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High Urine Protein Levels - NEW RESEARCH THAT
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
NEW RESEARCH THAT
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
Like many of you, I’ve been a little off-track lately. This week I’ve tried my best to get back into my normal routine at home and at work, with mixed results.
But I’m coming back to the realization that, now more than ever, we need to focus on our health. One thing that struck me today was how much important health information I had missed in just one week. Like, for instance, a study published in the September 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine – one that could have implications for women all over the world.
In this original research, scientists in the Netherlands found significant evidence that both birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy increase a woman’s risk of developing a condition called microalbuminuria. People with this condition have increased levels of protein in their urine, which is an early marker for kidney disease. And a Canadian study published in JAMA this past July concluded that microalbuminaria was a risk factor for heart disease, based on its analysis of more than 9,000 people age 55 and older.
The study included 4,301 Dutch women. After adjusting for a whole host of confounding factors (like age, hypertension, obesity, and smoking), the women who had taken the Pill or HRT in the past year had nearly twice the risk of high urine protein levels than did non-users. Some of the HRT users took straight estrogen, while others took pills combining estrogen and progestin. In all cases, the risk of developing protein in the urine rose with years of medication use; in fact, they found that women who had taken either type of medication for more than five years had more than two and a half times the risk of non-users.
I can think of dozens of women I know who have taken either birth control pills or HRT (or both) for more than five years, some for decades. I’m sure you can, too. Worldwide, the numbers must reach well into the hundreds of thousands – maybe even into the millions. Even if only half of them develop this condition, it’s a serious thing.
Granted, this is just one study, and the research team didn’t follow the women long enough to see how many of them actually developed kidney or heart disease – or whether protein levels dropped after discontinuing use. But other studies have produced evidence that supplemental estrogen can increase the risk of heart disease, as well as breast cancer and other diseases.
At the very least, it is one more check in the “Con” column when deciding whether or not to take HRT. For years, doctors have been telling women they should take HRT, not only to counteract the effects of menopause, but also to combat everything from heart disease to osteoporosis. Now we’re finding that not only do these “value-added” claims come with a serious caveat, the drugs may also do as much harm as good. Even the American Heart Association acknowledged in its recently revised guidelines, “we’re not sure if estrogen helps or harms the heart.”
This news comes on the heels of the soy controversy, which we’ve discussed in recent messages. Concerns about the safety of phytoestrogens, like the isoflavones found in soy, may have women questioning whether they should use natural menopause formulas like genistein after all. And now with yet another reason not to take prescription HRT, it’s easy to feel like they aren’t any safe options left.
But if you’re looking for a way to address the changes we experience during menopause, synthetic HRT and isoflavones aren’t your only choices. There are some alternatives that you can easily find at any local health food store or online supplement retailer right now.
Herbal supplements like black cohosh, dong quai, chaste tree berry, and evening primrose have been used safely for centuries. These natural approaches can help normalize hormone levels, diminish hot flashes, and relieve the insomnia and anxiety that many women experience.
Nutritional supplements like bioflavonoids, vitamin E, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, and magnesium can help reduce heavy bleeding during perimenopause, minimize hot flashes, increase energy, and relieve fatigue. There may be other options available to you as well; talk to your doctor about what else might work in your situation.
The study doesn’t provide a recommendation for anything women who fall into the over-five-years category can do to mitigate their risk. We’ll continue researching it and will ask our panel for possible treatment options. But if you’re concerned, ask your doctor to analyze your urine-protein level. It can’t hurt, and it might help you recognize a serious threat to your health. Also, please feel free to pass this on to any women you know who may be taking HRT or the Pill, so they can fully understand the potential risks that were previously unknown.
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Prevent Alzheimer's
THREE ALTERNATIVES YOU CAN USE NOW
TO PREVENT ALZHEIMER’S
The first time I heard the word “senility” was when my friend Kate’s grandmother came to live with her. We were kids and we had no idea what it meant. All I knew was that I was afraid of Kate’s grandmother, and that we started playing at my house a lot more.
Kate’s grandmother died many years ago so I can’t be sure if her condition was Alzheimer’s Disease or a different kind of cognitive decline or dementia. But whatever the name, it was frightening to watch.
Recent research shows that about 23 percent of us over age 65 have some level of cognitive impairment, and the risk increases 10 percent every ten years after that. And we still don’t know very much about what causes it – or how to treat it. What we do know is that Alzheimer’s is one of the most difficult diseases for people and their families to deal with.
Every so often we get our hopes up that a cure is close at hand. You may have seen the recent news coverage of NSAIDs’ (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen and aspirin) potential to fight Alzheimer’s. I read the coverage eagerly, hoping that the medical community had finally found something to offer. But, unfortunately, this new research is still very preliminary and, despite some promising findings, it’s still years away from being useful. (For example, to see the benefit found in recent laboratory studies, a person would have to take 16 ibuprofen tablets a day – a dangerous dose likely to leave you with life-threatening kidney damage and serious gastrointestinal problems.)
While the mainstream continues to search for a magic wand (no doubt one they can patent), millions continue to suffer – and millions more pray that Alzheimer’s won’t strike them or their families. But there is reason for hope. There IS progress being made – although you may not see it in the headlines. In the past few weeks, I’ve come across several promising studies on natural therapies that can improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, prevent cognitive decline, and boost memory.
In alternative medicine circles, we’ve talked for years about how antioxidants may help prevent and slow down the progression of cognitive decline. But the mainstream has largely ignored this field of study – until now. Just this month, the medical journal Neurology published a study showing that the antioxidant amino acid N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can improve cognitive function in patients with probable Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The patients who took NAC showed improvement in nearly every outcome measure, without experiencing any negative side effects.
In this trial, scientists identified 47 people who met the standard criteria for probable Alzheimer’s disease. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either 50 mg of NAC each day, or a placebo. Both groups underwent a battery of psychometric tests at the beginning of the study, at 12 weeks, and at 24 weeks.
At 24 weeks, patients in the NAC group performed significantly better on letter fluency tasks and on the Wechesler Memory Scale, and showed improvement on nearly all other assessed tasks when compared with placebo. As the study’s authors wrote: “The direction and magnitude of change over time favored NAC in almost every test and no comparison favored placebo.”
NAC is widely available in health food stores and from supplement suppliers. Most brands we’ve seen are 500 to 600 mg – much higher than the 50 mg used in this study. But even at these higher doses, NAC hasn’t been shown to have side effects. The only cautionary recommendation is to take vitamin C along with NAC, to prevent amino acids from oxidation.
Longtime HSI members will recall how we revealed the importance of homocysteine over a year before it was discussed by the mainstream medical journals. Today, nearly everyone agrees that homocysteine is one of the most important markers for heart disease. Now, new research is suggesting homocysteine may be a marker for future cognitive decline as well.
In a study of 32 healthy elderly people, scientists found that patients with elevated homocysteine levels were more likely to show a decline in key assessments over a five-year period. All the participants had their homocysteine levels measured and recorded, and then five years later returned for cognitive testing. Even after adjusting for age, sex, education, kidney function, vitamin B status, smoking, and hypertension, homocysteine remained a valid predictor of cognitive decline, particularly on word recall, orientation, and the ability to copy complex shapes and designs.
A normal homocysteine level is 12 or less; anything above 12 is considered high. If you find that you have high homocysteine, you can lower it safely and effectively with a simple, natural approach. Since our breakthrough coverage of homocysteine five years ago, we’ve recommended a unique blend of vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid called CardioSupport (formerly Cardiocystiene). These vitamins are methylating factors, which allow homocystiene to convert into another, harmless form. In today’s world, it’s almost impossible to get the necessary amounts of these essential nutrients through our food alone. And while CardioSupport may help you prevent cognitive decline, it can also reduce your risk of heart disease. You can get CardioSupport from Advanced Nutritional Products. For more information, call them directly at .
In February of 1999, HSI told you about a supplement derived from the vinca minor plant called vinpocetine. This natural substance has been used for decades as a prescription medication in Europe and Asia. Yet most people in the U.S. have not heard of vinpocetine because authorities claim it is still “unproven.”
Just recently, I came across more evidence that vinpocetine works. In a meta-analysis, scientists at the University of Miami School of Medicine described how they searched the National Library of Medicine’s MEDLINE database for solid vinpocetine research. They came up with 39 studies that met their comprehensive criteria. The majority of the studies found that vinpocetine helped improve blood flow to the brain (lack of adequate blood flow is a common cause of cognitive impairment). And the three human clinical trials included in the meta-analysis all showed a “significant improvement during the treatment with vinpocetine in the cognitive function of patients suffering with dementia.”
In our original coverage, we recommended a vipocetine formulation called Memoractiv (TM). As we told you then, Memoractiv is usually only available to licensed physicians and pharmacists, but as a member of HSI and a reader of the HSI e-Alert, you can order it directly through the Center for Natural Medicine Dispensary. Call them at 1-888-305-4288 for more information.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions about Alzheimer’s and age-related cognitive decline. But at least we’re discovering more about how to attack it. Don’t wait for conventional medicine to produce a “cure.” Take your future in your own hands right now, and do what you can to protect yourself and your family from the possibility of facing this dreaded condition. |
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Prostate enlargement
Table of Contents
Definition | Description | Causes and Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Allopathic Treatment | Expected Results | Prevention | Key Terms
| Prostate, enlarged |
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An enlarged prostate is a non-cancerous condition in which the narrowing of the urethra makes the elimination of urine more difficult. It most often occurs in men over age 50.
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| lustration by Electronic Illustrators Group. Cengage Learning, Gale |
Definition
A non-cancerous condition that affects many men past 50 years of age, enlarged prostate makes eliminating urine more difficult by narrowing the urethra, a tube running from the bladder through the prostate gland. It can effectively be treated by surgery and, in the 2000s, by certain drugs.
Description
The common term for enlarged prostate is BPH, which stands for benign (non-cancerous) prostatic hyperplasia or hypertrophy. Hyperplasia means that the prostate cells are dividing too rapidly, increasing the total number of cells and therefore the size of the organ itself. Hypertrophy simply means enlargement. BPH is often part of the aging process. The actual changes in the prostate may start as early as the 30s but take place very gradually, so that significant enlargement and symptoms usually do not appear until after age 50. Past this age the chances of the prostate enlarging and causing urinary symptoms become progressively greater. More than 40% of men in their 70s have an enlarged prostate. Symptoms generally appear between the ages of 55 and 75. About 10% of all men eventually require treatment for BPH.
BPH has been viewed as a rare condition in blacks, but this finding may partly be due to the fact that black patients may have less access to medical care. The condition also seems to be uncommon among the Chinese and other Asian peoples, for reasons that in the 2000s are not clear.
Causes & symptoms
The cause of BPH is a mystery, but age-related changes in the levels of hormones circulating in the blood may be a factor. Whatever the cause, an enlarging prostate gradually narrows the urethra and obstructs the flow of urine. Even though the muscle in the bladder wall becomes stronger in an attempt to push urine through the smaller urethra, in time, the bladder fails to empty completely at each urination. The urine that collects in the bladder can become infected and lead to stone formation. The kidneys themselves may be damaged by infection or by urine constantly backing up.
When the enlarging prostate gland narrows the urethra, a man will have increasing trouble starting the urine stream. Because some urine remains behind in the bladder, he will have to urinate more often, perhaps two or three times at night (nocturia). The need to urinate can become very urgent and, in time, urine may seep out. Other symptoms of BPH are a weak and sometimes a split stream and general aching or pain in the perineum (the area between the scrotum and anus). Some men may have considerable enlargement of the prostate before even mild symptoms develop.
If a man must strain to urinate, small veins in the bladder wall and urethra may rupture, causing blood to appear in the urine. If the urinary stream becomes totally blocked, the urine collecting in the bladder may cause severe discomfort, a condition called acute urinary retention. Urine that stagnates in the bladder can easily become infected. A burning feeling during urination and fever are clues that infection may have developed. Finally, if urine backs up long enough it may increase pressure in the kidneys, though this rarely causes permanent kidney damage.
Diagnosis
When a man's symptoms point to BPH, the physician first performs a digital rectal examination, inserting a finger into the anus to feel whether--and how much--the prostate is enlarged. A smooth prostate surface suggests BPH, whereas a distinct lump in the gland might mean prostate cancer. The next procedure is a blood test for a substance called prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Between 30-50% of men with BPH have an elevated PSA level. In fact, some studies indicate that the PSA level can be used as a predictor of a man's long-term risk of developing BPH. A high BPH level does not indicate cancer by any means, but other measures are needed to make sure that the prostate enlargement is benign.
An ultrasound examination of the prostate, which is entirely safe and delivers no radiation, can show whether the prostate is enlarged and may indicate if cancer is present.
If digital or ultrasound examination of the prostate raises the suspicion of cancer, most urologists recommend that a prostatic tissue biopsy be performed. This procedure is usually performed with a lance-like instrument that is inserted into the rectum. It pierces the rectal wall and, guided by the physician's finger, obtains six to eight pieces of prostatic tissue that are sent to the laboratory for microscopic examination.
A catheter placed through the urethra and into the bladder can show how much urine remains in the bladder after the patient urinates--a measure of how severe the obstruction is. Another and very simple test for obstruction is to have the man urinate into a uroflowmeter that measures the rate of urine flow. A very certain--though invasive--way of confirming obstruction from an enlarged prostate is to pass a special viewing instrument called a cystoscope into the bladder, but this is not often necessary.
It is routine to check a urine sample for an increased number of white blood cells, which may mean there is infection of the bladder or kidneys. The same sample may be cultured to show what type of bacterium is causing the infection and which antibiotics will work best. The state of the kidneys may be checked in two ways: imaging by either ultrasound or injecting a dye (the intravenous urogram, or pyelogram); or a blood test for creatinine, which collects in the blood when the kidneys cannot.
Treatment
An extract of the saw palmetto (Serenoa repens or S. serrulata ) has been shown to stop or decrease the hyperplasia of the prostate. The herb is believed to inhibit the enzyme that converts one type of testosterone to another (significant in both prostate enlargement and prostate cancer), offering the same positive effects as the prescription drug Proscar or Propecia (finasteride) without the negative side effects. Symptoms of BPH will improve after taking the herb for one to two months but continued use is recommended.
In 2006, researchers in San Francisco reported that a year-long study of saw palmetto to treat BPH showed it was no more effective than a placebo in controlling symptoms. The study of 225 men taking 160 mg of saw palmetto twice a day concluded that there clearly was no benefit of using saw palmetto to treat BPH. The researchers said that previous studies that showed saw palmetto effective in treating BPH involved a small number of participants and had a short duration. However, researchers said their study was not conclusive and urged further research. They also noted that other health practitioners believe a higher dose of saw palmetto is needed for it to be effective.
Zinc is also effective in shrinking an enlarged prostate. A 15-30 mg zinc supplement, or inclusion of pumpkin or sunflower seeds in the daily diet, can produce the desired effect. Prevention of prostate inflammation and swelling is thought to be aided by an increase in essential fatty acids. One source of these fatty acids is flaxseed oil, available in capsule or liquid form at most health food stores.
The increase in circulation to the groin achieved by certain yoga poses and exercises can ease prostate problems. The knee squeeze and the seated sun poses should become a part of the daily routine. The stomach lock exercise, performed in a supine position, involves taking a deep breath and then breathing out slowly as the buttocks, groin, and stomach muscles are pulled in. Experts believe this exercise can both prevent prostate problems and treat flare ups; however, this exercise is not recommended for those with hypertension, heart disease, hiatal hernia, or ulcers.
Imagery that involves picturing the prostate shrinking to normal size and sensing an even flow of urine, practiced twice a day, can be helpful. A reflexology session to relax the entire body, with special attention to the prostate and endocrine reflexes in the hands and feet, may help the body heal itself.
Allopathic treatment
A class of drugs called alpha blockers relaxes the muscle tissue surrounding the bladder outlet and lining the wall of the urethra to permit urine to flow more freely. These drugs improve obstructive symptoms but do not keep the prostate from enlarging. Examples of alpha-blockers include terazosin (Hytrin), doxazosin (Cardura), prazosin (Minipress), tamsulosin (Flomax), and alfuzosin (Uroxatral). Another class of drugs, called 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors, does shrink the prostate and may delay the need for surgery. Symptoms may not, however, improve until the drug has been used for three months or longer. One 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, finasteride (Proscar and Propecia), has been shown to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by as much as 25%. Side effects occur in less than 10% of men using these drugs and include sexual problems such as a decrease in ejaculate volume, loss of sex drive, and erectile dysfunction. Another 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor is dutasteride (Avodart). Antibiotic drugs are given promptly whenever infection is diagnosed. Some medications, including antihistamines and some decongestants, can make the symptoms of BPH suddenly worse and even cause acute urinary retention and, therefore, should be avoided.
When drugs have failed to control symptoms of BPH but the physician does not believe that conventional surgery is yet needed, a procedure called transurethral needle ablation (TUNA) may be tried. The patient is given local anesthesia, and a needle is inserted into the prostate and radio frequency energy is applied to destroy the tissue that is obstructing urine flow. Another approach is microwave hyperthermia, using a device called the Prostatron to deliver microwave energy to the prostate through a catheter. This procedure is done at an outpatient surgery center.
For many years the standard operation for BPH has been transurethral resection (TUR) of the prostate. Under general or spinal anesthesia, a cystoscope is passed through the urethra and prostate tissue surrounding the urethra is removed using either a cutting instrument or a heated wire loop. The small pieces of prostate tissue are washed out through the scope. No incision is needed for TUR. There normally is some blood in the urine for a few days following the procedure. In a few men--less than 5% of all those having TUR--urine will continue to escape unintentionally. Other uncommon complications include a temporary rise in blood pressure with mental confusion, which is treated with salt solution. Erectile dysfunction--the inability to achieve lasting penile erections--does occur, but probably in fewer than 10% of patients. A narrowing or stricture rarely develops in the urethra, but this can be treated fairly easily.
Studies of men who undergo transurethral resection after acute urinary retention indicate that the general public remains not well informed about BPH. A majority of the men who were diagnosed with acute urinary retention said that they had had their symptoms for over a year. When asked why they did not seek treatment earlier, 35% said they were afraid of surgery, but 41% thought their symptoms were only a normal part of aging.
As of late 2007, a number of new treatments for BPH were being investigated, ranging from newly developed drugs to existing drugs used to treat other conditions. One of these new drugs, NX-1207, was undergoing clinical trials in the United States. Initial results showed the drug was extremely effective in treating BPH with minimal side effects and no sexual side effects, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Further studies were underway as of late 2007, and there was no estimated date when the drug might be ready to submit to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval. Existing drugs that were being looked at as treatments for BPH include the anti-wrinkle drug botulinum toxin A (Botox), the over-the-counter pain relievers aspirin and ibuprofen, and the erectile dysfunction medications sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra), and tadalafil (Cialis).
Expected results
In several studies, 160 mg dose of saw palmetto given twice daily for 45 days achieved positive results in approximately 80% of the patients studied. That percentage increased when results were obtained after 90 days. People taking saw palmetto should use only standardized extracts that contain 85-95% fatty acids and sterols. Dosages vary depending on the type of saw palmetto used. A typical dose is 320 mg per day of standardized extract or 1-2 g per day of ground, dried, whole berries. It may take up to four weeks of use before beneficial effects are seen.
When BPH is treated by conventional TUR, there is a risk of complications but, in the great majority of men, urinary symptoms are relieved and the quality of life is much enhanced. It was anticipated that less invasive forms of surgical treatment would be increasingly used to achieve results as good as those of the standard operation.
Prevention
Whether BPH is caused by hormonal changes in aging men, there is no known way of preventing the condition as of early 2008. Once it does develop and symptoms are present that interfere seriously with the patient's life, timely medical or surgical treatment reliably prevents symptoms from getting worse. Also, if the condition is treated before the prostate has become grossly enlarged, the risk of complications is minimal. A potentially serious complication of BPH is urinary infection (and possible infection of the kidneys), which can be prevented by using a catheter to drain excess urine out of the bladder so that it does not collect, stagnate, and become infected. There is no scientific evidence that diet or nutrition plays a direct role in the development of an enlarged prostate. However, a 2006 study reported that obese men were up to 3.5 times more likely to have an enlarged prostate than men with a normal weight.
Key Terms
Key Terms
| Term | Definition |
| Catheter |
A rubber or plastic tube placed through the urethra into the bladder to remove excess urine when the flow of urine is cut off or to prevent urinary infection.
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| Creatinine |
One of the waste substances normally excreted by the kidneys into the urine. When urine flow is slowed, creatinine may collect in the blood and cause toxic effects.
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| Hyperplasia |
A condition in which cells, such as those making up the prostate gland, divide abnormally rapidly and cause the organ to become enlarged.
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| Hypertrophy |
A term for enlargement, as in BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy).
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| Urethra |
The tube that conducts urine from the bladder outside the body; in male, the urethra extends from the bladder to the tip of the penis. When the urethra is narrowed by an enlarging prostate, symptoms of BPH develop.
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| Urinary retention |
The result of progressive obstruction of the urethra by an enlarging prostate, causing urine to remain in the bladder even after urination.
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Hypertension hurts more than heart health
Hypertension hurts more than heart health
Controlling blood pressure helps keep the heart healthy, of course, but it may also help the brain age gracefully.
A group of Boston researchers from Harvard, Boston University and Veterans Affairs (VA) examined medical records of more than 350 older men who participated in the VA Normative Aging Study, which included neuropsychological tests.
As the men aged, their overall neuropsychological function declined. This decline was found to be significantly more pronounced among men who developed uncontrolled hypertension. Specifically, these subjects showed reduced verbal fluency and poor word recall compared to men with controlled blood pressure.
According to a press release from the American Psychological Association, about 60 percent of people over the age of 60 are estimated to have hypertension. |
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Herbal formula, Gasterol for Heartburn
Toss away your Tums and give your Prilosec the slip: introducing a five-herb promise for a heartburn-free life
So maybe you don’t happen to make a habit of eating cheesesteak subs before bedtime-but like me, I’m sure you’ve had your moments of weakness. And like me, you probably had to pay the price for it later-with what feels like a lump of hot coal burning away in your chest. Or maybe that same dreaded feeling has become a daily episode for you-no matter what you eat.
Snoop around in the average American medicine cabinet, and dollars to doughnuts you’ll find one (or many) of these usual suspects: Tums, Alka-Seltzer, Rolaids, Zantac, Prilosec, or Nexium. Joining the ranks of old reliables like aspirin and iodine, the antacid has truly become a national staple -or crutch, as the case may be.
The bad news? A quick fix from one of these antacids can’t really help you. In fact, like most quick fixes, it just might make the problem worse. I’ll tell you more about that in a minute, but first let me get to the good news: Gasterol, an all-natural herbal formula designed to put out that fire for good, can help-quickly and safely.
The search for balance in a world of excess
Shaun Roberts-president of The Natural Barn, a supplement company based in Nebo, Kentucky-was all too familiar with the constant bane of acid reflux when he and his team began developing Gasterol five years ago. In the South, he told me, it’s a common problem–a natural companion to the notoriously rich and flavorful cuisine that characterizes just about every community below the Mason-Dixon line.
But there was one thing that Roberts was even more familiar with, something that made the need for an effective, natural solution to this problem even more urgent-and that’s the danger that most antacid drugs being peddled on the market today present to anyone who takes them on a regular basis.
When you’re in the grips of some serious heartburn, it’s hard to remember that stomach acid is actually a good thing-and that, while you may not be living very well with it, there’s no way you could possibly live without it.
As with most relationships, the key to your relationship with your stomach acid is simple: balance. In a healthy digestive environment, gastric juices help to absorb vitamins and minerals, break down proteins, and kill harmful bacteria-all while leaving the protective lining of your stomach completely intact.
But if this balance is disturbed enough over time-from too much exposure to fatty fried foods, certain drugs, alcohol, bacteria, or just plain old genetic predisposition-that’s when the vicious cycles of conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcers, or gastritis begin. And at that point, most of us will turn to anything that promises an end to the constant pain these diseases can leave you with.
Navigating the perilous playground of popular antacids
There are two main tactics that drug giants have relied upon in order to capitalize on this desperation-and while both of them may help to alleviate some of your discomfort, it’s always at the expense of the delicate equilibrium that nature intended for your gut. As it turns out, the price you end up paying can break your health just as quickly as it can your bank account.
In a classic counterproductive example of robbing Peter to pay Paul, one goal of some of these drugs (such as H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors-or PPIs, as they’re often called) is to do away with excess stomach acid by stopping production of gastric juices altogether-a proposition that could only make sense to a pharmaceutical company looking to make money off the constipation (or, on the other end of the spectrum, an especially dangerous form of bacterial diarrhea) that such a deficit can cause.
The second popular approach of many over-the-counter antacids you’ll find is to alkalize (or cancel out) the overly acidic pH of your stomach-making these drugs top choices for fast relief. But the real problem here is the seesaw that they ultimately set moving in your stomach.
Not only can this shift in pH make your food harder to digest, but your body is also very likely to lash back later. In an attempt to compensate for the imbalance that overuse of these quick fixes will eventually establish in your stomach, your body responds by creating another wave of gastric acid-and this one is often bound to be even bigger than before.
Of course, letting your stomach boil over isn’t exactly an option-and not just because it’s sure to keep you up all night. If you didn’t know before, you may have heard by now that chronic acid reflux may pave the way to esophageal cancer-a once-rare and very deadly form of the disease, which has seen a dramatic rise in recent years.
Support digestion and strengthen your stomach-naturally
Roberts and his team at The Natural Barn spent years testing different ingredients in varying amounts and combinations in order to come up with a formula that offered maximum benefits without any of the dangers. Instead of “sedating” your stomach, this formula would strengthen it-allowing your gastric juices to perform at capacity without causing harm to your body. And by trapping the necessary alkalizing herbs at the barrier between your esophagus and your stomach, it would also help you to safely kiss your chronic heartburn goodbye.
What they ended up with is Gasterol, a safe, natural blend of five organic, wild-harvested ingredients-completely free of synthetic materials and side effects:
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Licorice root, which strengthens the mucosal lining of the stomach, making it ideal for ulcer protection, and provides excellent support for proper digestion and a healthy gut.
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L-Glutamine and L-Glycine, two amino acids that studies have shown to help rebuild the stomach lining, thereby allowing ulcers to heal.
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Slippery elm bark, which is used for a variety of medicinal purposes, such as healing burns, boils, and other types of skin inflammation, but also works just as well on your insides, helping to heal damage caused by excess stomach acid.
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Marshmallow root, which contains polysaccharides that reinforce the stomach lining, thereby balancing stomach acids-and effectively treating ulcers.
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Papaya, which aids in the metabolism of protein, fights ulcers, and relieves indigestion. It’s a popular natural cure for any general stomach malady.
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Turmeric root, which has a long and respected history as a digestive tonic, helping to ease indigestion, expel gas, and protect the stomach and intestines from ulcerative damage.
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Fennel seed, which aids digestion and helps to relieve gas, bloating, and gastrointestinal tension.
It’s also worth mentioning that the digestive enzymes that come along with the papaya in Gasterol can help you if you’re suffering from constipation or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), too-both of which are likely offshoots of an all-too-long affair with prescription or over-the-counter antacids. The recommended dosage of Gasterol is one to two capsules with each meal. For those who require extra relief, though, Roberts suggests taking another capsule a good 30 minutes before.
To your good health,
Jenny Thompson, Director
Health Sciences Institute |
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