Popeye Was Right!
Eating Spinach May Just Help Save Us After All

Popeye’s way of saving the day, as it turns out, may also be a good way of helping save our hearts. That’s right – eating spinach (along with other green leafy vegetables, such as collard greens and kale) may be our salvation. That’s because it contains the antioxidant known as lutein (actually "xygenated carotenoid lutein," which we dare you to say three times fast).

While we are sometimes led to believe that surgery and angioplasty are the only ways to alleviate heart disease, lutein was found by researchers to have inhibited the onset of atherosclerosis and the amounts of fatty deposits in a major artery. During an 18-month study, people with the highest levels of lutein in their blood did not experience increased levels of arterial plaque, an indication of atherosclerosis. However, subjects with the lowest levels of lutein showed heightened amounts of plaque. This research, published in the journal Circulation, should entice us all to follow the cartoon sailor’s example by eating more spinach and other lutein-rich foods. 

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Unhealthy Gums May Place Cardiovascular System at Risk

A study in the Journal of Periodontology confirms that people with gum disease are at a greater risk of systemic illnesses such as heart disease.  While you may ask how the gums and the heart are related, researchers found that patients with severe periodontal disease had significantly higher levels of bacterial toxins in their bloodstreams than did patients with healthy gums. Such harmful bacterial components in the blood can travel to other organs such as the heart, leading to atherosclerosis and heart attacks. 

This recent discovery may explain why those who suffer from heart attacks have a higher level of an inflammatory marker known as cardiac-CRP.  (For more information regarding cardio-CRP testing, see our article on heart disease from Let's Live, which is featured on this Web site).

Could bacteria cause heart disease?  The answer may be "yes."  We have found evidence of several types of infections in heart disease victims - C. pneumoniae, H. Pylori, cytomegalovirus, and the newest discovery, nanobacterium sanguinum. The latter infection, nanobacterium, evades the immune system by secreting a calcium shell around itself, and has been implicated in the formation of hardened arteries, calcifications, and kidney stones.

If you currently suffer from scleroderma, heart and vascular disease, or kidney stones, ask our physicians if you may be a candidate for nanobacterium testing.  The DNA test is only available at one laboratory in the country on a research basis.    

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While pharmaceutical manufacturers have funded several studies showing that synthetic hormone replacement does not increase the risk of breast cancer, a study in JAMA supports the hypothesis that long-term use of hormones may well increase the likelihood of  developing the disease. Researchers compared 705 women aged 50 to 74 who were diagnosed with breast cancer from 1990-1995 to 692 women who did not have breast cancer. They found that the women who had taken synthetic hormone replacement for at least five of the previous six years had a 70 percent higher overall risk of breast cancer.

Is this risk worth taking?  Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been alleged to have helped women with various conditions such as heart disease.  Many of these claims have been refuted, and HRT’s actual benefits may be limited to helping with menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis.  In our opinion, there are several natural agents such as isoflavones, black cohosh, and red clover that may offer similar benefits, yet with less risk. And even in cases where we feel that hormone replacement therapy is indicated, we are in favor of natural bio-identical hormones rather than the synthetic HRT which is commonly prescribed. 

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When someone suffers from a back sprain, conventional medicine usually recommends anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, and exercise.  Readers of this newsletter will know that anti-inflammatory drugs just mask symptoms and also hinder the immune system in repairing the damage.  Muscle relaxants work not on muscles, but affect the brain's function.  Now, a study to test whether exercise can help back pain has come up short.  The theory that low back pain can be limited by strengthening muscles around the hip does not work, according to this new research. 

Scott F. Nadler of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, was the lead author of this report, published in the American College of Sports Medicine journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.  The article examined the value of exercises to strengthen muscles of the abdomen, lower back and buttocks. These exercises, including sit-ups, pelvic tilts, squats and lunges, constitute traditional forms of core conditioning. The added strength is supposed to ease strain on the back by improving posture and by giving the back more support as it bends and twists in sports or activities.

Nadler studied NCAA Division I male and female athletes at a college in New Jersey. In the 1998-99 season, 164 athletes engaged in their normal training but were given no special core conditioning program and served as the comparison group for the study. In the 1999-2000 season, 236 athletes were given additional core conditioning training, and served as the experimental group. Researchers compared the incidence of low back pain complaints in the two groups, and found no statistically meaningful differences. 

Strength training may be a vital component for a healthy back, although this study did not show any benefit regarding pain prevention.  Traditional medicine has yet to understand that prolotherapy has the ability to safely strengthen ligaments, tendons, and joints that most commonly cause back pain.  To learn how prolotherapy cures chronic back pain, you can view a video on this Web site by going to Dr. Greenberg's page.

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A recent study published in the British Medical Journal has shown that a natural herb known as butterbur may be as effective as the prescription hay fever medication Zyrtec, with fewer side effects. Butterbur, also known under the brand name Petadolex, is a cousin of the echinacea family. 

In the study, 125 people with hay fever were randomly assigned to receive butterbur or cetirizine (generic for Zyrtec) for two weeks. At the end of the study period, participants from both groups demonstrated a similar improvement in symptoms. Interestingly, although cetirizine is considered a non-sedating antihistamine, participants who received this medication reported experiencing more sedative side effects (such as drowsiness and fatigue) than those in the butterbur group. 

We have also found that butterbur is highly effective in reducing the frequency and intensity of chronic headaches.  Taking just two per day can be more effective than many of the prescription headache pills often prescribed. 

Nature has afforded us a wealth of compounds with great health benefits.  When these benefits prove to be similar or superior to pharmaceuticals but without side effects, it could perhaps be argued that prescription drugs should really constitute "alternative medicine" while natural compounds should be considered as "traditional medicine." 

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