSO who had many amazing stories of DMSO treating hamstring and achilles tendon injuries such as an athlete being able to return to the field at full capacity 3 days after a normally disqualifying hamstring injury and the story of a blind long distance runner who was able to run due to DMSO fixing musculoskeletal injuries and (according to the author) then played a pivotal role in opening the sport to women.

Note: A major problem in certain sports like football is repeated concussions (which are now recognized to put them at risk for cognitive impairment and dementia later in life). As discussed in the first part of this series, https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/dmso-could-save-millions-from-brain
...in addition to treating strokes and spinal cord injuries, DMSO is also immensely helpful for mitigating the effects of concussions.

Research also directly demonstrates DMSO’s utility in sports medicine:

•A 1965 study58 treated 47 injured athletes from a wide range of sports (e.g., tennis, diving, or wrestling) by applying 90% DMSO applied to the injured areas 3 times a day initially and then after 2 days, twice a day. The 30 acute traumas (e.g., sprains, strains, dislocations, serious cuts) were observed to rapidly resolve, sometimes "so spectacularly as to compel us to urge our patients to observe greatest caution in order to avoid further damage to a joint."

The 10 chronic conditions (e.g., tennis elbow) and 7 conditions resulting from prolonged immobilization also responded rapidly and those athletes were often able to quickly return to the field. These results and the lack of observed adverse events led the investigators to argue DMSO urgently needed to become the standard of care in sports medicine.

•A study59 of 78 patients (mostly athletes) with overstrained tendons received Dolobene gel (15% DMSO, dexpanthenol and heparin) for 2 to 3 weeks, with over 50% having a significant improvement of symptoms and those improvements including a 94% improvement in pain, a 55% improvement of swelling, 95% improvement of redness and 92% improvement of warmth.

•A study60 gave Dolobene gel to 30 athletes with soft tissue injuries of the upper and lower extremities twice daily for 4 weeks. There were 4 athletes with contusion of the shoulder, 8 with distortion and contusion of the knee joint, 8 with muscle, tendon and ligament lesions, and 10 with distortion of the ankle joint.

Following DMSO, 10 had an excellent response (improvement), 5 had an excellent to good response, 10 had a good response and 5 had a moderate response. Specifically, pain, inflammation, swelling, reabsorption of hematomas, tenderness and recovery time were assessed.

•A study61 gave Dolobene gel and ultrasound to 15 subjects who had received a blunt tissue trauma (without fracture) to the lower extremity within the last 24 hours. Compared to 15 placebos, the treatment resulted in a faster relief of pain, reduction of edema, and recovery of mobility.

•A 1966 study62 of 28 professional baseball players found that giving them DMSO after injuries caused their downtime be one third of what was observed by the treating physician in the previous year with 42 players.

Note: While not quite the same as getting tackled, I’ve also come across cases63 of individuals taking DMSO immediately after getting hit by a car while crossing the street (which caused injuries but no fractures) and immediately fully recovering.

Conclusion
Many of the benefits of DMSO are so extraordinary that they understandably invite a healthy degree of skepticism, and it is for that reason I have spent months carefully compiling the evidence behind it. Likewise, after presenting the initial case for DMSO to the readership of the Forgotten Side of Medicine, I put out a call for what those who’d tried DMSO had experienced.

In those comments, dozens of readers reported remarkable experiences of DMSO, many of which mirror those described throughout this article, but also other even more remarkable ones (e.g., for a child with Down Syndrome, a man with Parkinson’s and a woman who had severed her spinal cord).

The suppression of DMSO has always deeply bothered me, and in turn, I feel incredibly grateful to be alive at a time when the world is ready to learn of the suppressed medical truths many before me (e.g., the DMSO researchers) devoted their lives to bring to humanity.

Furthermore, I believe this is just the start, as beyond open platforms like Twitter (X) rapidly eroding the public’s trust in corrupt medical dogmas, I know through trusted confidants directly connected to RFK Jr. that the next four years offers an unprecedented opportunity to begin rectifying many of the previously insurmountable problems that have plagued our health care system and make America Healthy Again.

Author's note: This is an abridged version of a longer article that goes into greater detail on the points mentioned here, others not as extensively covered (e.g., the wealth of evidence DMSO is a life-changing pain treatment), and guidance for topical DMSO use (e.g., dosing, therapeutic precautions and where to obtain it).

That article and its additional references can be read here (along with a companion article discussing DMSO’s remarkable utility for a variety of musculoskeletal injuries and chronic pain conditions and an article about how DMSO treats a variety of "incurable" autoimmune and genetic disorders).

A Note from Dr. Mercola About the Author
A Midwestern Doctor (AMD) is a board-certified physician from the Midwest and a longtime reader of Mercola.com. I appreciate AMD's exceptional insight on a wide range of topics and am grateful to share it. I also respect AMD’s desire to remain anonymous since AMD is still on the front lines treating patients. To find more of AMD's work, be sure to check out The Forgotten Side of Medicine on Substack."

Sources and References
1 The Forgotten Side of Medicine, October 12, 2024
2, 3 Exp Neurol. 1969 Jun;24(2):272-6
4 Neurosci Lett. 1993 Feb 19;150(2):145-8
5 ACS Chem Neurosci. 2017 Dec 20;8(12):2618-2625. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00344. Epub 2017 Oct 16
6 Brain Res. 1991 Dec 6;566(1-2):329-32. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(91)91719-h
7 Biochem Pharmacol. 1983 Jan 1;32(1):151-8
8 Nature. 1966 Oct 22;212(5060):405
9 The Forgotten Side of Medicine, September 29, 2024
10 Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1966 May;122(1):103-7
11 Ann N Y Acad Sci. March 1967, Volume 141, Issue 1, Pages 310-325
12 DMSO Symposium. Vienna: Berlin, Saladruck. Vol. 21. 1966
13 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1975 Jan 27:243:408-11
14 Wounds UK 15(15):361-370, November 2003
15 Ann N Y Acad Sci. January 1975, Volume 243, Issue 1, Pages 257-268
16 Klin Khir (1962). 1988:(1):1-3
17 DMSO.org, March 12, 1993
18, 22 Aesthet Surg J. 2005 Mar-Apr;25(2):201-9
19 Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1994 Feb;110(2):228-31
20, 21 Plast Reconstr Surg. 2007 Dec;120(7):1819-1822
23 Am Surg. 1966 Jun;32(6):421-4
24 La Presse Medicale, 01 Jan 1967, 75(1):20
25 Arch Surg. 1965 Dec;91(6):920-3
26 J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2017 Apr;70(4):509-517
27, 29 Ann N Y Acad Sci. March 1967, Volume 141, Issue 1, Pages 638-645
28, 30 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1967 Mar 15;141(1):603-12
31 Northwest Med. 1964 Mar:63:167-8
32, 34, 35 Ann N Y Acad Sci. March 1967, Volume 141, Issue 1, Pages 506-516
33 JAMA. 1965;192(4):309-313
36 Ann N Y Acad Sci. March 1967, Volume 141, Issue 1, Pages 586-598
37 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1967 Mar 15;141(1):572-85
38 Ann N Y Acad Sci. March 1967, Volume 141, Issue 1, Pages 532-550
39 A Midwest Doctor, September 25, 2024
40 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1967 Mar 15;141(1):599-602
41 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1967 Mar 15;141(1):569-71
42 Ann N Y Acad Sci. March 1967, Volume 141, Issue 1, Pages 496-505
43 Aeropsace Medical Association
44 Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 1971 Aug;13(8):536-40
45 Fortschr Med. 1994 Apr 10;112(10):142-6
46, 63 Amazon, The DMSO Handbook for Doctors
47, 48 Ann N Y Acad Sci. March 1967, Volume 141, Issue 1, Pages 517-523
49 Terapevticheskii Arkhiv, 01 Jan 1981, 53(7):127-129
50 Amazon, DMSO: The True Story of a Remarkable Pain-Killing Drug
51, 53 UPI Archives, December 17, 1981
52 Wikipedia, June Jones
54 New York Post, February 8, 2013
55 Dr. Graham Reedy (Archived)
56 Amazon, DMSO: Nature's Healer
57 Amazon, The Persecuted Drug: The Story of DMSO
58 Gazz. Intern. Med. Chir. 70 (1965): 1605
59, 60, 61 Springer Book Archive, DMSO, 1985, Neue Erfahrungen in der Behandlung des Sehnenüberlastungssyndroms, Pages 54–57
62 DMSO Symposium. Saladruck, Berlin, 1966

meat suit

26th October 2024, 08:28

DMSO sounds very interesting, I have never tried it.
I have an ongoing shoulder/arm issue that might benefit.
Does anybody have a recommendation for a UK available brand ?

Listkov

27th October 2024, 00:29

DSMO is an interesting one. Biggest downside is that if you take too much your sweat will start smelling like it. Like garlic, I might've blown a pretty big opportunity because of it :facepalm:

I use it as a solvent for transdermal (on the skin) application of vitamins and supplements. It drastically increases the bioavailability of most of them you can get in powder form. Sometimes dissolves better if you add a little alcohol. The corollary to this enhanced bioavailability is that it applies for everything. So don't let it touch most plastics or you'll be getting an equal dose of pepsi bottle extract into your bloodstream

Vangelo

27th October 2024, 13:55

I have been using DMSO topically for a week now with significant reduction in pain (better than 66% easy). Within 2 hours of the first application I noticed a difference. I have significant pain in my Achilles and the side of my heel. I purchased the roll on product with 70% DMSO and 30% Aloe. I shake the container before application and I wash my feet and then rinse with bottled water to make sure there is no chlorine or fluoride residue from my tap water.

grapevine

28th October 2024, 20:00

The Supplements That ACTUALLY WORK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHTDAnsSO5k
If you’re wondering about supplements for specific health issues, this is for you. In this video, we’re going to talk about the best supplements for a range of common health conditions. Learn about the top supplements that have worked for thousands of people!

0:00 Introduction: Best supplements for health conditions
1:39 Vitamin D benefits
3:39 Magnesium glycinate
6:06 Betaine hydrochloride
6:40 Zinc carnosine
6:50 Selenium
7:32 Vitamin B1
8:21 Calcium lactate
8:48 Iron
8:58 Potassium
9:15 Coenzyme Q10
9:25 Tocotrienols
9:45 TUDCA
10:07 Iodine
10:20 Vitamin C
10:30 Probiotics and biotin
10:44 Manganese and NAC
11:00 Mastic gum and melatonin
11:22 Niacin
11:35 Clove oil

25 TOP SUPPLEMENTS THAT REALLY WORK (Downloadable File): https://drbrg.co/40hy54r
1. Vitamin D is one of the best supplements for immune support. It can help with autoimmune diseases, cancer, and AIDS. It’s also beneficial for the following health concerns:
•Depression
•Glaucoma
•Low back pain
•Hip pain
•Deep bone pain
•Tumors
•Hair loss
•Dermatitis

Always take vitamin D supplements with cofactors magnesium, zinc, and vitamin K2

2. Magnesium glycinate is beneficial for the following:
•Blood sugar
•Migraines
•Sleep
•Prevents clotting
•Supports healthy blood pressure
•Prevents muscle cramps
•Prevents arrhythmias
•Improves energy
•Prevents kidney stones

3. Betaine hydrochloride helps with heartburn and indigestion. It helps to acidify the stomach and keep the valve at the top of the stomach closed.

4. Zinc carnosine is the best remedy for ulcers and can help calm down gastritis.

5. Selenium is beneficial for people with AIDS and Hashimoto’s.

6. Vitamin B1 is an excellent remedy for nervous tension, worry, stress, anxiety, and restless legs syndrome.

7. Benfotiamine is a fat-soluble form of vitamin B1 that’s beneficial for peripheral nerve issues.

8. Calcium lactate is beneficial for chronic coughing.

9. Iron is beneficial for low blood pressure and energy, but choose food sources of iron rather than supplements.

10. Potassium is essential and often beneficial for salt-sensitive people. You need 4700 mg every day!

11. Coenzyme Q10 is essential if you’re on statins.

12. Tocotrienols are the most potent form of vitamin E. They are beneficial for fibrosis, chest pain, infertility, and the arteries.

13. TUDCA is a type of bile salt that is even good for neurological problems!

14. Iodine helps with fibrocystic breast and regulates excess estrogen.

15. Vitamin C is good for collagen and bleeding gums.

16. Probiotics are vital, especially if you consume a lot of diet sodas.

17. Biotin is beneficial for your hair, nails, and skin.

18. Manganese is good for tourettes and tics.

19. NAC supports the liver and can help eliminate toxins

20. Mastic gum can help with gastritis.

21. Melatonin is beneficial for sleep.

22. Niacin is good for anything related to cholesterol.

23. Clove oil is beneficial for tooth or gum pain.

Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, age 59, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.

onawah

3rd November 2024, 17:18

Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients

Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
November 02, 2024
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/11/02/food-nutrient-loss.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20241102&foDate=true&mid=DM1653010&rid=154123558

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2024/November/PDF/food-nutrient-loss-pdf.pdf

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"Story at-a-glance
Modern farming practices and seed hybridization have significantly reduced the nutritional content of fruits and vegetables over the past 60 years, with average declines of 16% for calcium, 27% for vitamin C and 50% for iron
The focus on higher yields, longer shelf life and visual appeal in crop development has led to a trade-off in nutrient density, particularly evident in hybrid tomatoes compared to heirloom varieties
Four multinational corporations control two-thirds of the global seed market, leading to loss of biodiversity, farmer dependence on hybrid seeds and exploitative labor practices in seed production
The nutrient decline in produce contributes to increased risk of deficiencies, reduced antioxidant intake and rising chronic diseases, leading to greater reliance on dietary supplements
Solutions include supporting seed banks, practicing regenerative agriculture, increasing consumer awareness and implementing policies that prioritize soil health, protect farmers' rights and enforce fair labor practices in seed production

The documentary "Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients" exposes how modern farming practices and seed hybridization have dramatically reduced the nutritional content of our fruits and vegetables over the past 60 years.

The evidence is clear: the food on our plates today is a shadow of what our grandparents ate. Not only has flavor been sacrificed on the altar of productivity and shelf-life, but critical vitamins and minerals have plummeted as well. This nutrient collapse has profound implications for public health that we're only beginning to understand.

The Ghost of Vegetables Past
The filmmakers begin their investigation at an unlikely location — the French Academy of Agriculture. Hidden away in this venerable institution, they discover a food composition table from 60 years ago detailing the exact nutrient content of fruits and vegetables at that time. Armed with this historical data, they set out to compare it to modern nutrient levels. The results are striking:1

"We discovered a little-known fact: fruit and vegetables have lost some of their vitamins and minerals. Take green beans for example: in 1960 they contained 65 milligrams (mg) of calcium for every 100 grams. In 2017 they contain no more than 48.5 milligrams. That's a quarter less calcium. The same thing for vitamin C — 19 mg at the time versus 13.6 mg."

This wasn't an isolated case. Examining data for the 70 most consumed fruits and vegetables revealed an alarming trend. According to the film, which is also known as "Seeds of Profit":2

"The results show a dramatic deterioration in the space of 60 years. All 70 fruit and vegetables have lost an average of 16% of their calcium, 27% of their vitamin C, and almost less than half of their iron levels."

These findings align with research conducted in the U.S. and U.K. American biochemist Donald Davis analyzed nutrient changes in 43 vegetables between 1950 and 1999, reaching similar conclusions.3 Davis’ study found statistically significant declines in six nutrients: protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and vitamin C.

The median declines ranged from 6% for protein to 38% for riboflavin (vitamin B2), and the researchers suggest that these declines are most likely explained by changes in cultivated varieties between 1950 and 1999. Specifically, they said there may be "trade-offs between crop yield and nutrient content" in the newer varieties.

The Culprit: Agricultural ‘Progress’
What's behind this nutrient collapse? The documentary points to several factors, all stemming from the industrialization of agriculture:

•Hybridization for higher yields — Over the past 50 years, seed companies have focused on developing hybrid varieties that maximize yield and visual appeal. As Davis explains, "I think that most of these declines are caused by increases in yield. When yields go up, there's less nutrients per weight of the food. A lot of agricultural scientists may not know about how big these effects are. This is kind of embarrassing. They're always wanting to increase yield."4

This focus on quantity over quality has come at a steep nutritional cost. The tomato, for instance, has seen some of the largest nutrient declines — losing a quarter of its calcium and more than half of its vitamins.

•The quest for eternal shelf life — Perhaps the most egregious example of sacrificing nutrition for commercial gain is the development of the "long shelf life" tomato. In the 1970s and 1980s, Israeli researchers created a hybrid tomato that decays much more slowly after being picked.

While this innovation reduced waste and revolutionized the global tomato market, it came with serious downsides. As Haim Rabinowitch, professor emeritus at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one of the developers, admits:5

"The genes for ripening inhibition carry with them some negative traits. For instance, flavor deteriorates and we [have] less nutrients. But I didn't know because we never measured it. Only later in the '90s and the early 2000s, we started looking into the quality traits. I offered a project like that to many seed companies. I even gave it a name. I called it ‘ACE’ tomato.

Why ACE? Vitamins A, C and E, and I said it will be much healthier tomato. We don't have it in supermarkets, this variety. The industries, they don't care."The Nutrient Gap: Heirloom vs Hybrid
In a revealing experiment, the filmmakers compared a modern hybrid tomato to an heirloom variety. The results were stark:

After one week, the heirloom tomato showed signs of decay and was no longer fit for sale. The hybrid looked unchanged.
After two weeks, the heirloom was moldy. The hybrid still appeared fresh.
It took 25 days for the hybrid to become unsellable — extending shelf life from three days to over three weeks.
But this longevity comes at a steep price. When tasted, the hybrid was described as "tasteless" compared to the flavorful heirloom. To quantify the nutrient differences, the documentary team had both tomatoes analyzed in an accredited laboratory. The results were eye-opening:6

"The hybrid tomato contains a significantly lower level of the five nutrients analyzed. It contains 63% less calcium, 29% less magnesium, and 72% less vitamin C. The levels of lycopene and polyphenols, two antioxidants that help fight cardiovascular diseases, are two times lower in the hybrid than in the farmer's variety tomato."

This data provides clear evidence that the push for longer shelf life and higher yields has dramatically reduced the nutritional value of our produce.

The Global Seed Oligopoly
As the documentary reveals, the push for hybrid seeds is being driven by a handful of multinational corporations that dominate the global seed market. Just four companies — Bayer (formerly Monsanto), Corteva (formerly DuPont), Syngenta and Limagrain — control two-thirds of all seeds sold worldwide.7,8 This concentration of power has serious implications:

1.Loss of biodiversity — As uniform hybrid varieties replace traditional seeds, we're losing genetic diversity at an alarming rate. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reports that 75% of global agrobiodiversity has been lost due to the adoption of "improved" varieties.9

2.Farmer dependence — Hybrid seeds don't reproduce true-to-type, forcing farmers to buy new seeds each year. This creates a cycle of dependence on seed companies.

3.Skyrocketing seed prices — The documentary reveals that some tomato seed varieties now sell for up to $450,000 per kilogram — more than double the price of gold.10

4.Exploitative labor practices — To keep costs down, seed production is often outsourced to developing countries where child labor and below-minimum wage payments are common.

The Dark Side of Seed Production
The widespread use of child labor in hybrid seed production is featured in the documentary. In India's Karnataka state, a major hub for vegetable seed production, researchers found that 10% of workers in seed fields are children under 14 — despite laws prohibiting child labor.11 Why are children employed? As Davuluri Venkateswarlu, author of "Soiled Seeds," a report on the issue, explains:12

"The hybridization activity is very, very delicate. It requires a lot of skills. The children are preferred because they can do these repetitive activities very faster than adults, and also they are more obedient. Two children can do the work of three adults. That is the kind of calculation farmers have."

Even adult workers face exploitation. Women working in tomato seed fields earn just $2.80 per day — 40% below India's legal minimum wage. Yet these seeds will sell for tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram in Europe and North America.

This exploitation persists because multinational seed companies turn a blind eye to the practices of their local subcontractors. When confronted, they hide behind vague statements about "promoting decent working conditions" without taking concrete action.

The Health Implications
The health implications of this nutrient collapse in our food supply are immense. While the full impact is still being studied, we can draw some alarming conclusions:

1.Increased risk of nutrient deficiencies — As fruits and vegetables contain fewer vitamins and minerals, it becomes harder to meet your nutritional needs through diet alone. This may contribute to the rise in deficiencies we're seeing, particularly in minerals like magnesium and trace elements.

2.Reduced antioxidant intake — The dramatic drop in vitamin C, lycopene and polyphenols means we're getting far fewer protective antioxidants from our produce. This could increase vulnerability to oxidative stress and related chronic diseases.

3.Link to rising chronic disease — While many factors contribute to the increase in chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, the depletion of protective nutrients in our food supply plays a role.

4.Hidden hunger — Even people eating what appears to be a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables are getting far fewer nutrients than they realize. This "hidden hunger" has wide-ranging health effects.

5.Increased reliance on supplements — As food becomes less nutritious, more people will turn to dietary supplements to meet their nutritional needs. While supplements have their place, they're not a perfect replacement for nutrients obtained from whole foods.

The Path Forward: Reclaiming Our Food
The situation seems dire, but there are rays of hope. Around the world, farmers, researchers and citizens are working to preserve agricultural biodiversity and promote more nutritious food production. Here are some key initiatives:

•Seed banks and exchanges — Organizations like Kokopelli in France are working to preserve heirloom and traditional seed varieties. Their "Seeds Without Borders" program distributes these seeds to farmers and gardeners worldwide, helping to maintain genetic diversity.

As noted in the documentary, "By conserving these endangered seeds, we are taking back the choice to plant or eat non-standardized fruit and vegetables which are the best produce for both our planet and our health."13 Supporting these seed preservation efforts is crucial for maintaining biodiversity and giving farmers alternatives to hybrid seeds.

•Regenerative agriculture — Farming practices that focus on building healthy soils increase the nutrient content of crops. By moving away from chemical-intensive methods and embracing techniques like cover cropping, composting and diverse crop rotations, we can produce more nutritious food while improving environmental health.

•Consumer awareness and demand — As consumers become more aware of the nutrient issue, they can drive change through their purchasing decisions. Choosing heirloom varieties, supporting local farmers using diverse seed stocks and demanding more transparent labeling all make a difference.

•Policy changes — At a broader level, we need policies that incentivize farming practices that enhance soil health and nutrient uptake, protect farmers' rights to save and exchange seeds, and enforce fair labor practices in seed production globally.

How to Protect Your Nutrient Intake and Support a More Nutritious Food System
The loss of nutrients in our food supply is a silent crisis that demands urgent attention. By understanding the problem and taking action — both in our personal choices and by advocating for systemic change — we can work toward a future where our food nourishes us as nature intended.

The path to truly healthy food isn't through further industrialization or genetic modification. Instead, we must look to the wisdom of traditional farming methods, embrace biodiversity and prioritize nutrient density. Our health, and the health of future generations, depends on it. To protect your health and support a more nutritious food system, consider:

Choosing heirloom and open-pollinated varieties when possible — These often have higher nutrient levels and better flavor than hybrid varieties.

Supporting local farmers and farmers markets — Small-scale producers are more likely to grow diverse, nutrient-dense crops.

Grow your own — Even a small garden or a few containers provide incredibly nutritious produce.

Opt for organic — While not a guarantee of higher nutrients, organic produce is less likely to contain harmful pesticide residues.

Eat a diverse diet — Don't rely on just a few fruits and vegetables — incorporate a wide variety to ensure you're getting a broad spectrum of nutrients.

Consider targeted supplementation — While whole foods should be the foundation of your diet, high-quality supplements can help fill nutrient gaps.

Support organizations working to preserve seed diversity and promote sustainable agriculture.

Stay informed and spread awareness — Share this information with friends and family to help drive change."

Sources and References
1 YouTube, Moconomy, Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients July 20, 2024, 1:12
2, 4 YouTube, Moconomy, Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients July 20, 2024, 1:53
3 J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Dec;23(6):669-82. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2004.10719409
5 YouTube, Moconomy, Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients July 20, 2024, 13:10
6 YouTube, Moconomy, Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients July 20, 2024, 20:57
7 Equal Exchange Center, From Alternative Trade to Corporate Consolidation
8 YouTube, Moconomy, Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients July 20, 2024, 43:08
9 FAO.org, What Is Happening to Agrobiodiversity?
10 YouTube, Moconomy, Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients July 20, 2024, 26:47
11 YouTube, Moconomy, Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients July 20, 2024, 27:59
12 YouTube, Moconomy, Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients July 20, 2024, 33:04
13 YouTube, Moconomy, Industry Scandal: The Loss of Nutrients July 20, 2024, 49:06

grapevine

6th November 2024, 11:50

The Muscle Growth Doctor: Exercise At Night Is A Terrible Idea! Grip Strength = Disease! Andy Galpin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ78Hpwrt80&t=17s&ab_channel=TheDiaryOfACEO (2:28:37)
Dr Andy Galpin, PhD, is Professor of Kinesiology (the study of movement) at California State University, Fullerton. He is the Co-Director of the Center for Sport Performance and Founder/Director of the Biochemistry and Molecular Exercise Physiology Laboratory.

00:00 Intro
02:49 Enhancing People's Physical & Cognitive Performance
04:54 Why You Care About Human Performance?
10:37 What's Your Academic Background
11:36 What's the Range of People That Come to You & What Do They Want Fixing?
14:21 What Stops Us from Reaching Our Optimal Performance?
20:51 How Vitamin Deficiencies Affect Our Body
24:35 Why We Don't Get Accurate Results from Blood Tests
28:20 You Need to Understand Why Your Body Markers Are Down
32:23 Why People Struggle to Sleep
37:21 How to Improve Your Sleep
42:57 Is 8h the Optimal Sleep Time?
48:32 The Misconceptions of Sleep Debt
50:49 The Power of Doing Tasks at Your Usual Circadian Times
55:02 Environmental Factors That Affect Our Sleep
01:04:55 Create the Optimal Environment for Restorative Sleep
01:06:34 Sleep Debt
01:09:50 How to Stop Travels Disrupting Your Sleep
01:12:06 How Important Is Your Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?
01:13:33 The Impact of Keto Diet and Carbs on Your HRV?
01:16:16 The Effects of Introducing Carbs Back into Your Diet
01:18:20 How to Have a Healthy HRV?
01:23:15 Good Morning Routines for Improved HRV
01:27:52 Does Red Light Have an Effect on Our Bodies?
01:30:14 The Importance of Choosing the Right Training Exercises
01:31:08 Gain Muscle Mass and Stay Lean
01:34:57 When to Eat When Exercising
01:36:56 Best Training for Best & Lasting Performance
01:39:00 The Death Dangers of Falling at 60+ Years Old
01:42:09 What Is VO2 Max?
01:44:41 What VO2 Max Says About Your Health
01:49:11 People Don't Believe Their Health Problems Can Be Fixed
01:52:02 The Exercise and Steps to Improve VO2 Max
01:54:21 To Build Muscle You Need to Add Variations to Your Exercise Routine
01:58:31 Creatine Benefits for Your Body
02:03:47 Fat Loss
02:11:08 Depriving Yourself from Food Isn't Beneficial in Weight Loss
02:12:12 Why Should You Do Strength Before Endurance?
02:12:36 How Technology Will Shape Our Health
02:18:18 The Impact of Minimizing Stressors in Our Lives
02:24:21 Last Guest Question

onawah

8th November 2024, 20:31

Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO): Benefits, Uses and Side Effects

Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO): Benefits, Uses and Side Effects
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
November 08, 2024
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/11/08/dimethyl-sulfoxide-dmso-benefits-side-effects.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20241108_HL2&foDate=true&mid=DM1655794&rid=158368727

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2024/November/PDF/dimethyl-sulfoxide-dmso-benefits-side-effects-pdf.pdf

QGhd21VaYv4

"Story at-a-glance
DMSO is an organosulfur compound used as a topical pain reliever and anti-inflammatory agent. It activates cellular stress responses at low to moderate levels, boosting resilience against future threats
Research shows DMSO inhibits cancer cell growth and triggers apoptosis in various cancer cell lines, suggesting promise as a targeted therapy for slowing or stopping cancer progression
In a mouse model of Alzheimer's, low-dose DMSO improved visual function, likely due to its antioxidant properties. It may be useful as an early intervention in neurodegenerative diseases
DMSO is related to MSM, which has shown benefits for joint health. It also exhibits antibacterial properties, inhibiting growth of various bacterial strains at relatively low concentrations
While promising, DMSO has side effects including garlic-like odor and skin irritation. It increases absorption of other substances and may interact with certain medications, necessitating caution in its use
You may have heard of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), an organosulfur compound, as a remedy for joint pain or inflammation. DMSO is produced both naturally and synthetically. It's found in trace amounts in certain foods and widely used as a solvent in scientific research and industrial processes due to its ability to dissolve organic compounds.

In medicine, DMSO is used as a topical pain reliever and anti-inflammatory agent. It’s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of interstitial cystitis, also known as bladder pain syndrome, a chronic condition that causes bladder pain, pressure and discomfort.1

DMSO is also used as a cryoprotectant to prevent cell damage during freezing.2 This compound shows promise for benefitting many health conditions, but it has a complex relationship with your cells. Recent research on yeast cells, for instance, reveals that DMSO's effects depend heavily on concentration and exposure time, influencing whether the compound is healing or harmful.3

DMSO: A Cellular Stressor That Builds Resilience
At low and moderate levels, DMSO activates cellular stress responses that boost your resilience. However, at higher concentrations or with prolonged exposure, it impairs cell growth and may even prove toxic. Too little DMSO didn't trigger the response, while too much overwhelmed the cells' defenses.

The key lies in how DMSO interacts with cell membranes and energy production. Short-term exposure to moderate DMSO levels didn't significantly damage yeast cell membranes or reduce their metabolic activity.4 But it did trigger stress response genes, priming cells to better handle future threats, explaining some of DMSO's protective effects.

The study found that DMSO activated yeast cells' environmental stress response (ESR) program at certain concentrations. This cellular alarm system, triggered by various mild stresses, prepares cells to better handle future, potentially more severe challenges.

It's a bit like how exercise stresses your body in the short term but ultimately makes you stronger. This stress response activation helps explain why DMSO is helpful in cryopreservation or as a protective agent against radiation damage.

At higher doses though, DMSO began to interfere with cell division and survival. Your cells' preferred energy source plays a surprisingly important role in how well they tolerate DMSO. The study found that yeast cells using primarily aerobic respiration, which relies heavily on oxygen, were most sensitive to DMSO's toxic effects. In contrast, cells using fermentation or a mix of fermentation and respiration fared better.

This difference likely stems from how DMSO interacts with mitochondria, your cell's power plants. Cells with highly active mitochondria are more vulnerable to factors that disrupt their delicate balance, including DMSO at higher doses. The compound may destabilize mitochondrial membranes, leading to increased production of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS).

The researchers found that lowering oxygen levels in the yeast's environment increased their DMSO tolerance across the board. This suggests that DMSO's effects are closely tied to oxygen-dependent processes in your cells.

An Ally in the Fight Against Cancer
Studies reveal DMSO has another unexpected benefit: fighting cancer. Researchers investigated DMSO's impact on both leukemia cells (representing blood cancers) and epithelial cancer cells (representing solid tumors).5 They found that DMSO significantly inhibited cell growth in all tested cancer cell lines, including MV4-11 and TF-1a leukemia cells, as well as Hep-G2 liver cancer cells and MCF7 breast cancer cells.

This inhibition was both dose and time-dependent, with noticeable effects starting at concentrations as low as 2% DMSO. At 10% DMSO, growth inhibition reached up to 69% in some cell lines after 72 hours of exposure. This suggests DMSO could be used as a targeted therapy to slow down or stop cancer growth.

The study didn't just stop at observing growth inhibition — it explored how DMSO affects cancer cells. Using a trypan blue assay, which distinguishes between live and dead cells, the researchers found that 5% DMSO increased cell death rates from about 2% to 3% to 15% to 19% in leukemia cells after 48 hours. This indicates that DMSO isn't just slowing cancer cell division; it's actively killing these harmful cells.6

Under the microscope, DMSO-treated cancer cells showed significant changes in morphology. The cells shrank, their density decreased and, most importantly, their nuclei began to fragment. These nuclear fragments, visible as multiple dots within nondividing cells, are a hallmark of apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

The higher the DMSO concentration, the more pronounced these effects became. Even the adherent epithelial cancer cells, which normally form a smooth monolayer in culture, began to detach and cluster when exposed to DMSO. These observations suggest that DMSO could be triggering the cancer cells' built-in self-destruct mechanisms.

DMSO Activates Cancer Cells' Self-Destruct Sequence
Digging deeper into the molecular mechanisms, the researchers uncovered how DMSO sets off a cascade of events leading to cancer cell death. They found that DMSO significantly decreased levels of CDK2 and cyclin A — crucial proteins that regulate cell division. The CDK2-cyclin A complex, which plays a key role in driving cells from one phase of the cell cycle to the next, was particularly affected.7

By disrupting these regulators, DMSO effectively puts the brakes on cancer cell proliferation. But perhaps most tellingly, DMSO triggered DNA fragmentation in the treated cancer cells. This is considered a definitive sign of apoptosis, as it represents the cell systematically destroying its own genetic material. The researchers confirmed this by detecting increased levels of activated caspase 3, an enzyme central to the execution of apoptosis.

Interestingly, they didn't see activation of caspase 9, suggesting that DMSO triggers apoptosis through the extrinsic pathway rather than the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. This specific mechanism could be crucial in developing targeted cancer therapies that don't harm healthy cells.

The study suggests that even at relatively low concentrations, DMSO has profound effects on cancer cell health and survival. Moreover, because DMSO is already widely used and well-tolerated in many medical contexts, it could potentially be fast-tracked for cancer treatment studies.

DMSO Improves Visual Function in Alzheimer's Model
Early animal studies raised some concerns about DMSO causing eye problems, particularly affecting the lens. These findings were not found to translate to humans,8 however, and recent research offers a more reassuring perspective for those considering DMSO as part of their health regimen.

Research using a mouse model of Alzheimer's revealed that DMSO, even at very low concentrations, significantly improves visual function.9 The study focused on 5xFAD mice, which are genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's-like symptoms. These mice typically experience a decline in contrast sensitivity, an important aspect of vision that's also affected in human Alzheimer's patients.

Remarkably, when treated with just .01% DMSO in their drinking water, the mice showed a marked improvement in their contrast sensitivity. This improvement was comparable to the effects seen with R-carvedilol, a drug specifically being investigated for Alzheimer's treatment.

The fact that such a low dose of DMSO could produce these benefits is particularly intriguing, as it suggests DMSO's therapeutic effects may have been underestimated in previous research where it was used merely as a vehicle for other drugs.

Early Intervention Potential with DMSO
The study's findings point to DMSO's antioxidant properties as a mechanism for its beneficial effects. DMSO is well-known as a powerful scavenger of hydroxyl free radicals, which contribute to oxidative stress, a factor in the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease. The researchers observed that DMSO treatment corrected abnormalities in the retina that are associated with oxidative stress.

Specifically, they found that DMSO normalized the thickness of a particular layer in the retina (the ELM-RPE layer) that becomes contracted in the presence of oxidative stress. This correction suggests that DMSO is actively combating oxidative damage in the retinal tissue. Given that your retina is essentially an extension of your brain, these findings imply that DMSO could be providing similar protective effects throughout the central nervous system.

This is particularly exciting because oxidative stress is believed to be one of the earliest events in the development of Alzheimer's, occurring even before the appearance of characteristic amyloid plaques and tau tangles.

Given these findings, there’s potential for DMSO as an early intervention in Alzheimer's disease. The study focused on relatively young mice (4 months old) that were just beginning to show signs of visual impairment.10 The fact that DMSO was able to improve function at this early stage suggests it could be particularly valuable as a preventative measure or early treatment.

Early intervention is crucial in Alzheimer's disease, as by the time cognitive symptoms become apparent, significant brain damage has often already occurred. If DMSO can help protect against oxidative stress and maintain neuronal health from the earliest stages of the disease process, it could slow or even prevent the progression to full-blown Alzheimer's.

Moreover, the safety profile of DMSO at low doses is well-established, making it an attractive option for long-term use in at-risk individuals.

Beyond the Brain: DMSO's Wider Implications
While this study focused on visual function and retinal health, its implications reach far beyond Alzheimer's disease. The protective effects of DMSO observed in the retina extend to other tissues and organs throughout your body. Oxidative stress is implicated in a wide range of age-related conditions, from cardiovascular disease to arthritis.

For instance, DMSO is closely related to another compound that could benefit your joint health: methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). DMSO is a precursor to MSM, and both compounds share similar sulfur-based structures. Like DMSO, MSM has been shown to have significant anti-inflammatory effects, especially for joint pain. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Japan explored the effects of MSM on mild knee joint pain in healthy individuals.11

Participants who took 2 grams of MSM daily for 12 weeks experienced significant improvements in their knee health compared to those taking a placebo. The study used a comprehensive measure of knee health (the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure) and found that MSM not only improved knee-specific symptoms but also enhanced overall health conditions.

This research suggests the sulfur-containing compounds in both DMSO and MSM may offer a range of health benefits, from neuroprotection to joint pain relief.

Given that DMSO can be converted to MSM in your body, using DMSO might provide some of the joint health benefits associated with MSM, in addition to its neuroprotective effects and anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. These actions make DMSO an intriguing compound for overall health maintenance as you age.

DMSO's ability to inhibit and kill a range of bacteria — even at low concentrations — has also been known for decades. Researchers tested DMSO against several bacterial strains, including Staphylococcus aureus, β-hemolytic streptococci, Corynebacterium acnes, Escherichia coli and Proteus species.12

They found that a 20% concentration of DMSO was enough to inhibit the growth of all these bacteria. So, even at relatively low concentrations, DMSO can effectively stop bacterial reproduction.

DMSO Risks, Dosing Suggestions and Other Considerations
While DMSO shows promising benefits, it's important to approach its use with caution and awareness. As with any supplement or treatment, DMSO has side effects and contraindications that you need to be aware of. The most common side effect is a garlic-like taste or breath odor, which occurs because DMSO breaks down into dimethyl sulfide in your body. Some people may also experience skin irritation when DMSO is applied topically.

DMSO also increases the absorption of other substances through your skin, amplifying the effects of medications. This means you need to be careful about what comes into contact with your skin when using DMSO topically. It's also important to note that DMSO interacts with certain medications, including blood thinners and steroids.

Additionally, high concentrations may cause liver damage if used improperly. Pregnant women and those with liver disease should use caution when considering DMSO. As always, I recommend consulting with a holistic health care practitioner to determine if DMSO is right for you.

Proper product selection and dosing are key to getting the best results. A Midwestern Doctor recommends looking for DMSO that has at least 99.9% purity and, if liquid, is stored in glass. For topical dosing, start with 70% and dilute it 50/50 with water. Gradually work your way up to the full-strength product as long as no skin irritation occurs. You can also progress to a 100% DMSO product if you have thick scars or are using it for specific health conditions.

For oral dosage, a typical starting dose is 0.5 to 1 teaspoon (of 70% or 100%). You may gradually increase the dose as long as you are tolerating it well. The maximum safe dosage is up for debate, but generally 3 teaspoons is considered the upper limit. Keep in mind that since DMSO has an unpleasant taste, you’ll likely want to mix it with milk or juice when consuming it orally. Be sure to mix it well so the DMSO doesn’t settle at the bottom.

Remember, while DMSO shows promise, it's not a miracle cure. It should be considered as part of a holistic approach to health, including a nutrient-dense diet, regular exercise, stress management and other lifestyle factors that support your overall well-being. Used responsibly and under proper guidance, DMSO could be a valuable tool in your health arsenal, particularly for its antioxidant, neuroprotective, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties."

Sources and References
1 Mayo Clinic, Dimethyl sulfoxide
2 National Library of Medicine, PubChem, Dimethyl Sulfoxide
3, 4 Scientific Reports volume 14, Article number: 21974 (2024)
5, 6, 7 Journal of Medical Discovery 2020; 5(4)
8 Arch Ophthalmol. 1968;79(4):423-427. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1968.03850040425011
9, 10 Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2024 May 31;12:85
11 Nutrients. 2023 Jun 30;15(13):2995. doi: 10.3390/nu15132995
12 JAMA. 1965;193(11):923-928. doi: 10.1001/jama.1965.03090110061015

meat suit

18th November 2024, 20:45

DMSO sounds very interesting, I have never tried it.
I have an ongoing shoulder/arm issue that might benefit.
Does anybody have a recommendation for a UK available brand ?

Update🤙😁
So, bought 70/30 dmso/aloe vera gel and the book.
Within 10 days of application to my shoulder/arm I am back to nearly normal function and very little remaining pain.
This stuff is amazing. Nothing else I tried over many months has initiated so much healing for this issue.
I could feel it working from the first application.
Wow

Mike

18th November 2024, 22:11

I've been taking cacao recently and it is nothing short of remarkable

Bill Ryan

18th November 2024, 22:16

onawah

18th November 2024, 22:57

Sirus

18th November 2024, 23:10

Bill Ryan

18th November 2024, 23:22

Please share your recipe;)Ha. A bunch of cacao, and some dollops of honey and coconut oil. It's different every time, and I just dip my finger in it to check it's sweet but not too sweet. :ROFL:

I melt it all in a pan, which takes just a few minutes. Then I pour it into a soup dish, which goes into the freezer to set. I sometimes add chia seeds, raisins, nuts, chopped dates, or anything else that comes to hand. It's better than anything I've ever bought commercially. :)

This is the end product: :heart:

https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/chocolate_1.jpghttps://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/chocolate_2.jpghttps://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/chocolate_3.jpg

Mike

19th November 2024, 01:34

I've been taking cacao recently and it is nothing short of remarkableMike, can you say more? Do you mean raw cacao, the basic ingredient of chocolate, with nothing else added? Assuming so, how do you take it, and how much, and what benefits do you experience?

(Raw cacao is available everywhere in Ecuador. I make wonderful home-made chocolate from it with added coconut oil and honey, nothing else. :muscle:)

Sure no prob.

It's organic cacao powder, no sweeteners added (not to be confused with cocoa). I mix it in a full fat yogurt with brewers yeast, creatine, and collagen, and it's been like rocket fuel. Even on it's own it has almost the same effect. I've taken countless supplements over the years and this one stands alone. It's really something else.

I take 2 doses a day. Each dose = 1 tablespoon.

Even the best supplements I've used over the years only allowed a painfully slow crawl up the ladder to health, one rung at a time. This stuff has shot me miles up the ladder in one go, and I can actually see some daylight and possibilities.

As I've mentioned many times over the years, I've really been struggling with this mitochondrial heart stuff. I saw a study that involved a group of people suffering from mitochondrial heart failure that took cacao over the course of 3 months and nearly totally recovered. I'm pretty jaded now, but that made an impression on me. I noticed a difference on only my second dose. My heart feels more relaxed, I breathe easier, I think faster and clearer, and my overall endurance has improved significantly. I'm excited to see where I'll be in 3 months. I'll keep everyone filled in on my progress.

P.S. that cacao chocolate you make sounds delicious!

meat suit

13th January 2025, 10:03

This is the rescent Joe Rogan podcast with Mel Gibson.
The mention the 'brica'? Thing at about 137.00, a fat loss thing..
Does anybody know what that is?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rYtrS5IbrQ&pp=ygUjam9lIHJvZ2FuIG1lbCBnaWJzb24gZnVsbCBpbnRlcnZpZXc%3D

Bill Ryan

13th January 2025, 11:34

meat suit

13th January 2025, 14:25

Thank you😁

onawah

21st January 2025, 06:50

Raw cacao generates stem cells
reel/1985559468606465

Or click here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9A6BiqKoW8o

The HEALTHIEST POWDER for Your Body and Overall Health! Dr. Mandell
motivationaldoc
9.58M subscribers
Dec 19, 2023

"Cacao is extremely high in antioxidants, which help protect your cells from oxidation and aging. Raw cacao contains more than 20x’s the amount of antioxidants in blueberries (ORAC value score). It's packed with flavonoids. These nutrients have been shown to help lower blood pressure and improve blood flow to the brain and heart.
Cacao improves circulation and hydration in the skin. Circulation stimulates new blood flow to the surface of the skin, keeping it healthy and glowing
Cacao is a potent anti-inflammatory, it soothes redness and blemishes, improving the skin’s complexion.
Cacao has high amounts of iron and magnesium and is the richest food source of these nutrients."
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I've been using raw organic cacao powder for a long time,and it has really helped me with my chocolate addiction.
(I eat organic as much as possible, but organic chocolate bars are expensive and always contain sugar (or some kind of unhealthy substitute).
What I do instead is use raw, organic cacao powder to make hot chocolate (but not too hot), cake frosting or fudge sauce with soft butter, cream or sour cream, raw honey, and a pinch of salt.
Heated slighly (not too much or it destroys the nutrients in raw cacao and honey), it makes a great fudge sauce to serve over ice cream.
I add vanilla just before eating, but not when I make up the mixture, otherwise it makes for an unpleasant chemical reaction.
Raw cacao powder is a health food, whereas heat-treated cacao, which is what usually happens to it when it's made into commercial products, is not.
Another great inexpensive health food is raw Maca powder.
See: https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?90334-My-Nerves-Are-Shot.-Now-what&p=1065843&viewfull=1#post1065843

onawah

18th July 2025, 02:23

Fiber Found in Everyday Foods Helps Remove Forever Chemicals from Your Body
Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
July 17, 2025
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2025/07/17/fiber-everyday-foods-remove-forever-chemicals.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20250717_HL2&foDate=true&mid=DM1776442&rid=341963886

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2025/July/PDF/fiber-everyday-foods-remove-forever-chemicals-pdf.pdf

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"Story at-a-glance
A specific type of fiber called beta-glucan, found in oats and barley, was shown to reduce levels of harmful PFAS chemicals in the blood within just four weeks
Participants who consumed beta-glucan experienced significant drops in legacy PFAS compounds like PFOA and PFOS, which are linked to cancer and hormone disruption
The fiber group was the only one to show a meaningful reduction in the seven most high-risk PFAS chemicals identified by the National Academies of Sciences, including those that raise your risk for thyroid disease, cancer and ulcerative colitis
In a follow-up study using mice, animals exposed to high PFAS levels but fed beta-glucan had lower blood PFAS, improved fat metabolism and less liver stress compared to controls
The key to beta-glucan’s effect is its gel-forming action in your gut, which traps PFAS and interrupts their reabsorption cycle, allowing your body to eliminate them through stool

Most people have no idea they're carrying around a hidden chemical load that their bodies weren't designed to handle. But the reality is, we're living in a world saturated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS. These synthetic compounds are engineered to resist heat, water and oil — and they don't just stay on the surface.

Once these substances enter your bloodstream, they're incredibly hard to get rid of. That's why researchers are searching for real, practical solutions. Many believe that detoxing PFAS is a lost cause — that once they're in your body, they're in for good. But new evidence suggests otherwise.

It turns out your gut, not your liver or kidneys, is one key to turning this around. And the solution doesn't involve harsh protocols or extreme diets. It starts with something as simple as how you digest your food — and whether the right kind of fiber is present to help carry these chemicals out.

If you've ever wondered why you're dealing with persistent fatigue, inflammation, hormone problems or chronic digestive issues, PFAS could be part of the story. These chemicals hijack your system slowly and silently. But there's now a realistic path to lowering that burden, and it starts by focusing on what's happening in your gut.

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Four Weeks of Fiber Lowered Toxic PFAS in the Blood
A study published in Environmental Health evaluated 72 adult men with elevated LDL cholesterol who were already enrolled in a trial testing oat beta-glucan's effects on cholesterol.1

Beta-glucans are a type of soluble fiber found in oats and barley that form a gel-like substance in your gut, helping to trap and remove compounds like bile acids and, as this study explored, PFAS as well. PFAS chemicals, also known as "forever chemicals," are notoriously hard to remove from the body, so the researchers wanted to know: could a fiber intervention make a dent?

•Participants received either a fiber-rich supplement or a placebo for four weeks — All participants followed the original protocol, consuming either an oat beta-glucan drink (1 gram (g) of beta-glucan and 1.9 g total fiber per serving, three times daily) or a brown rice drink with no active fiber. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after four weeks to measure 17 different PFAS types.

•PFAS levels dropped significantly but only in the fiber group for legacy PFAS — While short-chain PFAS decreased in both groups, likely due to their shorter half-lives, the study found that only the group consuming beta-glucan showed significant reductions in long-chain PFAS known to persist for years in the body.

These included perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) — two of the most studied PFAS compounds, both associated with increased cancer and hormone disruption risks.

•PFAS reductions occurred even in men with exposure levels typical of the general population — Researchers noted that all participants had detectable PFAS levels at the start of the study. The levels of certain PFAS were higher than previously reported in Canadian populations, suggesting rising background exposure. Despite this, the beta-glucan intervention still reduced PFAS levels, showing promise even for people without known occupational or high-dose environmental exposure.

•Only the fiber group saw a drop in the most concerning types of PFAS — These specific PFAS, identified by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), are known to increase the risk for serious health issues like thyroid disease, kidney problems, ulcerative colitis and certain cancers.

If your blood level of these seven PFAS reaches just 2 nanograms per milliliter, doctors are advised to monitor your cholesterol, blood pressure during pregnancy and breast cancer risk. At 20 nanograms per milliliter, the recommendations expand to include regular screening for thyroid disease, testicular cancer and more. In the study, only the fiber group had a meaningful reduction in this high-risk PFAS group.

•The proposed mechanism is the fiber's ability to trap PFAS in your digestive tract — Researchers believe the gel-forming fiber worked because PFAS share biochemical properties with bile acids — compounds already known to bind to beta-glucan and get flushed out in feces. PFAS and bile acids are both amphipathic, meaning they have both water-loving and fat-loving parts. This allows them to interact with fiber gels and get excreted rather than reabsorbed.

Most PFAS don't leave your body easily. Once excreted into the bile, they're typically reabsorbed in your intestine, returning to your liver in a loop. Beta-glucan breaks this cycle by holding PFAS in your gut, giving your body a chance to eliminate them through stool rather than cycling them back into your bloodstream.

Oat Beta-Glucan Helped Mice Eliminate PFAS
In a related study published in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, researchers from Boston University used mice to examine whether oat beta-glucan could reduce the body's PFAS load.2 They exposed mice to a mixture of seven PFAS compounds in drinking water while feeding them diets that included either inulin, a non-gel-forming fiber, or oat beta-glucan — a gel-forming fiber.

•Despite drinking more contaminated water, fiber-fed mice had lower PFAS in their blood — The mice fed beta-glucan consumed more PFAS-contaminated water, yet ended up with lower blood levels of some of the most harmful PFAS. This suggests that the fiber helped block reabsorption of PFAS in the gut. In other words, even when these mice took in more of the toxic chemicals, their bodies were better at flushing them out before they could circulate back into the bloodstream.

•Mice on the fiber diet had better fat metabolism and lower liver fat — The beta-glucan-fed mice showed lower liver triglycerides and reduced fat accumulation in the small intestine and fat tissue overall. This matters because PFAS have been linked to metabolic disruption and fatty liver disease. These findings suggest that fiber offers a double benefit: lowering toxic load while improving fat regulation in the body.

•Fiber-fed mice experienced better lipid balance without triggering other stress responses — The researchers also looked at markers of liver stress and detoxification. A key enzyme linked to chemical detox was lower in the fiber-fed group during the cleansing phase, indicating that their bodies were under less toxic stress after PFAS exposure.

How to Reduce Your PFAS Burden with Targeted Fiber and Smarter Food Choices
If you're dealing with fatigue, hormone issues or unexplained weight gain, and you've already cleaned up your water, cookware and household products, you could be missing the last piece of the puzzle: what's stuck inside your body. PFAS aren't just external threats; they're internal ones too.

Once these forever chemicals get in, they linger for years unless you take direct steps to push them out. Here's where smart, gut-focused nutrition comes in. The right type of fiber, at the right time, makes a meaningful difference in your toxic load. But timing and your gut's condition matter. So, if you're trying to reduce PFAS levels in your system, start here:

1.Check your gut health first — If you regularly feel bloated after meals, go days without a bowel movement or have frequent loose stools, your gut likely isn't ready for high-fiber foods. Don't guess — listen to your symptoms. These are signs that your microbiome is imbalanced and your gut lining is inflamed or damaged. For now, avoid complex carbs and stick to simpler ones like fruit and white rice while your gut settles down.

2.Avoid fiber and fermentable carbs if your digestion is impaired — A damaged gut can't handle even "healthy" foods. Beans, leafy greens, cruciferous veggies and whole grains all ferment quickly and feed the wrong microbes when your gut is compromised. That drives more bloating, inflammation and gas. In this phase, you want fuel that doesn't backfire — whole fruit and cooked starches that digest cleanly without fermenting too fast.

3.Reintroduce fermentable fibers in small amounts once your gut calms — When your bloating stops and your digestion becomes regular, that's your green light. Start with resistant starches like cooked-and-cooled white potatoes or green bananas. These feed butyrate-producing bacteria — the kind that protect your gut lining and regulate inflammation. Slowly add in garlic, leeks and onions. Keep portions small and build up as your tolerance improves.

4.Eat foods high in beta-glucans once your gut is stable — Oats and barley contain beta-glucan, which binds to PFAS in your digestive tract and helps your body eliminate them through your stool. Once your digestion is in good shape, make this fiber part of your daily routine. Other good sources include organic rye, maitake and shiitake mushrooms, and seaweed like kombu.

Be mindful of your portions though, as most seaweeds contain polyunsaturated fats, including linoleic acid, which is harmful to your health in excessive amounts. Choose whole, minimally processed forms of beta-glucans whenever possible to get the most benefit.

5.Cut off PFAS exposure at the source — While you work to flush them out, don't let more in. Use a water filter certified for PFAS. Stop storing food in nonstick containers or wrappers. Replace your nonstick cookware with stainless steel, ceramic or enameled cast iron. Skip stain-resistant treatments on clothes and furniture. PFAS are everywhere, but the more you avoid them now, the less your body has to fight later.

FAQs About Removing PFAS with Fiber
Q: What are PFAS and why are they dangerous?

A: PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, stain-resistant fabrics and firefighting foams. They build up in your blood, liver and fat tissues and don't easily break down. Long-term exposure has been linked to liver damage, hormone disruption, cancer, immune suppression and infertility.

Q: How do PFAS stay in my body for so long?

A: Once PFAS enter your system, usually through contaminated water or food, they're reabsorbed in your intestines and recirculated back to your liver in a loop. This recycling is what gives PFAS such long half-lives — many remain in your body for years unless that cycle is broken.

Q: Does fiber really help remove PFAS from my body?

A: Yes. Clinical research in humans and animals has shown that gel-forming fibers like oat beta-glucan bind PFAS in your gut and stop them from being reabsorbed. This allows your body to eliminate them through stool, reducing your overall PFAS burden over time.

Q: Should I add fiber to my diet immediately?

A: Not necessarily. If you have symptoms of gut dysfunction, like bloating, constipation, loose stools or food intolerances, you need to heal your gut first. Starting fiber too soon makes things worse. Begin with simple, low-fiber carbs like whole fruit or white rice, then reintroduce fiber slowly once your digestion stabilizes.

Q: What are the best ways to lower PFAS exposure and support detox?

A: Avoid sources of new PFAS exposure. Use PFAS-certified water filters, stop using nonstick cookware and stain-resistant products, and limit packaged foods. Once your gut is ready, include small amounts of beta-glucan-rich foods like organic oats or barley. Over time, this helps reduce PFAS levels while also improving your gut health and immune resilience."

+ Sources and References
1 Environmental Health March 15, 2025
2 Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology February 2025, Volume 495, 117188

Bill Ryan

18th July 2025, 11:57

I've been using raw organic cacao powder for a long time,and it has really helped me with my chocolate addiction.
(I eat organic as much as possible, but organic chocolate bars are expensive and always contain sugar (or some kind of unhealthy substitute).
What I do instead is use raw, organic cacao powder to make hot chocolate (but not too hot), cake frosting or fudge sauce with soft butter, cream or sour cream, raw honey, and a pinch of salt.
Heated slighly (not too much or it destroys the nutrients in raw cacao and honey), it makes a great fudge sauce to serve over ice cream.
I add vanilla just before eating, but not when I make up the mixture, otherwise it makes for an unpleasant chemical reaction.
Raw cacao powder is a health food, whereas heat-treated cacao, which is what usually happens to it when it's made into commercial products, is not.
Another great inexpensive health food is raw Maca powder.
See: https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?90334-My-Nerves-Are-Shot.-Now-what&p=1065843&viewfull=1#post1065843I've been aware of this for quite a long time, and a couple of weeks ago, very much on a whim, I started treating myself to raw cacao daily just to see what would happen.

In Ecuador, raw cacao looks like this: just big dark slabs of cacao with nothing else added.

https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/raw_cacao.jpg

Of course, this means it's been heated and melted, but I don't know the full details. What I did was break it up into small fingernail-sized pieces, then adding it to hot milk. (I tried pulverizing it in a coffee grinder, but that didn't work as it's too solid.) The natural lactose in the milk means (for me!) that I feel I don't need to add any honey or sweetener.

I was impressed with the result. Over two weeks I've gradually lost 5 lbs (2 kg) in weight, without intending to or even trying in any way. I seem to need less sleep, and my appetite seems to have dropped a little. Everything else is unchanged, and my energy and general sense of well-being is all the same.

The weight loss thing is interesting. I don't need to lose weight, and I've always been the same weight as I was 30 or 40 years ago. (I feel fortunate that way!) I've written on the Water Fasting (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?101104-Water-Fasting) thread that one always needs to be aware of what I all one's minimum healthy weight, and if one's fasting it's important to stop right there, because it's definitely possible to go too far. So with my new cacao regime I'll just continue exactly as I've been doing, watching with interest to see what happens.

My best guess right now is that the cacao seems to be some kind of natural metabolism regulator. And (if that's correct!) I'll gradually reach my optimum weight (whatever that is!) and then stay exactly there — all with zero effort, which would be kinda fun if that's the case. I promise to report back in a few weeks' time. :)

onawah

18th July 2025, 20:52

Not to be nitpicky, but from my own personal experience, I'd say that generally it's more beneficial to eat foods raw rather than cooked (unless there is something in particular that's toxic and needs to be destroyed by heating).
(It's criminal that more attention has not been paid to that crucial issue by the "experts".)
Additionally, if a seed, legume, nut or grain can be soaked and sprouted before eating, the nutritional value goes up exponentially, particularly in terms of enzymes.
I used to work with Viktoras Kulvinskas, who I think at 86 is still going strong at his healing center in Costa Rica (https://www.viktoras.org/index#app-store )
...Author of the bestseller "Survival into the 21st Century" (and many more books), co-founder of the Hippocrates Health Institute with Anne Wigmore.
I got into eating exclusively raw, live, sprouted, fermented and cultured foods, did a lot of juicing, and it was amazing how quickly and how much my health improved.
In the case of cacao, if the seeds could be fresh picked, then soaked and sprouted, then dehydrated and ground into powder and refrigerated, that would be really good medicine.
You can't go wrong with creating more stem cells!

From:https://drwilliamli.com/health-benefits-of-cacao/
"The impressive bioactive profile of cacao has nutritionists everywhere reaching for their dark chocolate bark and raw cacao powder. But is all chocolate created equal? The answer is a resounding, no. Before we jump into the specific nutrient properties of the beloved snack, let us back up and look at it from the top.

Cacao vs. Cocoa: What is the Difference?

You have likely noticed that some chocolate products are either marketed as “cacao” or “cocoa.” Some foods are labeled as “cacao nibs” while others may say, “cocoa powder.” But what does the different terminology mean?

Chocolate is made from cacao beans, which are technically considered seeds. Full agreement does not exist on when exactly to use the different terms. Some say products utilizing the entire cacao pod should be deemed “cacao” and the pressed powder should garner the name “cocoa.” Others believe the raw versions should be labeled “cacao” while the roasted and more processed varieties should be called “cocoa.” In my opinion, the terminology should not matter nearly as much as the ingredient list and flavonoid levels. So long as unnecessary additives like sugar are not added to the product, both cacao and cocoa can be extraordinarily nutrient-dense.

Health Benefits of Cacao/Cocoa

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, determined that bioactives called procyanidins in cocoa have potent antiangiogenic effects through their ability to stop the signals activating blood vessel cells, which can lead to various diseases such as cancer, skin diseases, age-related blindness, diabetic ulcers, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and more.

Cacao has also been shown to improve stem cell function. At the University of California, San Francisco, researchers explored whether a chocolate drink made with cocoa containing high levels of flavanols could influence stem cells and blood vessel health. Participants who drank the high-flavanol beverage had twice as many stem cells in their circulation compared to the people who drank the low- flavanol cocoa, showing that the more flavanols contained in the product, the more stem cell benefits it boasts.

Cacao also positively impacts the gut microbiome. A study conducted by Louisiana State University researchers found that fiber in cacao feeds healthy gut bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. These beneficial bacteria generate compounds with anti-inflammatory properties that also improve glucose and lipid metabolism. Cacao may even help correct disruptions to the microbiome caused by chronic stress – not to say that every time you are feeling anxious you should emotionally eat chocolate."

grapevine

20th July 2025, 23:24

Heads up for onawah and Bill:
IWRsssnSsds

I also take a few squares of Green & Blacks 85% chocolate in either oat or coconut milk but had no idea of its regenerative properties. It's absolutely delicious too . . .

onawah

6th August 2025, 00:32

Chocolate in that form is heated and processed and so not nearly as nutritious as raw cacao powder, which is also much more versatile.
Add it to warm (not hot) milk with some raw honey for an even more healthy drink.
I mix it with cooled melted butter, a little salt and some raw honey to make a delicious topping for ice cream, pudding, etc. or just to eat alone.

Heads up for onawah and Bill:
I also take a few squares of Green & Blacks 85% chocolate in either oat or coconut milk but had no idea of its regenerative properties. It's absolutely delicious too . . .

onawah

6th August 2025, 00:47

The Surprising Health Benefits of Baking Soda
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
August 05, 2025
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2025/08/05/baking-soda-health-benefits.aspx?ui=8d3c7e22a03f5300d2e3338a0f080d2da3add85bca35e09236649153e4675f72&sd=20110604&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art2ReadMore&cid=20250805Z1&foDate=true&mid=DM1786046&rid=356396938

https://media.mercola.com/ImageServer/Public/2025/August/PDF/baking-soda-health-benefits-pdf.pdf

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"Story at-a-glance
Baking soda, derived from natural mineral deposits, has been used for centuries and continues to gain attention for its alkalizing effects and wide-ranging health benefits
Its pH-balancing power helps ease acid reflux, reduce inflammation, and may even slow cancer growth by creating a less acidic environment around tumors
Baking soda helps whiten teeth, soothe skin rashes, neutralize body odor, and relieve urinary infections, making it a natural go-to for home remedies
When used before workouts, baking soda helps buffer muscle acidity for better endurance, and studies suggest it may slow the progression of chronic kidney disease
Beyond the body, baking soda safely deodorizes fridges, brightens laundry, clears drains, and even removes pesticides from produce — all without harsh chemicals
Baking soda is one of those ubiquitous, all-around items you always have at home, but did you know that aside from making your homemade bread fluffier and your refrigerator or cabinets smell fresher, it has a wide range of uses outside the kitchen as well?

From health and hygiene to everyday household tasks, baking soda has quietly earned its place as a trusted remedy in many homes — and science is starting to take notice of its potential, too.

https://odysee.com/@DoctorMercola:2/8.5-Non-Lead-1-Baking-Soda-Might-Help-Slow-Kidney-Decline:f

What Is Baking Soda and Why Is It So Useful?
Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda (NaHCO₃) is a white crystalline powder that’s composed of sodium, hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. It’s a naturally alkaline compound — in fact, one of its main functions is to maintain pH balance by neutralizing excess acids or bases. Here are some more interesting facts about this product:

•Baking soda existed in nature 4 million years ago — When salt lakes worldwide evaporated, they formed mineral deposits called trona. This is a rock that’s then processed into soda ash (sodium carbonate). Soda ash is a naturally occurring mineral that’s then processed into baking soda. So while this product can be produced synthetically, the majority of commercially sold brands still come from these natural mineral deposits. In the U.S., the largest trona deposits are found in Wyoming.1

•It gained widespread attention during the 19th century — American bakers Austin Church and John Dwight founded the first baking soda factory in 1846, called Church & Co. When Church’s son joined the company, he changed the company name to Arm & Hammer, and also created the company’s iconic logo.2

•Baking soda’s power lies in its alkalinity — It measures around 8.3 on the pH scale, which is just above neutral. This means it effectively counteracts substances with low pH (acids), making it useful for addressing acid-related issues such as heartburn or even skin irritations.

When it’s mixed with an acid — like vinegar or lemon juice — this compound acts as a chemical leavener and produces carbon dioxide gas. This is the bubbly lift needed in recipes to make cakes and cookies rise, giving them a moist and fluffy texture.3

•Did you know that your body naturally produces baking soda, too? In the video above, Dr. Eric Berg explains how this works:4

“In the stomach, you have this super acidic mixture — a pH between 1 and 3 — and then it goes into the small intestine, where it should go up to maybe 6 or 7, sometimes even 7.5 ... The neutralization of stomach acid is very important. If we don't neutralize the stomach acid, we get severe irritation and inflammation in the small intestine. Sodium bicarbonate from the pancreas helps to neutralize this acid.

Bicarbonate isn’t only produced by the pancreas. The bile ducts — the small tubes connecting the liver and the gallbladder — also secrete bicarbonate.”

8 Ways to Use Baking Soda for Your Health
Baking soda’s acid-neutralizing property makes it a versatile remedy for various ailments. Its ability to adjust pH levels has been studied not just for digestive comfort, but also for enhancing athletic performance, soothing skin issues, and even supporting the body's immune and inflammatory responses. Below are some notable uses of this compound:5,6,7

1.Provides digestive relief — Baking soda’s ability to neutralize excess stomach acid provides fast relief from indigestion, heartburn, and acid reflux. Do this by diluting a small amount — typically a 1/4 teaspoon in a cup of water — and sipping it whenever symptoms arise.

2.Protects against inflammation — Conditions like arthritis and gout are rooted in inflammation, and drinking a tonic made from baking soda and water will help lower inflammation. According to research, the antacid properties of baking soda help shift proinflammatory immune cells to anti-inflammatory ones.8 Read more about baking soda’s anti-inflammatory effects in this article, “Baking Soda — Inexpensive Treatment for Autoimmune Diseases.”

3.Promotes better oral health and hygiene — Thanks to its mild abrasiveness and alkalinity, baking soda helps remove surface stains on teeth, freshen breath, and reduce plaque buildup. Many toothpastes include baking soda to neutralize acids that erode enamel and create an inhospitable environment for harmful bacteria. Mouth rinses made with baking soda and water will also soothe canker sores, reduce acidity in the mouth, and support gum health.

To use it for teeth whitening, the Hearty Soul recommends mixing equal parts baking soda and water, then brushing it gently for two minutes, then rinsing thoroughly.9 For gargling, add half a teaspoon to four ounces of warm water and gargle as you would a mouthwash. This needs to be done in moderation.

4.Enhances your physical performance — When you exercise rigorously, your body produces lactic acid, which lowers the pH in muscle tissues and contributes to fatigue. Consuming baking soda before a workout may help buffer this lactic acid, delaying the onset of fatigue and improving endurance.

For athletes and fitness enthusiasts, a 2021 study recommends taking 300 milligrams of baking soda for every kilogram of body weight to reap its benefits. Ideally, take it between 60 and 180 minutes before your workout session.10

5.Reduces risk of chronic kidney disease — Some studies11,12 support the use of baking soda in slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In these cases, sodium bicarbonate supplementation helps neutralize acid levels in the blood, easing the burden on compromised kidneys. It’s believed that lowering blood acidity helps reduce damage to kidney tissue and delay disease advancement.

6.Eases urinary tract infections — Baking soda helps alkalize urine, offering relief for individuals prone to urinary tract infections (UTIs). When your urine is more alkaline, it creates an environment that helps minimize the growth of certain bacteria, helping reduce irritation and discomfort during infections.

7.Provides relief for bug bites, rashes, or sunburn — Make a paste using water and baking soda and apply it to the affected area to ease pain, itching, and redness. You can also add a cup or two to your lukewarm bathwater and soak in it. This remedy is also recommended to calm symptoms of psoriasis or eczema.

8.Works as a natural deodorant — Baking soda combats body odor because its alkaline nature decreases acidity in your underarms. When you sweat, the sweat itself doesn’t stink; however, when bacteria in your armpits break down this fluid into acidic waste, it causes bad odor to form. Pat baking soda directly on your underarms or by mixing it with a small amount of shea butter or coconut oil, then applying it on your underarms.

How Baking Soda Helps Support Cancer Treatment
One area where baking soda shows promise is cancer treatment; according to animal studies, baking soda’s alkalinity may contribute to slowing down cancer growth by creating a less favorable environment for tumors.

•Creating a more alkaline environment for tumors can help inhibit their growth — Cancer tumors are highly acidic, which helps them thrive and become resistant to treatments.13 Researchers investigated whether baking soda may be particularly beneficial in making the tumor’s environment alkaline and less conducive for growth.

•“Tumor alkalizing therapy” showed promising results — A 2024 animal study published in Frontiers in Oncology found that when mice with Ehrlich ascites carcinoma were given a baking soda solution, their lifespan was extended by 30 days more; to compare, mice that were given sodium chloride lived only 14 to 18 days longer. This showed that reducing the acidity around the tumors seemed to slow down the cancer’s progress.14

•They also tried this strategy with a human patient — The female patient was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and had a buildup of fluid in her abdomen (ascites). She also wasn’t responding to chemotherapy. After receiving baking soda solution directly into her abdomen, her cancer marker levels significantly dropped, and the ascites disappeared.

“The preclinical and clinical results obtained using sodium bicarbonate perfusion in the treatment of malignant ascites represent a small yet significant contribution to the evolving field of tumor alkalization as a cancer therapy. They unequivocally affirm the good prospects of this concept,” the researchers concluded.15

While human research is still needed, these findings are promising and highlight the potential of baking soda as a supportive therapy. Another way by which baking soda may help with cancer is by easing the discomfort of cancer treatments. An article in Everyday Health recommends swishing your mouth with a mixture of baking soda, salt, and water to ease throat discomfort caused by chemotherapy or radiation. It also helps mouth sores from getting infected.16

Cleans, Deodorizes, and Protects — Baking Soda Uses for Your Home
While most people use baking soda to make fluffy cakes and chewy cookies, its usefulness stretches far beyond the mixing bowl. Whether you're looking to ditch harsh chemical cleaners or find safe, affordable ways to freshen your home, this simple but versatile powder offers a powerful alternative. Here are some ways to use baking soda for household chores.

•Baking soda neutralizes and eliminates odors — Since odors are usually caused by acidic substances, baking soda’s alkalinity breaks them down at the molecular level. That’s why leaving a box of baking soda in the refrigerator or freezer is so effective at eliminating food smells. But you shouldn’t stop there, because there are many ways to use this product around the house:

◦Sprinkle it into the bottom of garbage cans, diaper pails, and litter boxes

◦Dust it all over musty-smelling carpets, cushions, or mattresses, letting it sit for 30 minutes before vacuuming

◦Remove pet odors from your dog’s bed

•Adding it to your laundry brightens clothes and removes odors — When your washing machine is in the rinse cycle, add a cup of baking soda to remove mildew smell. It also softens water, enhancing the effectiveness of your detergent. You can also pre-treat stains using a baking soda and water paste. Apply it to the stained area, let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes, and then wash as usual. This works well for food, oil, and even sweat stains.

•Wash your fresh fruits and vegetables with it — If you frequently buy conventionally grown produce, baking soda will help reduce your exposure to pesticides on the surface of your foods. One study found that soaking fruits like apples in a solution of baking soda and water removed 80% to 96% of pesticides from the surface — more effectively than either water alone or commercial rinses.17

To make your own produce wash, fill a clean basin or sink with water and add about four teaspoons of baking soda. Soak your fruits and vegetables for at least five minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

•Clean your jewelry and silverware — Baking soda even helps you restore shine to tarnished silver and dull jewelry. When combined with hot water and a piece of aluminum foil in a nonmetallic bowl, baking soda initiates an ion exchange that lifts tarnish off silver. Just soak the items for a few minutes and then rinse and dry thoroughly.

Use a soft toothbrush to help clean oils and dirt from surfaces, especially in hard-to-reach crevices. This method is especially appealing for those looking to avoid abrasive commercial silver polishes.

•Use it as a drain cleaner — Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by an equal amount of vinegar. Allow the mixture to fizz and sit for 15 to 20 minutes before flushing with hot water. While it won’t replace a commercial-strength clog remover for serious blockages, it’s great for routine maintenance and keeping pipes smelling fresh.

How to Use Baking Soda Safely
While baking soda offers many benefits, remember that it is not without side effects — but only when used incorrectly or excessively. Bloating, gas, nausea, metabolic alkalosis (when the body’s pH is too high) or electrolyte imbalances due to its high sodium content could occur when used in high amounts. Here are a few precautions to keep in mind:

•If you’re ingesting baking soda, you need to moderate its intake — The Hearty Soul recommends starting small, typically half a teaspoon dissolved in a glass of water.

•Baking soda’s abrasive nature can damage your enamel — If you’re brushing with it, always gargle with plain water after.

•It could dry out your skin — If you’re soaking in a baking soda bath or using a homemade baking soda paste on your skin, make sure to moisturize afterward with a gentle, fragrance-free moisturizer or coconut oil to prevent dryness or irritation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Baking Soda
Q: What are the main health benefits of baking soda?

A: Baking soda helps relieve indigestion, soothe heartburn, reduce inflammation, improve oral hygiene, enhance physical performance, support kidney health, and help manage conditions like UTIs and skin irritations.

Q: How does baking soda help with digestion and acid-related issues?

A: Its alkalizing properties help neutralize excess stomach acid, offering fast relief from acid reflux, heartburn, and indigestion. It also supports enzyme activation in the small intestine for better digestion.

Q: Can baking soda really support cancer treatment?

A: Preliminary studies suggest baking soda may help by making the area around tumors less acidic, which could slow their growth. Early research in mice and one human case showed promising results.

Q: How can baking soda be used for skin, hygiene, and fitness?

A: It helps whiten teeth, soothe canker sores, calm rashes and sunburn, and act as a natural deodorant. Athletes use it to delay fatigue by buffering lactic acid during intense workouts.

Q: Are there household uses for baking soda beyond cooking?

A: Yes, it neutralizes odors in refrigerators, carpets, and laundry; cleans drains, silverware, and produce; and works as a nontoxic cleaner — all while being affordable and eco-friendly. "

Sources and References
1, 3, 7, 16, 17 Everyday Health, July 19, 2024
2, 5 Integris Health, April 15, 2022
4 YouTube, Dr. Eric Berg DC, May 14, 2023
6, 9, 13 The Hearty Soul, May 27, 2025
8 J Immunol. 2018 May 15;200(10):3568-3586
10 Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition Volume 18, 2021 - Issue 1
11 J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009 Sep;20(9):2075-2084
12 Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2021 Dec 7;17:1321-1331
14, 15 Front Oncol. 2024 Feb 8;14:1342802