Drug-Free in 90 Days

Health Revelations Dr. Alan Inglis

Copyright 2008 by Healthier News, L.L.C., 702 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means or for any reason without the consent of the publisher. The information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Additional orders and inquiries can be directed to Health Revelations, Reader Services Department, 702 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201; tel. (915)849-4609, fax (410)558-6359. All material in this publication is provided for information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this publication; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. The information and opinions provided in this publication are believed to be accurate and sound, based on the best judgment available to the authors, but readers who fail to consult with appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
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Drug-Free in 90 Days
You cant ignore the fact that our country is awash in prescription medications. The drug companies are getting richerand were no healthier for all of their vast offerings. In fact, you may currently be more debilitated by the side effects caused by these drugs than actually feeling healthier. Heres one thing you can bank on: Big Pharma is not in business to make you healthier. That would be bad for business! If you were to actually be treated and cured, their stocks would plummet and their big-time shareholders would be diving out of high-rise windows. My friendyour indefinite suspension in a state of dis-ease and a drug stupor is exactly where they need you to be. How else will they continue amassing profits that number into the billions? These companies consistently maintain their presence in the nations Fortune 500and not at the back of the list, either. But you dont have to buy in to their disease-mongering agenda any longer. Im going to show you how to set your own agenda: a course toward wellnessstarting today.

Its not a painkiller-deficiency

Acetaminophen is one of the main ingredients in one of the most common pain relievers on the market, Tylenol. I call the class of acetaminophen-laden pills aging in a bottle, but you wont see that in any drug-company advertising. If you overdo your intake of this ingredient, you could potentially destroy your liver and damage your kidneys. It also gets in
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the way of your bodys ability to fight free radicalsthat aging scourge that loves to run rampant through your body. Then there are the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are available over the counter. And because theyre so available, people have the impression that theyre perfectly safe. Not quite. And you dont see the media pouncing on this nugget of information: over 15,000 people die per year as a result of stomach bleeds related to (NSAID) use. And then there are the now infamous Cox-2 inhibitors that include the drugs Vioxx and Bextra. Im sure you heard a lot about Vioxx in the news, mired in a scandal that involved serious side effects and deaths of patients. The problem with drugs like Vioxx is that they act indiscriminately in many different areas, or tissues, of the body. So while they may reduce inflammation in your joints, they can also lead to clots in your arteries. This can cause a heart attack, or the weakening of the protective mucus of your stomach and intestines, increasing your risk of bleeding. Its only a matter of time before the side effects kick in. But long before Big Pharma began its onslaught of advertising to sell expensive and potentially harmful drugs like Vioxx, Bextra, and even ibuprofen, there was a natural remedy available. And it didnt shred your stomach lining for you. My great-great-grandfather was a doctor, too. And he would have prescribed your great-great-grandmother a bottle of cod liver oil for her aches and pains. This remedy would have eased her chronic pain and inflammation and brought true healing to joints that had seen a lifetime of

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hard work. After all, these were people who didnt have microwaves and bags of wonder-less bread on grocerystore shelvesthey had to actually perform a lot of manual labor to get things done. There was no such thing as downtime for them, and they couldnt let pain slow them downwhich is why cod liver oil was a godsend. Cod liver oil is rich in vitamin A. This vitamin is essential for the growth and repair of many cells in your body including the cells that make up your cartilage. Another important component of cod liver oil is vitamin D. Ive long been vocal on the importance of vitamin D. It has been shown to protect you from arthritis. If youre concerned that youre not getting enough vitamin D (and you should be), the best strategy is to know your vitamin D status. Ask your doctor to order a 25-hydroxy vitamin D bloodlevel test. Its a simple blood test that provides the most accurate assessment of vitamin D in your body. The results should be at least 30 nanograms per milliliter, but I like to see levels above 40 nanograms per milliliter as the optimum level. Even armed with test results, most people find that a supplement is a wise insurance policy. While experts recommend 15 minutes in the sun each day, exposing your bare face and arms, that can be difficult in winter months. For just about everyone not living in a warm, sunny climate, I recommend taking 1,000 IUs of vitamin D year-round plus an extra 1,000 IUs from November through April (a 2,000 IU daily total). Worried about toxicity? Experts now estimate toxic levels are upwards of 10,000 IUs a day, so my recommendation is obviously well within the safe range. If youre taking a supplement and getting sunshine, too, dont worry your body has protective feedback mechanisms that
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prevent the production of too much vitamin D. I recommend you take one to three teaspoons (depending on need) of cod liver oil every day.

Youre not suffering from a statin-deficiency

Theres evidence that cholesterol-lowering statins may be making peoples hearts worse. And though the mainstream media has been fawning all over statins as if they were the Second Comingtheres no known vitamin or mineral on this green earth called a statin. Its no more than a synthetic concoction that has provided a rich payday for its makers. These drug manufacturers wont be content until they can get every man, woman, childand possibly even every beast of burdenon this drug. Once a patient gets on a statin, they think theyre on it for life. I cant tell you how many surprised (even stunned) looks I get when I suggest to a first-time patient, How about we work to get you off those pills? Im not trying to rock the medical boatIm following in my Great-great-grandpa Inglis footsteps: I want to help my patients get well. And staying on statins wont do the trick. If you dont already have heart disease or multiple risk factors, including a parent or sibling with heart disease at a young age (under 60), the studies clearly show statin drugs are of minimal benefit. In addition, statins lower levels of coenzyme Q10, a key player in energy production. Your heart depends on it for its functioning ability. This is why so many patients on statins suffer from muscle weakness and breakdown. And now, theres increasing concern over heart failure from these drugs. Theres no need to risk creating damage when you can promote healing.

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Diet and cholesterol

You probably think that if you eat a plate of cholesterolrich scrambled eggs, your cholesterol levels will go through the roof. Not so. If youre like most people, the amount of dietary cholesterol you ingest has little impact on your bodys natural cholesterol levels. Your liver makes production adjustments up or down based on what you eat. However, thats not a license to eat whatever is put in front of you. Practice moderation and smart selections to improve all aspects of your healthnot just your heart health. To reach and maintain ideal cholesterol levels, reject Americas standard anti-food diet that includes fast-food hamburgers, ice cream, highly processed baked goods and sugar-laden sodas. Vegetables should cover half your plate, with protein and starches getting a quarter each. Heres a little more guidance to help you decide what to put on your plate: Keep your selections simple. Choose vegetables of all colors. Steam them lightly for optimal taste and nutrient retention. Satisfy your cravings for a sweet treat by eating moderate amounts of fruit. Its plenty sweet enough to have as a dessertyour taste buds just need to be recalibrated. Stick to a moderate intake of protein, avoiding anything that has been shot full of hormones and antibiotics. Fish, free-range chicken (leave the skin onyou need some fat), and beefpreferably from organically raised cattle from a local source. Thats the best way to ensure that youre eating the healthiest steak and burgers possible.
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 Eat eggs every day if you want to, cooked with butter or olive oil. The anti-egg propaganda is nothing more than an offshoot of the marketing of cholesterol as heart enemy #1. If you like soy, use only the fermented kinds (miso and tempeh). Skip those big globs of tofu, soy powders, bars and soy milk, which for the most part are nutrient-robbing anti-foods. For your starches, choose minimally processed whole grains and starchy vegetables like potatoes (I didnt say french fries), sweet potatoes, and winter squash (in moderation). Dont even think about eating anything promoted as low-fat. Thats usually just shorthand for highsugar. And a low-fat diet may actually contribute to heart problems. Nothing promotes undesirable, riskheightening, small and dense LDL particles more than highly refined and processed carbs (such as cookies, cakes, crackers and chips) and anything else with flour and high fructose corn syrup. You need fat, plain and simple. Natural fats are perfect, derived from such sources as fish, healthy meats, nuts and nut butters, avocados, real butter (no margarine), and olive oil. You can even include small amounts of full-fat cheese and yogurt if you like. Trans fats (aka hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats) found in solid margarines and packaged baked and frozen goods should not be eaten, period.

Get off your La-Z-Boy

Studies show that just as eating well can help to reduce blood-cholesterol levels, exercise can do the same. Even
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Drug-Free in 90 Days

the drugmakers say you need to increase your level of exercise and fix your diet. (Of course, that message gets trampled in the mad rush to sell pills.) The best exercise is the one youll actually do. Get a pedometer, because people who use one tend to walk more. Build up to 10,000 steps per day. And if youre really serious, add some strength training. Use weights, weight machines, elastic bands, or even your own body weight as resistance. (You might try yoga, for example.) Keep in mind that Im giving you 90 days to build up your activity level, so you dont have to head out tomorrow and try to run a marathon. Thats not necessarybut getting more active is. Dont wait for tomorrowstart today. Keep up the momentum, just as soon as youre done reading this issue! Other forms of exercise you can try include gardening, dancing, chopping wood, bicycling and swimming. Hike on a local trail. Turn on the radio and dance in your living room. Give your tennis arm some practice. Have fun exercise isnt supposed to be so deadly serious. In the process, youll live longer and happier while making a meaningful dent in your risk of heart disease.

A positive outlook will bring you a positive cholesterol level

Do you want to know whatll kill you faster than bad food, a sedentary lifestyle and cigarettes combined? Stress. It will increase your cholesterol level: When your body perceives a threat, it uses up more cholesterol in order to support its stress response. More importantly, stress provokes inflammation and magnifies your risk of heart disease and an early death.

Im not telling you to perform a miracle and have zero stress. As a rule, stress is one of those givens in lifelike death and taxes (and the bumbling of the FDA). However, you need to deal with it by becoming its manager instead of its victim. Your foundation has already been laid with real food and regular physical activity, which will build physical hardiness. The emotional stuffs a horse of a different color. If you focus on the negatives, guess what happens: It becomes your world. And so starts that vicious, diseaseinducing cycle that will literally wring the life right out of you. I cant emphasize enough the health-promoting, stressevaporating power of time spent in a worship group, in a social club, and with friends and family members. Proven practices like deep breathing, prayer, meditation, and biofeedback can also help you manage your stress reaction. I recommend a form of biofeedback called Heartmath, which is being used successfully all over the world. You can purchase whats called an Em Wave (for about $200) at www.emwave.com. Youll quickly learn relaxation techniques with this excellent tool.

Nutraceuticals for lower cholesterol

There are natural supplements you can take that, along with your positive eating plan, will promote all-around good health while getting your cholesterol levels back in balance:  Multivitamin: Its a must as a blanket insurance policy. I recommend a food-form multivitamin from New Chapter, Megafood, or Garden of Life, because your body can handle them better. Men, choose one without iron. Ladies, be sure to get some extra calcium and magnesium, and men just extra magnesium. You can take just plain old
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Drug-Free in 90 Days

calcium and magnesium citrate, 600 to 1,200 mg of calcium and 400 to 800 mg of magnesium daily.  Fish oil: This potent anti-inflammatory can protect against sudden death from abnormal heart rhythms, bring down high triglyceride levels and promote the desirable large, buoyant LDL particles. It may also boost good HDL cholesterol. Take 2,000 mg total EPA and DHA (the active form of omega-3s, as spelled out on the label). If your triglyceride level is above 150 (the ideal is below 100), take up to 3,000 mg daily.  Vitamin D: Another anti-inflammatory, vitamin D protects against heart disease. Take 1,000 to 2,000 IUs daily. Ask your doctor to check your vitamin D level. (The optimum blood level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D is between 50 and 60 ng/ml.)  Probiotics: They will promote healthy bacteria in your gut, balance your immune system, and, most importantly, normalize your cholesterol level. Take 10 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) daily to keep your gut colonized with good bacteria.  Red yeast rice: Im talking about a natural statin, which is why I caution you to treat it pretty much like a drug. Itll improve your cholesterol and reduce inflammation. Red yeast rice behaves in a more balanced way in the body and causes fewer side effects than prescription forms. More and more cardiologists are using itespecially for people who cant tolerate or simply refuse to take prescription statin drugs. It contains monacolins, which is the active ingredient, and its chemically identical to one of the first classes of statins,
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lovastatin. I recommend 400 to 600 mg per day, with the approval of your doctor.  Antioxidants: I recommend Zyflamend from New Chapter or Vitanox from Medi-Herb. If you take extra vitamin E, choose a mixed tocopherol form (preferably one that also includes the four tocotrienols). Gamma tocopherol, not alpha tocopherol, protects LDL cholesterol from harmful oxidation. Dont take over 400 units per day and let your doctor know what youre taking, because vitamin E has mild blood-thinning effects. Here are additional options to round out your tool kit, based on your individual need:  Plant sterols: They reduce absorption of cholesterol, lower levels 5 to 15 percent, and may confer some anti-inflammatory benefits.  Tocotrienols: Part of the vitamin E family, this powerful antioxidant lowers LDL cholesterol and may protect against stroke and cancer.  Sytrinol: Derived from citrus fruits, it lowers LDLcholesterol and triglyceride levels while promoting favorable large and fluffy LDL-particle size. Take 150 mg twice daily.  Pantethine: It lowers LDL cholesterol, boosts HDL and brings down triglycerides. Take 300 mg three times per day with meals.  Niacin: The RDA for this B-complex vitamin (B3) is 20 mg daily. But prescription doses of up to 2,000 mg per day are used to boost HDL and bring down triglycerides (a pattern typically found in
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people with, or at risk for, diabetes). Its effective, but it causes unpleasant flushing. Regular old offthe-shelf niacin will do if its taken with meals. Start at 250 mg per day with dinner. That dose can then be increased by 250 mg per week. This needs professional supervision, as liver and blood sugar tests need to be followed.

Your body isnt lacking in beta blockers!

If you were diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor probably made a notation on your chart that you have essential hypertension. Thats what over 90 percent of cases are called, and it means cause unknown. Nonsense. If you can normalize high blood pressure with real food, exercise, appropriate weight loss and good stress management, the causes are fake food, inactivity, overweight, and poor stress-handling skills. Plain and simple. But the term essential hypertension is a cop-out that results in the overuse of drugs. And as it turns out, two common drugs used to treat high blood pressure, hydrochlorothiazide and beta blockers, hasten the onset of diabetes. Many doctors are unaware of this not-so-little secret. And many who do know about it hem and haw on the subject. After all, those drugs lower blood pressure! But why choose the lesser of two evils, when there are solutions that dont involve putting you at risk for the devastation of diabetes.

Smart changes will bring you smart results

Salt gets a lot of blame for hypertension. And in some cases, its true. Excess salt intake in salt-sensitive individuals equals increased blood pressure. It doesnt get much
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simpler than that. Excess salt causes the retention of fluid and actually triggers a mild surge of your stress hormones. If your blood pressure is creeping up, cut back on the salt. Also knock it off with buying those nasty processed foods theyre swimming in sodium. If you must have salt, use the right kind. Plain old table salt is a processed chemical thats foreign to your body. A bit of sea salt is okay, however, as it has a full complement of health-supporting trace mineralslike the sea water youre made of. You can also fill your saltshaker with Mrs. Dash, a salt-free spice mixor create your own. You may initially struggle with salt cravings, but theyll disappear in about two weeks. If you drink alcohol, cut back. More than a drink or two per day can increase your blood pressure and also lead to weight gain due to empty calories, which can be another factor in your escalating blood pressure. Even if youre 50 to 100 pounds overweight, losing just 10 to 20 pounds can make a difference. But dont try to lose all that in just a week or two. More than two pounds per week will be mostly water, not fat, and wont improve your health. Cutting 200 carbohydrate calories per day adds up to a 25-pound weight loss in a year. Thats about two light beers right there. That weight difference will help send your blood-pressure number south, where it belongs.

Clean up your stuff

The cornerstone of your blood-pressure-lowering campaign consists of real food, exercise and stress management. Its what I call cleaning up your stuff, and this trio is many times more powerfuland ultimately a lot cheaperthan any pills you can take. And taking supplements
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Drug-Free in 90 Days

can help move things along while you fix the underlying problem. Again, you have 90 days to make changes. I recommend the slow-and-steady approach, because thats the one that will stick for the long haul. Fruits and vegetables: Bump up your intake. Theyre rich in potassium and magnesiumminerals that relax your blood vessels and lower your blood pressure. Skip these: Heavily processed, salt-laden, aliento-Gods-creation foods. Breathe: No, Im not being a smart-aleck. While you may do it every day, there are a variety of ways to breathe. Check out RESPeRATE (www.resperate.com), a clever device that will guide you toward a healthy breathing pattern and lower your blood pressure. Its supported by solid research and is recommended by major institutions like the Mayo Clinic.

Get this key blood test

As I mentioned, ask your doctor to test your vitamin D status. Heres why: Vitamin D performs a lot of key functions in your body. One task is regulating the action of your renin-angiotensin system, which is your hormone system responsible for regulating your blood pressure. If this system is inappropriately activated, your body will retain salt and fluid, increasing your blood pressure. This could be an important factor in your high blood pressureas it is for many people. Vitamin D works at the fundamental level of the cell nucleus to regulate genes that influence plasma renin. Over half the population is deficient in vitamin D. Correcting this deficiency helps normalize
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blood pressure by normalizing renin activity, in addition to conferring a whole host of other important health benefits. The renin-angiotensin system is the target of two types of drugs, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). These drugs will no doubt drop your blood pressure, but they also carry side effects. Vitamin D3 works similarly, but safely at a more fundamental level. In my own practice, Ive found that correcting vitamin D deficiencies with 1,000 to 2,000 IUs daily is all thats needed to normalize some patients blood pressure. It makes more sense to give the body what its missing before you start chasing after high blood pressure with a drug hammer. Thats good medicine. If your 25-hydroxy vitamin D level is too low (<30 nanograms/milliliter), get it up to the 50 to 60 range and see where your pressure goesit just may solve the problem. To a regimen of vitamin D, I recommend adding: Fish oil: Omega-3 fats from fish oil loosen up your blood vessels and lower blood pressure, but over 90 percent of the population doesnt get enough. Fish oil protects against heart disease, diabetes, dementia and cancer while supporting joint health and a healthy mood. The best natural sources are cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines and herring. If you opt for a supplement form, shoot for 2,000 milligrams total EPA plus DHAthe active forms. Magnesium: Deficiencies of this key mineral are rampant thanks to the Standard American Diet,
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with over 50 percent of the population not getting enough. It has mild calcium-channel-blocker effects, which means itll help to relax tight, narrow blood vessels and reduce blood pressure. Magnesium is found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. Add 400 to 600 mg from food-form vitamins or up to 1,200 mg of the widely available magnesium citrate capsules. There are several well-designed blood-pressure remedies to consider that drop blood pressure and support general good health. Ive seen great results with Blood Pressure Take Care from New Chapter. I have no financial ties with the companyIve just witnessed the positive effects its products have had on my own patients. This particular formulation includes specific probiotics, grape-seed extract and hawthorn. These work safely in combination on multiple pathways to help reduce blood pressure. They also supply antioxidant support and help maintain healthy levels of HDL good cholesterol. Also, check out Vasotensin, a unique formulation thats derived from bonito fish and is made by Metagenics (www.metagenics.com). It helps prevent blood vessels from narrowing.

Medication watch-list
Incredible as it may seem, nearly one-third of all prescriptions are written for those of us over the age of 65. The scary fact is, many of these drugs have not been adequately tested for folks in this age group, because very few clinical trials include any of us over 65 in those studies. We simply dont know what these drugs will do when people outside of the sample age take them. So its hardly a surprise when a new patient comes to me describing
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the terrible side effects theyve experiencedand theyre receiving very little benefit in return from these pills. Heres a list of some more common medications compiled by the Archives of Internal Medicine that may not be appropriate for you if youre in this more seasoned age group. 1) Alprazolam (Xanax) 2) Amphetamines 3) Barbituates 4) Bisacodyl (Dulcolax) 5) Carisoprodol (Soma) 6) Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) 7) Cimetidine (Tagamet) 8) Lorazepam (Ativan) 9) Meperidine (Demerol) 10) Naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve) 11) Nifedipine (Procardia) 12) Diazepam (Valium) 13) Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) 14) Fluoxetine (Prozac) 15) Triazolam (Halcion)

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eceive more natural health revelations by signing up for my Free e-letter House Calls. It enables me to visit with you more frequently four times per week. During these visits to your e-mails Inbox, I will bring to you a common sense look at the latest news and how it affects you and your health. Ill give it to you straight, and if theres a natural remedy I can suggestso much the better. I dont believe in pumping the human body full of prescription drugs that support one of the biggest industries in the modern world. Especially when nature has provided us so many side-effect free remedies perfected naturally over thousands of years. The drug companies can only wish they were able to cook up something just like them in their labs.

Go to www.healthrevelations.com to sign up now for your Free House Calls. I look forward to chatting soon! In natural good health,

Dr. Alan Inglis

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