Al Sears Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Why Diabetes Risk Is Higher for Older White Women

The AHA! Team — Sun, 02 Jun 2024 08:13:53 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – Phthalates – the toxic chemical cocktail manufacturers use to make plastic products more durable and personal products smell better – can increase your risk of developing diabetes by up to 63%… That’s the terrifying conclusion of a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.1 And according to the researchers, the damaging effects extend beyond diabetes in these women. Phthalate exposure also contributed to a higher incidence of obesity, infertility, and other endocrine disorders over a six-year period. For reasons not yet understood by the scientists, this damaging association was not seen in middle-aged Black or Asian women—the team plan to investigate these “apparent racial and ethnic differences” in future studies. In a recent letter I wrote you, I warned of how these estrogen-mimickers are affecting men and boys… I’ve been sounding the alarm and warning my patients about the dangers of phthalates for more than 20 years. Sadly, in all that time, the problem has gotten much worse. And the number of products polluted with these alien estrogens has increased. Worldwide, 12 BILLION pounds of phthalates are produced each year. They can be found in thousands of everyday items we bring into our homes on a regular basis. They’re present in medical devices, prescription drugs, cleaning products, personal care products, Phthalates are even in the air you breathe and the foods you eat. In one study, more than 80% of food samples were found to contain a phthalate known as DnBP, while 86% contained a plasticizer known as DEHT.2 Not surprisingly, fast foods, processed foods, baked goods, and other packaged items contain the most phthalates. There are steps you can take to minimize your exposure. Here’s what I tell my patients: Take these simple steps to protect your home and family. Stop storing food in plastic containers and never use them to heat foods. Dust often to remove phthalates from your home. Don’t use products with artificial fragrances. Buy produce that isn’t packaged… even better is buying fresh food from a farmer’s market. And look for personal care products that are labeled phthalate-free. Choose pasture-raised animal protein. I’ve shared the benefits of eating only grass-fed and pastured protein for as long as I’ve been writing to you. Here’s one more… Conventional meat is commonly fed grain-based pellets that come from recycled food waste. Big Food manufacturers send leftover processed foods to industrial grinders, where they’re turned into animal feed (and pet food). Because it’s too expensive, these foods aren’t removed from their packaging, and everything – including plastic, cardboard, and adhesives – gets ground down into animal feed. Replace bottled water with filtered tap water. This simple step reduces your exposure 22-fold.3 The best filter to use is a reverse osmosis filter that forces water through a semi-permeable membrane that captures phthalates and other contaminants. Not just any reverse osmosis system will do, however. The system needs to be NSF/ANSI 58 certified. This certification indicates that the RO system has gone through rigorous tests to ensure it will give you the results you’re looking for. I’ve had these filters installed at my clinic, my offices, and my own home. Supplement to flush phthalates away Sadly, it’s impossible to avoid phthalates in today’s world. Unless you live in a bubble, it’s impossible to avoid them. But there are supplements that can help flush these chemicals from your body. Here are three I recommend to all my patients: Supplement with “crucifers in a capsule.” Veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage contain a compound called diindolylmethane (DIM). This helps your body break down and clear away estrogen mimickers. But it’s hard to get enough DIM from food. You’d have to eat two pounds or more of broccoli every day to get the amount you need. I recommend 100 mg daily. Add this DIM precursor. Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) helps prevent fake estrogens from attaching to your cell’s receptors. It also helps to metabolize estrogen into harmless compounds that are flushed away. Take 100 mg of Indole-3-carbinol per day. Use milk thistle (Silybum marianum). This is one of the best herbs for clearing toxins from your blood. It helps detoxify the liver and restore healthy liver function. Look for dried milk thistle extract. But make sure it has at least 80% silymarin, the active ingredient for liver cleansing. I recommend taking one 200 mg capsule twice daily. To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS References: 1. Peng M, et al. “Phthalates and incident diabetes in midlife women: the study of women’s health across the nation (SWAN).” J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023 Feb 8;dgad033. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgad033. Online ahead of print. 2. Edwards L, et al. “Phthalate and novel plasticizer concentrations in food items from US fast food chains.” J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2022 May;32(3):366-373. 3. Cox K, et al. “Human consumption of microplastics.” Environ Sci Technol. 2019;53(12):7068-7074. To read the original article click here.

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5-Steps to Relieve Tinnitus

The AHA! Team — Mon, 27 May 2024 08:03:23 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – My patient T.K. was a wreck. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. I asked him what was going on. “It’s nothing you can fix, doc,” he said. “I’ve been to three specialists, and they all told me the same thing… “I’ve got tinnitus, and I just have to live with it.” Luckily, I was able to help him. Tinnitus is an aggravating, nerve-racking, and unseen condition. The constant ringing in your ears robs you of sleep, makes you miserable as it drowns out your hearing, and, over time, makes you more prone to illness. Tinnitus also shatters your focus and concentration. Sadly, up to 25% of the U.S. population suffers from the condition.1 And that number skyrockets to up to 90% of people who are hearing-impaired. And standard medicine can’t do a darn thing to fix it. There’s no drug that cures tinnitus. But there are plenty of Big Pharma pills that can CAUSE it… The most common are analgesic drugs. These pain relievers are available by prescription and over the counter. Examples of analgesic painkillers include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories like Advil, Aleve, and Motrin; the acetaminophen in Tylenol, Excedrin, and NyQuil; and old-fashioned aspirin. But it’s not just painkillers that damage your ears. Blood pressure medications like ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, cancer drugs, and certain antibiotics can cause or worsen tinnitus. Anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants – Big Medicine’s “solution” to treat the symptoms – are known to actually increase the ringing in the ears.2 Another preventable cause of tinnitus is aspartame, the most common artificial sweetener on the market. Aspartame, which has been deemed safe by the FDA, is known as an “excitatory neurotransmitter.” It increases electrical activity in the brain, specifically in the auditory cortex. Use my 5-step protocol to relieve tinnitus For years, I’ve treated patients with a simple five-step protocol. Ditch your ear-damaging pain relievers. Taking an NSAID for the occasional aches and pain typically isn’t a problem. But if you find yourself reaching for one of these pills regularly, consider replacing it with a natural alternative… Tulsi (holy basil): This powerful adaptogen reduces inflammation. It also contains ursolic acid, which inhibits the production of the inflammatory COX-2 enzyme. I recommend taking 150 mg three times a day. Indian Frankincense — Indian Frankincense, also known as Boswellia, “significantly increases” both pain threshold and pain tolerance. Researchers even recommend it as a treatment for osteoarthritis.3 I suggest 400 mg three times a day. White Willow Bark. This plant contains salicin, the same compound found in aspirin. Studies show it relieves arthritis pain as well as lower back pain.4 I recommend 240 mg per day. Lower blood pressure with my favorite supplement. Studies show boosting CoQ10 can drop blood pressure an amazing 11 to 17 mmHg in systolic pressure and 8 to 10 mmHg in diastolic pressure.5 I recommend taking 100 mg daily until your blood pressure is controlled. At that point, you can drop to 60 mg. And make sure you take the ubiquinol form of CoQ10 – it’s the most potent. Protect your ears with omega-3. The Blue Mountain Hearing Study followed almost 3,000 people for eight years. The researchers found those with the highest intake of omega-3 had a 42% lower risk of hearing loss.6 I recommend taking 1,000 mg of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA each day. Look for a formula made from calamari oil. It has one of the highest concentrations of DHA available. Turn down the noise with ginkgo biloba. Over 40 clinical studies show ginkgo eases tinnitus. For example, one study had tinnitus patients take ginkgo or a placebo. After 12 weeks, the ginkgo group had reduced ringing.7 Take 80 mg three times a day. But make sure your ginkgo contains at least 24% “flavone glycosides” and 6% “terpene lactones.” Try this for trauma-related tinnitus. If your tinnitus was caused by exposure to loud noises, I recommend you use the brain-booster vinpocetine for relief. It’s widely used in Europe and Japan, but doctors in the Americas don’t know much about it. In one study, tinnitus disappeared in half of those who took it within one week of trauma. But even if you don’t take it right away, it can lessen the severity. Despite the time lapse since the trauma, 66% saw a significant decrease. I recommend 20 mg a day.8 To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS References: 1. Bhatt J, et al. “Tinnitus epidemiology: prevalence, severity, exposures and treatment patterns in the United States.” JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016 Oct 1; 142(10): 959–965. 2. Tang Z and Trussell L. “Serotonergic modulation of sensory representation in a central multisensory circuit is pathway specific.” Cell Rep. 2017;20(8):1844-1854. 3. Yu G, et al. “Effectiveness of Boswellia and Boswellia extract for osteoarthritis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” BMC Complement Ther Med. 2020:20(1). 4. Chrubasik S., et al. “Treatment of low back pain exacerbations with willow bark extract: A randomized double-blind study.” Am J Med. 2000. 5. Rosenfeldt FL, et al. “Coenzyme Q10 in the treatment of hypertension: a meta-analysis of the clinical trials.” J Hum Hypertens. 2007;21(4):297-306. 6. Gopinath B, et al. “Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and fish and risk of age-related hearing loss.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2010; 92( 2): 416-421 7. Morgenstern C. et al., “The efficacy of Ginkgo special extract EGb 761 in patients with tinnitus.” Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2002; 40(5): 188-97. 8. Konopka W, et al. “Treatment results of acoustic trauma.” Otolaryngol Pol. 1997;51 Suppl 25:281-4. To read the original article click here.

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Bali’s Proven Cancer Killer

The AHA! Team — Sat, 03 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – You’d have a good shot at preventing cancer by just eliminating one factor…by eliminating 10 of them—you’re providing yourself with significant anticancer protection. I don’t know if it’s the same with you, but one of my favorite things to do when I travel is eat. (Photo by Osha Key on Unsplash) I love to taste all the local cuisine. That’s why, of all the adventures I had on the paradise island of Bali, some of my favorite memories are of mealtimes. I remember having dinner one night at the home of my friends, Westi and Lelir. They are Balians—or traditional healers. As Westi and I chatted around the dinner table, Lelir came over with a dish that was one of the most fragrant meals I’ve ever come across. But more importantly, Westi told me its main ingredient was one of Bali’s most potent cancer cures. I’m talking about curcumin. It’s not surprising that Bali’s cancer rate is almost 75% less than in America. Curcumin is a phytochemical with astonishing health properties—but its ability to fight cancer is nothing short of extraordinary. You may even already have some in your kitchen cupboard, because it’s the main component of turmeric. It’s been used daily in Asia for at least 6,000 years as a medicine, beauty aid, cooking spice, dye and much more. I’ve recommended turmeric—as both a powerful medicinal herb and a cooking ingredient—since my first trip to Bali more than a decade ago. In the wild, turmeric is a tall, leafy plant—but its medicinal powers are found in its knobby red root which contains curcumin. The ancient healers of Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine didn’t understand why turmeric was so powerful—they just knew it worked. Now, modern medical research is slowly catching up and proving them right. Multiple scientific studies reveal that curcumin has more than 150 documented therapeutic benefits, and is a potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-venom â€” and anticancer treatment. In fact, curcumin is now known to target 10 separate factors that can lead to cancer. You’d have a good shot at preventing cancer by just eliminating one factor…by eliminating 10 of them—you’re providing yourself with significant anticancer protection. This is what Lelir, a fifth generation Balian healer, served us that night at dinner in the form of a dish called Nasi kuning, or Balinese Yellow Rice, cooked in turmeric and coconut milk. A recent study published in the journal, Anticancer Research, showed that curcumin targets and kills cancer stem cells â€” the young malignant cells that grow into tumors â€” but leaves normal, healthy stem cells untouched. Studies have shown that curcumin also: • Regulates tumor suppressor pathways and starves tumors of vital blood supply. • Triggers programmed cell death in breast cancer cells. • Targets destruction of cancer-cell mitochondria while leaving healthy cells alone. • Halts replication of cancerous cells. • Blocks molecules to prevent tumors from growing and spreading. • Prevents DNA damage. More studies show that curcumin strikes at multiple targets in prostate cancer, interfering with the spread of cancer cells and regulating inflammatory responses through NF-kB, the master regulator. Curcumin has also been shown to suppress colon cancer when combined with other polyphenols, such as resveratrol. And the combination of curcumin with green tea extracts has prevented experimentally induced colon cancer in animal studies. Other studies have shown the power of curcumin against blood cancers, brain cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and bladder cancer. I recommend curcumin to all my patients â€” as both a cancer preventer and treatment. Not only does curcumin contain powerful cancer-fighting compounds, it’s also loaded with antioxidants. These neutralize and remove dangerous free radicals from your body. And curcumin is great at reducing inflammation, the main root cause of cancer in the first place. It makes great additions to stir-fry dishes and stews. I add turmeric in soups, cooked vegetables, deviled eggs and salad dressings. I also use it in scrambled eggs and marinades. Try throwing half a teaspoon of each into your pan when you’re sautÃ©ing vegetables to give them a nice little kick… or add them into a smoothie. But one of my favorite ways of enjoying turmeric this time of year is by making Golden Milk. One of my favorite beverages this time of year is a hot drink called Golden Milk that blends coconut milk with turmeric. This is a modern version of an ancient Indian beverage called haldi doodh. The classic drink is nothing more than powdered turmeric dissolved in hot milk. This updated version adds a few extra ingredients that kick up the health benefits a notch. They also add incredible flavor. This recipe serves four. Golden Milk Ingredients: 2 cups coconut milk 1 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil 1 teaspoon turmeric root powder 1 teaspoon raw honey Â½ teaspoon cinnamon Â¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns Directions: Blend all ingredients in a blender. Heat in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot, but not boiling. Top with a pinch of cinnamon and enjoy! Of course, turmeric is also available as a supplement. I recommend a curcumin supplement that contains piperine, a black pepper extract that supercharges curcumin’s absorbency. Optimal doses have not yet been established for cancer treatment. Clinical trials have used up to 8,000 mg per day. I recommend dosages of 1,000 mg to my patients. To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS To read the original article click here. 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