Malaise Miracle

[Daily Health News]

November 30, 2004

In This Issue... Malaise Miracle -- When there's no other diagnosis, could it be chronic candidiasis? Banned! Why the FDA slammed the door on nature's best cholesterol buster... Supple and Strong -- Aerobic activity for a healthy heart Stroke Victim Miracle Treatment: Vampire Bat Saliva MALAISE MIRACLE Many women have visited doctor after doctor with assorted health complaints, such as repeated sinus infections, sore throats that linger, sleep problems, achy joints, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), allergies, gastritis and a general feeling of what I'll just call malaise. Yet, the doctors find nothing medically wrong. A naturopathic physician, on the other hand, may find a chronic yeast infection, specifically, atypical mucocutaneous candidiasis. WHAT IS YEAST AS MOST WOMEN KNOW IT? Every woman knows about vaginal yeast infections. They are so common that women can self-diagnose and purchase the treatments over the counter. However, these treatments usually are only temporary fixes. The problem is that all too often, even after treatment, the infection recurs. Why? The infection goes deeper, to tissues often not affected by the drug, and may require a whole other approach. WHAT IS CHRONIC YEAST? Yeast naturally occurs in our intestines and other parts of the digestive tract and the body. Some "gut flora" are friendly -- some are not. Normally, if your immune system is in good working order, the friendly ones will keep the "unfriendly ones" (like Candida albicans) in check. However, when your immune system is challenged, it can allow a sudden overgrowth of the yeast, contributing to all sorts of problems. These range from lethargy to frequent sinus, ear and throat infections... fungal infections, such as athlete's foot, to persistent digestive disorders, such as heartburn. Chronic yeast even can lead to depression or sleep disorders. These assorted problems are exactly what the naturopathic physicians identify as the "symptoms associated with chronic candidiasis." According to Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, approximately 75% of the population has C. albicans living in the mucous membranes of their bowels, but it doesn't necessarily overtax their immune systems. The problem occurs when yeast in the bowel begins to overrun its environmental restraints, and due to its numbers or penetration into the membrane, it impacts normal function. HOW DO YOU DIAGNOSE IT? Juergen Buche, ND, a retired Canadian naturopath, says he is inclined to suspect that yeast can be making you sick if you've... Taken antibiotics recently for sinusitis, bronchitis, urinary tract or ear infections. Taken cortisone or prednisone. Taken birth control pills. Had symptoms that flare up on rainy days or in moldy places... or when you eat or drink foods that promote yeast growth, such as those made with sugar or white flour. There also is a blood test called the monoclonal antibody assay that looks for two types of elevated antibodies created when Candida insults immunity. Dr. Rubman says he finds that in his clinical practice, it often only confirms the obvious. When a patient presents with the above symptoms, has been taking antibiotics and has a diet that promotes yeast overgrowth, he is confident of the diagnosis and course of action for treatment when other specific pathologies have been ruled out. HOW DO YOU TREAT IT? The important thing to understand is that you can't completely kill off yeast, but you can create an environment that makes it less attractive for yeast to multiply. The way to do that is through nutrition. First and foremost, says Dr. Rubman, eliminate simple sugars, dairy proteins and gluten from your diet. Harsh, I know, but if you're feeling miserable and nothing else has helped, you may want to give this a try. Eliminating dairy means not just milk and cheese, but also yogurt and ice cream. Butter is okay. When eliminating gluten, eliminate wheat first because it is the most irritating. However, other grains, such as rye and barley, also contain gluten. The good news: Sprouted grains are okay. Don't drink while you eat -- drinking dilutes stomach acid. Eating without drinking encourages better digestion and improved liver and pancreatic function. Complete digestion of your food reduces the "feeding" of Candida living in the large intestine. Chew your food thoroughly. Don't graze. Eat a maximum of four meals a day. The stomach is designed to function better with a few fuller meals rather than many small ones. Avoid junk food. Good nutrition, plus eliminating offending foods, will eventually get yeast under control. Eat meat, fish, chicken, fruits and vegetables. Our bodies are designed to handle a variety of foods, as evidenced by the variety in the size and shape of teeth. In two to three weeks, says Dr. Rubman, you should notice a difference in the way you're feeling -- improved bowel regularity, minimal gas and overall health improvement. Dr. Rubman also believes that some other interventions are beneficial in treating chronic yeast... Glucomannan, which improves liver and intestinal/digestive function, can be bought at a health-food store. Take one capsule 30 minutes before a meal, with a full glass of water. Vitamin B-50 complex -- twice a day. Hydroxycobalamine, a B-12 supplement. Take 1 mg of this water-soluble B-12. It is available in liquid form or in a small lozenge. WHERE'S THE PROOF? How do we know yeast is the problem and nutrition is the solution? Herein lies the problem. There are no randomized, double-blind clinical trials and no meta-analysis studies. Doctors and naturopaths who treat this problem are considered by some to be quacks. Who do you believe? Here's my take on the subject. You're complaining of a half-dozen or so symptoms, you've been to several MDs and are not getting better, and now everyone's telling you to go see a shrink because there must be some underlying emotional problem that's causing your health issues. But you know your head is fine -- it's your body. What have you got to lose if you try Dr. Rubman's advice? We've all heard stories about MDs who have missed the boat on treating an ailment that alternative-medicine professionals have been treating successfully for years, even decades -- specifically, assorted herbal remedies or vitamin supplements, pooh-poohed by MDs and now embraced -- so perhaps the MDs are wrong here, and the other practitioners are right. Talk to your doctor and a trained naturopathic physician about the possibility of a candidiasis problem and the course of action to address it. While improving your diet can do you much good, and adding supplements can improve efficacy, treating too aggressively can result in an increase in the symptoms that you are treating. This is an excellent reason to seek professional help in this effort. BANNED! WHY THE FDA SLAMMED THE DOOR ON NATURE'S BEST CHOLESTEROL BUSTER... While many Americans are popping risky and expensive statin drugs for cholesterol control, the FDA is blocking the sale of red yeast rice -- a safe, natural source of powerful lovastatin... Why? Because the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA have convinced our medical establishment that costly drugs are the answer to all our health worries -- despite their dubious track record and often-deadly side effects... Learn how one courageous MD has spent his entire career proving that nobody does it better than Mother Nature. http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/NAH/W6NHEB04/ SUPPLE AND STRONG Some years ago, aerobic training became the rage because it was known to enhance heart health. Also called endurance training, aerobic activity gets the heart rate up and sustains it for a period of time, whether walking, jogging, cycling or swimming. It took a new study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center to demonstrate just how beneficial aerobic activity can be. The study shows that prolonged, consistent endurance training prevents stiffening of the heart walls, a problem that often accompanies aging and leads to a condition called diastolic heart failure. Diastolic heart failure is when the heart can't get enough blood into the left ventricle, because the heart walls have become too stiff to expand sufficiently. It is the reason that 40% of heart patients over age 65 are in the hospital, and aging has generally been considered the cause of it. However, according to Benjamin Levine, MD, the study's senior author, the study showed that age isn't the cause after all -- lifelong exercise completely prevented heart stiffening among participants. RESEARCH RESULTS The study tested three groups of men and women -- 12 healthy but sedentary older adults, average age of 70... 12 master athletes (older athletes who compete at a high level in various sports), average age of 68... and 14 healthy but sedentary young people, average age 29. The first result wasn't a surprise: The older sedentary participants' hearts were 50% stiffer than those of the master athletes. The second result, though, did amaze all: The hearts of the older master athletes were indistinguishable from those in the young group. To determine if starting exercise later in life is too late, researchers put the older sedentary group into a training regimen. I spoke with Dean Palmer, MS, senior research associate in exercise physiology, who designed and led the group's training. At first, the group exercised moderately, three days a week, and gradually increased the workload. At six months, the program incorporated once-a-week interval training -- eight cycles of 30 seconds at high intensity followed by 90 seconds of lowered effort. (For example, 30 seconds of jogging with a return to brisk walking.) By the time the group completed its year-long program, participants were exercising six days a week for 60 minutes, plus six or seven minutes of warm up and cool down. The result? Palmer says that their hearts showed some improvement, enough to demonstrate that the training has a real effect. So the question remains -- how much training would it take to effect greater heart flexibility and strength? Some participants have continued to train and at the end of the second year will be tested for impact on their hearts. Although earlier is clearly better, the study does show that it's never too late to start heart-friendly exercise. Palmer recommends doing an endurance activity just about every day for 20 to 30 minutes. A reasonable level is okay so long as you get your heart rate up and keep it there. He suggests exercising with a heart rate monitor -- it will tell you if you're at the right level for you and, he says, motivate you to kick it up a notch on lazy days. Whatever activity you choose, it's keeping with the program -- even when it rains or you don't feel like it -- that will make a difference in your heart's health. Be well, Carole Jackson Bottom Line's Daily Health News STROKE VICTIM MIRACLE TREATMENT: VAMPIRE BAT SALIVA Believe it or not, recent research shows that the clot-busting properties from vampire bat saliva may work to dissolve clots and save a stroke victim's brain long after conventional drugs have proven useless. Sounds crazy, but it's true. Read on... Sources... Malaise Miracle Andrew L. Rubman, ND, adjunct professor of medicine at I.W. Lane College of Integrative Medicine, Winter Park, Florida and medical director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut. Supple and Strong Dean Palmer, MS, senior research associate in exercise physiology, affiliated with UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. You received this free E-letter because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or... a friend forwarded it to you. 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