Professional Documents
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Frank Shallenberger’s
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measures the pH level (acidity) and trans- is actually good at producing acid. To do
mits the information back to a receiver that, have your doctor give you bicarbonate
attached to a computer. of soda to neutralize the existing acid. Then
The capsules are single-use and pass have him test again to see how long it takes
safely through the patient’s system in the for the stomach to re-acidify.
normal course of digestion. (The Heidelberg If you’re producing enough stomach
Capsule System shouldn’t be used with any acid, it should take about 10-15 minutes for
patient who has a history of intestinal block- your stomach to re-acidify. But some people
age.) They can tell your doctor if you’re not can take an hour or more to re-acidify. These
making stomach acid or if you’re not mak- people aren’t making enough stomach acid.
ing enough. Once you’ve determined the problem,
If the capsule measures a low acid the solution is very simple. You can simply
reading (a pH of 4 or higher), then you take betaine hydrochloride (most products
know your stomach has low acid levels that will have Betaine HCl on the label) to nor-
need to be treated. malize your stomach acid levels. Betaine
But even if the test shows you have hydrochloride is readily available at health
enough acid, you’re still not in the clear. food stores. In fact, many manufacturers
You still have to confirm that your stomach include it in their enzyme preparations. So
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Is Your Doctor Ignoring antacids and other drugs used to treat the symp-
This Common Cause of Folic toms of reflux and heartburn. These include
Tagamet, Nexium, Protonix, Prilosec, Prevacid,
Acid Deficiency? AcipHex, Reglan, and Zantac. All of these drugs
You probably already know how important suppress the body’s ability to produce stomach
folic acid is for your health. It’s vital for energy acid. And stomach acid is required for you to
production, cancer prevention, cardiovascular absorb folic acid. When you use these drugs on
health, mood, and brain function. It’s also a a regular basis, they can cause a deficiency.
critical nutrient needed to prevent birth defects. Then there’s the anti-seizure medication
If that’s not enough, folic acid deficiencies Dilantin. Doctors have used Dilantin (pheny-
can lead to gingivitis and periodontal disease, toin) for decades to control seizures (see page
gout, and restless leg syndrome. And to make 8 for a better way to control seizures). I know
matters worse, folic acid deficiency is common. you may not suffer from seizures. But some
Several studies show that 30% of people over 60 anti-aging researchers are now promoting it as
are folic acid deficient. These deficiencies usual- a so-called “smart drug.” They say it’s able to
ly are the result of a poor diet. But most doctors protect the brain from the deteriorating effects
overlook another common cause. of aging.
Certain medications can cause folic acid But Dilantin causes folic acid deficiency. It
deficiency. Some of these drugs are very popular. does so by interfering with the enzyme mucosal
The most common is aspirin. A close second is conjugase. Your body uses mucosal conjugase to
you may be able to take one product to health issue. That’s because the early symp-
resolve two issues. toms can be relatively minor.
More Problems With Low But, left untreated, an H. pylori infection
can lead to gastritis, acid reflux, and ulcers.
Stomach Acid
The typical symptoms of an H. pylori
Stomach acid doesn’t just help you infection are a nauseous, boring kind of dis-
digest your food. It also protects you from comfort. It’s almost like a strong hunger
all sorts of nasty bugs. In fact, your diges- pang in the pit of your stomach. It’s usually
tive system is your body’s first line of eased somewhat by food. And gets worse
defense against foreign invaders. So low when you don’t eat anything at all.
stomach acid is a real health problem. And This “gnawing” sensation indicates an
many people who have low stomach acid inflammation of the stomach. And it can
also have these bugs in their gut. eventually lead to an ulcer.
One of the most common bugs to infil- Diabetics have a similar gnawing prob-
trate your digestive system is the bacterium lem. But there’s a difference between H.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). You may pylori’s nausea and hunger pang and the
have heard of the link between H. pylori kind blood sugar problems can cause. With
and ulcers. But this bacteria is linked to blood sugar problems, you usually feel weak
other digestive disorders as well. In fact, and run-down. But with an H. pylori infec-
I’ve found that virtually all my patients who tion, you don’t get that weak feeling. You
suffer from acid reflux also have an H. just get the gnawing in your stomach.
pylori infection!
Because the symptoms don’t seem
An H. pylori infection is one of those severe at first, people don’t seek treatment
problems that seems almost insignificant at for an H. pylori infection until it has led to
first. It’s more of an inconvenience than a real problems, such as an ulcer. And, due to
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absorb folic acid in the intestines. The anti-cho- will suffer just as if you were deficient.
lesterol drug cholestyramine acts in much the Another drug that does the same thing is
same way. methotrexate. Methotrexate is a chemotherapy
Another cause of folic deficiency is the drug used to treat cancer, lupus, and rheuma-
class of medications called the progestins. The toid arthritis.
drug medroxyprogesterone (used in Provera If you’re taking any of these drugs, do
and Prempro) is a progestin. Birth control pills yourself a favor and find a doctor versed in nat-
all contain progestin. Just how progestins result ural treatments to help you find a substitute.
in depleted folic acid levels is unknown. Then take at least 2 mg (4,000 mcg) of folic acid
However, the fact is well established. a day for a few weeks. Then have your blood lev-
The drugs I’ve mentioned so far are the els checked to make sure you are taking enough.
most commonly used ones, but there are others. References:
Trimethoprim is one example. This antibiotic,
Alter, H. J., et al. Interrelationship of rheumatoid arthritis, folic
which is an ingredient in the drugs Bactrim and acid and aspirin. Blood. 38:405-416, 1971.
Septra, prevents urine infections in adults and
Runcie J., Folate deficiency in the elderly. Folic Acid In
children. Trimethoprim inhibits the enzyme Neurology, Psychiatry, And Internal Medicine by Botez MI and
dihydrofolate reductase, which folic acid Reynolds EH. New York, Raven Press, 1979, pp.493-99.
requires to function in the body. With this drug, Russell, R. M., et al. Effect of antacid and H2 receptor antago-
your blood levels of folic acid can be normal, but nists on the intestinal absorption of folic acid. J Lab Clin Med.
your body won’t be able to use the vitamin. You 112:458-463, 1988.
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also kills the H. pylori bacteria. So it’s doing H. pylori is a common cause of periodontal
double duty. And combined with cabbage disease. And swallowing the bacteria from
juice and cayenne pepper, this powerful your mouth can cause recurring infections
combination has provided relief for every in your gut. But the chewing gum usually
one of my patients who has tried it. clears up this problem right away.
Take 1,000 to 2,000 mg of mastic gum There you have easy solutions to two of
a day. It’s available as a chewing gum or as a the most common causes of digestive prob-
wafer in most health food stores. I recommend lems. Next month, I’ll discuss the other two
you take both the wafer and the chewing – and give you more great solutions that
gum. The wafer will take care of the bacteria really work. And I’ll show you a unique way
in your gut. And the chewing gum will kill to prevent digestive problems that you’ve
any H. pylori you might have in your mouth. never heard before.
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to do: It eliminates the irritation. And it 1-5%. However, please keep in mind that
uses inflammation to do so. However, the the longest study I could find was only 12
immune system can’t stop the original months long. Nobody really knows what’s
cause from constantly irritating your eyes. going to happen after 12 months.
So your immune system just keeps on creat- Since you’re supposed to use Restasis
ing inflammation. indefinitely, I don’t think you should use
Then, after months or even years, the this drug unless you feel like being a guinea
chronic inflammation causes the eyes to pig for Allergan, Inc.
stop producing tears. The lack of tears only
worsens the original irritation. And the Correct the Problem Instead
whole process intensifies. The end result is Rather than being a guinea pig, why
a patient who complains of irritated, dry not just correct the problem that caused
eyes that can be relieved only by putting a the dry eyes in the first place? After all,
drop of artificial tears in each eye every one everything has a cause. This may include
to two hours. That’s where Restasis comes hormone replacement therapy (using
to the rescue. bio-identical hormones) and/or vitamin
Restasis contains an immune-suppres- supplementation.
sive drug. So putting it in your eyes will Until you find the results, there’s a
suppress the immune system, which elimi- far safer way to treat the symptoms. I’ve
nates the inflammation. The good news is had great results over the years using a
that instead of needing to use artificial tears homeopathic eye drop that you can now
every one to two hours, you can have the buy over-the-counter. It’s called Similisan
same level of symptom relief by using Pink Eye Relief.
Restasis only twice a day. The bad news is
that since Restasis does nothing to clear up These drops contain homeopathic con-
the actual cause of the dry eyes, you must centrations of belladonna, hepar sulphurius,
use it forever. and euphrasia, and they are very effective
at eliminating eye irritation no matter what
Relief Comes With Terrible the cause. They don’t contain any drugs.
Side Effects And they can be safely used even in preg-
nant and nursing mothers. While the
Before you decide to use Restasis for Similisan drops treat the symptoms, you
the rest of your life, let me suggest that and your doctor can look for and eliminate
you take a look at the side effects of the the factors that caused the irritation in the
drug it contains. Some of the worst are first place.
seizures, loss of consciousness, difficulty
You can find Similisan Pink Eye Relief
controlling body movements, changes in
at most health food stores and on the
vision, confusion, headache, diarrhea,
Internet.
heartburn, muscle or joint pain, breast
enlargement in men, and difficulty falling References:
asleep or staying asleep. Galatoire, O., C. Baudouin, P.J. Pisella, F. Brignole. “Flow
cytometry in impression cytology during keratoconjunctivitis
That’s an awfully long list of potential sicca: effects of topical cyclosporin A on HLA DR expression.” J
problems. And to be fair, in all the studies Fr Ophtalmol. 2003 April;26(4):337-43.
that I investigated, none of these side NIH web site: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/
effects showed up. The only reported side medmaster/a601207.html.
effects were burning of the eyes in 17% of Restasis website: http://www.restasis.com
those using the drops, and redness of the Stonecipher, K., H.D. Perry, R.H. Gross, D.L. Kerney. “The
eyes, discharge, eye pain, strange body impact of topical cyclosporine A emulsion 0.05% on the out-
comes of patients with keratoconjunctivitis sicca.” Curr Med
sensations, itching, stinging, and visual dis-
Res Opin. 2005 July;21(7):1057.
turbance (most often blurring) occurring in
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Q. Will ozone therapy help someone ness, heat, and swelling. It can also attack
the ankle or knee, but this is very uncom-
with seizures? My grandson, age 9, is
on several drugs, but he continues to mon. A key to the diagnosis is the blood uric
have seizures. — Audrey P., via e-mail acid level. It will always be abnormally high
in an acute attack, and is usually high even
Dear Audrey, when the attack is over.
This is one of the few conditions that Here’s the best natural treatment:
ozone will not help. But there is a treatment Limit your diet to only vegetables, fruit, and
that’s worked in every case I ever tried — water until the attack is over. Take 400 mg
children and adults. It’s so easy, you can do of boswellia extract every eight hours, and
it at home. drink 10 ounces of pure cherry juice every
four hours. In all but the worst cases, you’ll
All you have to do is completely elimi-
see relief within 24 hours.
nate all carbohydrates from his diet. This
includes fruit, cereals and grains, sugars, Once it’s gone, prevention is important.
starches, and beans. What’s left? Meat, The condition is genetic and will return if
dairy, eggs, salads, and vegetables. you don’t take the proper measures.
Check his urine every morning with First of all, limit dietary protein to the
marker sticks you can find in the drugstore minimum you need to be healthy. This often
called KetoStix. When you have eliminated means eating animal protein only once or
enough carbohydrate from his diet, the twice a week. The worst protein in this
sticks will turn purple. This indicates that regard is the red meats and seafood, such as
his body is now producing something called shrimp and shellfish.
ketones. Ketones are a normal byproduct of Next, limit your alcohol intake.
metabolism. Ketones have a very calming Alcohol, particularly beer and wine, tends to
effect on the nervous system, and I have block the ability of the kidney to excrete
never seen them fail to prevent seizures. uric acid, and can precipitate an attack.
When the seizures are under control, Third, watch out for aspirin and cer-
you can try adding in a little carbohydrate, tain supplements, particularly anything that
just enough to cause the purple color to dis- contains yeast, niacin, inositol, RNA, or
appear on the KetoStix. Of course, also DNA. Also, watch out for the sugar fructose.
make sure that he has had a hair analysis to You’ll find large amounts in soft drinks. Too
check for heavy metals, as well as full nutri- much will raise the uric acid level and cause
tional testing. My favorite nutritional test is gout. Follow these measures until you can
the Functional Intracellular Analysis per- verify that you are keeping your blood uric
formed by Spectracell Laboratories. This is acid level in the normal range.
a blood test, and your doctor can learn more
about it at www.spectracell.com.
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