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Natural Choices Newsletter
Natural Choices Newsletter – February 2006
brought to you by: Jane Oelke, N.D., Ph.D.
DoctorOelke@aol.com
February is Heart Month
In February we have Valentine’s Day, which also makes it Heart Awareness Month. So remember to take care of your own heart to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease. Do you know if you have high blood pressure? If you do not regularly get your blood pressure taken, you may not know you have high blood pressure. But if you get headaches regularly, you may want to check your blood pressure. Headaches from unknown causes can be blood pressure related.
Blood pressure is often difficult to reduce on your own. From experience with clients, the most benefit is found with making sure the liver is detoxifying properly with the use of cruciferous vegetables eaten and taken as a supplement on a daily basis. Often heavy metals can be the culprit that causes the blood pressure to stay up even with medication. Heavy metal detox supplements usually contain a variety of green herbs or vegetables that contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is found in dark green leafy vegetables more than any other foods. The darker the green color in the vegetable the more chlorophyll it contains. That is why dark green leafy vegetables are so important in liver phase II detoxification. Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, and kale are needed to effectively move those toxins out of the liver for good.
Juice Plus+ is the number one nutritional capsule sold in the world. Many people that I know that take Juice Plus+ regularly have noticed that their blood pressure is better regulated without medication than ever before. Getting the combination of the bioflavonoids in the fruit capsules along with the cruciferous vegetables in the vegetable combination really keeps your liver detoxifying well daily. Go to www.JuicePlus.com to learn more about the third-party research showing the proven benefits of Juice Plus+.
What about Heavy Metals and Attention Deficit Disorder?
Research into the cause of Attention Deficit Disorder symptoms often point to heavy metal poisoning as the potential problem. Metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium are most commonly found in the blood that may contribute to liver stress. Symptoms relate to excess stress in the liver is irritability in adults and hyperactive behavior in children. So this is why children who are hyperactive benefit from more green vegetables in their diet to reduce any potential heavy metal poisoning.
But you say you don’t think you could possibly have heavy metal problems? Heavy metals can come from foods that contain inorganic minerals. Foods, like cereals, are often enriched with inorganic minerals that are sprayed on the food. Your body does not absorb these minerals and over time can cause toxicity. Even liquid trace mineral products can cause liver toxicity when consumed if they are not from plant-based minerals. Remember to choose the best plant based supplements that your body will recognize so that you do not get any excess liver toxicity.
Remember that to reverse Attention Deficit Disorder, I recommend a whole food diet. Avoiding food colorings, high fructose corn syrup, and most food additives. Food additives contain components of minerals that may sound okay, but are found to affect behavior in children. Some of the food additives that contain mineral derivatives are: calcium caseinate, potassium bisulfate, sodium nitrate, and sodium benzoate. These food additives are just some of the common ones that are eliminated on the Feingold diet, that make recommendations on dietary changes that can help reduce attention deficit disorder symptoms.
Updated Service available in my office (and possibly in your area)
I have been using Electro-Dermal Screening for the past 8 years in my offices to evaluate my client’s health. Although the testing I have been doing has been very beneficial in locating stressed areas, I have not been able to do the additional extensive testing of food, virus, bacteria, and degenerative nosodes as effectively as I would like.
Three weeks ago I upgraded to a new testing system that is computer based and now can test for all the variety of homeopathic nosodes to get a better reading of what may be causing your symptoms. Plus it can test each of the 350 Electro-Acupuncture Points very quickly to locate specific areas of imbalance. You can find out more about the Limbic Ark Assessment test at www.zyto.com. Under the Resources tab is a DVD you can play on the Internet to see exactly how this device works.
So if you are located in the southwest lower Michigan area or northern Indiana area you are welcome to come experience this new more complete testing. Many clients really like the efficiency of the testing and you will too.
If you are not located near enough to one of my offices in Kalamazoo or St. Joseph, Michigan, you can do the testing over the phone. You can have yourself, and your family and friends tested without leaving your area. You can order one of the hand cradles and can schedule appointments from the convenience of your own location. If you would like more information about this possibility contact me at DoctorOelke@aol.com
Natural Choices Newsletter - April 2006
Keep your DNA Healthy!
Stress from many sources can cause DNA damage, including poor diet, and chronic mental anxiety. Yet, B complex vitamins are especially useful in keeping our DNA healthy. Folic acid along with B6 and B12, are used to help make new DNA for cells that are growing and renewing, especially the skin and blood cells. Folic acid, or folate, contains an important component that can turn genes on and off, as well as help repair DNA. Folate is found in dark green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, whole grains, and avocados.
A shortage of B vitamins can cause homocysteine levels to rise. High homocysteine levels can lead to heart disease and Alzheimer’s. You can measure your own homocysteine level with a blood test requested by your doctor. Measuring homocysteine level has become the “standard of care” in most cardiology units, since levels over 14 are found in most patients with cardiovascular disease, even when blood tests, like cholesterol and triglycerides are okay.
At a recent Juice Plus convention, it was announced that in a two-year research study the homocysteine levels went down in Juice Plus takers, and the folate levels increased by a whopping 174%. Many people do not believe that they can get enough nutrients from foods, and so have to supplement with a synthetic or fragmented vitamin or mineral supplement. This study proves that you can get what you need from concentrated fruits and vegetables.
Remember that what you eat every day makes the most difference in how your health will be. Even vitamin and minerals companies are now saying that their vitamin supplement works “best with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.” So if you are not getting your 9 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day look into taking Juice Plus+. It has made and continues to make a huge difference in how I feel and in the health of many of my clients. At the Juice Plus Website you can read more about the DNA study done proving that Juice Plus+ helps prevent DNA damage.
Natural Choices Newsletter – July 2006
Brought to you by: Jane Oelke, N.D. Ph.D.
DoctorOelke@aol.com
Take Drug Warnings Seriously!
Every drug commercial ends with the list of potential side effects to watch out for. Sometimes we hear the list of side effects so often that we make fun of them. These side effects need to be taken seriously when they involve your health.
A couple clients during the past month have shown me again why I try to promote safer and more natural choices for my clients. One 12-year-old child has an auto-immune disease that has caused her body to reject her blood. She has been on Advair and Prozac for the past 4 to 5 years. Advair is a combination anti-inflammatory and beta-antagonist used to treat asthma. The most common side effects of Advair are upper respiratory tract infections, sore throat, and headaches. The anti-inflammatory is a steroid, which has safety cautions about being used more than 6 months. It stresses the immune system as long as you are on it. But most of my clients who are on Advair continue to stay on it for long-term use.
Auto-immune diseases, including asthma, are often treated with steroids, but steroids affect the immune system when used too long. When drugs are used in combination, we cannot know the long-term side effects of more than one together. This child is now dealing with a more serious autoimmune disease than asthma, and her doctor wants to take out her spleen to see if it will help, even though it does not help most of the time.
There are so many ways to build up the immune system without steroids. I had another client recently that has been diagnosed with psoriasis, another auto-immune system reaction. He is now taking steroid shots to keep the psoriasis from becoming worse. Each of these shots cost $300, and he needs 8 shots a month to keep the skin rash in check. I do not know if his health care insurance will cover it. But even if it does, it is one treatment that is causing our health care cost crisis.
Anti-psychotic drugs are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs. They usually are not recommended for children, but many children are using them usually for symptoms of ADHD. The top 10 drugs recommended to Medicare patients in Massachusetts are:
1. Zyprexa (antipsychotic)
2. Protonix (heartburn)
3. Risperdal (antipsychotic)
4. Lipitor (anti-cholesterol)
5. Seroquel (antipsychotic)
6. Neurontin (neuropathic pain)
7. Depakote (antidepressant)
8. OxyContin (narcotic)
9. Zoloft (antidepressant)
10. Paxil (antidepressant)
7 out of 10 of these drugs are psychiatric drugs that eat up the Medicaid budget. The Boston Globe reports that 40,000 patients in the Massachusetts Medicaid program take 8 or more medications, and on average five of them are psychiatric drugs. They are recommended to control the stresses that we create in our lives when we do not have the nutrition to support the stress.
Look for Natural Choices
Nutritional and herbal formulas that are created for specific health challenges do not have the side effects of drugs. Since herbs have self-balancing properties they work to balance symptoms instead of controlling them. It may take a little longer to get the body in balance using nutrition or herbs, but once it is in balance you can often reduce the dosage. Yet with most prescription drugs, you are told to stay on them for the long-term.
In making herbal formulas we use specific herbs that are designed to improve the functioning of the system either by stimulating or sedating or balancing the specific organ or system. Herbs are known by their actions, just like drugs. But drugs are researched to be used for one action. Herbs are known to do many actions, changing more than one symptom. So the cautions with herbs have to do with their additional actions that have also been researched.
With good quality nutrition on a daily basis we can reverse many immune system reactions. It may take time, but with the right protocol real changes can be seen. Another client I recently saw expressed how her health has greatly improved by getting the nutrients she needed during her recent move. Even though her medical doctor could not understand why she does not need her headache drug any longer, she knows that her stresses have been reduced enough that she does not react to every event like she used to.
Many of you have signed up as “patients” on my Meta E-Health website where Metagenics nutritional supplements are offered. I have recently created a Metagenics Supplement User’s Guide to help you know which supplements I use for specific symptoms. I list the supplements 3 ways – by the common symptoms they are used for, the organ system that they work on, and/or the type of supplements they are. A list of the ingredients for most of the supplements is included for your faster reference. I have my favorite Metagenics supplements and have been asked by other clients to make it easier to find the supplements they need. You can download this 24 page user guide to your computer and use it to order supplements for yourself. I do not recommend printing this user guide, but as an online resource.
Metagenics supplements are high quality nutraceuticals with research studies done on most of them. They are very affordable for the quality you get. On my Metagenics website you can ordered these supplements at 10% of retail, with minimal shipping charges.
Go to my Natural Choices website to the bottom of the title page, and click on the User Guide link, and you will get a PDF file of the User Guide, downloaded to your computer.
Then go to my Metagenics website to get the supplements that fit your symptoms. Let me know if you have questions about any of the supplements.
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