The Costly American Healthcare System

The power of huge corporations and politics adds up to Americans paying the most in the world for healthcare yet two years ago we were ranked dead last for the fifth time in the developed world and last year the World Health Organization listed the U.S as 37^th in overall efficiency. A few of the 36 countries that rate higher than the U.S. are France, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Israel, Austria, Portugal, Greece, Ireland, Columbia, Germany, the UK, Sweden, Canada, Chile… The list goes on and on and it is a disgrace.

Furthermore, the United States health statistics seem to be getting worse. Last year, America was the only developed country in the world that experienced a decrease in life expectancy.

American’s pay 2-4 times more for the same pharmaceutical drugs purchased by citizens of other major countries. Pharmaceutical companies donate hundreds of millions of dollars to politicians in order to influence the price our American healthcare system pays for their drugs. In fact, a study by Harvard researchers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that the nature of the American drug market as designed and regulated by our government is to blame. Other countries negotiate much harder to keep the drug prices down and are willing to say “No” to over priced drugs.

As a percentage of our gross domestic product, the U.S. cost of healthcare was 50% higher than France and almost double that of the United Kingdom yet we rank dead last. The profits of the huge healthcare and pharmaceutical companies are thriving but the American citizens are not.

Though dietary supplements were not shown by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) to have caused one death last year while prescriptions drugs were shown to have caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, district attorneys of some states, in my opinion, to further their own political careers and aspirations have attacked the supplement industry and conspicuously for the most part, have left big pharma alone. This is politics at its worst. These are attempts by politically motivated entities and individuals to divert our attention away from the very real and serious problems by worrying about what… Vitamins?

Obviously, this is all very upsetting and we as American citizens are getting the raw end of the deal. I don’t know how to curtail the power that the money of huge corporations can buy politically but I do know what you can do to rely less on this broken American healthcare system.

You’ve heard this before but you need to stay healthy:

Exercise, even if its just walking for10-15 minutes a day 4-5 times a week.
Cut back on sugar… Read labels and try to consume less than 50 grams a day of sugar, and cutting back on soda and deserts is a good place to start.
Take a multi-vitamin every day from one of the well known dietary supplement companies.
Get at least 7 hours a day of sleep.
Try to eat fish like salmon at least once a week, don’t worry about mercury, the issue is way over-stated and not of concern.

To the Best of Health,

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

Are You Taking 500-1,000 Mg of Vitamin C Daily?

Statin Drugs for Healthy People?

So you’re pretty healthy and your doctor wants you to take a statin drug to lower your cholesterol… Should you take it?

If you are healthy, meaning you do not have uncontrolled high blood pressure, type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and you have not been diagnosed with heart disease or have a family history of parents or siblings dying at relatively young ages of heart attacks, you should probably say NO to taking statin drugs. This applies even if you are overweight as studies show that at least half of obese people are medically healthy.

Even in people with moderate levels of coronary artery calcium (hardening of the arteries), only 1 heart attack in 94 would be prevented by taking statins. 93 would have received no benefit but run the increased risks of developing liver damage, diabetes, dementia, peripheral neuropathy etc. In fact a study published in the Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology found that statin drugs may increase the risk of developing hardening of the arteries (coronary calcium) and the lead author stated –“I cannot find any good evidence to support people taking statin drugs!” One of the co-authors stated – “I don’t think statin drugs should have ever been approved.”

cholesterol drugs

There is absolutely no quality evidence demonstrating that healthy people who take statin drugs to lower their cholesterol live longer, and in fact a fairly recent study in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) stated that people over the age of 60 with high cholesterol live longer than people of the same age with lower cholesterol levels. The study reviewed the results of 19 published studies covering close to 70,000 patients. (Gee, I wonder why that study was never mentioned by my local news channel? Anything to do with the billions of dollars of lost revenue if people stopped taking statins?)

Let me sum things up by quoting Dr. Rita Redberg, professor of medicine at University of California at San Francisco and director of Women’s Cardiovascular Services who stated in a published article – “ For most healthy people the data shows that statins do not prevent heart disease nor extend life or quality of life and they come with considerable side-effects. That’s why I don’t recommend giving statins to healthy people, even those with higher cholesterol… I can’t in good conscience recommend them.”

If you are healthy, do not worry about your cholesterol. Instead focus on keeping your weight under control, eating vegetables daily, avoiding sugar and getting plenty of exercise.

To the Best of Health,

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

What Do Weight-Gain, Poor Memory & Depression Have in Common?

Many of you already know that stress is one of the most common migraine triggers.

STRESS CAN ALSO AFFECT HORMONES THAT CAUSE INCREASES IN ABDOMINAL FAT LEADING TO WEIGHT GAIN, COMPROMISED MEMORY AND DEPRESSION.

HERE’S WHAT TO DO!

The stress hormone “Cortisol,” which is released by our adrenal glands, can protect us in dangerous or trying times but if the stress is constant, then it can lower your immune system and add dangerous life threatening fat to your abdomen.

Cortisol is important for maintaining blood pressure and providing energy for the body. Cortisol stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy, stimulates the release of insulin and maintains blood sugar levels. The end result of these actions can be an increase in appetite.

Research has consistently shown that stress can and does, in some people result in over-eating and weight gain. Even if you usually eat well and exercise, chronic high stress can prevent you from losing weight—or add pounds.

Luckily, research is also showing that controlling stress can prevent weight gain.

Research published in the Journal of Obesity found that even without going on a formal diet, people who controlled their stress and just thought about what they were eating, prevented weight gain.

The question is, “How can I control my stress levels?” Saying it is a lot easier than actually doing it So what are some stress busting techniques that work?

1- Certain B vitamins found in a B complex available in any health food store can help with the effects of stress on your body and hormones

2- Regular exercise at least 3 times a week, for just 15 minutes, if done in intervals (see 9XTrim Pulsed Interval Training explanation at 9XTrim.com) can be a major stress buster.

3- An herbal extract of Ashwagandha (one of the most powerful herbs in Ayurvedic herbal medicine) can really center you while decreasing the feelings of nervousness and anxiety caused by chronic stress.

4- Meditation is a proven stress reducer. Spending even a few minutes meditating can restore your calm and inner peace. You can practice meditation wherever you are, whether you are walking, waiting for an appointment, or sitting at your desk.

5- Structured breathing is very calming. Breath in through your nose for 10 seconds, hold it for 30 seconds and then slowly release the breath through your mouth for 15 seconds. Done once or twice every hour or two, can do wonders to keep you calm.

6- Certain foods help reduce the effects of stress. They are:

· Oatmeal

· Avocados

· Walnuts, almonds, pistachios

· Oranges

· Salmon, Tuna

· Spinach

Learn more about Calm&Clever

In addition, consider using an Anti-Stress and Memory Enhancing nutritional supplement – “Calm & Clever”

Click here to listen to my radio segment about the effects of stress on the body, discussed on the Dr. Tony O’Donnell Show!

Now that you have a game plan, there’s no time like the present to improve your memory while getting calm, slim and happy!

To the Best of Health,

Curt Hendrix M.S. C.C.N. C.N.S.

YES! Dark Chocolate is Really Healthy… just don’t over-do it!

An ever increasing number of studies support the various health benefits of eating ½-1 ounce of dark chocolate a day. (14-28 grams a day)

Buy chocolate that contains at least 65% cocoa and the higher the better/healthier with some products getting as high as 85% cocoa.

Here is a summary of some of the health benefits the most recent studies are attributing to the powerful antioxidant polyphenol compounds called flavonoids found in dark chocolate. (It’s the cocoa component of dark chocolate that contains these healthy compounds. Milk chocolate contains considerably less cocoa content and it has more fat and sugar, so that’s NOT the way to go.)

The health benefits of dark chocolate:

Reduction in heart disease by as much as 37%
Protection against the aging effects of free radicals on our cells
20% reduction in risk of stroke
Mild to moderate reductions in blood pressure
Protect and enhance vision due to increased blood flow to the eyes
Enhances mood and protects against depression
Preliminary reports stating cancer protection
Harvard study reports a one year increase in life expectancy
May protect skin against harmful UV effects of the sun
May reduce inflammation in the body and markers of inflammation like C-Reactive-protein (CRP)

Recent studies, published in well-respected science journals, state that moderate consumption of dark chocolate but not other kinds of chocolates like milk chocolate or white chocolate, can yield some important health benefits.

“Dark chocolate”, also called “plain chocolate” or “black chocolate”, is chocolate produced with either zero or much less milk than milk chocolate, to which sugar and fat are added.

Dark chocolate is synonymous with semisweet and extra-dark (that contains even higher levels of cocoa) is also referred to as bittersweet.

The percentage of cocoa, in dark and extra-dark chocolate, is significantly higher than the cocoa levels in milk chocolate.

This is significant for at least 2 reasons:

1 – Milk is thought to interfere with the absorption, into our bodies, of the healthy and naturally occurring antioxidants, called polyphenols, which are found in the cocoa derived from the cocoa bean. Cocoa levels in dark chocolate can get as high as 90% or more. Levels in milk chocolate can be significantly less than 35%.

2 – The higher % of cocoa in dark chocolate results in higher levels of the antioxidants which are thought to yield some of the health benefits of dark chocolate that will be discussed below.

Studies – Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

An article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed that dark chocolate lowers blood pressure.

Another paper, published by Italy’s National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research, showed that the antioxidants in dark chocolate consume destructive free radicals that associated with heart disease and other chronic degenerative diseases. This research also showed that milk either in the chocolate or consumed with the chocolate will interfere with the absorption of the antioxidants in the dark chocolate and reduce or eliminate their potential benefits.

Therefore, do not consume milk at the same time you eat dark chocolate. A reasonable portion of dark chocolate would be about 75- 100 grams or about 2 ½-3 ½ ounces. But remember, this amount dark chocolate would contain about 370-530 calories, so try to eliminate another desert of similar caloric content if you start consuming dark chocolate.

To the Best of Health,

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S

THE CHEMISTRY OF LOVE

What makes us attracted to one type of look and not another? Is there really such a thing as “Love at First Sight”?

Do chemicals within our bodies play a role in determining when, who and why we fall in love or get a crush that makes our heart flutter and our palms sweat?

Non-verbal signals very much play a role in both initial and continuing physical attraction.

For example, it is known that testosterone (T) levels can determine the level of lust in women as well as men. Though lust can be an overwhelming and exciting sensation, there may also be a downside. Recent research has shown that higher T levels in men causes them on average to have more sexual partners and increases their chance of remarriage. No such effect was shown in women.

Lots of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and vasopressin can cause both psychological and physical responses related to desire, love and commitment to a relationship.

For example oxytocin, a pregnancy hormone that induces uterine contraction and milk flow, is also known to bond mothers to babies, couples and increase intimacy. A study of new couples showed that after 6 months the couples with higher levels of oxytocin tended to remain together.

While oxytocin may keep a couple together, it may be dopamine that initially brings you together. A study at Stony Brook University looked at the brains of couples who had just recently fallen madly in love. The areas of the brain that were most stimulated were those areas known to be high in dopamine, a pleasure and addiction related neurotransmitter. A New York Times article titled “Dear, I love you with all my brain” may be very accurate, but I don’t think Valentine’s Day cards with brains all over them, instead of hearts, will be a big hit.

Norepinephrine, a stimulant neurotransmitter, may be why we get nervous and our palms sweat when in the initial stages of lust and attraction.

For some answers to fun and interesting questions like, “Is there really such a thing as love at first sight” or “What time of the month is your husband or boyfriend most attracted to you?” or “Is love similar to addiction?” check out this WebMD slide show. I think you will enjoy it.

WebMD: Sex-Relationships & the Science of Love

Curt Hendrix M.S. C.C.N. C.N.S.

How to Protect Your Health & Maximize Life Expectancy

The Single Most Important Fact You Will Ever Learn to Protect Your Health, Prevent Disease and Maximize Your Life Expectancy

Not everyone is overweight, has high blood pressure, high blood sugar, or high cholesterol but… everyone is exposed to stress. No matter your age, who you are or what you do, when stress is chronic (constant and persists over an extended period of time) such as work problems, family conflicts, relationship issues, daily traffic, major life changes, or any response to daily stressors that are ignored or poorly managed– stress becomes a primary threat to your health and your life expectancy.

HOW DOES STRESS WREAK HAVOC ON YOUR BODY?
Ongoing stress and elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol can seriously harm your brain, rob your memory, your health, your quality of life and your future. Stress does its damage at the cellular level.

Each and every day, our body creates over two trillion new cells to replace older, less efficient cells, so that our body can continue to work efficiently and protect our health. That’s one million new cells every second.

The DNA in our genes gives our body the genetic blue print dictating how and when to create these trillions of new replacement cells and these genes are located on organelles called chromosomes. The process of creating new cells that are identical to the older ones they are replacing is one that get’s less efficient as we age and is in fact one of the reasons we look different as we age.

These chromosomes have protective tips on their ends, called telomeres that protect the strands of genetic material they contain from fraying (similar to how the plastic cap at the end of a shoelace protects the shoe lace from fraying). Telomeres are an essential part of human cells that affect how our cells age. Research has shown that the shorter your telomeres, the shorter your expected life span. Furthermore, the shorter your telomeres are, the greater your risk for most diseases. Most importantly… STRESS AND THE STRESS HORMONE CORTISOL SHORTEN YOUR TELOMERES! It does this by decreasing the activity of “telomerase” an enzyme that protects the telomeres, the protective tips of each of the form arms of a chromosome.

4 POWERFUL INGREDIENTS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE RAVAGING EFFECTS OF STRESS ON YOUR HEALTH AND ON YOUR BRAIN.

To avoid serious diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer and premature death, you must protect the length of your telomeres by controlling stress and the stress hormone cortisol. In previous articles, I discussed how stress can also negatively affect the structure of your brain, your cognitive function and your memory. This can happen in college students as well as middle aged and older adults. I would like to share 4 powerful ingredients that can protect you from the effects of stress and cortisol on your telomere lengths, and protect your brain, memory and your life expectancy.

One or two of these ingredients can reduce high cortisol levels by close to 30%. Another of the ingredients is a powerful antioxidant that can specifically prevent free radical which via oxidative stress can damage your telomeres. Another of the ingredients can significantly increase brain blood flow which decreases as we age, thereby bringing healthy levels of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Several of these ingredients have been shown to flat out increase memory, learning speed and fact recall in both healthy people and people suffering from dementia and even Alzheimer’s disease.

INGREDIENT#1 – Ashwagandha standardized extract. – This is a revered medicine amongst ayurvedic physicians and has been shown in multiple human studies to reduce high cortisol levels by close to 30%. These studies also show that ashwagandha reduces the perception of being stressed by 44% and anxiety and insomnia by 68%. Patients also reported significant improvement in their self-assed quality of life!

INGREDIENT#2 – Bacopa Monnieri standardize extract – This another very important herbal extract used by ayurvedic physicians. Once again multiple human studies have shown that bacopa monnieri improves memory/fact recall. and loss of focus. It’s powerful antioxidant benefits reduce the brain inflammation that is associated with cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

bacopa monnieri

INGREDIENT#3 – Vinpocetine – Derived from the periwinkle plant, vinpocetine has been shown to increase the flow of blood to the brain which decreases as we age and contributes to cognitive decline and dementia. Patients taking vinpocetine who had experienced mild cognitive decline and decrease memory function significantly improved on the gold-standard tests used by neurologists to measure these things. In addition, their mood and activities of daily living testing improved.

INGREDIENT #4 – Huperzine-A – Derived from Chinese clubmoss, Huperzine-A has been shown to prevent the breakdown of acetycholine which is a crucial brain neurotransmitter that allows brain cells called neurons to communicate with one and other. Huperzine is so effective that it actually improved the test results of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and though it’s a dietary supplement in the U.S. it’s listed as an anti-Alzheimer’s drug in China. Huperzine-A protect brain cells against injury from stress, inflammation and free radicals.

These 4 powerful and proven ingredients, can collectively protect against stress caused telomere shortening which can decrease your life-expectancy as well as protect your brain, cognitive function and enhance your memory, now and as you age. These ingredients are safe and have little or no side-effects.

To learn how to access these ingredients in the correct forms and dosages, visit BrainIngredients.com.

To the Best of Health,

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.
Chief Scientific Officer, Akeso Health Sciences

Study: Telomere Length and Cortisol Reactivity in Children of Depressed Mothers

Drinking More Than 34oz of Water a Day May Help to Avoid Diabetes

A published French study showed that people who drank more than 34 ounces of water per day had a 21% lower risk of developing diabetes over the next 9 year period.

Since water can also help to clear fats and some toxins, this added benefit gives everyone even more reason to keep a glass of water nearby throughout the day.

Also, those who can work up to drinking 128 ounces a day of very cold water can burn up to 200 extra calories a day, which could result in losing around 1 ½ pounds per month or 18 pounds per year.

It has been shown that losing weight helps with blood sugar control as well, so H2O is the way to go.

To the Best of Health,

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S
Chief Scientific Officer
Akeso Health Sciences

The SAGE Test (Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam)

Is your memory spotty or unreliable? Worried about the risk of developing Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease in yourself or a loved one?
Take the SAGE (Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam).

According to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the SAGE test – “Is designed to detect early signs of cognitive, memory or thinking impairments. It evaluates your thinking abilities and helps physicians to know how well your brain is working.”

The SAGE test does not diagnose any condition and is not meant to replace the advice of your physician. The test is just meant to provide guidelines that let you know whether you should be discussing your brain health with your physician.

There are 4 versions of the SAGE test and it doesn’t matter which one you take, but it is suggested that if you decide to take the test again in the future, you use one of the 3 remaining versions that you hadn’t taken previously, to compare your past and present results.

You can print out the SAGE test, answer the questions and bring it in to your physicians for grading (I would check with your physician’s office to make sure they are knowledgeable and know how to grade the test).

Download a SAGE Test Form (PDF)*

You will also be provided with instructions (the same instructions provided to physicians) as to how to grade the test, however under no circumstances should you self-diagnose. Even if you are confident that you graded the test correctly, your results should be discussed with your physician for final analysis of your test results.*

Download the SAGE Scoring Instructions (PDF)*

*Akeso Health Sciences provides the link to the SAGE test and scoring instructions solely as information and education that you can use to discuss with your physician. Akeso is not diagnosing or recommending any medical treatment of any kind and is not responsible for any decisions or actions you take as a result of taking the SAGE test.

On The Fence About Eating Fish? Worried About Mercury?

If you have reduced or eliminated fish intake due to concerns about mercury it’s probably a big mistake. The government and alleged experts just got it all wrong!

Most people have read about the multiple health benefits of eating seafood. Many of these benefits are derived from the essential fatty acids like EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) and DHA (docahexanoic acid) which are found in higher amounts in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, anchovies and lake trout. In addition, seafood is an excellent source of quality protein and vitamin D.

Just some of the reported benefits of fish include:
·         Heart health
·         Brain health,
·         Mental health
·         Eye health
·         Reduced risk of auto-immune diseases

Fish may increase grey matter in the brain and protect it from age-related deterioration and may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. The essential fatty acids in fish are very anti-inflammatory and systemic inflammation is fundamental to the development and progression of most chronic degenerative diseases.

Poke bowl

In my opinion, the consumption of the right types of fish and vegetables are the foundational components of a life extending-longevity diet.

The question is, “How did we ever get to the point where we thought it might be a good idea to limit fish consumption because of mercury levels?”

To understand how fish consumption and mercury content incorrectly became something to be concerned about and how this “misguided information and subsequent poor advice” (which by the way, the FDA has subsequently reversed) came about we have to go back over 12 years ago to a study that was published about the effects of maternal fish consumption on children born in the Faroe Islands, a group of islands halfway between Iceland and Norway.¹

The study found that maternal consumption of seafood had a modest negative effect on young children’s brain and possibly heart function. No negative effects of mercury in seafood on adults were stated.

Based upon these results, the National Research Council set standards for limiting seafood consumption in pregnant women and in 2004 the EPA and FDA released guidelines proposing that women wanting to become pregnant or already pregnant limit their fish consumption to 12 ounces a week (28.4 grams per ounce for those using metric).

These guidelines-warnings caused millions of young women to severely cut back on fish consumption, if not eliminate it completely, thinking they were protecting their unborn children. This reaction to these guidelines was probably not protective and very possibly harmful.

As it turns out, the maternal seafood consumption in the Faroe Islands was 85% pilot whale and this fish was known to have excessively higher levels of mercury and toxins than most any other sources of ocean seafood and was pretty much a phenomenon related to this culture and had little or no application to the types of seafood being eaten by the rest of the world.

An interesting side-bar is that the Harvard Chan School was involved in this study. The take-away is that studies can be misleading, confusing and potentially dangerous if reviewed in a vacuum and not put into proper perspective, especially when contradictory studies exist (no matter how prestigious the reputation of the researchers.)

The media and ecology groups ran wild publicizing and writing about this misleading study, and what was incorrectly aimed only at reducing seafood consumption in pregnant or soon to be pregnant women quickly spread to include everyone.

Large numbers of pregnant women either reduced seafood consumption or eliminated it completely. We will discuss how these pregnant women may have inadvertently negatively impacted the brain development of their soon to be born children by reducing seafood consumption.

Should pregnant moms eat fish?

Then 10 years later (2014) based upon a review of existing data and two new studies demonstrating the substantial health/brain benefits of fish consumption by pregnant women on the brain development of their newborns, the FDA reversed it’s 2004 guidelines and released the following proposed draft of new guidelines:

June 10, 2014 – Release

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued draft updated advice on fish consumption. The two agencies have concluded pregnant and breastfeeding women, those who might become pregnant, and young children should eat more fish that is lower in mercury in order to gain important developmental and health benefits. The draft updated advice is consistent with recommendations in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Previously, the FDA and the EPA recommended maximum amounts of fish that these population groups should consume, but did not promote a minimum amount. Over the past decade, however, emerging science has underscored the importance of appropriate amounts of fish in the diets of pregnant and breastfeeding women, and young children.

“For years many women have limited or avoided eating fish during pregnancy or feeding fish to their young children,” said Stephen Ostroff, M.D., the FDA’s acting chief scientist. “But emerging science now tells us that limiting or avoiding fish during pregnancy and early childhood can mean missing out on important nutrients that can have a positive impact on growth and development as well as on general health.”

An FDA analysis of seafood consumption data from over 1,000 pregnant women in the United States found that 21 percent of them ate no fish in the previous month, and those who ate fish ate far less than the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends—with 50 percent eating fewer than 2 ounces a week, and 75 percent eating fewer than 4 ounces a week. The draft updated advice recommends pregnant women eat at least 8 ounces and up to 12 ounces (2-3 servings) per week of a variety of fish that are lower in mercury to support fetal growth and development.

“Eating fish with lower levels of mercury provides numerous health and dietary benefits,” said Nancy Stoner, the EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Water. “This updated advice will help pregnant women and mothers make informed decisions about the right amount and right kinds of fish to eat during important times in their lives and their children’s lives.”

Before issuing final advice, the agencies will consider public comments, and also intend to seek the advice of the FDA’s Risk Communication Advisory Committee and conduct a series of focus groups.

The public can provide comment on the draft advice and the supplemental questions and answers by submitting comments to the Federal Register docket or by participating in any public meetings that may be held. The comment period will be open until 30 days after the last transcript from the advisory committee meeting and any other public meetings becomes available. The dates of any public meetings, as well as when the public comment period will close, will be published in future Federal Register notices at www.federalregister.gov.

We (the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency) are issuing this advice to encourage women to eat recommended amounts and types of fish. Recent reports show many pregnant women in the United States are not consuming fish in amounts recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. This advice is being issued now to encourage women who are pregnant (or may become pregnant) or breastfeeding and young children to eat more fish and to eat a variety of fish from choices that are lower in mercury. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, the federal government’s evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote healthy eating, now recommends that “women who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume at least 8 and up to 12 ounces of a variety of seafood per week, from choices lower in methyl mercury.”

There is longstanding evidence of the nutritional value of fish in the diet. Fish contain high quality protein, many vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, are mostly low in saturated fat, and some fish even contain vitamin D. The nutritional value of fish is especially important during growth and development before birth, in early infancy for breastfed infants, and in childhood.

Two important studies that caused the guidelines to be corrected were done in the Seychelle Islands and Barcelona Spain.

The Barcelona study found that pregnant women who ate 3-4 servings of fish (21 ounces weekly or approximately 600 grams) on a weekly basis may benefit the brains of their to be born children and may even reduce the risk of autism. The study tracked 2000 women from their first trimester up until their kids turned 5 years old. The researchers found that the children whose mothers consumed fish at the level had almost 3% higher IQ’s than those children whose mothers consumed less. There were NO signs that mercury had any negative effect on these children.²

The Seychelle Islands study was published in The American Journal of Epidemiology. This study was carried out by scientists from the University of Rochester Medical School. The researchers continue to monitor multiple areas of brain and cognitive function of these children every few years and to date; they are healthy and show no negative effect of their mothers eating high levels of mercury containing fish.³

Dr. Gilbert Ross, medical director of the American Council on Science and Health stated – “Their exposure to fish with high mercury content has, so far, had no negative measurable effects……..”I would counsel the American public to not be afraid of eating fish, despite the allegations of advocate groups and some of our government agencies,” Ross advised. “These are merely hypothetical risks. In contrast, fish consumption has empirically proven to be very beneficial. Among other benefits, fish consumption helps combat heart disease, arrhythmias, and cognitive decline in old age.”

Dr. Philip Davidson, the lead researcher of the study stated, “The body of evidence so far indicates that there are no detectable effects in young children,” Scientists will continue to monitor the children to ensure negative effects do not manifest themselves later in life.”

At this point, a reader might ask why is mercury, a known toxin, not having a measurable negative effect on the development of these children? Often times in medical research the mechanism of action of a compound or drug is not well known or understood, regardless of whether or not its effect is health promoting or health compromising.

In this case we have an ingredient, mercury (actually methyl mercury the form found in seafood) that is not exhibiting the negative effects on development that were anticipated to show up before these studies started.

Some unproven but plausible explanations are being suggested:

1- It is well established in the medical literature that DHA (Docosahexanoic acid one of the omega-3 essential fatty acids found in fish) is important to normal neurological/brain development in young children.

It could be that the high levels of DHA consumed by eating fish multiple times per week, out strips any negative effects of mercury.

2- It is proposed that almost all fish that are low in mercury, have a high selenium-to-mercury ratio and that is protective. One theory explaining this is that mercury interferes with selenium related enzymes that are necessary for healthy neurological development. When the amount of mercury exceeds the amount of selenium present, this healthy function of selenium is interrupted.

Another legitimate question would be – “What about the other toxins in seafood that have been reported to be dangerous? Specifically PCBs. (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxins.

Once again a paper was published talking about the high levels of PCBs found in farmed Salmon. Once again the media jumped all over this and bloggers who are either not qualified to properly analyze the reporting of science based studies and statistics (or if they are qualified just didn’t do their homework) gave the fish eating public something else to be worried about.⁴

Well it turns out, that when the entire paper (not just the abstract) is read, the data showed that even though farmed salmon had a higher content of PCBs than wild salmon, its level was only about 2% of the level where governmental agencies thought it was of concern. JUST 2%!!! Meat and dairy levels are significantly higher!

So the accurate message to be derived from this study is that levels of PCBs in all the salmon tested were very low and that wild salmon was even lower than farmed salmon. The take away is – Eat whatever source of salmon you can afford. There are plenty of benefits from eating farmed salmon as well.

A plate of salmon

What about mercury from other sources besides fish? Well a recent study done by the same Saychelle Island researchers tracked the impact of mercury amalgams (fillings) in pregnant woman on the develop of their children at birth and for the next five years. They found no negative effects in this study as well.⁴

Just to keep things in proper prospective, it is always possible that tracking kids from 5-15 years is not long enough for mercury related issues to crop up, but the benefits are very real and any future risks are currently at the very best just hypothetical.

Your call to action is: Eat around a pound and a half of low mercury seafood a week (refer to the list). Both children and adults who do are likely to be substantially healthier and in my opinion, have a greater chance of living longer.

I wish you a long, vibrant, and happy life.

Curt Hendrix M.S. C.C.N. C.N.S.
Chief Science Officer, Akeso Health Sciences LLC

References:

(1) Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1997 Nov-Dec;19(6):417-28. Faroe island study

Cognitive deficit in 7-year-old children with prenatal exposure to methylmercury.
Grandjean P1, Weihe P, White RF, Debes F, Araki S, Yokoyama K, Murata K, Sørensen N, Dahl R, Jørgensen PJ.

1Institute of Community Health, Odense University, Denmark. p.grandjean@winsloew.ou.dk

(2) Am J Epidemiol. 2016 Feb 1;183(3):169-82. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwv195. Epub 2016 Jan 5. Barcelona study

Maternal Consumption of Seafood in Pregnancy and Child Neuropsychological Development: A Longitudinal Study Based on a Population With High Consumption Levels.
Julvez J, Méndez M, Fernandez-Barres S, Romaguera D, Vioque J, Llop S, Ibarluzea J, Guxens M, Avella-Garcia C, Tardón A, Riaño I, Andiarena A, Robinson O, Arija V, Esnaola M, Ballester F, Sunyer J.

(3) JAMA. 1998 Aug 26;280(8):701-7. Seychelles Study

Effects of prenatal and postnatal methylmercury exposure from fish consumption on neurodevelopment: outcomes at 66 months of age in the Seychelles Child Development Study.
Davidson PW1, Myers GJ, Cox C, Axtell C, Shamlaye C, Sloane-Reeves J, Cernichiari E, Needham L, Choi A, Wang Y, Berlin M, Clarkson TW.

1University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, NY 14642, USA. pdavidson@cc.urmc.rochester.edu

(4) Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2013 Sep-Oct;39:57-62. doi: 10.1016/j.ntt.2013.07.003. Epub 2013 Jul 13.

Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 5 years in children exposed prenatally to maternal dental amalgam: the Seychelles Child Development Nutrition Study.
Watson GE1, van Wijngaarden E, Love TM, McSorley EM, Bonham MP, Mulhern MS, Yeates AJ, Davidson PW, Shamlaye CF, Strain JJ, Thurston SW,Harrington D, Zareba G, Wallace JM, Myers GJ.

Are Dietary Supplements Actually Safer Than the Food We Eat?

It was recently reported that a study done by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) stated that supplements caused 23,000 visits to emergency rooms last year.

If you were not aware of the trend by pharma companies and organizations like the CDC that work closely with them, to sway you into believing synthetic pharmaceutical drugs are safe and dietary supplements are not, you might think 23,000 is a lot of people, even assuming all 23,000 visits were correctly attributable to supplements and not something else. Let’s put that number in perspective.

The figure quoted referred only to emergency room visits and not hospitalizations. Furthermore, the study didn’t report how many of the 23,000 visits were serious enough to require hospitalization. I believe we can be fairly certain that only a percentage of the 23,000 people ended up being hospitalized.

But even if all 23,000 were hospitalized (which is clearly NOT the case), by comparison 375,000 people were hospitalized for food poisoning last year, 5,000 of whom died (as reported by the CDC). Yet, a report in 2010 from the American Association of Poison control Centers National Poison Data System revealed that there were “ZERO” deaths linked to dietary supplements in 2010.

This means that over 16 times more people had issues with the food they ate than the supplements they took with the food issues resulting in 5,000 deaths and the supplements resulting in ”ZERO” deaths.

It is estimated that over half of the population in the U.S. takes some kind of dietary supplement. If each of these people just took two supplement pills a day, that would result in 120,000 BILLION supplement doses a year with “ZERO” deaths. This is truly impressive. The food we eat is NOT as safe as the supplements we take!

Further more an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) stated that 107,000 people in the U.S. were killed by prescription drugs in 2000. (JAMA 2000 Vol 284 #4).

When popular conventional medicine websites publish this kind of data about dietary supplements without putting it into perspective, they are doing their readers a disservice and makes one wonder whose well-being they are really trying to protect?

Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.

Obesity is Changing the World We Live In!

I’m trying to bite my tongue and not say what I truly feel about the executives who run most of our country’s fast-food chains.

Shareholders and eyes fixed on bottom line profits are determining the quality and size of meals that we are being offered, certainly NOT health considerations and our long-term wellness.

It’s sort of ironic that in the 1950’s the size of our cars was huge and our restaurant food portions, as you will see, were much smaller. Now, our cars are smaller and our restaurant food portions are insanely, larger.

As you will learn in the following article, the alarming rate at which American waistlines are expanding, is affecting us in ways that we may not be aware of (and few, if any of them, are good).

Overweight is the new normal

Products adapt to accommodate the super-sized generation

Sun Sentinel June 12, 2011

Overweight has become the new normal, and society is straining to accommodate our ever-expanding waistlines. We plant plush bottoms on wider seats in theaters and toilet stalls, drape ourselves in plus-sized clothing, even go to our eternal rest in broader coffins.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and a third, some 72 million people, are considered obese. From 1980 to 2008, obesity rates doubled for adults and tripled for children, with 17 percent, or 9 million children over 6, classified as obese.

The average American is 23 pounds heavier than the ideal body weight. Experts blame the usual bugaboos: lack of exercise and side-splitting food consumption.

“There’s definitely a new norm,” said Dr. Robert Kushner, clinical director of the Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity at Northwestern University in Illinois. “It’s a norm that, ‘My entire family and my community is overweight, and that’s what I am.’ ”

Businesses, eyes on the bottom line, are adapting to the physical requirements of the heftier among us.

Revolving doors, for example, have widened from 10 feet to 12 feet in recent years. Scales, which seldom went over 300 pounds, now go up to 400 or 500 pounds.

Here are a few other areas in which the super-sized generation is changing our culture.

Feeding frenzy

Food portions, ever bigger, continue to grow to meet yawning appetites. New York nutritionist Lisa R. Young estimates fast-food servings are two to five times what they were in the 1950s. When it debuted 40 years ago, the Big Mac was but a wee patty of 3-ounce meat. Today, fast-food chains serve up 12-ounce burgers loaded with 1,000 calories.
When it first opened, a McDonald’s soda was 7 ounces. Now a small soft drink is 16 ounces, and convenience stores pitch a 64-ounce bucket of soda — a full half-gallon. The result: In the 1970s, an American gulped down an average of 27 gallons of soda a year. Today that figure is 44 gallons.

And sweets? Cookies today, Young says, are 700 percent larger than USDA standards. A brownie recipe from the 1960s called for 30 servings. The same recipe today calls for 16.

Garbing the girth

Clothing outlets have expanded plus-sized inventories. Bulky clothes are available for children as young as 3, and Target and Forever 21 offer plus-sized fashions for teens. Quadruple-extra-large shirts are on the rack for men with 60-inch waists.

“Vanity sizing,” in which manufacturers adjust apparel size downward so it’s more palatable for women, is spreading. A size 4 today was, 20 years ago, a size 8. Some 62 percent of American women wear a size 14 or larger.

But full-size fashion has its price: Plus-sized clothing, which uses more material, costs 10 to 15 percent more than regular apparel.

High-volume cargo

Federal officials have increased the average passenger weight for buses and commercial boats, from 150 pounds to 175 pounds for bus passengers and from 160 pounds to 185 pounds for boat passengers. Buses must be stronger and bigger to handle folks of amplitude, and boats must trim their passenger lists.

Government regulations for car seat belts, set in the 1960s, require them to fit a 215-pound man with a hip circumference of 47 inches. In 2003, however, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that more than 38 million people, or 19 percent of Americans, were too large for their seat belts. To accommodate heftier drivers, some car manufacturers include seat belts that are 18 to 20 inches longer, or offer seat belt extenders.

The health benefits of dark chocolate:

Studies – Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

The Single Most Important Fact You Will Ever Learn to Protect Your Health, Prevent Disease and Maximize Your Life Expectancy

Is your memory spotty or unreliable? Worried about the risk of developing Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease in yourself or a loved one? Take the SAGE (Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam).

If you have reduced or eliminated fish intake due to concerns about mercury it’s probably a big mistake. The government and alleged experts just got it all wrong!

Is your memory spotty or unreliable? Worried about the risk of developing Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease in yourself or a loved one?
Take the SAGE (Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam).