PODCAST #12 5-1-07

WELCOME TO THE 12th EDITION OF THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS PODCAST

Heartburn and Ulcers; A few tidbits; Celiac disease and Intestinal gas.

More bad studies. According to a controversial meta-analysis study (a meta-analysis study is the combining of many studies which when combined usually result in a biased bad study). This bad study stated that taking vitamin E increased mortality risk by 4%; taking beta-carotene by 7% and vitamin A by 16%. However the authors state that they did not KNOW the exact cause of death of any of the study participants. Reported in JAMA 2-28-07. As the experts and I have said before, meta-analysis is impossible to compare, due to different patient populations; different design; different dosage, different food intake etc. In addition the antioxidants were used to treat disease not as preventatives. It was not until the researchers divided the studies based on their own bias that they were able to link antioxidants with mortality. Why a prestigious journal would publish such garbage if garbage is to strong a word then just a bad study I have no idea. Continue taking your vitamins as shown by the next study and ignore this and other bad studies.

A study of more than 950,000 healthy adults found that those who took vitamin E supplements regularly had a lower than average risk of dying of ALS (Lew Gehrig disease) in a 10 year period. Annals of Neurology, Jan. 2005. This is more truthful then some badly done recent studies that state Vitamin E is harmful as the above study.

Let your tap water run for twenty seconds before drinking or cooking with water. Water can be polluted by sitting in old pipes.

Twenty years ago studies were mostly financed by the government or organizations with no financial ties to the studies.

Now a review of 100 studies on soft drinks, juice and milk. They found that research sponsored by manufactures was four to eight times more favorable then studies that were not industry-funded.

Some natural cures for Heartburn (stomach distress) and Ulcers:
If you suffer from heartburn or ulcers here are some food tips. Avoid food that may irritate your condition, such as fried foods, citrus, tomato based, and spicy meals and other foods that you have found to irritate your condition. Eat frequent small meals but your total caloric intake for the day should not increase. Large meals increase the demand for stomach acid. Chew thoroughly and eat nothing within 2 hours of going to bed. Avoid smoking and NISAD’s. If you do take NISAD’s take with Lecithin 1200 mg which might decrease irritation. If you have trouble with regurgitation at night you can try to place a 2” block under each leg of the bed, at the head of the bed.

As mentioned in the previous podcast Folic Acid is good for Alzheimer’s it is also good for age related hearing loss, some cancers and helps cognition in seniors. If you take extra folic acid also take extra B12. Because as you age you produce less stomach acid and you need acid to absorb B 12

Many eating healthy advocates tell you to eat whole grains, which is good advice. If you get stomach irritation or bowel problems when eating whole grains you might have celiac disease. Wheat, barley and malt contain gluten, a protein which causes celiac. There is a simple blood test for celiac. Years ago people many that had bowel problems were diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. A number of them after taking a blood test were found to have celiac disease. If you have bowel problems ask your doctor to test you for celiac disease.

Intestinal gas: some facts
The average person produces 1 to 3 pints of gas a day and eliminates it in 14 to 23 passes, some while asleep. Most of this is odorless. Bacteria in the large bowel produce a tiny amount of methane by fermenting the carbohydrates left over from the digestive process and this forms hydrogen sulfide gas odor. Less then 1% of the gas we produce accounts for all the odor.

That’s all for PODCAST #12. I hope you found it interesting and informative. The next PODCAST will be the week of June 1

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ON THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS PODCAST OUR E-MAIL ADDRESS is
health@lencolabs.com.

For more information on this subject and other subjects go to www.lencolabs.com, thank you for listening to the health and happiness podcast with–Leonard Austin