The Center for Disease Prevention & Reversal Blog

While I am not into fad diets or dieting, I do support creating the right diet for individual metabolic needs.

Over the years I have used virgin coconut oil in patients with everything from seizure disorder to metabolic syndrome and cancer. The benefits of virgin coconut oil are many: production of ketones due to the medium chain triglyceride (MCT) content, improved brain fuel, reduced insulin needs, improved immune function, catharsis (a laxative effect), reduced hunger, improved brain function, increased sex drive and more.

There has been a big misconception regarding coconut oil and its effects on the lipid
profile. The negative information was borne out of studies performed decades ago where coconut oil had been hydrogenated for export. Virgin coconut oil (VCO)is not detrimental to the lipid profile. In fact, using the oil regularly can lead to lowered insulin levels and hence larger, healthier LDL particles.

Another misconception is that eating lots of fish oil is great. While omega 3 oils are beneficial on the lipid profile, they leave the body's fatty acids vulnerable to lipid peroxidation or oxidative damage and free radicals. Coconut oil provides some protection against this process.

The word ketones often scare folks as ketones in diabetics can lead to something called acidosis and this is not a good thing. However, in those that are not diabetic, this does not happen and a bit of ketone production can be great for brain fuel, weight loss, and reduced insulin needs.

I have many patients who have successfully lost and kept weight off, improved libido, improved brain function and reduced or eliminated their seizures by eating a diet with VCO or MCT oil along with a low carbohydrate diet. One should not eliminate the essential fatty acids of omega 3 and omega 6, nor should one eliminate the other beneficial oils, 9 and 12. A diet with well rounded fatty acids while being low but adequate in carbohydrates (enough for individual needs, can vary depending upon how active one is) and in protein (approx 1gm per kilo of body weight) is best for most.

A favorite spread containing VCO is taking coconut butter (found online or at natural foods markets) and mixing some of this with either walnut, hemp or chia oil in a double boiler just allowing the oils to slightly warm for mixing purposes. once cooled, the butter is now spreadable. Coconut butter without mixing is quite hard at room temperature and doesn't contain essential fatty acids. The combinations allows for an easily spreadable yummy nut butter that contains MCT and omega 3 oils.

Oxidative damage is something everyone has heard of but might not really understand.
The patients I see in my Chicago area office often show me the anti-oxidants they are taking with great delight. They know the supplements are somehow combatting the negative effects of bad things they might be exposed to.

Oxidative damage can come from many sources: radiation of all sorts which includes background radioisotopes that are always around, excessive solar radiation especially when the ozone layer is damaged or in high altitudes and specific foods and chemicals that have reactive oxygen. Heavy metals can be a big contributor.

Oxydation is necessary and our body creates compounds that lead to oxidation in specific situations such as in infections when our immune system uses oxidative compounds to its benefit in order to kill dangerous bacteria.

Our bodies also produce oxidative compounds with excessive exercise, but the overall benefit is positive as this also stimulates high amounts of anti-oxidants in the body as well given good nutritional status.

The caveat is chronic and repetitive oxidative damage causes illness. And oxidative damage in infants can lead to neurological and behavioral problems.

Studies have shown that casein( an ingredient in dairy), and gluten ( a compound in un-sprouted wheat, rye and barley) prevent the absorption of an amino acid called cysteine. Cysteine is a vital constituent in the formation of glutathione a very powerful anti-oxidant.

Gluten also leads to a leaky gut and a leaky brain. This and the reduced glutathione could be a major contributing factor in children with autistic spectrum disorders and could be the reason that these children do better off of gluten and dairy.

It's important to note that the receptors in the brain for casein and gluten are similar to the receptors in the brain for opiods such as morphine and heroin and therefore the desire for these compounds can be very strong despite that they might be doing harm. The intake of morphine and other opiod compounds such as those in prescription pain relievers also reduce cysteine and therefore anti-oxidant capabilities.

Reducing the inflammatory state that most pain patients are in via dietary changes and supplements and using an FDA approved prescription device called SCENAR which balances the autonomic nervous system input as well as altering the firing of pain fibers, is the most effective and immediate way to reduce the need for pain medication.

I introduced readers to Zonulin a few entries back. To recap, Zonulin is a protein made by our bodies that creates loosening of tight junctions such as those in the gut, brain and testicles. The tight junctions control transportation of molecules across junctions.

An example is the prevention of food particles in the lumen of the gut from crossing over into the blood vessels. The food is broken down and nutrients extrapolated so as not to present foreign proteins to your own system. This is why we don't make antigens to everything we eat.

However, some people do seem to produce antibodies to many foods and eventually, some of those with this issue produce antibodies to parts of themselves. This is what autoimmunity is. Some examples of autoimmune diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, MS, psoriasis and even some forms of dementia. There are too many autoimmune disorders to list.

We now know one of the proteins involved with loosening the tight junctions is identified as Zonulin. Zonulin is increased by gluten intake irregardless of genetic makeup. We also know that toght junctions are loosened by metals, heavy metals and nano particulates like the aluminums added to almost all vaccines as adjuvants.

Studies have shown nano aluminum particles to cause neurodegenerative disorders and dimentia

It seems obvious that anyone with an autoimmune disease should avoid gluten and vaccines for that matter. What about the rest of us? I think minimizing exposure to known stimulants of zonulin and to known neurotoxins might just be a good choice for all.

We are bombarded by commercials about statins to lower cholesterol levels. We're made to believe that cholesterol is a bad thing and needs to be reduced as much as possible.

Numerous studies show the benefit of a healthy cholesterol profile. In fact, a recent study looking at muscle mass gain from exercise, showed that those with higher circulating cholesterol gained more muscle mass than those with lower cholesterol or on cholesterol lowering medications.

Low cholesterol levels are increasingly associated with increased risks for depression, anxiety, cancer, infection suicidal ideation and low libido.

There are numerous studies showing this link but the authors are all hesitant to say stop taking your statins as most patients are diagnosed as having statin deficiencies by their physicians.

If we look at studies and healthy physiology carefully, we can find that healthy people (people who are still insulin sensitive) have large bouyant LDL particles. As people become more insulin resistant and therefore closer to being a diabetic, they develop smaller LDL particles that are dense. Small, dense LDL particles are atherogenic, meaning they can lead to plaque in the vessels.

The biggest risk factor for a sudden cardiac event or MI, is small dense LDL and elevated levels of C reactive Protein, not high levels of LDL. Yet, the majority of physicians do not even test for these things. The reason being high levels can be lowered with statins. The treatment for an elevated C reactive protein( or CRP) and dense LDL are not treated with a single pharmaceutical. And, since the pharmaceutical industry has spent billions "educating" physicians how to handle cholesterol issues, they focused on the single issue they had a drug for.

LDL levels can be affected by particle size which is actually more important than the number. Low cholesterol is often associated with small dense LDL. Particle size is dependent upon a few things, one of them being insulin resistance or IR.
IR is related to how much insulin is needed to handle a specific amount of carbohydrate or sugar. The more needed, for a certain amount due to resistance or attenuation, the greater the risk of triglyceride and VLDL formation and hence small dense LDL.

In my Chicago area office, I always use a Lipid subfraction test on my patients. A standard lipid profile is missing vital information.

I treat small dense LDL and elevated CRP levels with a combination of dietary and lifestyle changes. If the LDL is very small and dense, I might recommend a liver cleanse
as the IR occurs at the liver..

If you have not had a lipid subfraction test, you don't know your real cardiac profile or risks.

I have written about stomach acid reduction and how that increases stomach cancer risk. And, in my video, I have spoken about carcinogenic compounds formed by cooking or dietary ingredients. Below is an excerpt taken from a blog I wrote about breast cancer prevention.

There are no good studies linking nitrosamines to breast cancer, however, nitrosamines cause many types of cancer, most notably along the gastrointestinal tract.

Theoretically, nitrosamines could be contributing to the non-estrogen dependent breast cancers as this chemical causes DNA mutations in general, according to mammalian laboratory studies.

There are obvious sources of nitrosamines; nitrite preserved food like luncheon meats, bacon or smoked fish. But there are non obvious sources as well; some beers contain nitrosamines from the brewing process, tobacco products and any food item that is in a non breathing container. Sodium nitrate is used as a preservative specifically against botulinum toxin.

Another non obvious source is our own stomachs. Under a reduced acidic environment, our stomachs turn nitrates to nitrites. This is important to remember as many foods have nitrates and many people are unfortunately on acid blockers. (there's a good reason our stomach PH is supposed to be highly acidic, and messing with the PH leads to all sorts of dangerous consequences).

Ascorbic acid or vitamin C, reduces the amount of nitrites produced from nitrates. Take plenty of vitamin C, just not with sodium benzoate as this combination leads to benzene, another known carcinogen.

Beer as it turns out is a big source of nitrosamines which forms in the malting process. The beers with the highest levels tend to be the cheaper domestic types. Stick with higher quality and imported beers and consider drinking it with limes or lemons for the ascorbic acid.

Green tea with a high catechin concentration has been also shown to inhibit nitrosamine formation. Green tea with low catechin concentration may actually promote nitrite formation.
It is important to use ample green tea leaves and drink only the first two infusions if you want the benefit of reducing nitrosamine formation. I prefer high quality Japanese green teas like Sencha or Gyokuro. For instant green tea, I use Matcha powder which is a powdered form of sencha or gyokuro, both have high catechin levels

Over the last decade, we have seen acid blockers go from requiring a prescription to over the counter. The commercials for them depict them as benign in side effect and beneficial
as taking a vitamin C drink for the common cold.

While the packaging inserts for this classification of drug is enough to scare your socks off, no one is paying attention, especially the doctors who recommend them like they do drinking more water.

The normal PH of our stomach is highly acidic. This is to allow enzymes form our pancreas to work efficiently in breaking down proteins and for absorption of minerals that would otherwise not be absorbed. Another function of our stomach acid is to kill the normal bacteria that live in our mouths or that we might ingest.
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Stomach acid is also necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12, an extremely important vitamin. Deficiency of which leads to anemia and a whole host of diseases.

The small intestine, relative to the colon, is supposed to be almost bacteria free. The colon is home to billions of beneficial bacteria. The small intestine remains low on bacteria in large part due to the acidity of the stomach.

When an acid blocker is taken with any regularity, proteins are not digested, minerals are not absorbed and bacteria enter and flourish in the small intestines. One of the possible side effects of proteins being poorly absorbed is an increase in food allergies. One of the definite side effects of protein malabsorption is a decrease in muscle mass and therefore bone mass. Studies have shown that women who take acid blockers during pregnancy have babies with a 5 times greater risk for asthma.

When minerals are not absorbed, again we see a decrease in bone mass and strength.

When excessive bacteria in introduced into the small bowel, we see bacterial overgrowth with foul breath, gas and bloating as obvious and not so pretty side effects.

When the stomach has a decrease in acid on a regular basis, the bacteria H. Pylori is allowed to flourish. H. Pylori has been implicated as a trigger for stomach cancer.

While the pharmaceutical companies would have you believe that it is a normal daily function to take acid blockers, it is anything but. In addition, the acid blockers do not stop the reflux, in fact, they increase reflux do to the slower gastric digestion when acid is removed form the picture.

The blockers just remover the acid and hence the sensation of burning form the picture.

There are numerous reasons why people have acid reflux and there are many ways to determine the cause(s) and very simple treatments. I have successfully treated many patients with reflux in my Chicago area office and continue to do so.

What is most surprising is this went form being a common scenario in my adult patients, but in the last few years, I have seen this with increasing frequency in pediatric patients.

What I hope to see less of in the future is patients with osteoporosis, allergies, fatigue,
muscle waisting, gluten intolerance and H. Pylori associated stomach cancer because of this foolish and misguided daily practice.

Here is a link to one of my recent lectures on cooking, food preparation and avoiding toxic compounds formed from high heat cooking.

This lecture delves in toxic compounds that are created by cooking at high heat and explains where AGE s come from and how they affect blood vessels and organs.

The lecture also talks about diet induced inflammation but does not mention zonulin which is the topic of my previous blog entry. Please read it to get another look at how food, stress and environmental toxins such as heavy metals and possibly Splenda can trigger zonulin production and therefore inflammation and auto-immunity.

Lots of good information but takes some time to watch.

Enjoy!

In the early nineties, the buzz word for anyone seeking out alternative views on chronic illness was candidiasis. Candidiasis is an overgrowth of Candida, a yeast that is normally present in our environment but is opportunistic and can overgrow when normal bacteria are missing or reduced.

Candida was blamed for everyone presenting with chronic inflammation, chronic fatigue and food intolerance.

It is true that antibiotic use can lead to an overgrowth of Candida, and it is true that antibiotics are over prescribed. But, often patients would not improve on treatments to reduce Candida and they were subjected to months of medications and highly restricted diets.

Along comes Alessio Fasano MD, a pediatrician involved in intestinal barrier research. Dr. Fasano has identified a protein termed Zonulin which is responsible for regulating the "tight junctions" of the intestines and other tight barriers in the body such as the blood brain barrier.

From a medical evolutionary standpoint, there are times where a leaky gut might come in handy, like when we come into contact with infectious agents such as Cholera. A leaky gut in this instance would stimulate an immune response and memory antibody production which would help fight the infection. This is a theory but help explain why the body would create a protein like this in the first place.

Zonulin created gaps where our bowels leak and once proteins leak into our blood stream, lots of things happen like inflammation, antibody production and in some cases, auto-immune disease develops such as Celiac, MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis and the like.

It is interesting to note that Splenda is suspected as a stimulator of zonulin along with heavy metals, stress, and most likely other triggers not yet discovered. Gluten is one of the many proteins that seems to be involved in inflammation and autoimmune problems when leaked out of the gut.

One of the tests I perform for my patients in my Chicago area office is the food inflammatory response test. It is based on the inflammatory response of cultured white blood cells to different food antigens and is a true test of not antibody production but inflammatory response.

If patients have many foods they are inflamed by, they have a leaky gut and are at risk for autoimmune disease. The patient is then put on a protocol of supplements to repair the bowel and to down-regulate the zonulin. It is also recommended that they avoid the foods they are negatively responding to for a few months. Gluten and often dairy are on the list when it is a situation of leaky gut syndrome. And if gluten is involved, often lifelong avoidance is the best choice due to the risk of autoimmune diseases.

Heavy metal testing is often implicated in this situation and chelation therapy might be warranted to help rid the body of heavy metals.

Uterine fibroids are a very common phenomenon among women of all backgrounds.
Women of African decent do have a higher risk of developing fibroids but the incidence rate among women in general during the reproductive years is about 30 %.

A fibroid is a non-malignant growth of tissue in the muscular layer of the uterus and can continue to grow as long as the woman has hormones feeding it. There are theories as to what causes fibroids, estrogen stimulation is the main working theory based on behavior of the tumor to hormone suppression.

Mainstream treatments can consist of hormonal manipulation and often surgery.

The hormonal treatment is typically contraceptive pills, which controls the cycle and the amount of estrogen, or Lupron, which shuts down the whole system and puts the woman into a chemically induced menopause. While this can prove to be effective, the patient often suffers from many objectionable side effects emotionally and physically from being thrown into menopause overnight.

A myomectomy is where just the fibroid itself is removed, or, in the case of a very large fibroid, a hysterectomy, where the total uterus is removed. And while these can be effective as well, they do nothing about the actual cause of the fibroid and having to undergo general surgery when there are less invasive options is not preferable.

In my Evanston office, I manage these patients by taking a careful history, looking at possible dietary, environmental toxin or emotional factors that could be contributing to the growth of the fibroid.

I get a complete hormonal laboratory workup and often suggest many dietary changes.
In addition, I often complete a homeopathic evaluation and perform SCENAR on the uterine acupuncture points which can alleviate any pain or discomfort the patient may have been having from the fibroid.

Supplementation with I3C or DIM as well as herbs to help the liver detoxify the hormones can also be helpful.

There are times, that this is not enough and the patient does need to undergo surgery, but in all fairness, it is almost always when the patient just can't or won't make the necessary dietary changes.

Look for future blogs on hormones in our food chain and how to limit our exposure to them.

The latest fad in dieting has been the HCG diet. In addition to taking or injecting HCG, patients eat a 500 calorie a day diet. The biggest problem with this is it's a DIET!

According to the American Obesity Association,the failure rate for dieters is well over 95%.
This is based upon research they published in 1959 but also concurs with ore recent surveys.

When patients in my Evanston Illinois area office express a wish to lose weight, I do not give them a diet to go on for a prescribed period of time. I work with them to change their diet, their attitudes about food and eating and about exercise and meditation.

My Patients lose weight slowly but more importantly, they keep it off and have better energy and moods. Often the health issues that brought them to my office improves without any other changes or medications.

I do see many obese patients who want lipodissolve, but this is inappropriate for them as lipodissolve is a spot fat removal process not a weight loss process. Unless the fat is in the chin, neck, dowagers hump or a lipoma, I wait until the obese patient loses enough weight from lifestyle changes before I would consider performing lipodissolve on their bodies.

Patients who opt for diets, always put their weight back on because nothing has really changed. This is akin to smokers who tell you they've quit numerous times. Unless one examines the reasons behind the addiction ( and, yes, obesity is due to an addiction), they fail.

One of the many techniques for tackling the physical obstacles to addiction recovery is altering the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) pathway via reflex biofeedback. This technique works wonders and is being utilized for recovery from all kinds of addictions.

Altering the signals to eat once and for all is the only way to deal with obesity.

One often hears how healthy someone looks. What prompts people to say that someone looks healthy?

Most often, it is subtle cues such as texture of skin, even skin tone with a mild glow and bright eyes. Many of these features are interpreted unconsciously to be equivalent with health, vigor and youth.

Proper skin care and true health promote this glow and great skin texture.
poor nutrition with lack of exercise can take away from good skin tone and glow.

Many patients walk in to my Chicago area office complaining of dull looking skin and poor skin texture. In addition to possible fillers, many are in need of nutrients on and in their skin

A great skin nutrient delivery system are micro-dermal needles. This creates deep penetration of nutrients and a wonderful response of increased blood and therefore oxygen to the skin, bathing the firbroblasts in nutrients and improving the skin texture.

How do you know if you are getting all the nutrients you need? How do you know if you are absorbing all the nutrients you take in?

The gold standard is an intracellular level of vitamins, minerals, co-factors and anti-oxidants. This can be performed from a blood test. If Levels are low but you believe yourself to be obtaining ample amounts, digestive issues can be at play.

Beauty is not only skin deep, health factors into looks and how someone fells about them self. Next time you're thinking of going to a botox factory clinic, think again and come to a clinic where you health and beauty needs are met inside and out.

In my Chicago area clinic, I see many people with dull or sagging, lifeless looking skin.

There are many reasons for this; enlarged pore size, poor nutrition, disease, inflammatory processes, sun damage and hormonal changes.

Whether we like it or not, first impressions are often the main reason we get chosen for a job, a date, or picked for a team.

People unconsciously gravitate towards others who look healthy whether it's for a mate, a date, an employee or a teammate. It is not just human nature, but animal nature to be attracted to others who appear vital.

Woman prefer men who appear powerful, healthy and virile. Men prefer women who look youthful, healthy and fertile.

Large pores absorb light and create a dull looking face, fading hormones or poor nutrition can lead to loose collagen and sagging skin. UV light damage and oxidative damage clearly lead to pigment changes.: darker skinned people create areas of darker pigmentation in response to damage, and very light skin develops capillary damage and red spots.

In my Evanston clinic, I offer skin enhancement from the inside out, or outside in.
We employ Syneron Photofacial and Syneron Refirme. Syneron is the industry leader in aesthetic technology, specifically for skin clearing, pore shrinking and skin tightening via bipolar radio frequency and intense pulsed light.

Blood tests that look at intracellular levels of vitamins, minerals and co-factors are the gold standard in nutrition. Hormone profiles help determine what is lacking or excessive, and along with inflammatory markers aid us in determining what supplements are needed.

Look as good as you feel, and feel as good as you possibly can.

There are two types of abdominal fat; visceral and subcutaneous.

While many studies cite the dangers of visceral fat because of it's association with heart disease and diabetes type two, subcutaneous fat can also pose some dangers.

All fat cells have the capability to transform cholesterol into hormones, particularly estrogen, and large amounts of subcutaneous fat can translate in to excessive estrogen.

Many patients visit my Chicago area office for lipodissolve but this can only eliminate subcutaneous fat. If they have visceral fat which is never good, I recommend dietary changes and either conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), or DHEA.

The studies on both of these supplements are very promising in reducing fat and increasing lean body mass.

The November 10 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study on the effects of DHEA on visceral and subcutaneous fat.

The study included the non-control group of elderly subjects taking 50mg per day of DHEA for six months.

The conclusion was that DHEA supplementation significantly reduced not only visceral fat, but subcutaneous fat as well. And, previous studies have shown an increase in bone density in subjects taking DHEA.

CLA has been studied and is associated with an increase in lean body mass and decrease in visceral fat. However, the studies were not as impressive as with DHEA. Non the less, many weight trainers body sculptors swear by CLA.

Lipodissolve is only good for someone with a medium to lean body weight who has stubborn fatty tissue in spot areas, like a mushy lower abdomen (women) and love handles (men and women).

Many patients that walk into my Chicago area clinic want to go on a cleanse. While it can be very beneficial to go on a cleanse, what you do after you've finished, is more predictive of the longterm gains you'll have made from doing it in the first place.

We all know someone who is a "yo-yo" dieter. There are "yo-yo" health eaters as well.

"Diets" in general do not work, no matter what the reason. It is imperative to learn to eat in a way that is the most beneficial to you. So if you need to shrink your shadow, this requires a change in your habits. Likewise, if you want to improve your health status and reduce toxins, this also requires lifestyle changes and not just a month of raw fooding or cleansing.

I highly recommend adding a low glycemic protein drink with great prebiotics such as inulin while starting to make lifestyle and dietary changes. The reason is that these drinks help you feel satisfied and if they contain inulin and low sugars, they can actually alter your bowel flora (the beneficial gut bacteria).

Recent research in obesity has revealed that many obese individuals harbor different bowel flora than thin individuals. The flora of obese individuals actually breakdown what is otherwise undigestible cellulose and obtain sugars and calories from it. And, rats fed a high sugar and fried food diet, actually change their bowel flora to those of obese individuals. This means, if you a eat high sugar, high bad fat diet, you are slammed with a double whammy as the bowel bacteria will be altered to grab even more calories from your food than if you didn't eat this way.

We all know that once we get on a carbohydrate binge, it is very difficult to stop the inertia. The best way I have found to stop the inertia is with a high quality low glycemic index protein drink. Occasionally, I'll add some herbs to help quell intense cravings.

Once a patient is off the carbohydrate merry-go-round, I find it is easier for them to make permanent changes in their eating habits.

There are so many products out there professing to turn back the clock. And, the barrage of supplements you "must" take lest you fall apart is mind boggling. However, for improved collagen and young looking skin, there are not many supplements that compare to red micro algae or "astaxanthin".

This is a naturally occurring plant called hematococcus pluvialis. It creates a red pigment which turns out to be the most potent of all carotenoids on the planet. It has many effects on the body.

When taken orally, it is one of the most potent antioxidants known to man, without any pro-oxidant state. It is one of the most known potent anti-inflamatory agents that has no negative side effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding. It stimulates collagen production in skin and joints.

When used topically, It slows down collagen breakdown and decreases wrinkle formation by its' prevention of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from damaging the top layer of skin and its' reduction of inflammation from UVB light.

Astaxanthin is one of the key supplements I recommend to patients in my Chicago area office who either want younger skin, have elevated inflammatory markers, or have known decrease of collagen in their joints.

I also add this ingredient to the natural skin care and sunscreens that my patients buy.
Many of the commercial products on the market that claim to have astaxanthin as an ingredient, have too little to make a real difference.