MyAchingKnees.com will sometimes post information that has no direct link to Chronic Joint or Knee Pain. This is one of these posts. Vitamin D is one of nutrients that have recently received renewed scrutiny. We believe that not only advanced doses are supplementation are necessary for optimal health, but optimal health helps reduce the damage of free radicals from oxidative stress and therefore helps out entire body combat the resulting inflammation. So our overall health has an indirect or direct affect on chromic joint pain.
How Much Vitamin D do you need?
When you get your 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D blood level, the normal range is usually reported as 32 to 100 ng/ml. However, researchers are now beginning to believe that desired level of vitamin D should be over 50 ng/ml and some are recommending that it should be greater than 60 ng/ml. Depending on your level of vitamin D you will need to first get your level into the desired range. However, I would at least recommend that you try to achieve a blood level above 50 ng/ml.
Your personal physician should actually prescribe the amount of increased vitamin D that you will need to bring your vitamin D up to the proper level. It should then be rechecked to be sure that this goal has been accomplished. I work with the members of my online medical practice at www.drraystrand.com to achieve this goal through email or phone consultation and bloodwork that I can order for them. Once you have achieved this goal, you then should supplement with 1,000 to 1,200 IU of vitamin D3 daily.
Low Vitamin D levels increase Cardiovascular Risk
A report in the Archives of Internal Medicine (June 11,2007) added more evidence in the link of low vitamin D levels and heart disease. These researchers measured the 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D levels in over 15,000 women. Those women who had the lowest levels of vitamin D had significantly higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and elevated triglyceride levels (the other fat in the blood other than cholesterol). These are all risk factors for heart disease and strokes.
These researchers again pointed out the fact that low vitamin D levels carry a significant risk factor to our health. They concluded that current intake of vitamin D is far to low for optimal health. This is why I recommend that my patients should get their vitamin D levels checked and act accordingly. First, to bring their vitamin D levels back up to the recommended level (at least greater than 50 ng/ml) and second, to maintain these levels by taking at least 1,000 to 1,200 IU of vitamin D in supplementation.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Leaness Laws from Yahoo -
I pulled the below of the Yahoo News site. I am not posting it because I agree with everything. I posted it because many of you have read the same thing and this is a topic to dicuss, as well as the issue of being overweight complicates chronic joint pain, particularily in the knees.
On May 11, the White House announced it was targeting a new threat to America ’s health and security. It wasn’t some rogue nation or terrorist organization, or a newfound disease or environmental threat. It was a class of chemicals that are making Americans fat. They’re called endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs. And chances are you’re eating or drinking them right now.
The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity released a report called "Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation." In the report they list endocrine-disrupting chemicals as a possible reason for increased obesity in the country and describe how scientists have coined a new term for these chemicals — "obesogens" — because they "may promote weight gain and obesity."
MyAchingKnees Comment: Childhood, teenage hood and adult hood obesity IS a problem in the United States. The more likely culprit is the terrible education in nutrition we provide our children and the highly processed, low nutrition foods we market and consume.
What does this mean for you? It means that weight gain is not just about calories-in versus calories-out.
No, America ’s obesity crisis can’t entirely be blamed on too much fast food and too little exercise. We have to consider a third factor: the obesogens. They’re natural and synthetic compounds, and many of these chemicals work by mimicking estrogen — the very hormone that doctors DON’T want women taking anymore (as a large clinical trial linked hormone therapy to increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, blood clots and abnormal mammograms).
MyAchingKnees Comment: What my concern is that this gives another excuse for people to rationalize why they are fat,...why their knees ache,..etc.
Why traditional diets don’t work anymore
Because high school biology was likely a while back, here’s a quick refresher: The endocrine system is made up of all the glands and cells that produce the hormones that regulate our bodies. Growth and development, sexual function, reproductive processes, mood, sleep, hunger, stress, metabolism and the way our bodies use food — it’s all controlled by hormones. So whether you’re tall or short, lean or heavy — that’s all determined in a big way by your endocrine system.
But your endocrine system is a finely tuned instrument that can easily be thrown off-kilter. "Obesogens are thought to act by hijacking the regulatory systems that control body weight," says Frederick vom Saal, Ph.D., curators’ professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri . That’s why endocrine disruptors are so good at making us fat — and that’s why diet advice doesn’t always work — because even strictly following the smartest traditional advice won’t lower your obesogen exposure. See, an apple a day may have kept the doctor away 250 years ago when Benjamin Franklin included the phrase in his almanac. But if that apple comes loaded with obesity-promoting chemicals — nine of the ten most commonly used pesticides are obesogens, and apples are one of the most pesticide-laden foods out there — then Ben’s advice is way out of date.
The obesogen effect is the reason why traditional diet advice — choose chicken over beef, eat more fish, load up on fruits and vegetables — may not work anymore. This is why we’re calling for a New American Diet.
MyAchingKnees Comment: Here's why diets don't often work: We starve ourselves through a period of time and our bodies are not getting the nutrients it needs. When you come off the diet you eat and eat to make up for the lack of nutrients. When you are on a diet of reduced caloric intake it is even more important to supplement with the highest quality nutritional supplements you can get.
See, while digging up all of this research on obesogens we’ve discovered some good news: There’s no reason why all of our favorite foods — from steak to burgers, from pasta to ice cream — can’t be part of a reasonable weight-loss program. We just need to get rid of old thinking. We can reverse the obesogen effect if we simply adopt these four simple laws of leanness:
Leanness Law No. 1: Know When to Go Organic
The average American is exposed to 10 to 13 different pesticides through food, beverages and drinking water every day and nine of the ten most common pesticides are EDCs. But according to a recent study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, eating an organic diet for just five days can reduce circulating pesticide EDCs to non-detectable or near non-detectable levels.
Of course, organic foods can be expensive. But not all organics are created equal—many foods have such low levels of pesticides that buying organic just isn’t worth it. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) calculated that you can reduce your pesticide exposure nearly 80 percent simply by choosing organic for the 12 fruits and vegetables shown in their tests to contain the highest levels of pesticides. They call them "The Dirty Dozen," and (starting with the worst) they are celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries (domestic), nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale/collard greens, cherries, potatoes and grapes (imported). And you can feel good about buying the following 15 conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that the EWG dubbed "The Clean Fifteen," because they were shown to have little pesticide residue: onions, avocado, sweet corn (frozen), pineapples, mango, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, kiwi fruit, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe (domestic), watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes and honeydew melon.
MyAchingKnees Comment: The same lack of quality in "food grade" supplements, exists in foods. With non-pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements you face the same exposures to toxins like you do foods.
Leanness Law No. 2: Don’t Eat Plastic
This ought to be a no-brainer. Indeed, you’re probably already thinking, Well, I don’t generally eat plastic. Ah, but you do. Chances are that you’re among the 93 percent of Americans with detectable levels of bisphenol-A (BPA) in their bodies, and that you’re also among the 75 percent of Americans with detectable levels of phthalates. Both are synthetic chemicals found in plastics that mimic estrogen — essentially, artificial female hormones. And like pesticides, these plastic-based chemicals trick our bodies into storing fat and not building or retaining muscle. Decreasing your exposure to plastic-based obesogens will maximize your chances both of losing unwanted flab and of building lean muscle mass. Here’s how: 1) Never heat food in plastic containers or put plastic items in the dishwasher, which can damage them and increase leaching. BPA leaches from polycarbonate sports bottles 55 times faster when exposed to boiling liquids as opposed to cold ones, according to a study in the journal Toxicology Letters. 2) Avoid buying fatty foods like meats that are packaged in plastic wrap because EDCs are stored in fatty tissue. The plastic wrap used at the supermarket is mostly PVC, whereas the plastic wrap you buy to wrap things at home is increasingly made from polyethylene. 3) Cut down on canned goods by choosing tuna in a pouch over canned tuna. And get any canned and jarred foods from Eden Organic, one of the only companies that doesn’t have BPA in its cans.
Leanness Law No. 3: Go Lean
Always choose pasture-raised meats, which, studies show, have less fat than their confined, grain-fed counterparts and none of the weight-promoting hormones. Plus, grass-fed beef contains 60 percent more omega-3s, 200 percent more vitamin E and two to three times more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, a near-magic nutrient that helps ward off heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and can help you lose weight, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) than conventional beef. If you must choose a conventional cut of beef, choose lean cuts top sirloin, 95 percent lean ground beef, bottom round roast, eye round roast, top round roast or sirloin tip steak. Bison burgers and veggie burgers are also great substitutes when grass-fed beef isn’t available. And select sustainable lean fish with low toxic loads (meaning low levels of toxins like mercury and PCBs). A study in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that even though the pesticide DDT was banned in 1973, the chemical and its breakdown product DDE can still be found today in fatty fish. Bigger fish eat smaller fish, and so carry a much higher toxic load.
Avoid ahi or bigeye tuna, tilefish, swordfish, shark, king mackerel, marlin and orange roughy — and focus on smaller fish like anchovies, Atlantic herring and mackerel, and wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Choose farmed rainbow trout, farmed mussels, anchovies, scallops (bay, farmed), Pacific cod, Pacific Halibut, Tuna (canned light) and mahimahi. Also, when you cook the fish, broil, poach, grill, boil or bake instead of pan-frying — this will allow contaminants from the fatty portions of fish to drain out.
Leanness Law No. 4: Filter Your Water
The best way to eliminate EDCs from your tap water is an activated carbon water filter. Available for faucets and pitchers, and as under-the-sink units, these filters remove most pesticides and industrial pollutants. Check the label to make sure the filter meets the NSF/American National Standards Institute’s standard 53, indicating that it treats water for both health and aesthetic concerns. Try The Brita Aqualux ($28, brita.com), Pur Horizontal faucet filter ($49, purwaterfilter.com) and Kenmore ’s under-sink system ($60, kenmore.com). However, if you have perchlorate (a component of rocket fuel!) in your water (you can find out by asking your municipal water supplier for a copy of its most recent water-quality report) you’ll need a reverse osmosis filter. But for every five gallons of treated water they create per day, they discharge 40 to 90 gallons of wastewater, so make sure it’s necessary before purchasing one.
MyAchingKnees Comment: The bottom line is that the consumer needs to be responsible, and, do their own research when it comes to diets, foods, potential toxins and nutritional supplements. A successful diet, where unnecessary weight is dropped, will work wonders on chronic knee pain, especially if you have an active lifstyle where that excess weight is magnified onto your joints and knees during physical activity.
On May 11, the White House announced it was targeting a new threat to America ’s health and security. It wasn’t some rogue nation or terrorist organization, or a newfound disease or environmental threat. It was a class of chemicals that are making Americans fat. They’re called endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs. And chances are you’re eating or drinking them right now.
The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity released a report called "Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation." In the report they list endocrine-disrupting chemicals as a possible reason for increased obesity in the country and describe how scientists have coined a new term for these chemicals — "obesogens" — because they "may promote weight gain and obesity."
MyAchingKnees Comment: Childhood, teenage hood and adult hood obesity IS a problem in the United States. The more likely culprit is the terrible education in nutrition we provide our children and the highly processed, low nutrition foods we market and consume.
What does this mean for you? It means that weight gain is not just about calories-in versus calories-out.
No, America ’s obesity crisis can’t entirely be blamed on too much fast food and too little exercise. We have to consider a third factor: the obesogens. They’re natural and synthetic compounds, and many of these chemicals work by mimicking estrogen — the very hormone that doctors DON’T want women taking anymore (as a large clinical trial linked hormone therapy to increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, blood clots and abnormal mammograms).
MyAchingKnees Comment: What my concern is that this gives another excuse for people to rationalize why they are fat,...why their knees ache,..etc.
Why traditional diets don’t work anymore
Because high school biology was likely a while back, here’s a quick refresher: The endocrine system is made up of all the glands and cells that produce the hormones that regulate our bodies. Growth and development, sexual function, reproductive processes, mood, sleep, hunger, stress, metabolism and the way our bodies use food — it’s all controlled by hormones. So whether you’re tall or short, lean or heavy — that’s all determined in a big way by your endocrine system.
But your endocrine system is a finely tuned instrument that can easily be thrown off-kilter. "Obesogens are thought to act by hijacking the regulatory systems that control body weight," says Frederick vom Saal, Ph.D., curators’ professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri . That’s why endocrine disruptors are so good at making us fat — and that’s why diet advice doesn’t always work — because even strictly following the smartest traditional advice won’t lower your obesogen exposure. See, an apple a day may have kept the doctor away 250 years ago when Benjamin Franklin included the phrase in his almanac. But if that apple comes loaded with obesity-promoting chemicals — nine of the ten most commonly used pesticides are obesogens, and apples are one of the most pesticide-laden foods out there — then Ben’s advice is way out of date.
The obesogen effect is the reason why traditional diet advice — choose chicken over beef, eat more fish, load up on fruits and vegetables — may not work anymore. This is why we’re calling for a New American Diet.
MyAchingKnees Comment: Here's why diets don't often work: We starve ourselves through a period of time and our bodies are not getting the nutrients it needs. When you come off the diet you eat and eat to make up for the lack of nutrients. When you are on a diet of reduced caloric intake it is even more important to supplement with the highest quality nutritional supplements you can get.
See, while digging up all of this research on obesogens we’ve discovered some good news: There’s no reason why all of our favorite foods — from steak to burgers, from pasta to ice cream — can’t be part of a reasonable weight-loss program. We just need to get rid of old thinking. We can reverse the obesogen effect if we simply adopt these four simple laws of leanness:
Leanness Law No. 1: Know When to Go Organic
The average American is exposed to 10 to 13 different pesticides through food, beverages and drinking water every day and nine of the ten most common pesticides are EDCs. But according to a recent study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, eating an organic diet for just five days can reduce circulating pesticide EDCs to non-detectable or near non-detectable levels.
Of course, organic foods can be expensive. But not all organics are created equal—many foods have such low levels of pesticides that buying organic just isn’t worth it. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) calculated that you can reduce your pesticide exposure nearly 80 percent simply by choosing organic for the 12 fruits and vegetables shown in their tests to contain the highest levels of pesticides. They call them "The Dirty Dozen," and (starting with the worst) they are celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries (domestic), nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale/collard greens, cherries, potatoes and grapes (imported). And you can feel good about buying the following 15 conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that the EWG dubbed "The Clean Fifteen," because they were shown to have little pesticide residue: onions, avocado, sweet corn (frozen), pineapples, mango, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, kiwi fruit, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe (domestic), watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes and honeydew melon.
MyAchingKnees Comment: The same lack of quality in "food grade" supplements, exists in foods. With non-pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements you face the same exposures to toxins like you do foods.
Leanness Law No. 2: Don’t Eat Plastic
This ought to be a no-brainer. Indeed, you’re probably already thinking, Well, I don’t generally eat plastic. Ah, but you do. Chances are that you’re among the 93 percent of Americans with detectable levels of bisphenol-A (BPA) in their bodies, and that you’re also among the 75 percent of Americans with detectable levels of phthalates. Both are synthetic chemicals found in plastics that mimic estrogen — essentially, artificial female hormones. And like pesticides, these plastic-based chemicals trick our bodies into storing fat and not building or retaining muscle. Decreasing your exposure to plastic-based obesogens will maximize your chances both of losing unwanted flab and of building lean muscle mass. Here’s how: 1) Never heat food in plastic containers or put plastic items in the dishwasher, which can damage them and increase leaching. BPA leaches from polycarbonate sports bottles 55 times faster when exposed to boiling liquids as opposed to cold ones, according to a study in the journal Toxicology Letters. 2) Avoid buying fatty foods like meats that are packaged in plastic wrap because EDCs are stored in fatty tissue. The plastic wrap used at the supermarket is mostly PVC, whereas the plastic wrap you buy to wrap things at home is increasingly made from polyethylene. 3) Cut down on canned goods by choosing tuna in a pouch over canned tuna. And get any canned and jarred foods from Eden Organic, one of the only companies that doesn’t have BPA in its cans.
Leanness Law No. 3: Go Lean
Always choose pasture-raised meats, which, studies show, have less fat than their confined, grain-fed counterparts and none of the weight-promoting hormones. Plus, grass-fed beef contains 60 percent more omega-3s, 200 percent more vitamin E and two to three times more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, a near-magic nutrient that helps ward off heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and can help you lose weight, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) than conventional beef. If you must choose a conventional cut of beef, choose lean cuts top sirloin, 95 percent lean ground beef, bottom round roast, eye round roast, top round roast or sirloin tip steak. Bison burgers and veggie burgers are also great substitutes when grass-fed beef isn’t available. And select sustainable lean fish with low toxic loads (meaning low levels of toxins like mercury and PCBs). A study in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that even though the pesticide DDT was banned in 1973, the chemical and its breakdown product DDE can still be found today in fatty fish. Bigger fish eat smaller fish, and so carry a much higher toxic load.
Avoid ahi or bigeye tuna, tilefish, swordfish, shark, king mackerel, marlin and orange roughy — and focus on smaller fish like anchovies, Atlantic herring and mackerel, and wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Choose farmed rainbow trout, farmed mussels, anchovies, scallops (bay, farmed), Pacific cod, Pacific Halibut, Tuna (canned light) and mahimahi. Also, when you cook the fish, broil, poach, grill, boil or bake instead of pan-frying — this will allow contaminants from the fatty portions of fish to drain out.
Leanness Law No. 4: Filter Your Water
The best way to eliminate EDCs from your tap water is an activated carbon water filter. Available for faucets and pitchers, and as under-the-sink units, these filters remove most pesticides and industrial pollutants. Check the label to make sure the filter meets the NSF/American National Standards Institute’s standard 53, indicating that it treats water for both health and aesthetic concerns. Try The Brita Aqualux ($28, brita.com), Pur Horizontal faucet filter ($49, purwaterfilter.com) and Kenmore ’s under-sink system ($60, kenmore.com). However, if you have perchlorate (a component of rocket fuel!) in your water (you can find out by asking your municipal water supplier for a copy of its most recent water-quality report) you’ll need a reverse osmosis filter. But for every five gallons of treated water they create per day, they discharge 40 to 90 gallons of wastewater, so make sure it’s necessary before purchasing one.
MyAchingKnees Comment: The bottom line is that the consumer needs to be responsible, and, do their own research when it comes to diets, foods, potential toxins and nutritional supplements. A successful diet, where unnecessary weight is dropped, will work wonders on chronic knee pain, especially if you have an active lifstyle where that excess weight is magnified onto your joints and knees during physical activity.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Arthritis - Information from Doctor Ray Strand
Readers of this site are no stranger to Doctor Ray Strand, author of several books including "Living by Design" and "What Your Doctors Don't Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You". Dr Strand specializes in Nutritional approach to degenerative diseases like Chronic Joint Pain, Arthritis, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis among a host of all degenerative diseases. His recommendations are what I go by in addressing my and my families nutritional needs to combat the oxidative stress that causes degenerative disease. Here is wisdom from Ray Strand on Arthritis.
www.raystrand.com
Arthritis is a degenerative process of the joints. Though it is not a disease that will typically shorten one's life, it will certainly cause significant pain if left untreated. Rheumatoid arthritis can be severely disabling as well.
There has been great interest among researchers for the past 20 years involving the role of oxidative stress in the development of arthritis. Most studies have not separated rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) when looking at free radical reactions and these diseases. Information provided here is consistent with a comprehensive review article written by Dr. Henrotin in 1992 regarding oxidative stress and how it is involved in inflammatory joint disease. Several recent studies have further established oxidative stress as being the plausible cause of these diseases, thus supporting my recommended treatment.
When researchers study joint fluid extracted from an inflamed joint, they note a significant increase in the number of excessive free radicals. In contrast, fluid from a normal joint, has no free radicals present. Studies have shown a significant increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in those individuals who have low levels of vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium. Research has further indicated low levels of vitamin D and vitamin C in patients suffering severe joint disease and in those whose disease progresses much more rapidly than the norm.
Many different factors may be contributors of increased oxidative stress within the inflamed joints. One such factor is a significant inflammatory response within the joint space, especially in those with rheumatoid arthritis. This is an autoimmune disease wherein one's own immune system is essentially attacking the joints. It is this inflammatory immune response that creates all the destructive oxidative stress within the joint. Neutrophils (a type of white cell) are a predominate cell in this inflammatory response and has been shown to release a significant amount of free radicals within the joint space. This causes a marked rise in oxidative stress.
The destruction of the joint in rheumatoid arthritis is also due to the release of certain enzymes within the joint space. These enzymes are under the control of certain cytokines called IL-1 and TNF-a (interleukin 1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha). The levels of IL-1 and TNF-a in the joints of rheumatoid arthritis patients are very high. They too create tremendous amounts of oxidative stress. Certain cells from the cartilage of an inflamed joint (called chondrocytes) have also been found to actively generate free radicals. These different sources of increased free radical production cause heightened oxidative stress within the inflamed joint. This overloads the antioxidant defense system of the joint space. The synovial fluid (joint fluid), which is usually very thick becomes thin and all components of the cartilage become damaged as the process of joint destruction begins taking place.
I was taught in medical school that autoimmune diseases were the result of an overactive immune system since the body was essentially attacking itself. Consistent with my training, almost all of the medical therapies that physicians offer patients with an autoimmune disease are based on this premise. This is why most of these patients are placed on chemotherapeutic medications, which primarily suppress the immune system. Medications like Methotrexate, Plaquinil, and Immuran are just a few of the potent medications that are used. Corticosteroids like Prednisone are also used not only because of its strong anti-inflammatory qualities but also because they suppress the immune system. Even though these therapies may help to slow down the damage caused by this autoimmune process, they have serious side effects and can cause significant harm to the patient.
Since specializing in Nutritional Medicine, I have seen amazing results in my patients with autoimmune diseases who are using an aggressive nutritional supplementation program. My only explanation for such unbelievable results in my patients is the fact that they are not dealing with an overactive immune system, but rather a confused immune system.
The immune system is intended to be our reliable protector. It is always checking for self (one's own body) while it is looking for non-self (any foreign substance or abnormal cell). When the immune system finds a virus, bacteria, or foreign body it destroys and eliminates it from the body. However, in autoimmune diseases the immune system actually attacks itself rather than a foreign substance. If it attacks the joint space, a person is diagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis. If it attacks the bowels, it manifests as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. When the connective tissue is attacked, a person might end up with scleraderma or lupus. If the myelin sheath around the nerve is the target, multiple sclerosis (MS) ensues.
In the case of autoimmune diseases, I believe one's immune system is not able to distinguish self from non-self. Being confused, the body is essentially destroying itself. In addition to treating my patients who are usually already taking traditional medicine with attempts to suppress and shut down the immune system, I administer potent nutritional supplements. In doing so, I am not only building up their NATURAL antioxidant defense systems, but also I am building up their own NATURAL immune system. I find this helps my patients on both sides of the disease.
I believe their immune system becomes less confused and begins to recognize "self" again. This means the immune system more readily identifies outside invaders--not attacking "self" as much. In addition, my patients' antioxidant defense system is also built up to balance out the tremendous number of free radicals being produced. This brings the root cause of the damage--oxidative stress--back under control. Therefore, it is absolutely critical that I place my patients on the most potent antioxidant combination available.
Am I promoting alternative medicine? Absolutely not. I never take my patients off of their medications until they've experienced significant improvement. Nutritional supplementation is always used in tandem with their present medical regimen. They not only tolerate their medications better, but I believe the nutritional supplements actually enhance the pharmaceutical effect the drugs.
My goal is to have patients improve so much that their rheumatologist or primary care physician is able to decrease or eliminate some or all of their medications. I can't emphasize this enough. No one should stop taking the medications that have been prescribed to him or her by the specialist. Almost all physicians desire to get their patients off of these potent and potentially dangerous medications. However, this decision must involve the personal physician.
www.raystrand.com
Arthritis is a degenerative process of the joints. Though it is not a disease that will typically shorten one's life, it will certainly cause significant pain if left untreated. Rheumatoid arthritis can be severely disabling as well.
There has been great interest among researchers for the past 20 years involving the role of oxidative stress in the development of arthritis. Most studies have not separated rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) when looking at free radical reactions and these diseases. Information provided here is consistent with a comprehensive review article written by Dr. Henrotin in 1992 regarding oxidative stress and how it is involved in inflammatory joint disease. Several recent studies have further established oxidative stress as being the plausible cause of these diseases, thus supporting my recommended treatment.
When researchers study joint fluid extracted from an inflamed joint, they note a significant increase in the number of excessive free radicals. In contrast, fluid from a normal joint, has no free radicals present. Studies have shown a significant increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in those individuals who have low levels of vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium. Research has further indicated low levels of vitamin D and vitamin C in patients suffering severe joint disease and in those whose disease progresses much more rapidly than the norm.
Many different factors may be contributors of increased oxidative stress within the inflamed joints. One such factor is a significant inflammatory response within the joint space, especially in those with rheumatoid arthritis. This is an autoimmune disease wherein one's own immune system is essentially attacking the joints. It is this inflammatory immune response that creates all the destructive oxidative stress within the joint. Neutrophils (a type of white cell) are a predominate cell in this inflammatory response and has been shown to release a significant amount of free radicals within the joint space. This causes a marked rise in oxidative stress.
The destruction of the joint in rheumatoid arthritis is also due to the release of certain enzymes within the joint space. These enzymes are under the control of certain cytokines called IL-1 and TNF-a (interleukin 1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha). The levels of IL-1 and TNF-a in the joints of rheumatoid arthritis patients are very high. They too create tremendous amounts of oxidative stress. Certain cells from the cartilage of an inflamed joint (called chondrocytes) have also been found to actively generate free radicals. These different sources of increased free radical production cause heightened oxidative stress within the inflamed joint. This overloads the antioxidant defense system of the joint space. The synovial fluid (joint fluid), which is usually very thick becomes thin and all components of the cartilage become damaged as the process of joint destruction begins taking place.
I was taught in medical school that autoimmune diseases were the result of an overactive immune system since the body was essentially attacking itself. Consistent with my training, almost all of the medical therapies that physicians offer patients with an autoimmune disease are based on this premise. This is why most of these patients are placed on chemotherapeutic medications, which primarily suppress the immune system. Medications like Methotrexate, Plaquinil, and Immuran are just a few of the potent medications that are used. Corticosteroids like Prednisone are also used not only because of its strong anti-inflammatory qualities but also because they suppress the immune system. Even though these therapies may help to slow down the damage caused by this autoimmune process, they have serious side effects and can cause significant harm to the patient.
Since specializing in Nutritional Medicine, I have seen amazing results in my patients with autoimmune diseases who are using an aggressive nutritional supplementation program. My only explanation for such unbelievable results in my patients is the fact that they are not dealing with an overactive immune system, but rather a confused immune system.
The immune system is intended to be our reliable protector. It is always checking for self (one's own body) while it is looking for non-self (any foreign substance or abnormal cell). When the immune system finds a virus, bacteria, or foreign body it destroys and eliminates it from the body. However, in autoimmune diseases the immune system actually attacks itself rather than a foreign substance. If it attacks the joint space, a person is diagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis. If it attacks the bowels, it manifests as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. When the connective tissue is attacked, a person might end up with scleraderma or lupus. If the myelin sheath around the nerve is the target, multiple sclerosis (MS) ensues.
In the case of autoimmune diseases, I believe one's immune system is not able to distinguish self from non-self. Being confused, the body is essentially destroying itself. In addition to treating my patients who are usually already taking traditional medicine with attempts to suppress and shut down the immune system, I administer potent nutritional supplements. In doing so, I am not only building up their NATURAL antioxidant defense systems, but also I am building up their own NATURAL immune system. I find this helps my patients on both sides of the disease.
I believe their immune system becomes less confused and begins to recognize "self" again. This means the immune system more readily identifies outside invaders--not attacking "self" as much. In addition, my patients' antioxidant defense system is also built up to balance out the tremendous number of free radicals being produced. This brings the root cause of the damage--oxidative stress--back under control. Therefore, it is absolutely critical that I place my patients on the most potent antioxidant combination available.
Am I promoting alternative medicine? Absolutely not. I never take my patients off of their medications until they've experienced significant improvement. Nutritional supplementation is always used in tandem with their present medical regimen. They not only tolerate their medications better, but I believe the nutritional supplements actually enhance the pharmaceutical effect the drugs.
My goal is to have patients improve so much that their rheumatologist or primary care physician is able to decrease or eliminate some or all of their medications. I can't emphasize this enough. No one should stop taking the medications that have been prescribed to him or her by the specialist. Almost all physicians desire to get their patients off of these potent and potentially dangerous medications. However, this decision must involve the personal physician.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Quality Products - Stick with Pharmaceutical Grade
MyAchingKnees.com received a question on pharmaceutical grade supplements to the effect that the reader has not heard of pharmaceutical grade nutritional products or nutritional optimizers like Glucosamine.
The below video explains the science and manufacture of the supplements I take not only to help my aching knees reduce the joint pain, but supplements I take as a baseline product.
To contact me about these supplements, click here.
The below video explains the science and manufacture of the supplements I take not only to help my aching knees reduce the joint pain, but supplements I take as a baseline product.
To contact me about these supplements, click here.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Oxidative Stress and Inflammation - Health Nugget from Doctor Ray Strand
Another Health Nugget from a subscription I have to Dr Ray Strand's Bionutrition Newsletters and Health Nuggets. Doctor Strand is one of this Country's foremost Doctor's practicing Nutritional Medicine. His book, "What Doctor's Don't Know About Nutritional Medicine May be Killing You" is an absolute must have for anyone serious about a healthy lifestyle or simply understanding how nutrition, both bad and good, affect your body and therefore your health. This Health Nugget talks about Inflammation. Although not in this Health Nugget, Doctor Strand is the authority that convinced me to get on a pharmaceutical grade Omega 3 Fatty Acid to reduce the ratio of Omega 6's to Omega's 3 and therefore help combat inflammation. The Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Glucosamine (Procosa II) have absolutely been a God send to my knees and even my back pain. If you would like to sign up for Doctor Strand's newsletters and Health Nuggets, visit his site here.
Oxidative stress and inflammation is an underlying factor in the development of numerous age-related diseases. In clinical trials, vitamin D has been shown to suppress what is referred to as pro-inflammatory cytokines. This offers additional protection against conditions ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, pre-diabetes, heart failure, stroke, and heart disease.
It has become evident that those individuals who live in higher latitudes contract multiple sclerosis at much higher rates than those living where they get sunshine throughout the year. Scientists have identified specific vitamin D receptors in the white matter of the brain. The reduction in inflammation, which is the result of adequate vitamin D, may play a role in protecting you against developing multiple sclerosis
Oxidative stress and inflammation is an underlying factor in the development of numerous age-related diseases. In clinical trials, vitamin D has been shown to suppress what is referred to as pro-inflammatory cytokines. This offers additional protection against conditions ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, pre-diabetes, heart failure, stroke, and heart disease.
It has become evident that those individuals who live in higher latitudes contract multiple sclerosis at much higher rates than those living where they get sunshine throughout the year. Scientists have identified specific vitamin D receptors in the white matter of the brain. The reduction in inflammation, which is the result of adequate vitamin D, may play a role in protecting you against developing multiple sclerosis
Friday, July 16, 2010
Divided FDA Panel – Diabetes Drug Avandia Stays on the Market
On Wednesday 14 July 2010, The FDA Panel voted to keep Avandia , a routine drug used to treat Diabetes, on the market overcoming serious concerns that Avandia increases the risk for heart attacks and strokes.
In a closely watched debate and vote, 12 of 33 members of the FDA panel voted to withdraw Avandia from the market. Ten voted to keep the drug available but with restrictions; and, 7 voted to add further warning labels or revisions to the labels. Three voted to allow sales without any changes.
This vote was after the panel concluded that there was sufficient information to be concerned about increased risks of heart attacks and strokes, but insufficient date on the increased risk of death. MyAchingKnees.com comment: WHAT?
Furthermore, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg (aka the Hamburglar) will make the final decision about Avandia’s future.
MyAchingKnees.com comment: Avandia is a drug used to treat Adult On-set Diabetes, otherwise known as Diabetes Type II. Which is a degenerative disease and in fact becoming an epidemic in our view, caused by terrible nutrition (bad eating habits) combined with less and less nutritious foods being consumed AND a lack of nutritional supplementation. If I was a Type II Diabetic, I would work to change my nutritional habits and take the highest grade pharmaceutical grade supplements I could obtain, contact me if you are interested in knowing what the highest rated pharmaceutical grade supplement available is.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Osteoporosis and the Importance of Vitamin D - Health Nugget from Doctor Ray Strand
I subscribe to Dr Ray Strand's Bionutrition Newsletters and Health Nuggets. Doctor Strand is one of this Country's foremost Doctor's practicing Nutritional Medicine. His book, "What Doctor's Don't Know About Nutritional Medicine May be Killing You" is an absolute must have for anyone serious about a healthy lifestyle or simply understanding how nutrition, both bad and good, affect your body and therefore your health.
Osteoporosis is epidemic in the US and Canada and yet physicians seem to focus primarily on calcium supplementation and medication. However, it is a well-known fact that you cannot even absorb calcium from your diet without adequate levels of vitamin D. The most potent vitamin D is vitamin D3. Our nation is in the midst of realizing that over 90% of the population is seriously deficient in vitamin D. This becomes a critical health issue especially when you consider how critical this nutrient is in helping to build and maintain bone density. One interesting report even showed that elderly people with the highest levels of vitamin D suffered far fewer falls and were less frail.
Anyone who has been diagnosed or is concerned about osteopenia (early thinning of the bone) or osteoporosis needs to have their vitamin D blood levels checked. As mentioned in a previous "Health Nugget", the best test is a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D blood level. You want to have a blood level greater than 50 ng/ml. You can order this blood test at www.drraystrand.com or ask your personal physician to order it for you from your local lab.
Osteoporosis is epidemic in the US and Canada and yet physicians seem to focus primarily on calcium supplementation and medication. However, it is a well-known fact that you cannot even absorb calcium from your diet without adequate levels of vitamin D. The most potent vitamin D is vitamin D3. Our nation is in the midst of realizing that over 90% of the population is seriously deficient in vitamin D. This becomes a critical health issue especially when you consider how critical this nutrient is in helping to build and maintain bone density. One interesting report even showed that elderly people with the highest levels of vitamin D suffered far fewer falls and were less frail.
Anyone who has been diagnosed or is concerned about osteopenia (early thinning of the bone) or osteoporosis needs to have their vitamin D blood levels checked. As mentioned in a previous "Health Nugget", the best test is a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D blood level. You want to have a blood level greater than 50 ng/ml. You can order this blood test at www.drraystrand.com or ask your personal physician to order it for you from your local lab.
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