| Don't miss any of Bottom Line's Daily Health News. Add our address, dailyhealthnews@edhn.bottomlinesecrets.com, to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. February 22, 2011  In This Issue...
 What Is Your Risk for Heart Attack? Take Free Online Test World-renowned heart expert Dr. Chauncey Crandall has created the Simple Heart Test -- an easy, free online test that will help you understand your heart attack risk factors. Where will you score on Dr. Crandall’s unique Heart Disease Risk Scale? Which of your lifestyle habits really protects your heart? How much does your weight truly affect your heart? You’ll discover all this and more when you take Dr. Crandall’s Simple Heart Test. It’s easy to do! The Only Supplement That Matters? If you could take only one supplement to improve your health, what would it be? I asked this question of one of our highly respected sources, Leo Galland, MD, an internist, author and internationally recognized leader in integrated medicine, based in New York City. His answer? Fish oil -- because of its unique ability to do everything from boosting brain power to preventing heart attacks and migraine headaches. That makes sense, I said -- but what advice do you have for people who can’t digest it easily... or who are vegans... or who hate the very idea -- not to mention the taste -- of fish oil? What about them? Dr. Galland assured me that there are several ways to make fish oil go down easier -- and if you still can’t stomach it, he said, there are less pungent alternatives. Who Needs Fish Oil? Before describing our options, Dr. Galland emphasizes that fish oil is packed with omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are essential nutrients that our bodies cannot manufacture. Thus, we must get them from food or supplements. These nutrients are especially important for people who suffer from an inflammation-related disease (including practically all chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and depression) or an autoimmune disorder (such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or ulcerative colitis), because they are likely to have an omega-3 deficiency and would benefit from supplementation. Other signs that you may be omega-3 deficient are...
To Make It Easier to Swallow... Fish oil is the single richest source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the long-form chains of omega-3 fatty acids that are easiest for our bodies to use. But besides not tasting good (even if it comes from good-tasting fish!), fish oil can sometimes bring other unpleasant consequences -- specifically, diarrhea and fish burps. To get around these problems, Dr. Galland advises his patients to:
Plant Sources Work, Too For vegans and/or anyone who really doesn’t want to go anywhere near fish, plant sources such as walnuts and flaxseed, canola oil and soybean oil offer a partial solution, in that these contain a different, shorter-chain form of omega-3 fatty acid -- alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA provides some protection against heart attacks but does not help prevent sudden cardiac arrest (the two are different) -- according to Dr. Galland, only fish oil has been shown to have that benefit. Your body can convert ALA to EPA and DHA, but the extent to which it does so varies a great deal from person to person. Dr. Galland recommends:
Another Alternative -- Sea Vegetables DHA is found primarily in fish and fish oil, but Dr. Galland has another alternative for vegetarians or for those who simply don’t like fish oil -- get your DHA from sea vegetables. DHA supplements derived from natural marine algae are widely available online and at health-food stores in capsule form. There’s a catch: Sea vegetables don’t contain EPA. Dr. Galland noted that EPA and DHA have different protective effects in the body -- DHA enhances cardiovascular and brain tissue health, but unlike EPA is not helpful for depression. Reduce Your Need for Omega 3 Yet another option is to decrease your need for omega-3 fatty acids by lowering your intake of omega-6 fatty acids. Research demonstrates that the typical American diet has a high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, which promotes inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. To change your own ratio, you must severely cut back on (and ideally eliminate) red meat, egg yolks (unless the chickens laying the eggs are fed flaxseed or some other source of omega-3s), poultry and vegetable oils (except olive). While such a dietary change may be too radical for most people to stick with, any reduction is at least a step in the right direction. In short, you have plenty of healthful omega-3 alternatives to choose from. Play around with different strategies, products and combinations, and work with your health-care provider to find the formula that works best for you -- but do be sure that you are paying attention to your body’s need for this vital nutrient. Source(s): Leo Galland, MD, internist, author and internationally recognized leader in integrated medicine based in New York City. Dr. Galland is the director of the Foundation for Integrated Medicine (www.MDHeal.org). For more information about supplements and drugs and free access to Dr. Galland’s Web application visit www.PillAdvised.com).  New Treatment Reverses 82% of Deadly Cancers... Without Chemotherapy, Radiation or Surgery Lung cancer? Everybody knows that's usually a death sentence. TV's Peter Jennings died just a few months after announcing he had it. But you won't hear that gloomy outlook from some very fortunate cancer patients. They were treated with a startling new medical cure that harnessed the cancer-killing power of their body's T-cells. These warriors of your immune system usually ignore cancer. But researchers recently found a way to trick T-cells into destroying deadly cancers. How? With a dose of the patient's own tumor cells! Will You Get This Kind of Dementia? Consumers of health care are increasingly sophisticated (especially you readers of Daily Health News!) and now pretty well-versed in the differing symptoms of related diseases -- such as different types of cancer and different cardiovascular problems. Dementia, on the other hand, tends to be thought of as one problem that encompasses lots of symptoms involving forgetfulness and fuzzy thinking -- but, in fact, it too takes many forms with distinct differences among them. Now scientists have just learned something important about one kind, called frontotemporal dementia (FTD), that accounts for somewhere between 2% and 10% of all dementia cases. Like Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia involves symptoms such as memory loss and cognitive decline, but the causes of the two types of dementia are different. And, I was told by Stephen M. Strittmatter, MD, PhD, the Vincent Coates Professor of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine, the more we understand about the differences between the two, the closer we come to finding treatments for them. A Different Form of Dementia While Alzheimer’s is characterized by the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain, frontotemporal dementia is triggered by the degeneration of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes, the areas involved with language, behavior and personality. Some individuals with this condition undergo personality changes (such as obnoxious or even obscene behavior, apathy, poor judgment) and act in socially inappropriate ways. Other important differences: Frontotemporal dementia is more likely to strike at a younger age -- age 40 to 70 -- than Alzheimer’s, and it also is characterized by a more rapid onset, specifically of difficulty using or understanding language. This contrasts with Alzheimer’s disease, where most patients experience a more subtle and gradual decline that typically affects only memory. At Yale, Dr. Strittmatter and his colleagues are studying frontotemporal dementia at the molecular level in an attempt to understand what precipitates the degradation of those particular nerve cells. Previous research at other labs indicated that some forms of frontotemporal dementia are inherited, associated with a mutation in the gene for a protein called progranulin. Now, in lab and animal experiments, Dr. Strittmatter’s team has discovered that another protein called sortilin binds or interacts with progranulin, causing a decrease in the amount of progranulin that can be absorbed by cells in the brain, possibly contributing to the development of frontotemporal dementia. Both progranulin and sortilin are found throughout the body and, while it is not known exactly how they function in the brain, it is believed that they help protect the health of neurons. Dr. Strittmatter described these findings as the "first step" to understanding frontotemporal dementia, noting that they set the stage to begin working to find a therapeutic drug. "Eventually we hope to find a way to intervene in the disease and prevent or alleviate symptoms of this type of dementia," he said. Results of the study appeared in the November 18, 2010, issue of Neuron. Use It or Lose It Scientists have made significant progress over the last decade in distinguishing Alzheimer’s from other types of dementia, mainly by using positron emission tomography (PET) scans to detect amyloid plaques in the brain -- but at present, there is no effective drug to prevent or treat dementia, whatever its basis. Researchers continue to explore the different causes of dementia so that treatments can be tailored to the different forms of the disease, which promises to be more effective than coming up with a one-size-fits-all therapy. Meanwhile, for all of us, it is important to remain physically and intellectually active as we age. Use it or lose it, as they say. Keep walking or swimming, socializing with friends, visiting museums and playing challenging games such as chess or Scrabble. If you’d like to know more about frontotemporal dementia, you can find information from the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org as well as from the more specialized Association of Frontotemporal Dementia (www.ftd-picks.org), where you can read about practical coping tips and join an online support group, message board or 24-hour helpline. Source(s): Stephen M. Strittmatter, AB, MD, PhD, Vincent Coates Professor of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. Dr. Strittmatter is cofounder and director of the Yale Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair. Be well,
The Key to Curing Heart Disease "Heart disease treatment cost might triple by 2030." This was the headline of an article that ran in The Birmingham News last month. Healthcare is barely affordable today... how will we manage at triple the cost??? While the American Heart Association calls for early intervention, Alan Blum, MD, professor of Family Medicine and director of the University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, is sadly skeptical on that happening. Dr. Blum takes a potentially dangerous stance as he blames the medical profession and education system for at least part of the problem. Read on... You received this free E-letter because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as healthwellness82@gmail.com. Or... a friend forwarded it to you. Click here to easily subscribe. You can easily unsubscribe by clicking here. To change your e-mail address click here To update your e-mail preferences click here Important: Help your friends live more healthfully -- forward this E-letter to them. Better: Send it to many friends and your whole family. This is a free e-mail service of BottomLineSecrets.com and Boardroom Inc. Need to contact us? Boardroom Inc. Privacy Policy: Required Disclaimer: The information provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well-being other than to suggest that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The information and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on information in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. Bottom Line's Daily Health News is a registered trademark of Boardroom, Inc. Copyright (c) 2011 by Boardroom Inc. |
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