The Journal of Health reports in vol.3 issue 7 some well researched comprehensive benefits to your health. Modern research validates turmeric’s effectiveness, especially in the past 15 years.  Numerous studies and the experience of populations like India that have high dietary intake confirm its benefits.  East Indians have decreased Alzheimer’s, arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. Here are most of the validated health benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative
• Helps blood pressure and cardiovascular health
• An excellent pain killer
• Resists DNA mutation due to oxidative damage
• Fights bacteria, viruses and fungi
• Helps balance cholesterol
• Fights Alzheimer’s disease
• Chelates copper and iron
• Aids in digestion

The overarching benefit is arguably that of reducing inflammation and free radical damage.  The significance of this is that virtually all diseases have the issue of inflammation…it is central to disease.

The unseen damage of inflammation occurs at the cellular level in the form of free radical damage.  Classic inflammation is experienced as swelling and pain in the body.

What is free radical damage?  It is the oxidative effect that damages the cellular DNA and ultimately the genetic code of the cell. Damaged cells produce disease when they multiply.  They make the cells sick so that they cannot function efficiently.  When the genetic code is damaged the rogue offspring of this cell is what defines cancer.

Virtually everyone has cancer cells in their body, but truly healthy people are able to rid their bodies of these cancer cells. A cancer needs hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of cancer cells together to form a tumor and be diagnosed as such.

To quote researcher Dr. Badmaev:  “The anti-carcinogenic activity of turmeric extract and curcuminoids may be in part explained by their well researched ability to prevent genetic mutation or mutagenesis”

How about cholesterol balance? First of all it is a well researched and proven fact that cholesterol is necessary and important for health. It is needed for proper lipid balance and for the many cortical steroid hormones as well as vitamin D. It is the core molecule for them all.

Studies show that the HDL (high density lipid) cholesterol is very good and should be in high ratio to the LDL (low density lipids).  Curcuminoids do this.

The International Journal of Vitamin Nutritional Research reports this in a small study of 10 people:  A daily dose of 500 mg of curcumin was given and it produced a 29% increase of the good HDL and significantly reduced the level of LDL. LDL’s are associated with inflammation and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.  While it is not the LDL itself that causes cardiovascular disease, it is the inflammation in the blood vessels that collects the LDL and that causes the disease.

It is the inflamed blood vessels that attract the LDL which co-relates to increased heart attack and stroke. The LDL acts like a rough bandage that can cause a clot or chip off and cause a blockage in a coronary or cerebral blood vessel.

Aside from helping cardiovascular health by keeping cholesterol healthy, curcumins lower blood pressure.  They function by inhibiting PAF (platelet activating factor).  The PAF reduces clotting tendencies. This decreases the incidence of heart attack and stroke.

The anti-inflammatory power of curcumins is believed to work in two ways. It is a free radical scavenger that is an anti-oxidant…directly reducing inflammation.  Secondly, it triggers the release of natural cortisone…probably the most powerful anti-inflammatory agent known.

More than one study has shown its anti-inflammatory benefits to arthritis sufferers. In a double blind, placebo controlled study, patients were given 300 mg of curcumin per day.  The joint swelling, stiffness and pain were all reduced.

Inflammation is a major cause of pain.  Pain is the by product of Cox 2 enzymes that produce post glandins.  Curcuminoids were studied at the famous Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Center. Their research revealed that indeed that Cox 2 was effectively reduced by curcumins.  Inflammation as well as pain was reduced.

Hundreds of studies clearly demonstrate that inflammation is at the core of cardiovascular disease. Inflammation causes high blood pressure, cholesterol plaque formation and  increased heart attack and stroke.  Anything that can safely reduce inflammation is your best friend for health against migraine headaches, cardiovascular as well as other degenerative diseases...Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Technorati Tags: cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, cumin, degenerative disease, HDL, heart attack, LDL, migraine headaches, pain reliever, stroke, turmeric

A large study done at Harvard found that just as many heart attacks occurred in those with normal  (150 to 200) levels of cholesterol. High levels of HDL alone do not co-relate to decreases in heart attack.   What about LDL (low density lipids) cholesterol?

LDL cholesterol is considered the culprit, but is it really?  Recent, dozens, of creditable studies show a high relationship of blood inflammation as the real culprit. HDL or LDL cholesterol is irrelevant. Inflammation in the blood is well measured by  CRP (C-reactive protein) and/ or Interleukin-6. These are markers in the blood that easily measure the levels of inflammation.  They are the most highly co-related factors in heart disease and stroke.

The danger comes because inflammation in the artery linings attracts LDL (especially the small particle size) and it forms nature’s bandage to protect the “wounded” arteries. The problem comes when the cholesterol dominated plaque causes a clot or plaque to breaks off and plug a coronary or cerebral artery. This produces a heart attack or stroke respectively.

Drug companies have convinced medical doctors, legislators and the public that cholesterol is the problem, when it really is not. The revenue generated from cholesterol lowering drugs (statins) is enormous.  The last figures I read were 20 billion dollars for this class of drugs.  Proof of this rip off came home to roost when Pfizer was recently fined 2 billion, 300 million dollars for false and misleading advertising. (They can afford the fine since they generate over 12 billion annually from Lipitor, their flagship cholesterol lowering drug.)

It seems clear to me that the wrong emphasis is placed on reducing cholesterol.  Our emphasis should be focused on lowering inflammation in the blood. This means reduction of obesity and diabetes 2… excessive intake of fats, trans fats, sugar and other harmful dietary consumptions…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Technorati Tags: cholesterol, coronary heart disease, HDL, heart attack, inflammation, LDL

I know that is a brash statement, but stay with me and I believe I can prove it. I compiled and published a comprehensive report on the subject that is free for you…leave you email address it you want it.   The American Medical Association has released new guidelines that dupe the busy M.D.’s and unsuspecting public into believing that healthy people need to lower cholesterol. Why?…because the myth has persisted that high cholesterol, especially LDL (low density lipids) cholesterol is causing heart attack and stroke.  The guidelines of “healthy” cholesterol keep being lowered to the benefit of drug companies and to the detriment of the public who take the statin drugs.

Julian Whitaker, M.D. reports in his June 2008 HEALTH & HEALING Newsletter:
“As for statin drugs, for most of the 40 million Americans recommended to take them for the rest of their lives, they’re an ineffective, expensive, side effect-riddled fraud.”

The truth is that high levels of cholesterol do not co-relate with higher cardiovascular accidents and mortality. Dozens, even hundreds of studies, (including international research) provide compelling evidence that lowering cholesterol is the wrong approach to health…but not drug funded ones. Mainstream medicine either ignores this or is unaware of it.

A large, well controlled study done by Harvard University found that half the people with heart attacks had normal (150 to 200) cholesterol levels. While it is true that heart attack and stroke victims are found to have plugs of high content cholesterol blocking coronary or cerebral arteries, inflammation is the real problem.

The reason that the bad (LDL) cholesterol is found obstructing arteries is co-related to inflamed blood vessels. The LDL  cholesterol is attracted to the blood vessel linings through inflammation.  It is natures attempt to “bandage” a wound.  Furthermore, the irregularity caused by a plaque reduced lumen increases the incidence of clots forming.  These blood clots also obstruct coronary or cerebral blood vessels, producing heart attack and stroke respectively.

Numerous studies demonstrate that inflammation, as measured by CRP (C-Reactive Protein) or Interlukin 6 tests, highly co-relate to these cardiovascular accidents.  This fact was validated by the famous Mayo Clinic as well as research at Harvard University.

You may ask what causes inflammation? There are a number of reasons but a few of the risk factors are:  Smoking, trans-fats, excess homocysteine (from red meats), diabetes, AGE’s (advanced glycation end-products), toxins and preservatives from food and water. Basically, excesses of anything or a foreign substance will cause irritation and produce  inflammation. Diet is a huge factor.

Reducing cholesterol with a statin drug also reduces CoQ-10 enzyme which is essential to every cell in the body… for cell wall integrity, and is a link in the energy production inside the cell. Twice the heart failure rate is found in those on statin drugs unless supplemented by CoQ-10. In addition, the cholesterol molecule is the core ingredient for vitamin D-3 and the cortical hormones (including testosterone, estrogen, cortisol and many others). Cognitive decline, muscle weakness and pain, low vitamin D-3 are common symptoms of those on statin drugs…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Technorati Tags: cholesterol, CoQ-10, LDL

The end result is that the body has difficulty metabolizing them, they are inflammatory and become a health risk.  New York City has banned trans fats in restaurants. 

The food industry has responded with an arguably worse alternative, interesterified fats. A recent study, published in Nutrition & Metabolism, found these interesterified fats raised the LDL cholesterol levels just like trans fats.

Dr. Mark Stengler, in his research on the subject, finds that the LDL (bad cholesterol) is significantly increased. It is believed that 1 in 5 deaths from coronary heart disease is now directly linked to increased trans fats. Increased inflammation and LDL levels are associated with this.

What makes these new substitutes for trans fats (interesterified fats) even worse is that they were shown in a recent study, published in Nutrition & Metabolism, to increase glucose blood levels by 20%, in only one month. They reduce insulin and most probably will increase the incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Another problem with these fat substitutes (transfats & interesterified fats) is they take out an important fat enzyme, D6D, which is needed for regular fat metabolism.  Studies are showing that these inert, toxic, fat substitues are actually increasing obesity.  This is just the opposite of what the original plan was, when they were designed, namely to reduce fat accumulation…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.

Technorati Tags: interesterified fats, LDL, trans fats

I know that is a brash statement, but stay with me and I believe I can prove it. I compiled and published a comprehensive report on it that is free to you.  The American Medical Association has released new guidelines that dupe the busy M.D.’s and unsuspecting public into believing that healthy people need to lower cholesterol. Why?…because the myth has persisted that high cholesterol, especially LDL (low density lipids) cholesterol is causing heart attack and stroke.  The guidelines of “healthy” cholesterol keep being lowered to the benefit of drug companies and to the detriment of the public who take the statin drugs.

Julian Whitaker, M.D. reports in his June 2008 HEALTH & HEALING Newsletter:
“As for statin drugs, for most of the 40 million Americans recommended to take them for the rest of their lives, they’re an ineffective, expensive, side effect-riddled fraud.”

The truth of the matter is that high levels of cholesterol do not co-relate with higher cardiovascular accidents and mortality. Dozens, even hundreds of studies, provide compelling evidence that lowering cholesterol is the wrong approach to health…but not any drug funded ones. Mainstream medicine either ignores this or is unaware of it…Denis Van Loan DDS

Technorati Tags: cholesterol, heart attack, LDL, stroke