Doctor Steger

The approximate sizes of microbes can be approximated by using the following rule of thumb:

• VIRUSES are the smallest of all infectious agents, averaging about 100 nanometers (100 billionths of a meter) in length. They have so few genes and proteins of their own that in order to reproduce they need to commandeer the machinery of the cells they invade.
• BACTERIA vary widely in size and shape, but tend to be at least 10 times larger than viruses, or at least 1 micrometer (1 millionth of a meter) long. They are single-cell organisms that reproduce independently.
• SINGLE-CELL ORGANISMS tend to be at least 10 times larger than bacteria, or about .01 millimeter long.
• MULTI CELLULAR ORGANISMS are so large they can usually be seen with the naked eye. Tapeworms, for instance, can reach a length of 6 meters (20 feet).

Food and water are the most common sources of parasite and invading organism transmission. Since most of us eat three times a day and drink water frequently throughout the day, our exposure to these sources is constant. Tap water has been found to be contaminated with harmful organisms. Both plant and animal foods carry parasites, and cleaning and cooking methods often do not often destroy them before ingestion. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) cites food as the catalyst behind 80 percent of the pathogenic outbreaks in the U.S. Most are linked to restaurants and delis where less than sanitary conditions exist — from food preparation and storage to the utensils and servers’ hands.

Animals, just like humans, can become infected with parasites and unhealthy organisms. Internally, contaminated water and food can spread the problem to our pets. Externally, animals become infected by organisms on their bodies, especially on their fur, because of exposure to infected animal wastes. Forgetting to wash your hands even one time after handling or cleaning up after your animal can transmit the parasite to you. Pets are a wonderful part of our lives. They provide comfort, companionship, protection, amusement, and unconditional love for their owners. Yet, pets, like humans, are often victims of serious infections that can unintentionally be passed on to their owners. In fact, there is a whole set of diseases classified as ‘zoonoses’ (animal-transmitted diseases) in parasitology textbooks. Animals are major carriers of harmful organisms, and most physicians, let alone the general public, are seemingly unaware of this fact. Experts have projected that of the 110 million pet dogs and cats in this country, over half may be infected with at least one or more different kinds of harmful organisms. Considering these numbers, the potential for transmission of parasitical invading organism infection from animals to humans is extremely high. Making a parasite cleanse an essential part of an effective health maintenance program for both people and animals alike.

The CDC estimates that the number of parasites present in the United States alone number in the thousands. These harmful organisms are biochemically complex creatures in their life histories, development, reproductive cycles, nutritional requirements, and manifestation. They are categorized according to structure, shape, function, and reproductive ability. These include microscopic organisms (protozoa); roundworms, pinworms, whipworms, and hookworms (nematoda); tapeworms (cestoda); and flukes (trematoda).

PROTOZOA

Making up approximately 70 percent of all invading organisms, protozoa are invisible to the naked eye. They are one-celled microscopic organisms, but don’t let their size fool you. Certain protoans, through their intensely rapid reproductive ability, can take over the intestinal tract of their host; and from there go on to other organs and tissues. Some feed on red blood cells. Some protozoa produce cysts – closed sacs in which they may be safely transported through food and water from one person to another. In the cyst state, protozoans are safe from destruction by human digestive juices. These one-celled ‘vampires’ can actually destroy the tissues of their hosts. According to experts, an estimated 7 million people across the U.S. have some form of protozoa living inside of them. Common protozoa include: Endolimax nana, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidum parvum, Blastocystis hominis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Toxoplasma gondii, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Cryptosporidium muris, Pneumocystis carinii, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania donovani, Leishmania tropica, and Leishmania braziliensis.

NEMATODE

While the protozoans are only single-celled, nematode creatures are multi cellular. The adult worms multiply by producing eggs called ova or larvae. The eggs usually become infectious in soil or in an intermediate host before humans are infected. It is interesting to note that unless the worm infection is heavy, many individuals do not show signs of infestation. While it may be unpleasant to consider, it is true that the human host can coexist quite comfortably with a few worms, unless they reproduce in great numbers and create organ obstruction. Experts claim that ‘some type of worm is already in the intestines of over 75 percent of the world’s population’. This is a frightening statement. Common nematode include: Roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), Hookworm (Necator Americanus, Ancylostoma duodenal), Pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis), Roundworm (Toxocara canis, Toxocara cati), Heart worm (Dirofilaria immitis), Strongyloides (Stronglyoides stercoralis), Trichinella (Trichinella spiralis), Filaria (Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, Onchocerca volvulus, Loa loa, Mansonella streptocerca, Mansonella perstans, Mansonella ozzardi), and Anisakine larvae.

CESTODA

Among the oldest known parasites, tapeworms are considered humanity’s largest intestinal inhabitant. They each have a scolex (head) that attaches to the intestinal wall. As long as the head remains attached to the intestinal mucosa, a new worm can grow from it. Tapeworms do not contain digestive tracts but get their nourishment by absorbing partially digested substances from the host. They are whitish in color, flat, and ribbon-like, with a covering that is a transparent skin-like layer. Common cestoda include: Beef tapeworm (Taenia saginata), Pork tapeworm (Taenia solium), Fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum), and Dog tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum).

TREMATODE

Trematode are leaf-shaped flatworms also known as flukes. They are parasitic during nearly all of their life-cycle forms. The cycle begins when larvae are released into freshwater by infected snails. The free-swimming larvae can then directly penetrate the skin of the human host or are ingested after encysting in or on various edible, vegetation, fish, or crustaceans. Common trematode include: Intestinal fluke (Fasciolopsis buski), Blood fluke (Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma mansoni) Schistosoma haematobium), Liver fluke (Clonorchis sinensis), Oriental lung fluke (Paragonimus westermani), and Sheep liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica).

COMMON PARASITE INFECTIONS:

Pinworm Parasites (Enterobius vermmicularis)

The most common of all the worms in the United States, the pinworm is most prevalent in children. Transmission occurs through contaminated food, water, and house dust – as well as human-to-human contact. The adult female pinworm moves outside the anus to lay eggs. Children can easily transmit the worms to the entire family through the bathtub, toilet seat, and bedclothes. Perianal itching is the most classic pinworm symptom. But these little quarter-inch mobile worms that resemble threads have been connected to an enormous range of neurological and behavioral symptoms. In a ten-year study of over 2000 cases of children with pinworms, it was documented seemingly unrelated symptoms which had previously not been associated with this parasitic infection.

Roundworm Parasites (Ascaris lumbricoides)

Another most common intestinal parasite in the world is the large roundworm known as Ascaris lumbricoides. Approximately 1 billion people are infected with ascaris. The worm resembles the common earthworm in appearance and is spread directly to humans from soil or contaminated food. Once the worms develop in the human system, they can pass through the liver and lungs, where they create severe tissue irritation and allergic reactions. Adult worms can travel through the body and end up almost anywhere, including the liver, heart and lungs. They can also create intestinal obstruction when present in large enough numbers. Symptoms can include nervousness, colic, poor appetite, fatigue, allergic reactions, coughing, wheezing, and a number of other reactions. Food cravings and malnutrition in children is characteristic of heavy ascaris infections because the worms compete with the human host for food. Ascaris inhibits absorption of proteins, carbohydrates, and fat-soluable vitamins.

Hookworm Parasites (Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenal)

Hookworm larvae are found in warm, moist soil. They can enter the body by directly penetrating the skin. Hookworms travel through the bloodstream to the lungs, into the alveoli, and up the trachea to the throat – where they are swallowed and end up in their desired habitat, the small intestines. When the larvae pass through the lungs, bronchitis may sometimes develop. The teeth-like hooks of the larvae attach to the intestinal mucosa and rob the body of large amounts of blood. Found worldwide, hookworms are very prevelant in a wide variety of geographical locations and toplogies. Common symptoms may include itchiness, nausea, dizziness, pneumonitis, anorexia, weight-loss, weight-gain, and anemia. A single worms can live up to 15 years in the human body.

Trichinella Parasites (Trichinella spiralis)

Just about any symptom known to man can be caused by the various stages of trichinosis infection, which can masquerade as at least fifty more familiar diseases ranging from flu to generalized and specific aches and pains. Most roundworms are transmitted through contaminated soils, but the small spiral-shaped trichinella found in pork is the exception. These tiny roundworms can become enclosed in a cyst inside the muscles of pigs. If pork is eaten and not thoroughly cooked, the cysts are dissolved by the human host’s digestive juices, and the worms mature and travel to the muscles, where they become encased. Eventually the worms can burrow throughout the entire body.

Beef Tapeworm Parasites (Taenia saginata)

Beef tapeworm can be ingested from raw or undercooked beef (rare or medium rare). Despite its size, several feet long, the beef tapeworm does not produce severe symptoms in its human host – but still performs a negative function in the body. It is composed of 1000 to 2000 segment strands, known as proglottid, which contains both male and female reproductive organs. Tapeworms thrive on the diet of the host for their carbohydrates, but utilize the tissues of the host for proteins. Beef tapeworms have a life span in the intestine of twenty to twenty-five years. Symptoms such as diarrhea, abdmoninal cramping, nervousness, nausea, loss of appetite, and/or food cravings are possible.

Pork Tapeworm Parasites (Taenia solium)

Pork tapeworm is similar to beef tapeworm but is shorter, with less than 1000 ploglottids. Pork tapeworm infects man through the eating of infested undercooked pork such as fresh or smoked ham or sausage. Unlike the beef tapeworm, pork tapeworm infection is usually caused by multiple worms rather than just one. The larva stage develops in the muscle, spreads through the central nervous system into other tissues and organs, and finally hooks onto the upper small intestine. Pork tapeworm causes great harm to the human host when the immature larvae invades the muscle, heart, eyes, or brain. The larval migration of pork tapeworm represents the most dangerous infection of all the tapeworms. In the brain, the worms can create a condition known as cysticercosis, which can produce seizures and brain deterioration.

Fish Tapeworm Parasites (Diphyllobothrium latum)

The largest parasite found in humans, a fish tapeworm has up to 4000 proglottids (the worm’s primary body). It can be contracted by eating raw or lightly cooked freshwater or certain migratory species of fish, such as Alaskan salmon, perch, pike, pickerel, and turbot. In the human intestine, a fish tapeworm can consume 80 to 100 percent of the host’s vitamin B12. A vitamin B12 deficiency or pernicious anemia is a most debilitating effect. Digestive disturbances – including pain, fullness in the upper abdomen, and nausea – are common symptoms.

Liver Fluke Parasites (Clonorchis sinensis)

The liver fluke is transmitted through the ingestion of raw, dried, salted, pickled, or undercooked fish. Snails, carp, and over 40 additional species of fish have been known to be intermediate hosts to this fluke. In the human, it inhabits the bile ducts of the liver, causing the liver to become enlarged and tender. It can also cause inflammation, chills, fever, jaundice, and a type of hepatitis.

Blood Fluke Parasites (Schistosoma mansoni)

Freshwater snails play intermediate host in the life cycle development of the blood fluke. The snails release larvae into water, where the larvae can directly penetrate the skin of humans or fish in contaminated rivers or streams. The parasite burrows into the skin and is carried through the bloodstream to the veins of the liver, intestines, or bladder. Inflammation can occur when the worms lodge in the lining of the intestine or liver. Additionally, the bladder and urinary tract can become infected by worms lodged in the walls of the bladder.

Remember, parasites are in 75% of the population and you may never know you are infected with them. Take precautions when working with or playing with animals of any kind. Wash your hands and never walk around barefooted outdoors. As much as we like to and think it should be normal and natural as can be, it’s really not worth it. If you have parasites, it takes 4-5 months of proper diet and supplements to eradicate them. Be healthy always and use precautions anyway you can to be worm free!

Until next time, Stay healthy!
Dr. Jimmy Steger

Do you want to help improve your odds of defeating cancer? Then this fruit should be the one you add to your supplement protocol.

Over a quarter of a century ago a study was performed on the seeds of the Soursop fruit, also known as graviola, which at that time demonstrated such amazing cancer-fighting potential, that those exposed to it within the conventional medical community looked upon it with complete incredulity.

Published in the Journal of Natural Products in 1996, Compound 1, one of five extracted from the seed of the graviola fruit, was found to be “selectively cytotoxic to colon adenocarcinoma cells (HT-29) in which it was 10,000 times the potency of adriamycin.”

Adriamycin is the trade name for the chemoagent doxorubucin and is known by the nickname “red devil,” due to both its deep red color and terrible side effects, which include life-threatening, even fatal damage to the cardiovascular system. This abject lack of “selective cytotoxicity” — the ability to kill only the cancer cells and not healthy ones – is what makes Adriamycin so dangerous. And yet, it has been a first line treatment for a wide range of cancers for almost half a century.

Since the 1996 study, little research on graviola was performed. There was a cell study in 1999 which showed it had anti- prostate cancer and breast cancer activity; another 2002 cell study showed that graviola exhibited anti-hepatoma (liver cancer) activity, but nothing as promising as the original 1996 study ever followed.

Then, in 2011, the journal Nutrition and Cancer revealed highly promising research on Graviola and breast cancer. Researchers found that graviola fruit extract (GFE) suppressed so-called oncogene (or cancer-causing gene) expression in the cell and animal models of breast cancer. The oncogene known as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is commonly over-expressed in breast cancer, and therefore an ideal target for therapy.

According to the researchers

“A a 5-wk dietary treatment of GFE (200 mg/kg diet) significantly reduced the protein expression of EGFR, p-EGFR, and p-ERK in MDA-MB-468 [breast cancer] tumors by 56%, 54%, and 32.5%, respectively. Overall, dietary GFE inhibited tumor growth, as measured by wet weight, by 32% (P < 0.01).” [emphasis added]

The study authors concluded

“These data showed that dietary GFE induced significant growth inhibition of MDA-MB-468 cells in vitro and in vivo through a mechanism involving the EGFR/ERK signaling pathway, suggesting that GFE may have a protective effect for women against EGFR-overexpressing BC [breast cancer].” [emphasis added] Given these findings the time may be ripe for reconsideration of graviola in the prevention and/or treatment of cancers, such as colon and breast cancer. I personally recommend 3 Graviola capsules daily pre-meals along with their other supplements.

Until next time, Stay healthy !
Dr. Jimmy Steger

 

Is Beauty really only skin deep? Hmmm, let’s look a little closer at this and really see how deep it goes. Skin is the body’s largest organ and it functions as part of the integumentary system, which works to protect the body from different kinds of damage. Your skin shields you from environmental elements, ultraviolet radiation, chemicals, weather conditions, and microbes. Skin also contains nerves that allow us to access sensations like touch, heat, and cold. What is interesting about the human body is the correlation of the colon and the skin. When people come to my clinic with skin problems, most are not aware that the colon and skin are connected by neural arc reflex points as known and taught in the field of Iridology. Most people who have skin conditions of any kind also have poor colon health. Let’s get the skinny !

There are three main layers of skin that offer all of these amazing protections and there are also specific nutrients that control the health of each layer, let’s look at this amazing organ a little closer.

1. The Epidermis

The epidermis is the water-resistant outer layer of skin and the body’s first line of defense against environmental elements, ultraviolet radiation, bacteria, and other germs. It’s made up of 4-5 sublayers of closely packed cells. The epidermis is responsible for the cell renewal cycle: dead skin cells slough off the stratum corneum (the superficial sublayer of skin visible to the eye) and are replaced with new, healthy cells that generate within deeper sublayers of the epidermis. This can only happen when the right nutrients are in place to fully heal and repair the epidermis. The epidermis also includes your pores, which allow oil and dirt to escape your body. Dry skin brushing can help this aspect of your overall health regime. We will discuss this later on.

The epidermis contains several specialized cells, including:

• Keratinocyte cells that create and store keratin, the protein that strengthens skin
• Langerhans cells that help prevent infection and protect the immune system
• Melanocyte cells that produce melanin, the pigment that determines skin color
• Squamous cells and basal cells, which can mutate and cause basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma

Each one of the cells are controlled by specific nutrients which help the overall process in their healing cycle. The Keratinocyte cells need a complete protein with all 9 essential amino acids to build the Keratin completely. It also needs Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, Sulphur and Silicon as the base layer. It needs Vitamin D, Vitamin K and Biotin specifically to strengthen the skins surface.

The Langerhans cells need Zinc and Vitamin C to help protect the overall immune system as its first line of defense against all disease along with Vitamins B-11 and B-12. The Melanocyte cell needs, Iron and Copper along with Vitamin E and F. This helps with proper pigmentation of the skin based on your genetic makeup. The Squamous cells and basal cells need Sodium and Potassium due to the proper ratio of cellular fluid needed here and throughout the body. This keeps the proper of ratio of cellular fluid in the skin for healthy hydration levels. It also needs Vitamins D because research has proven that adequate amounts of Vitamin D keeps deadly melanoma skin cancer cells from reproducing.

2. The Dermis

The dermis is the layer of skin under the epidermis. This layer of skin contains connective tissues and houses your body’s hair follicles, sweat and oil glands, and blood vessels. The dermis also contain nerve endings that are responsible for sending messages to the brain when you burn your hand on a hot stove or feel an itch at the back of your neck. Blood vessels located in the dermis help supply your skin with fresh blood carrying the oxygen and nutrients it needs to be healthy.

Within its connective tissues, the dermis produces two important proteins:

• Collagen and elastin, which are responsible for the shape, structure, firmness, and elasticity of your skin.
  The dermis layer needs protein in the form of collagen type 1 &2 along with B- Complex vitamins. It also needs calcium, and magnesium to allow the messengers of the skin to transport the messages without being pre-maturely being oxidized before reaching the brain. These two nutrients are extremely important in the overall health of the skin due to the buffering effect on the entire body.

3. The Hypodermis

The hypodermis is made of subcutaneous (under the skin) fats, connective tissues, blood vessels, and nerve cells. It’s the layer of skin where fat is deposited and stored. The blood vessels in the hypodermis are bigger and connect to the rest of your body. Stored fat helps regulate body tissue and cushion your body’s internal organs against bumps, hard impact, and falls.

The tissue in the hypodermis produces one important cell:

• Adipocytes that store fat used for energy, cushioning, and insulation.

The hypodermis needs Bioflavonoids along with Vitamin C and Vitamin E to prevent from bruising, scaring and to help with cuts and post-surgical wounds. Specific minerals needed are Calcium, Magnesium and Sulphur because the Sulphur binds the two minerals to the fat allowing them to transport the energy through the skin at the precise levels for proper insulation barrier.
As we can see, nutrition is very important and should always be of first when trying to heal the skin as well as the entire body.

Nutrition is the single most important aspect to healing and keeping the body healthy and free from all forms of disease. There are 22 minerals that the human body needs on a daily basis. When the body is low in just one of these valuable minerals, your body can develop up to 10 different diseases. The skin is the largest organ on the body. It requires 10 minerals and 7 Vitamins in order to be healthy at all times.

The following seventeen nutrients are the most important for the health of the colon and skin. It is always preferred to get your nutrients from food (or sunlight) rather than from supplements when possible however, most will agree and understand in today’s modern times, that’s almost impossible, therefore the need for increased supplementation is important in many cases. At my clinic we always do a Vitamin, Minerals and Amino Acids test up front to detect what a person may or may not need so they know what is missing and really needed for optimal health of the entire body.

1.Calcium

Calcium is called the knitter of the body and mends everything back together when torn, cut, scratched or even bruised. Calcium is the second most abundant mineral in the body and is extremely important in the overall healing of any cell structure and the skin is certainly no different.

The best sources of good bioavailable calcium are, greens, kale, beet tops, cabbage, romaine lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, agar, almonds, avocados, coconut, kelp, goats milk and sesame seeds. If you do our VMA test and we see that you are low in Calcium, we can put you on my Custom Minerals which will take care of 22 minerals in the right combination or you can take our Pro-Calcium, plus which has the correct ratio of calcium to magnesium in it for proper assimilation.

2. Zinc

Zinc helps maintain the structure of cell membranes and proteins and has anti-inflammatory effects. Zinc activates a protein called collagenase, which allows cells to remodel collagen during wound healing. Zinc supplementation has been shown to reduce gut barrier permeability, and it may help leaky skin as well. The earliest sign of zinc deficiency is usually patches of dry skin. Evidence suggests that supplemental zinc may reduce acne – in some cases, it has even been shown to be as effective as tetracycline antibiotics. This may be because it helps regulate sebum production in the sebaceous glands.

The best sources of dietary zinc are liver, kidney, beef, lamb, and shellfish. Plant foods like nuts and pumpkin seeds can be high in zinc, but it is less bioavailable due to high levels of phytates that bind the zinc. You can also supplement with my Pro-Zinc at 100-500ppm depending what the individual needs are and get on track very quickly with this type of supplement. Care should be taken to balance zinc and copper intake. I do this will all my patients.

3. Vitamin A

Vitamin A modulates skin growth factors, promotes epidermal differentiation, inhibits sebaceous gland activity, and suppresses androgen formation. It also inhibits enzymes that degrade collagen with aging. Vitamin A has also been shown to induce gut-homing regulatory T cells and promote tolerance of the gut mucosal immune system. Synthetic Vitamin A derivatives have been used for decades as an effective treatment for severe acne and psoriasis. Rough dry skin and keratosis pilaris, or “sandpaper” bumps on the backs of the arms, are common signs of vitamin A deficiency. Transport of Vitamin A in the blood depends on zinc, so these two nutrients may work together promote the health of the colon, skin, and immune system.

The best source of bioavailable Vitamin A is liver and cod liver oil. Vitamin A can also be obtained from the precursor beta-carotene, which is found in carrots, sweet potatoes, collards, and asparagus. It is important to understand that absorption of beta-carotene is very poor unless these foods are paired with a good source of fat.

4. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is produced in the skin in response to UV light. Vitamin D helps regulate skin cell metabolism and growth and has been shown to be helpful in the treatment of itching and psoriasis.

Vitamin D metabolism results in the formation of cathelicidin, which has antimicrobial properties. Cathelicidin deficiency can predispose to certain types of eczema.

Vitamin D also has benefits for the colon. The colon expresses very high levels of the Vitamin D receptor. Vitamin D in the colon has been shown to help maintain gut barrier function and a balance of good gut bacteria. Deficiency of Vitamin D has been associated with an increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease therefore it’s extremely important that we get sufficient amounts of good sunlight when we can and we cannot, supplement your diet with my Pro-Vita D with your main meals 2-3 times daily.

Whenever possible, it’s best to get Vitamin D from sunlight. In cases where adequate sunlight cannot be obtained, I recommend supplementing with my Pro-Vita D until blood levels of 25’OH-D reach 35-50 ng/mL. Those with autoimmune disease or autoimmune-like skin conditions may benefit from a level closer to 50 ng/mL.

5. Vitamin C

Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and can help prevent UV-induced skin damage. It is also essential for several enzymes involved in the synthesis of collagen. Deficiency of Vitamin C causes scurvy, with the first signs and symptoms being rough, dry skin and abnormal hair growth. Vitamin C deficiency may also contribute to skin wrinkling and impaired wound healing.

Good sources of Vitamin C include bell peppers, dark leafy greens, broccoli, brussels sprouts, citrus fruits, kiwi, guava, strawberries, and certain herbs. You can also safely supplement with 1,000 – 2,000mg. of my Pro-Vita C broken down into 500mg taken every 4 hours for better assimilation. I recommend one made from concentrated berries like camu-camu and acerola, as these also have the added benefit of other bioflavonoids, polyphenols, and antioxidants.

6. Selenium

Selenium is an essential trace mineral and a component of the selenoprotein glutathione peroxidase (GPx), an enzyme that helps regenerate glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant. Studies have found that patients with severe acne have low levels of selenium and GPx activity and that supplementing with selenium can increase GPx activity and reduce acne severity. Selenium may also protect the skin against UV damage.

Glutathione is also required for normal colon function, protecting epithelial cell membranes from damage and helping to maintain the fluidity of the mucus layer, and depletion of glutathione increases bacterial translocation from the colon. Selenium-enriched diets have also been shown in increase colon microbial diversity.
Sources of selenium include brazil nuts, walnuts, liver, herring, onion, and poultry. You may also add my Pro-Selenium which will give you the highest assimilation available. For maximum absorption, iodine and selenium should typically be supplemented together.

7. Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and the most abundant antioxidant in the skin. It is delivered onto the skin surface via the sebum and then penetrates all the underlying layers of skin. Vitamin E is essential for protecting the cells of the skin from free radical damage due to sun exposure and other inflammatory insults. Deficiency is extremely common, particularly in those with inflammatory gut conditions and fat malabsorption, and can alter collagen cross-linking and cause skin ulcerations.

Most Americans get their Vitamin E from industrial seed oils like soybean, canola, and corn oil, but the preferred sources of Vitamin E are almonds, eggs, walnuts, avocados, asparagus, spinach and other leafy greens, sunflower seeds, and olives. Once again if you are having a problem getting adequate amounts of this food in on a daily basis, my Pro-Vita E supplement taken after your main meals will help with this.

8. Silica (silicon)

Silica is a lesser-known trace mineral that can have a major impact on skin health. Several enzymes required for the synthesis of collagen and formation of connective tissue depend on silica. Silica may, therefore, help improve the appearance of the skin and reduce signs of skin aging.

Food sources of silica include leeks, apples, green beans, strawberries, cucumber, oranges, mango, celery, asparagus, fish, and seeds. Oat straw tea is also a great source of silica.

9. B Vitamins

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): deficiency of riboflavin can cause lesions on the outside of the lips, corners of the mouth, dermatitis, and other inflammatory skin conditions.

Niacin (Vitamin B3) is crucial for DNA and fatty acid synthesis. The classic niacin deficiency disease, pellagra, is characterized by dermatitis, among other symptoms. Topically, niacin has been shown to help increase moisture in the skin, reduce skin aging, and is a fairly effective treatment for acne, rosacea, or redness of the skin, though few studies with oral niacin and skin health have been performed.

Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) plays a central role in metabolism and accelerates wound healing by increasing cell division and speeding up cellular migration. It also increases levels of glutathione.

Vitamin B6 is involved in the conversion of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate to the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. GABA has been shown to reduce the feeling of itch. Vitamin B6 also acts as a cofactor for diamine oxidase, the enzyme that degrades histamine, and supports methylation. Deficiency results in scaly dermatitis.

Biotin (Vitamin B7) acts as an essential cofactor for enzymes that regulate the metabolism of fatty acids. Fatty acids are crucial for preventing water loss from the skin. Deficiency of biotin causes hair loss and a scaly, erythematous or seborrheic dermatitis that often develops around the mouth or on the face and scalp.

Methylcobalamin (Vitamin B12) and folate (Vitamin B9) are involved in the methylation cycle, which is how the body detoxifies substances and eliminates them from the body. Deficiencies of folate and B12 are common in those with celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or SIBO. Folate deficiency can result in dermatitis, while Vitamin B12 likely influences the composition of the microbiota.

B vitamins are found in a wide variety of foods, but are most abundant in meat, especially organ meats, eggs and brown rice. Some B vitamins are also produced by the gut microbiota. You can also supplement with my Pro-Bio B complex, which has the activated forms of these vitamins (methyltetrahydrofolate, methylcobalamin, and pyridoxal-L-phosphate). Keep in mind that high-dose B12 may exacerbate acne in some individuals.

10. Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2 synergizes with vitamin A and vitamin D and is required for many of their functions. Vitamin K2 binds calcium and prevents the calcification of elastin, a protein that keeps the skin stretched tight and wrinkle-free.

Good sources of Vitamin K2 include grass-fed dairy products, pastured egg yolks, liver, and fermented foods like sauerkraut. Gut bacteria can convert some K1, primarily found in leafy green vegetables, into vitamin K2. Vitamin K can also be supplemented as high-vitamin butter oil or Vitamin D3/K2 combo.

11. Manganese

Manganese is not typically included in a discussion of nutrients for skin health. Yet it is the number one mineral in the body. Manganese is required for collagen synthesis, and deficiency can cause slow hair and nail growth and a reddening of the skin. Deficiency can also cause miliaria crystallina, commonly called “heat rash” or “sweat rash”, a form of dermatitis that results from blocked sweat glands, which appear as tiny clear bubbles on the skin. This can also occur from sunburn, fever, or excessive sweating. Manganese is also required for the function of superoxide dismutase, which protects against oxidative stress in the mitochondria of the gut and skin.

Good sources of manganese include seafood, nuts, seeds, spinach, pomegranates, and black tea. You can also supplement by adding my Pro-Manganese to your program pre-bed.

12. Iron

Iron is a cofactor for the enzymes prolyl hydroxylase and lysyl hydroxylase, which catalyze the formation of hydroxyproline39 and hydroxylysine, respectively. These modified amino acids are crucial for the structural stability of collagen. Severe iron deficiency leads to anemia, which can cause pale skin, fatigue, weakness, and lightheadedness. This can also influence the gut and skin since blood is preferentially shunted to the brain and heart.

The heme form of iron is the most bioavailable. Heme iron is found in clams, oysters, liver, venison, mussels, and beef. Non-heme iron can be found in pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, spinach, tomatoes, and some herbs. Iron absorption is increased by vitamin C, and reduced by egg yolks, oxalates, phytates, polyphenols, and calcium. I do not recommend supplementing with iron unless absolutely necessary since unabsorbed iron can promote the growth of gut pathogens. My Pro-Iron is in an elemental format and is absorbed at 97.5% in just a few moments so you don’t have to worry about this with my product.

13. Magnesium

Magnesium is a cofactor for more than 300 enzymes, including many involved in the production of cellular energy. Magnesium is important for maintaining normal gut barrier function, and deficiency of magnesium has been shown to alter the gut microbiota and lead to depressive-like behavior. Magnesium can also help with gut motility and bowel regularity. Topically applied magnesium salts have also been shown to accelerate skin barrier recovery.

Good sources of magnesium include almonds, cashews, spinach, avocado, bananas, salmon, and halibut. Magnesium content is heavily dependent on soil concentration of magnesium, and most people will not be able to get enough through food alone. I highly recommend supplementing with my Pro-Cal plus daily pre bed.

14. Potassium

Potassium is an essential electrolyte in the body and the major positively charged ion in the intracellular space. Potassium, therefore, helps control the volume of cells and helps the skin stay moisturized. It also helps the skin produce new skin cells. Deficiency in potassium can lead to dry skin and hair loss.

Many fruits and vegetables are good sources of potassium. Potassium is highest in potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, bananas, and avocados. Some fish, such as salmon and halibut, also contain potassium. The average American consumes less than half of the estimated potassium intake of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. If a person is lacking in this nutrient, I may supplement their diet with my Pro-Potassium supplement pre-bed

15. Sulfur

Sulfur is an extremely important nutrient and the third most abundant mineral in the body. Animals fed a diet deficient in sulfur produce less collagen, suggesting that sulfur is required for collagen synthesis. Sulfur is also required for the crosslinking of keratin filaments in the epidermis. Sulfur is also required for the synthesis of the glutathione, an endogenous antioxidant important for protecting the gut, skin, and other tissues from free radical damage.

Sources of sulfur include egg yolks, poultry, red meat fish, garlic, onions, asparagus, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and kale. Fermentation may increase the bioavailability of sulfur in cruciferous vegetables.

16. Copper

Copper activates an enzyme called lysyl oxidase, which cross-links mature collagen fibers with other supportive fibers like elastin, helping to form a scaffold that keeps skin strong. Copper is also important for mitochondrial health and is a cofactor for several antioxidant enzymes. Copper deficiency may exacerbate histamine intolerance, and can also cause hypopigmentation of the hair and skin. Lack of copper in one’s diet causes aneurysms.

Food sources of copper include beef liver, oysters, crab, dark chocolate, mushrooms, almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds. If you supplement with copper, it’s very important to balance this with zinc. The ratio of zinc to copper should be kept between 2:1 and 5:1 for optimal health.

17. Choline

Choline is a vitamin-like nutrient that is a key component of the phospholipids that make up cell membranes. Choline is also a precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which stimulates the production of gastric acid and is important for skin barrier integrity. The transport of fat and cholesterol from the liver also requires choline, so it is also important for moderating the colon-liver-skin axis.

The best sources of choline are beef liver, eggs, muscle meat, and fish. Plant foods like potatoes, brussels sprouts, and broccoli can also provide some choline. Choline can also be taken as a supplement in the phosphatidylcholine form. Some choline can be produced in the body from betaine, which may be more likely to be absorbed in those with gut dysbiosis or SIBO. The top food source of betaine is beets, spinach, sweet potato, and muscle meat. Those with SIBO should consider supplementing with betaine HCl with each main meal three times daily.
In the first part of this article, I mentioned dry skin brushing. Now let’s look at this a little closer. Dry skin brushing has been around since ancient history in many cultures such as the Japanese and American Indians to keep the body healthy.

The skin is the largest organ of the body and some of its main functions are:

• Eliminating waste and toxins through perspiration.
• Protecting the body’s internal organs and fluids.
• Assisting the immune system by acting as a barrier to outside pathogens and foreign substances.
• Helping to regulate body temperature.
• Skin brushing for detoxification

The body’s process of eliminating waste and toxins is called detoxification. The liver, lungs, kidneys and colon are some of the other organs who have the job of helping the body get rid of waste products. The skin is another organ of elimination that helps the body carry away some of this waste through our sweat. Our bodies are constantly perspiring, and the skin eliminates an average of 1 to 2 pounds of waste through this perspiration process daily

The benefits of dry skin brushing

Skin brushing stimulates the skin and keeps the skin pores clear so that the body can perspire freely. This is important to health because if the pores get clogged and the body can’t perspire freely the waste will back-up. That backed-up excess waste and toxins get trapped and become a burden to the skin, body and the other organs of elimination.

Brushing your skin also stimulates oil glands that are in the second layer of skin, bringing this oil to the skins surface. This oil helps to protect the skin and increases the skin’s health, suppleness and elasticity. Skin brushing also stimulates blood circulation, balances fat distribution and increases nerve function throughout the skin organ.

Brushing the skin also has a positive effect on the immune system

Another benefit of brushing the skin is that it assists the movement of lymph, which is just under the skin, throughout the body. Lymph is a clear fluid that “circulates” throughout your body via the lymphatic system. This lymphatic system is separate from the blood’s circulatory system. Lymph carries the white blood cells of your immune system throughout the body to attack and neutralize viruses and other infectious substances. Lymph also carries nutrition to, and carries away waste from all the cells in the body even those that cannot be reached by the blood. This lymphatic system and its white blood cells are the main defense system of the body and the lymph is its carrier.

Your blood’s circulatory system of 15 pints has a heart to pump it around the body. The lymphatic system on the other hand has 45 pints of lymph and no pump to move it. It depends on surrounding muscle movement to push the lymph through the lymphatic system. Breathing and movement are what circulates your lymph. That is why exercise, deep breathing techniques and skin brushing can enhance the function of your immune system and improve your health. So the addition of skin brushing significantly helps the movement of lymph which enhances the health of your immune system and your whole body.

Dry skin brushing technique

Most skin brushes are made from natural vegetable bristles or natural cactus hair. Dry skin brushing has gained increased popularity in the past 20 years and the ones I use and sell at my clinic have a long handle and are easy to use, can reach your back and are easy to maintain.

Perform dry skin brushing before your shower or bath because that will help to stimulate your skin and wash away the flaked skin. Always brush up towards your heart for the most benefit to your circulation.

Start on the soles of your feet, generally using long, light but brisk strokes. Get your ankle, shin, calf and knee.

Then do the same on your other foot and lower leg. It helps for some to sit down.

Standing up, next brush upwards on your right and then left thigh from the knee up. Move over to your abdomen, brushing that with a circular motion.

Brush each arm, starting with the palm and brushing inward towards your heart. Gently brush the chest area in a circular motion, women avoid the breast area.

Brush the neck area by starting at the back of the neck and stroking with the brush towards the front (avoid your face).

Use the handle to get your back or better yet, have someone do it for you.

This should only take about 2- 3 minutes, especially once you get the hang of it.

Skin brushing tips

If more than one person in your family practices skin brushing for health, each person should have his or her own brush. Avoid brushing areas with skin cuts, wounds or rashes. Avoid the facial area, they make a special brush for that which is softer and better for that area. If you have any type of cancer, please check with a Naturopath to find out if skin brushing is okay for you.

Until next time, Stay healthy !
Dr. Jimmy Steger

Iced Tea

Harmful Ingredient: Propylene glycol alginate (E405)

What’s a food additive that contains compounds also found in automotive antifreeze and runway de-icer? Sadly, there are a few, including this one. Propylene glycol alginate is a food thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier, and it can cause cardiovascular or neurotoxic issues. And it’s used in Dunkin Donuts iced tea, among others.

Tilefish

Harmful Ingredient: Mercury

Ranked the #1 Worst Fish, you know tilefish must be pretty dangerous if it’s deemed scarier than shark and swordfish. You might as well drink some battery acid with the amount of mercury in these ocean creatures.

Eat This Instead: Atlantic Mackerel, aka the #1 Best fish on our list!

Microwave Popcorn

Harmful Ingredient: Trans-fats

If you thought the movie you were watching was terrifying, you probably haven’t taken a very close look at your popcorn. When air-popped, this snack has filling fiber and whole grains we love, but the microwaveable varieties are an entirely different beast. Many major brands like Jolly Time and Jiffy Pop contain heart-harming trans fats. What’s more, butter-flavored favorites are almost always laced with diacetyl (DA), a chemical that has been found to break down the layer of cells that protects one of our most vital organs: the brain. Now that’s some scary stuff!

Fast Food Chicken Nuggets

Harmful Ingredients: Diglycerides, Red #40, carrageenan

Chicken nuggets all start with chicken but also contain several synthetic ingredients from diglycerides to Red #40 to carrageenan. These chemicals help make overly-processed foods like chicken nuggets possible because that’s what keeps the (very few) organic materials in the nuggets from going bad (or looking weird) after days spent traveling on the road or months in the freezer. But even if you buy them at the grocery store, you might not be safe.

White Sugar

Harmful Ingredient: Sugar (duh)

According to the CDC Americans eat a whopping 82 grams of added sugar a day—which is 37 grams above the recommended intake! There’s a gross factor to white sugar, too: Refined white sugar is bleached in a process that entails running the sugar through “bone char” or “natural carbon”—both fancy terms for charred cattle bones. Confectioner’s and brown sugar can also be culprits, as they are variations of white sugar. Say goodbye to added sugars—and goodbye to your belly

Sugary Cereal

Harmful Ingredients: Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), refined carbs, added sugar

There’s no sugar-coating it: sugar wreaks havoc on the body. Consuming too much of the white stuff can lead to obesity, which often causes other health problems like diabetes and heart disease. And many cereals pack more sugar into one bowl than you’ll find in a Boston Kreme Donut! To make matters worse, many popular varieties like Frosted Flakes and Fruity Pebbles are also laced with Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) or BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole), ingredients that are banned in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and much of Europe because they are thought to be carcinogenic.

Diet Sodas

Harmful Ingredients: Caramel coloring, brominated vegetable oil (BVO), Bisphenol A (BPA), aspartame

What do cancer-causing artificial colors, flame retardants, and waist-widening fake sugars all have in common? They’re ingredients in all your favorite diet fizzy drinks. Shove all that into a plastic bottle laced with BPA, a chemical that’s been linked to obesity, and you’ve pretty much got the worst drink ever. Nearly all popular diet sodas contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener that raises glucose levels, overloading the liver and causing the excess to convert into fat. And that’s not all: The caramel coloring found in brown beverages like Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper has been proven to cause cancer in animals and is a possible carcinogen for humans. If citrus-flavored sodas like Diet Mountain Dew and Fresca are your go-to, you’re not off scot-free. Instead of caramel coloring, they contain BVO, a chemical used in rocket fuel and flame retardants that may reduce fertility and can negatively affect thyroid hormones.

Coffee Creamer

Harmful Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, trans fats, added sugar

Coffee creamer and sunblock have more in common that you might think. They both contain titanium dioxide, an ultraviolet radiation blocker that doubles as a whitening agent. Besides lurking in many conventional creamers, it’s also found in seemingly ‘healthy’ bottles, too. The additive has been proven to cause liver and tissue damage in mice, and may also have health implications in humans, according to a recent review of the chemical. Coffee creamer is also typically packed with trans fats, often hiding under its lesser-known name: hydrogenated oil. Pretty much all of Coffee Mate’s products have this scary ingredient that has been shown to diminish memory in adults under 45 years old. If you’re working hard or don’t want to forget where you parked your car, this is one ingredient you should steer clear of.

Processed Meats

Harmful Ingredients: Nitrate, excess sodium

The bacon and sausage you enjoy for breakfast and the deli meats you use to make your lunch may be putting your life at risk. How? Many of these meats contain nitrates, a preservative that interferes with the body’s natural ability to process sugar, which increases the risk for diabetes. It can also up your odds of developing thyroid and colon cancer. If that wasn’t bad enough, most processed meats are also loaded with sodium, a known contributor to hypertension that can make you bloat and set you up to develop heart disease.

Deep Fried Foods

Harmful Ingredient: Hydrogenated oil

Fried chicken, fried cheese sticks, fried calamari, French fries. You won’t ever see these items marked as an “Eat This.” They cause trouble for your body for a variety of reasons and can wreak havoc on your weight. But there’s more: They’re also linked to depression. Deep frying is usually done in partially hydrogenated oil. Hydrogenation is a process that turns vegetable oil into a more solid form, which makes it a more shelf-stable product. Anything that is cooked with hydrogenated oils and contains trans fats could potentially contribute to depression. It can also clog your arteries and contribute to heart disease.

Frozen Entrees

Harmful Ingredients: Sodium, trans fats

From preservatives and artificial fillers to mountains of sodium that wreak havoc on your mood, frozen entrees are not to be trusted. So, you’ve been warned:

Restaurant Desserts

Harmful Ingredient: Sodium

And here you thought we’d say the sugar. And calories. And fat. And everything else. While that’s all true, and restaurant desserts are dangerous because the portions are often oversized, it’s the sodium content that many people don’t even think about. That innocent looking dessert you see pictured above has a whopping 1,380 calories, 92 grams of fat, 700 milligrams of sodium, 125 grams of carbs, and 86 grams of sugar.

Energy Drinks (most)

Harmful Ingredient: Sucrose, glucose, caffeine

Ever wonder why all energy drinks taste like cough syrup? We can only imagine the number of broken Bunsen burners it took to come up with the now-familiar energy drink formula. No doubt this strange medicinal taste makes consumers feel like they’re deriving real benefits from one of these cans. All they’re really deriving, though, is an overpriced chemical cocktail with the caffeine content of a strong cup of coffee and a lot of sugar (or scary artificial sweeteners). P.S.: A University of Maryland study found energy drinks to be 11 percent more corrosive to your teeth than regular soda.

Ice Cream

Harmful Ingredients: Soybean oil, titanium dioxide, artificial coloring

Most “premium” ice creams are overloaded with sugar and soybean oil, a fat that’s been linked to weight gain. Some even contain harmful artificial coloring agents and titanium dioxide, an additive that gives sunblock its white hue!

Breakfast Biscuits (white flour)

Harmful Ingredient: Trans fat

Making biscuits from scratch can take forever, and the majority of the packaged varieties are chock full of trans fats, an artificial fat—invented to make baked goods more shelf-stable—that’s been linked heart disease. Each of Mary B’s Buttermilk Biscuits carries three grams a pop (which is more than a day’s worth). And though the nutrition label on Pillsbury Grands! Buttermilk Biscuits reads “0 grams” in the trans fat column, it’s made with hydrogenated soybean oil—a dead giveaway that there are traces of the dangerous fat in the biscuits.

Pancake Syrup

Harmful Ingredients: High fructose corn syrup, caramel coloring

Famous syrup brands like Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth are made with two ingredients we’re constantly telling readers to avoid: health-harming high fructose corn syrup and caramel coloring.

Farmed Salmon

Harmful Ingredients: Omega-6s, PCBs

Atlantic salmon is the Kid Rock album release of the refrigerator section: Always bad news. By definition, all Atlantic salmon is farm-raised and packed with inflammatory omega-6s. Because salmon farmers feed their fish soy, farmed salmon has around 1,900 milligrams of the unhealthy fatty acid while wild salmon has just 114 milligrams. It gets worse: Farmed salmon are usually dyed pink, have been found to be high in PCBs (cancer-causing industrial chemicals that were banned in 1979) and have one-fourth the belly-flattening vitamin D of their wild cousins.

Sports Drinks (most)

Harmful Ingredients: Wood rosin, artificial dyes

Whoever invented the Gatorade Dunk—the tradition in which winning sports teams dump coolers of the stuff on their coaches—was really on to something. One scan of the nutrition label and it’s clear: The sports drink is better off seeping into the sidelines than your stomach. Sure, it provides critical post-workout electrolytes, like sodium and potassium, but it also serves up a hearty helping of calories and sugar. In fact, there are 56 grams of the sweet stuff (which is more than a day’s worth) in a 32-ounce bottle. What’s more, the beverage is teeming with stomach-churning additives like wood rosin and artificial dyes that have been linked to cancer and hyperactivity in children.

Muffins (commercial)

Harmful Ingredients: Soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, and trans fats

That innocent-looking muffin may just give you a muffin top if you’re not careful. Hey, the name had to come from somewhere, right? A typical blueberry muffin carries nearly 400 calories and a third of the day’s fat, and eating half now and “saving the rest for later” is near impossible—likely because foods rich in carbs, fat and sugar can be downright addicting. A University of Montreal study found that mice who had been fed diets with high levels of those very nutrients displayed withdrawal symptoms and were more sensitive to stressful situations after they were put on a healthier diet. Plus, many commercial muffins are also spiked with waist-widening soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup and trans fats, an ingredient that’s been shown to decrease brainpower and diminish memory.

Mac & Cheese

Harmful Ingredients: Coloring agents Yellow 5 and Yellow 6

The glow-in-the-dark color of most mac and cheese products on the market doesn’t exist in the natural world and shouldn’t be ingested. Why? Well, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, studies have linked artificial food coloring to allergies, ADHD, and cancer in animals. Many of these dyes are made from coal tar — just like the products used to seal-coat industrial floors and kill bugs in lice shampoo.

Tofu

Harmful Ingredient: Magnesium sulfate

Hardly what you might think of as a risky food item, virtually flavorless tofu—which is made by coagulating soy milk and pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks—actually harbors a the nasty coagulant magnesium sulfate. Studies have shown it can cause cancer in laboratory animals.

Splenda

Harmful Ingredient: Sucralose

You don’t want your liver and kidneys to swell while your thymus gland shrinks. But if you did, consuming lots of the artificial sweetener Splenda would be a fantastic way to do it.

Hot Dogs

Harmful Ingredient: Orange B

There are plenty of good reasons not to eat hot dogs—their high levels of sodium and cancer-causing preservative nitrates are just two—but if you need another, here you go. The casing of many hot dogs is colored with a food dye called Orange B. High doses of it are bad for the liver and bile duct.

Shortening

Harmful Ingredient: Trans fats

Mama’s baby may like shortening bread, but that’s because the infant’s knowledge of what trans fats do to his body is patchy at best. Harmful trans fats abound in any food that lists shortening or partially hydrogenated oil as an ingredient. Trans fats will clog your arteries and cause obesity, but they’ll also increase your risk of metabolic syndrome.

Dyed Oranges

Harmful Ingredients: Citrus Red #1 and #2

This one’s a shocker: Oranges are bought more swiftly when they’re a little more orange than the color that was named after them. That’s what led someone to hit upon the idea of spray-painting them so they’d appear ripe, even if they aren’t. Both of these dyes can damage chromosomes and lead to cancer..

Frozen Fish & Fish Products

Harmful Ingredient: tert-Butylhydroquinone

This ingredient is found in many different food and non-food items, but the highest limit (1 gram/kg) permitted is for frozen fish and fish products. It’s a preservative that’s effective at extending storage life and, at high doses, could cause stomach tumors.

Soy Veggies Burgers

Harmful Ingredient: Soy protein

Soy protein is made from genetically modified soybeans (often grown in China) and then subjected to hexane, a chemical solvent that can literally explode.

Chewing Gum (most)

Harmful Ingredient: Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)

If you don’t swallow it, can chewing gum count as a food? Yes, because BHA is being released into your mouth. Used as a food preservative, BHA is commonly found in chewing gum, butter, cereals, snack foods, and beer. Not only has BHA have been shown to impair blood clotting when consumed in high quantities, but it’s also been linked to the promotion of tumor growth. Which led it to be banned from food in the UK, Japan, and many other European countries.

White Flour

Harmful Ingredient: Chlorine dioxide

A bleaching agent, chlorine dioxide is used in a variety of ways, including water treatment and the whitening of flour. According to research undertaken by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, this chemical has been linked to cancer.

Candy (most)

Harmful Ingredients: Artificial coloring, added sugar, saturated fats

You already knew all the artery-clogging fats and addicting sugars in candy weren’t doing you or your family any favors, but you likely didn’t realize that certain candies can make it more difficult for your little ones to concentrate. A few years ago, researchers discovered that the artificial colors, Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 (found in M&Ms), promote Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in children. In fact, Norway and Sweden have already banned the use of these artificial colors, and in the rest of the EU, foods containing these additives must be labeled with the phrase: “May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

Turkey

Harmful Ingredient: Arsenic

You may know arsenic as a toxic chemical, but it’s also handy at staving off parasitic infections in poultry. As recently as early 2011, a drug called Roxarsone—which was later found to contain traces of inorganic arsenic—was still being used in chicken feed for this reason, and because it made chicken meat appear pinker and fresher. Since then, the National Chicken Council has said that it is no longer using arsenic-based drugs. The National Turkey Federation, however, says Nitarsone, another arsenic-based drug, is given to turkeys during the first few weeks of their lives and in summer months. It’s banned in the European Union. This stuff is bad for more reasons than can be listed here, but all you really need to know is that it is listed as a class 1 carcinogen, meaning that it’s highly toxic to humans.

Salad Dressing

Harmful Ingredients: Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sugar

This catchy-sounding item is used as a thickening agent in salad dressing and, in high quantities, it can cause cancer.

Baked Goods

Harmful Ingredient: Potassium bromate (bromated flour)

Banned in Europe, Canada, and even China, potassium bromate abounds here in the U.S. and is found in wraps, rolls, bread crumbs and bagel chips. This food additive is an oxidizing agent used in baking. It helps producers cook things faster. It’s also been linked to kidney failure and cell deterioration.

Bottled Water

Harmful Ingredient: BPA (Bisphenol-A)

BPA is a hormone-mimicking chemical found in nearly all food packaging plastics, and it’s potentially bad news. Active in just parts per billion, one of the things BPA is known for is causing men to grow breasts by disrupting their hormones. It can also promote cancer and render people infertile.

Beverage Concentrates

Harmful Ingredient: Acesulfame-K, also known as acesulfame potassium or Ace-K.

This artificial sweetener is often used to make the bitter aftertaste of um…other artificial sweeteners. Acesulfame potassium is suspected of causing benign thyroid tumors. In rats, the development of such tumors took only three months. Consequently, the substance is believed to have carcinogenic properties.

Dried Fruit Snacks

Harmful Ingredients: Sulfites

Sulfites, which naturally occur in all wines and are added to some others, are used to keep prepared foods fresh. They’re often used in dried fruit snacks. Asthmatics are at an elevated risk for reaction to sulfites (though anaphylaxis and life-threatening reactions are rare). Other reactions include fun stuff like sneezing, swelling of the throat, hives, and migraine.

Foods Coated with Artificial Chocolate

Harmful Ingredient: Polysorbate 60

Short for polyoxyethylene-(20)-sorbitan monostearate, this emulsifier is widely used in the food industry. Made of corn, palm oil, and petroleum, this gooey mix can’t spoil, and it often replaces dairy products in baked goods. It’s commonly contaminated with 1,4 dioxane, a chemical which has been shown to cause cancer in animals.

Pickles

Harmful Ingredients: Sodium and potassium benzoate

A professor of molecular biology and biotechnology tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells and found that benzoate damaged their mitochondria, an important area of DNA in the “power station” of cells. Potassium benzoate, like sodium benzoate often shows up in seemingly innocuous foods such as apple cider, low-fat salad dressings, syrups, jams, olives, and pickles, and it’s just as hazardous.

Jelly and Jams

Harmful Ingredients: Pectin and added sugar

These classic spreads look innocent enough, but they’re really just pieces of fruit smothered in calorie-laden sugar and pectin, a natural fruit fiber that makes the spread nice and sticky. What’s so bad about natural fiber? Well, just as it causes jelly to stick to your fingers, pectin also sticks to health-boosting antioxidants like beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein, carrying them out of your system before your body can benefit from them. Smuckers Strawberry Jam and Concord Grape Jelly both contain high levels of pectin and quite a bit of added sugar, so be sure to keep your distance.

Lifestyle is always the key, Stay away from these foods and you will see and feel the difference.

Until next time, stay healthy !
Dr. Jimmy Steger

Whey Protein Isolate

Research shows that whey-protein isolates increase the amount of glutathione in body tissues. Glutathione is a peptide (an amino acid derivative) that helps support the body’s immune system, placing whey protein at the top of the list for immuno-enhancing potential. This is one of whey’s main functional properties.

Whey protein contains the highest concentration (23% to 25%) of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) of any single protein source. This BCAA content is important because BCAA’s are an integral part of muscle development and are the first amine’s sacrificed.

Another functional property of whey is its ability to enhance natural glutathione production within the body. Glutathione is the body’s most powerful naturally occurring antioxidant and also plays a role in immune-system support.

Whey-protein isolates contain quadra-peptides (short protein chains containing four amino acids), which have been shown to have pain-killing effects. This is another powerful functional property that may help decrease muscle soreness following intense weight training.

Due to its excellent amino acid profile, solubility, and digestibility, whey has a high biological value (BV). Basically, BV is a measure of how well a protein is used by the body. One of the more interesting functional properties of whey protein is its reported ability to stimulate IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1) production. 22 IGF-1 is structurally and functionally similar to insulin and enhances protein synthesis (i.e., muscle growth).

Whey proteins provide unique health benefits, such as fighting infections and perhaps even fighting cancer. Recent studies have shown a regression in some cancerous tumors when patients consumed 30 grams of whey protein powder a day. Whey protein appears to play a direct role in bone growth. Studies show it may increase bone strength and bone protein, such as collagen.

Creatine

There are multiple studies which have evaluated the ergogenic value of creatine supplementation in various exercise tasks. In these studies, short-term (5 to 7 days) and/or extended (7 to 54 days) creatine supplementation (20 to 25 grams per day for 5 to 7 days and 2 to 25 grams per day thereafter) was reported to not only increase one-repetition maximum lifting strength but improve vertical jump performance, increase work performed during sets of maximal-effort muscle contractions, enhance single effort and repetitive sprint performance in sprints lasting 6 to 30 seconds, improve high-intensity exercise performance in events lasting 90 to 300 seconds, and increase maximal exercise capacity. The science surrounding the efficacy of creatine supplementation for enhancing many types of athletic performance is virtually indisputable, and it once again rates as one of the best bodybuilding supplements ever.

Nitric Oxide

Despite the claims of some in the sports supplement industry, there exists solid scientific evidence to suggest the efficacy of Nitric Oxide products. The following was written in May 1996 in a document prepared for the Royal Society and Association of British Science Writers:

“Summary research papers continue to flood the scientific journals and insights into the biological activity and potential clinical uses of nitric oxide (NO): a gas controlling a seemingly limitless range of functions in the body. Each revelation adds to nitric oxide’s already lengthy resume in controlling the circulation of the blood, regulating activities of the brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and other organs.” Since the above was written in 1996, Nitric Oxide containing products have continued to be touted by those in the medical profession, as well as by athletes looking to add muscle size and strength

The above quotation states that Nitric Oxide controls the circulation of blood, and transmits messages between nerve cells. The fact that nitric oxide increases blood flow should make it of interest to bodybuilders, as increased blood flow will serve to deliver more nutrients to muscles, thus helping muscles become larger when subject to stress. Nitric oxide also affects the endocrine system. It affects the release of gonadotroptin releasing hormone, as well as the release of adrenaline from the adrenal medulla. So who needs Nitric Oxide? Everyone because nitric oxide is needed to carry out key physiological processes within the body. From a bodybuilder’s perspective, nitric oxide supplementation may prove useful in increasing growth due to increases in blood flow to certain areas of the body. Signs of deficiency include physical weakness and extreme fatigue. Most “nitric oxide” supplements contain the amino acid Arginine-alpha-keto-glutarate. BSN’s NO-Xplode is my recommended choice, as it contains a good amount of Arginine-alpha-keto-glutarate, as well as other growth-enhancing peptides and nutrients.

Glutamine

L-Glutamine is considered the foremost amino acid for increasing cell volumization and thereby muscle growth. Cell volumization is the process of increasing cellular hydration. This increase in hydration (and the resultant increased cellular volume), recent studies have shown, is directly correlative to a powerful, positive anabolic signal for further muscle growth.

According to Dr. Dieter Häussinger—one of the world’s foremost authorities in the science of cell volumization—“It seems that cell swelling (or volumizing) acts like an ‘anabolic signal,’”—thus stimulating the muscle cell to grow in response to stress, such as weight-training exercise. In addition to its anabolic properties, when cells are swollen with water, this inhibits the breakdown of protein, glycogen and glucose (which are needed for muscular energy). Conversely, according to Dr. Häussinger, cell dehydration (shrinkage) directly stimulates catabolism. This can literally “eat away” at hard-earned muscle tissue and spell doom for those wishing to maximize muscle growth. Interestingly, muscle cell volumization may in part offer an explanation to the previously observed potent growth-promoting effects of certain nutrients, such as protein. For example, amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, have long been known to be essential for stimulating muscle growth. Newer research shows that certain amino acids serve as what Dr. Häussinger calls “intracellular osmolytes,” which basically means they draw water into the cell. This, in turn, triggers that “anabolic signal” Dr. Häussinger talked about earlier that somehow fires up the muscle-building machinery of the cell.

Of all amino acids examined for cellular volumization effects, glutamine appears to be one of the most important. In fact, according to Dr. Häussinger, the relationship between glutamine and cellular hydration may be fundamental to protein synthesis. In a study published in the European Journal of Biochemistry, Dr. Häussinger and colleagues discovered that cell volume can be increased by as much as 12 percent within two minutes of glutamine infusion and remain at their increased volumes for as long as glutamine is present. In other words, as long as glutamine content remains high within the muscle cell, cell volumization and anabolic processes also remain elevated. However, research has confirmed that once glutamine is depleted from the muscle, the cells lose water rapidly and that unenviable “muscle-wasting” state sets in.

Carthamus Tinctorius

C9-T11 has soared up the charts with its impressive clinical research results, glowing customer reviews, and testimonials from Champion athletes, including football players, boxers, and MMA fighters. Scientists from Norway’s Medstat Research Center have recently discovered a rare extract from an African plant called Carthamus tinctorius. The scientific name for this nutrient is Cis-9-Trans-11 (C9-T11 for short), and recent clinical tests are now showing this nutrient possesses remarkable muscle-building benefits. Clinical tests show subjects taking C9-T11 gained 700% more muscle in just 7 weeks. In my 28 years of reviewing clinical research, no other muscle-building supplement has facilitated such a large increase in muscle mass within such a short period of time. After interviewing many customers, as well as reviewing the clinical research studies, this product is the runaway #1 muscle-building recommendation for 2010.

So there we have it, these supplements listed will elevate you’re training to new heights and if you’re not on these presently, then it’s time you get with it. Remember the three things you have to have in order to be a great bodybuilder is Superior Nutrition, Smart Training and adequate rest every night. Without these, your hope of having the greatest physique you can build is being impaired greatly. So what do you say we get with it now, quit procrastinating, go to the gym and be the best you can be, Naturally!

Until next time, stay healthy!
Dr. Jimmy Steger

The Common Cold
Dr. Jimmy Steger

There is a connection between stress and susceptibility to the common cold. Lifestyle, in general, can have an effect on the immune system. Alcohol consumption, smoking and even skipping breakfast can make you more susceptible to colds and the flu, according to the Economic and Social Research Council (research released March 2002).
    A research study preformed at the School of Psychology at Cardiff University involved nearly 500 students. The subjects were asked to present themselves within six to 96 hours of contacting an upper respiratory infection. More of the 188 subjects who caught colds were likely to be drinkers or smokers than those who stayed healthy. Stress also seemed to increase the chance of illness.
    A second study, involving 100 participants, was performed. It related illness to dietary habits. The subjects kept a diary for 10 weeks; in it they recorded any problems with memory and attention and any illness. Subjects who had more than one illness during the study were less likely to eat breakfast and more likely to drink alcohol. Those who developed more than one illness also tended to have negative, stressful events over the proceeding year.
    According to Professor Andrew Smith, author of the studies, the studies demonstrate the effect of upper respiratory infections on performance and mood. They also show that health habits and behavior may be related to the tendency to get colds or the flu. “Further research on the impact of minor illnesses in industry and education is now needed’ says Professor Smith, Awareness of the effects of performing whilst ill should also be increased and possible counter measures considered”.

The Flu and Vitamin D

    According to research appearing in the British journal, Epidemiology and Infection (2006 Dec; 134(6):1129-40), there may be a connection between the flu and vitamin D deficiency. The article cites R Edgar Hope-Simpson, who noticed the seasonality of influenza epidemics, and the possible relation to solar radiation.
The researchers propose that the seasonal connection between vitamin D and the flu may be vitamin D. Flu season is during the winter, and vitamin D deficiency is common in the winter—due to the lack of solar radiation. Solar radiation triggers vitamin D production in the skin. Ultra violet radiation (found in sunlight) reduces the incidence of viral infections. Cod liver oil, a source of vitamin D, reduces the incidence of viral infections. Treating children with vitamin D reduced the incidence of respiratory infections. Activated vitamin D is a steroid hormone that has an effect on immunity. It reduces inflammatory chemicals (cytokines) and increases the effectiveness of certain white blood cells. it stimulates potent antimicrobial  peptides found in white blood cells and in the cells lining the respiratory tract.

Heath Care In America Could Be Better

    According to a report released in September, 2006 by the Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, American health care only scored 66 points out of a possible 100 and lagged far behind the rest of the industrialized world. American health care received low grades on efficiency, access to care and in outcomes.
    The United States spends about 15% of it GDP (gross domestic product) on health care, compared to 10% of the GDP spent by most other industrialized nations. Insurance administrative costs in the U.S. were more than three times the rate in countries with integrated payment systems. Nearly one-third of Americans under the age of 65 have trouble paying their medical bills. Unfortunately, the increased spending does not result in better care. The US rated 15th out of 19 nations with regard to preventable deaths. It is estimated that 115 per 100,000 people who would have survived if timely and appropriate medical care was administered. France scored highest in this category, with only 75 deaths per 100,000.
    The US ranks last in infant mortality, with 7 deaths per 1,000 births. The top three countries have 2.7 deaths per 1,000 births—less than half our number. We are at the bottom of the list in life expectancy. American children miss more school for illness than the children from the other industrialized nations. Fewer than half of American adults receive the recommended screening tests appropriate for their age and sex. Preventable hospital admissions for chronically ill patients (e.g.; those with asthma or diabetes) were twice as high compared to the nations at the top of the list. The rate of readmission of Medicare patients ranges from 14-22%.

Sub Optimal Vitamin Intake Linked To Disease

    According to an article appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2002; 287(23)3127-9), many of us may need to be taking vitamin supplements. This article acknowledges that while extreme deficiency syndromes (like pellagra and beriberi) are rare in Western society, sub optimal intake of certain nutrients is a risk factor for disease. The article states that deficiencies of folic, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 increase the risk for heart disease. These deficiencies also increase the risk for breast and colon cancers, as well as for neural tube defect (a common birth defect) in developing fetuses. Deficiencies of antioxidants, like vitamins A, C and E are also linked to a number of diseases. The article acknowledges that the diets of countless Americans are not getting enough of many of these nutrients and sees the wisdom of supplementation.

Where Did Those Super Bugs Come From?

    According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 19, 2002; 287:3096-3102, 3103-3109, 3133-3135), fewer doctors are prescribing antibiotics to children and teens than in 1990. This is an attempt to halt the rise in antibiotic resistant infections. Overuse of antibiotics in the past has created antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.
    Doctors gave only 30 million prescriptions for antibiotics between 1999 and 2000 to children under the age of 15. Between 1989 and 1990 the same age group was given 45 million antibiotic prescriptions. This is according to the Centers for Disease control and Prevention in Atlanta. The number of office visits was the same for the two periods of time.
    The authors of the JAMA article believe that the reduction in the number of antibiotic prescriptions was due to awareness that giving unnecessary antibiotics help to create bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. The article’s findings were formed from surveys conducted from 1989 to 1990, and then later from 1999 to 2000. The physicians reported on their use pf antibiotics in as many as 13,600 office visits with patients under the age of 15.

Nutrition and Lung Disease

    Research published in Epidemiologic Reviews (2001; 23(2): 268-87) indicates that antioxidants vitamins, like vitamin E and vitamin C may protect against the development of lung disease. Oxidation from free radicals (chemicals that have an electron that reacts easily) can be liked to damage done by chemical “bullets”. That spare electron is analogous to a bullet. Antioxidant nutrients act like chemical bullet-proof vests that protect the cell from oxidation. Antioxidants could also play a protective role in gene-environment interactions in complex lung diseases like childhood asthma.
    The authors did a review of the medical literature and found studies that indicated vitamin C supplementation improved lung function of COPD patients (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—emphysema and bronchitis). Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables may improve asthma symptoms in children. The researchers point out that fruits and vegetables contain many antioxidant components. Vitamin C is only one of those components, so it is hard to identify a single constituent that is most beneficial. While the researchers point out the protective effects of antioxidants on short-term lung function, they stop short of stating that long-term supplementation can slow the progression of lung diseases. They do, however, recommend antioxidant supplementation to patients who have high levels of oxidative stress (smokers, people who live where there is a lot of air pollution, etc.).
I suggest to all my patients use my pro-vitamin-multi-mineral formula along with  6,000mg. of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), mixed with bio-flavonoids. I also suggest to compliment this with a complete wheat germ product 3 times daily with their meals.  
If you truly want to be healthy, give up the junk food and add a few good supplements to your diet and watch the difference in your health.  Feeling is believing,  Let’s get healthy for life.

Until next time, Stay Healthy!

Dr. Jimmy Steger

ARE WE TREATING CANCER, BUT KILLING THE PATIENT?              
Dr. Jimmy Steger

Don’t we live in a crazy toxic world? It’s unbelievable some of the things that intelligent human beings get up to, destroying their own kind in the name of “medicine!” Read the following paragraph to understand what I mean:

The consultant oncologist picks up the phone angrily and calls his oncologist colleague who has been treating the patient sitting in front of him, “stop all chemotherapy immediately,” he says, “you have completely destroyed her liver which is pretty much irrecoverable!” This is exactly how this patient, who I was seeing for support using natural medicine, told me the story. She has received over 20 courses of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, plus countless surgeries, for a breast cancer that metastasized to the bones. Only God knows what her destiny will be!

The other oncologist treating her was quite prepared to continue bombarding her with more chemotherapy and radiation, without even thinking of the detrimental effects and side effects. The cancer was the enemy and this is what we shall attack, irrelevant whether we kill the patient. “The tumor shrunk, but we lost the patient” is something that is often heard in cancer circles.

To my mind, the logic stinks and should be carefully reviewed by all who say that they treat cancer. I think it is time to talk a little about cancer treatments for two reasons – first, it has reached pandemic proportions and many families are afflicted with the trauma of this disease, and second, because so many people are dying, even though they are being treated with chemotherapy, surgery and radiation.

If you are being diagnosed with cancer, invariable you will be told to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, etc. These seem to be the only so-called “proven” paths to take. Most people believe that all medical treatments are solidly grounded in science, and that in order to be made available to patients, such treatments must be unequivocally proven to be effective by rigorous clinical trials. This is simply not true!

But are there other paths that the cancer patient can take, while still under the care of their oncologist? The problem with any other natural treatment is that it is seen with suspicion by most medical doctors, often saying that they are unproven and therefore cannot be used. Dr. David Brownstein, in the forward of the book: Avoiding Breast Cancer wrote: “The pharmaceutical companies want us to believe that a cure for cancer will be found by a “magic-bullet” drug. This will never occur.”

WHAT IS THE SUCCESS RATE OF CHEMOTHERAPY?
It’s probably time to examine the success rate of chemotherapy that has been used for so many decades. What is the success rate of chemotherapy as used by oncologists?

An important paper has been published in the journal Clinical Oncology addresses exactly this question. This meta-analysis, entitled “The Contribution of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy to 5-year Survival in Adult Malignancies” set out to accurately quantify and assess the actual benefit conferred by chemotherapy in the treatment of adults with the commonest types of cancer.

All three of the paper’s authors are oncologists. Lead author Associate Professor Greame Morgan is a radiation oncologist at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney; Professor Robyn Ward is a medical oncologist at University of New South Wales/St. Vincent’s Hospital. The third author, Dr. Michael Barton, is a radiation oncologist and a member of the Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Liverpool Health Service, Sydney. Prof. Ward is also a member of the Therapeutic Goods Authority of the Australian Federal Department of Health and Aging, the official body that advises the Australian government on the suitability and efficacy of drugs to be listed on the national Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS)- roughly the equivalent of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Their meticulous study was based on an analysis of the results of all the randomized, controlled clinical trials (RCTs) performed in Australia and the US that reported a statistically significant increase in 5-year survival due to the use of chemotherapy in adult malignancies. Survival data were drawn from the Australian cancer registries and the US National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry spanning the period January 2004.

Wherever data were uncertain, the authors deliberately erred on the side of over-estimating the benefit of chemotherapy.

Even so, the study concluded that overall, chemotherapy contributes just over 2 percent to improved survival in cancer patients!

Yet, despite the mounting evidence of chemotherapy’s lack of effectiveness in prolonging survival, oncologists continue to present chemotherapy as a rational and promising approach to cancer treatment.

“Some practitioners still remain optimistic that cytotoxic chemotherapy will significantly improve cancer survival,” the authors wrote in their introduction. “However, despite the use of new and expensive single and combination drugs to improve response rates…there has been little impact from the use of newer regimens” (Morgan 2005).

The Australian authors continued:”…in lung cancer, the median survival has increased by only 2 months [during the past 20 years, ed.] and an overall survival benefit of less than 5 percent has been achieved in the adjuvant treatment of breast, colon, head, and neck cancers.”

Basically, the authors found that the contribution of chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adults was:

•    2.3 percent in Australia
•    2.1 percent in the USA

They emphasize that, for reasons explained in detail for the study, these figure’s, “should be regarded as the upper limit of effectiveness”(i.e. they are an optimistic rather than a pessimistic estimate).

A Further Significant Study
Another cancer researcher obtained similar results about 25 years ago, back in the eighties. A German epidemiologist from the Heidelberg/Mannheim Tumor Clinic, Dr. Ulrich Abel has done a comprehensive review and analysis of every major study and clinical trial of chemotherapy ever done. To make certain that he had reviewed everything ever published on chemotherapy, Abel sent letters to over 350 medical centers around the world asking them to send him anything they had published on the subject. Abel researched thousands of articles: it is unlikely that anyone in the world knows more about chemotherapy than he.
The analysis took him several years, but the results are astounding: Abel found that the overall worldwide success rate of chemotherapy was “appalling,” only 3%, because there was simply no scientific evidence available anywhere that chemotherapy can “extend in any appreciable way the lives of patients suffering from the most common organic cancers.”

SUCCESS OF CHEMOTHERAPY ONLY THREE PERCENT!
In fact, he found similar figures to the Australian oncologists- 3% – yes that is three percent! Abel emphasizes that chemotherapy rarely can improve the quality of life. He describes chemotherapy as “a scientific wasteland” and states that at least 80 percent of chemotherapy administered throughout the world is worthless, and is akin to the “emperor’s new clothes”- neither doctor nor patient is willing to give up on chemotherapy even though there is no scientific evidence that it works!

HOW WILL YOU TREAT YOUR CANCER DOCTOR?
In 1986, McGill Cancer Center scientists sent a questionnaire to 118 doctors who treated non-small-cell lung cancer. More than three quarters of them recruited patients and carried out trials of toxic drugs for lung cancer. They were asked to imagine that they themselves had cancer, and were asked which of six current trials they themselves would choose. Of the 79 respondents, 64 (81%) said they would not consent to be in a trial containing cisplatin, a common chemotherapy drug. Fifty-eight of 74 % of the oncologists found all the trials using any type of chemotherapy unacceptable. What reasons did they give? Basically, they quoted the ineffectiveness of chemotherapy and its unacceptable degree of toxicity.

Until next time, Stay Healthy!

Dr. Jimmy Steger

10 Foods That Help Reverse Diabetes
Dr. Jimmy Steger

Diabetes can be a fatal condition, especially if not controlled. Diabetics face a risk of suffering from conditions like heart disease, stroke, cataracts, and others. If one is not careful with their diet, they can die as a result of a stroke.
Being diabetic does not mean that it is the end of the road for you. You can reverse diabetes by eating a diet that helps to reduce blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity, and taking the right nutrients to help to heal the pancreas.
HERE ARE 10 FOODS TO INCORPORATE IN YOUR DIET TO HELP REVERSE DIABETES.

1. ALMONDS
Almonds are the King of Nuts and have been in existence since ancient times and are one of the main diets in the Mediterranean diet that is heart-healthy. Almonds are filled with vitamin E as well as monounsaturated fats that assist in lowering heart disease risk. These healthy fats assist in lowering LDL cholesterol when used to replace trans or saturated fats in the diet.
A quarter-cup of almonds has more protein than an egg. They also have magnesium, which aids in boosting dopamine that regulates moods and prevents depression.
Additionally, almonds also have calcium, riboflavin, and fiber. Due to their content of fiber, it can help in improving tummy issues, such as diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome, while boosting absorption of calcium.  Remember for best overall absorption; always soak your nuts and seeds for 10 hours pre-eating.
Research shows that consuming one serving of a handful of nuts four times per week can aid you to reverse the diabetes. A study discovered that including two 1-ounce servings of almonds every day in the diet helped participants have better intake of primary nutrients that assisted them to minimize their intake of dietary detractors such as cholesterol, sugars, trans fats, and excessive sodium.

2. WALNUTS
Walnuts are my second favorite and will help with preventing inflammation, diabetes, and heart disease. Research indicates that eating 8-11 walnuts per day minimizes overall cholesterol by up to four percent.
Walnuts are rich in omega-3s, which are essential in reducing the risk of diabetes, cancer, depression, high blood pressure, and heart disease. The recommended daily intake is 200 calories or a handful of walnuts.
They can be consumed as a snack or incorporated into recipes. You can enjoy a nutty flavor and delightful crunch by including chopped walnuts to any dish.
Walnuts are full of tryptophan, which is an amino acid that is required by your body to create serotonin, a feel-good chemical. They are digested gradually, which helps to stabilize your mood and can aid in tolerating stress. They also have ellagic acid that reduces artery-forming plaque.

3. FATTY FISH
Fatty fish consists of one of the healthiest foods. Mackerel, anchovies, salmon, herring, and sardines are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are beneficial to the health of your heart. Consuming these fats regularly assists to reverse the diabetes, which increases the risk of stroke and heart disease.
EPA and DHA aids in protecting the cells lining your blood vessels, minimize inflammation markers, and boost the functioning of your arteries after eating. Studies show that persons who consume fatty fish regularly face a lower likelihood of heart failure and have a lower risk of dying from heart disease.
In a study, older participants who ate fatty fish 5-7 days a week for two months had massive reductions in inflammatory markers and triglycerides. Fish also offer high-quality protein that assists you in feeling full and boosting your metabolic rate.

4. GREENS
Leafy green veggies are low in calories and packed with plenty of nutrients. They have low levels of digestible carbs that increase your levels of blood sugar. That’s why they can help you to reverse diabetes.
Kale, spinach, and other leafy greens are ideal sources of many vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C. In a particular study, increasing the intake of vitamin C minimized inflammatory markers and levels of blood sugar in participants with high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes.
Additionally, leafy greens are perfect sources of antioxidants zeaxanthin and lutein. These antioxidants safeguard your eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration, which are common complications of diabetes.

5. OLIVE OIL
Extra-virgin oil is very advantageous for the health of your heart. It has oleic acid, a kind of monounsaturated fat that has been proven to boost HDL and triglycerides, which are present in unhealthy levels in diabetics.
It also improves satiety hormone GLP-1. According to a study of various types of fats, the risk of heart disease was only reduced by olive oil.
Olive oil also has antioxidants referred to as polyphenols. They minimize inflammation, reduce blood pressure, prevent the damage of LDL cholesterol through oxidation, and safeguard the cells lining the blood vessels.
Extra-virgin oil is usually not refined and has numerous antioxidants and other nutrients that make it healthy. Make sure to pick this oil from a source that is reputable, because many olive oils are combined with cheaper oils such as soy and corn.

6. TURMERIC
Turmeric is a spice that when used to cook meals can offer numerous benefits to your health. It has an active ingredient called curcumin that lowers levels of blood sugar and inflammation while minimizing the risk of heart disease.
Moreover, curcumin seems to benefit the health of kidneys in diabetics. This is crucial since kidney disease is common in diabetics.
Unluckily, curcumin is not properly absorbed on its own. Therefore, ensure you consume it with piperine, a compound found in black pepper to improve absorption by up to 2,000 percent.

7. CHIA SEEDS
Chia seeds can help diabetics to reverse the diabetes. They are very rich in fiber, but poor in digestible carbs. Eleven out of twelve grams of carbs present in one ounce of these seeds are fiber, which fails to increase blood sugar.
The viscous fiber present in chia seeds can aid in lowering levels of blood sugar by reducing the speed of food movement in the digestive system. The seeds help in achieving a healthy weight due to the fiber that reduces hunger and increases satiety.
Additionally, fiber minimizes the intake of calories absorbed from other foods present in the same meal. Also, studies have shown the ability of chia seeds to reduce inflammatory markers and blood pressure.

8. EGGS
Eggs offer numerous benefits for your health. They are great for increasing satiety for hours. Also, regular consumption of eggs can minimize the risk of getting heart disease in many ways.
Eggs reduce inflammation, increase the levels of good HDL cholesterol, change the shape and size of bad LDL cholesterol, and improve the sensitivity of insulin. In a study, diabetics ate two eggs every day as part of a diet high in protein. They experienced improvements in blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Moreover, eggs are great sources of zeaxanthin and lutein antioxidants, which safeguard eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration. These eye diseases are common conditions in diabetics. Remember to consume whole eggs since many of these nutrients are present in the egg yolk.  Egg yolks should be drank and the whites should be cooked.

9. CINNAMON
Cinnamon is a sweet spice that has robust antioxidant activity. According to research, cinnamon can reduce levels of blood sugar and boost the sensitivity of insulin.
To reverse diabetes, you need to measure hemoglobin A1c, which shows your average level of blood sugar over 2-3 months. In a particular study, diabetic patients who took the spice for three months experienced more than twice reduction in hemoglobin A1c than those who were given standard care.
Research also shows that cinnamon can decrease triglyceride and cholesterol levels. However, restrict your consumption of cassia cinnamon, the kind present in the majority of grocery stores, to one teaspoon daily.
It has coumarin, which is associated with health issues at higher doses. But true cinnamon, also called Ceylon, has lower coumarin.

10. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Apple cider vinegar has numerous health benefits. Although it has been created from apples, its sugar has been fermented into acetic acid, and the final product has less than one gram of carbs per one tablespoon.
Studies have shown the ability of apple cider vinegar to boost the sensitivity of insulin and lower levels of fasting blood sugar. It could also minimize blood sugar response by up to 20 percent when consumed with foods rich in carbs.
In a particular study, diabetics had a six percent decrease in fasting blood sugar after consuming two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar prior to sleeping. This food could also slow the emptying of the stomach and boost satiety.
But this could be an issue in people who suffer from gastroparesis, a condition characterized by delayed emptying of the tummy, which is common in diabetics. Incorporate apple cider vinegar into your meals by mixing a glass of water with one teaspoon of the liquid daily as a start. Then increase the intake up to two tablespoons daily.  Incorporating these foods into your daily diet will help you tremendously however the real key is always in the minerals which is key to it all.  We will discuss this in later articles.
Until next time, Stay healthy !

Dr. Jimmy Steger

7 Signs you may be Unhealthy
Dr. Jimmy Steger

The human body is an amazing thing and it has the ability to send instant signals to the brain letting you know something may be wrong.  Some people go through life not paying attention to detail of their bodies and this is important. Let’s look at a few things that you may be overlooking today that could potentially lead to some real health problems further down the road.

1.    Skin
The quality of your skin is a sure-fire way to get a reading on your overall level of health. Of course, some people struggle with skin issues like acne and are otherwise perfectly fine — but skin quality can clue you in to some bigger problems. A poor diet can really impact your skin quality, and if you’re noticing blemishes like stretch marks? That should tell you that something is wrong.  Diet is first and foremost, the colon is second and should be looked at.
2.    Sleep Issues
Whether it be that you’re eating the wrong foods, ingesting too much caffeine late in the day, or not expelling enough energy during the day, not being able to sleep presents an issue — which cascades into further issues. I get all my patients off coffee and tea and get their diet straightened up and this can usually be fixed fairly easily as long as medicines are not the issue.
3.    Bathroom Issues
Yep, we’re getting down and dirty. Take note of the color of your urine, and even how frequently you’re going No. 2 — those could both provide important insight into the state of your overall health. Since you’re going to ask, your urine should be a pale yellow color — and hopefully odorless. As for your bowel movement frequency, there’s a wide range. However if you’re going regularly, meaning two times per day, you’re probably fine. And don’t ignore the grimy details during
4.    Chapped Lips
If your lips are constantly chapped, and you find that you can’t live without lip balm, that’s your body’s way of telling you that something’s wrong. Specifically, your lip condition is an indicator of your vitamin levels. If your lips are chapped, you may be vitamin strapped — so diversify your diet, and get the nutrients you need.
5.    Bad Nails
If the condition of your lips wasn’t a solid enough indicator, your finger and toe nails can also give you a heads-up if you’re unhealthy. You’re going to want to be on the lookout for ridges, discoloration, and bumps — all of which should be red flags. Your nails can tell you a lot about your overall state of health, so if something is strange, don’t ignore it.

6.    Cold Hands and Feet
Yes, there could be environmental factors at play, but if you’re consistently finding that your extremities are ice cold, it can be a sign of cardiovascular problems. Cold hands or feet might mean that you’re having circulation issues, and that your body isn’t getting blood where it needs to go. If this is a chronic issue, have it checked out.
7.    Forgetting Memory
It’s becoming quite clear that our cognitive ability and brain health are closely tied to our physical condition. That means that obesity and elevated levels of body fat can have a significant impact on our ability to think and reason. It’s kind of scary, but also a very promising area of research. So, if you can’t formulate a potent thought, it may be a sign that it’s time to drop some weight.  Remember flabby thighs equals a flabby brain, get in the gym and train that body for better overall health.
Until next time, Stay healthy !

Dr. Jimmy Steger

The Truth about Antidepressants
Dr. Jimmy Steger

Seems like most Americans these days have bought into the lie that taking some form of pill can solve any and all emotional or mental issues. If only it were that easy! And every time I try to give people a good dose of the truth, they point to one pharmaceutical study or another that tries to prove me wrong.  Well at least some of them, check this out.

According to new research from Stephen Wisniewski, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, antidepressants are only effective in a small percentage of patients with a narrow range of psychological disorders. Patients with multiple issues — which can be as many as 60 percent of the psychiatric patients in the U.S. — may not be getting any benefit at all from antidepressants.

How’s that for depressing news? It gets worse. This new study showed how big pharmaceutical companies may pump up the efficacy results of the drug trials for their antidepressants.

Wisniewski’s team examined data compiled in a massive, government-funded review of more than 40 psychiatric facilities. This study, known as the “Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression” (“STAR*D” for short), is a picture of nearly the entire population of depression patients in the U.S.

Researchers compared STAR*D patients to a group of subjects for a standard antidepressant drug trial conducted by a pharmaceutical manufacturer (the trials that the FDA commonly reviews as part of the approval process for new medications).

As it turns out, the parameters for joining a typical antidepressant drug trial were so narrow that just 22 percent of the patients in the STAR*D survey would qualify to be part of the trial.

This means that the pharmaceutical companies tests its antidepressants using patients who fall within a very small range of depressive symptoms… and then markets these same drugs to EVERY depression patient in the country.

Wisniewski said that “current efficacy trials suggest a more optimistic outcome than is likely in practice.” Let’s cut to the chase here. What he’s really saying is that Big Pharma is gaming the system to get new SSRIs approved by the FDA.

Of course he’s too afraid to come right out and say that, instead he said that he doesn’t intend his new study to be a smoking gun that proves the pharmaceutical industry is intentionally taking problematic patients out of the testing mix to get better efficacy results. He might not have “intended” it, but that’s exactly what he did. And it’s about time.

“If the population in a [clinical] trial were more representative, it would come at a cost,” Wisniewski says. “That’s why trials to determine efficacy are done on a relatively homogeneous population.”

Well, he’s right about one thing — experimenting with drugs does come at a cost. Either it’ll cost the deep-pocketed drug companies a few bucks, or it’ll cost you your health.

So which one would you choose? How about God’s Medicine, which is all natural and will not harm you, that is the one for me.

Until next time,  Stay Healthy!
 
Dr. Jimmy Steger