(U.S. Right to Know) The American Council on Science and Health is a front group for the tobacco, agrichemical, fossil fuel, pharmaceutical and other industries.
A leaked ACSH financial summary, released in 2013 by Mother Jones, revealed that the American Council on Science and Health receives funding from a large number of corporations and industry groups with a financial stake in the messaging ACSH promotes. The internal document further revealed that ACSH solicits corporate donations for specific product-defense science messaging campaigns. For example, the document outlines:
plans to pitch the Vinyl Institute which “previously supported chlorine and health report”;
plans to pitch food companies for a messaging campaign to oppose GMO labeling, and cosmetic companies to counter “reformulation pressures”; and
efforts to court tobacco and electronic cigarette (e-cig) companies.
Personnel
ACSH’s longtime “Medical/Executive Director” was Dr. Gilbert Ross.[2] In 1993, according to United Press International, Dr. Ross was “convicted of racketeering, mail fraud and conspiracy,” and was “sentenced to 47 months in jail, $40,000 in forfeiture and restitution of $612,855” in a scheme to defraud the Medicaid system.[3]
ACSH’s Dr. Ross was found to be a “highly untrustworthy individual” by a judge who sustained the exclusion of Dr. Ross from Medicaid for ten years.[4]
Hank Campbell took over ACSH leadership from convicted felon Dr. Gil Ross in June 2015. Campbell is a former software developer who started the website Science 2.0 in 2006. In his book, “Science Left Behind: Feel Good Fallacies and the Rise of the Anti Science Left” (2012), Campbell describes his background: “six years ago… I decided I wanted to write science on the Internet” and, “Six years ago, with nothing but enthusiasm and a concept, I approached world famous people about helping me reshape how science could be done, and they did it for free.”
Funding
ACSH has often billed itself as an “independent” group, and has been referred to as “independent” in the press. However, according to the internal ACSH financial documents obtained by Mother Jones:
“ACSH planned to receive a total of $338,200 from tobacco companies between July 2012 and June 2013. Reynolds American and Phillip Morris International were each listed as expected to give $100,000 in 2013, which would make them the two largest individual donations listed in the ACSH documents.”[5]
“ACSH donors in the second half of 2012 included Chevron ($18,500), Coca-Cola ($50,000), the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation ($15,000), Dr. Pepper/Snapple ($5,000), Bayer Cropscience ($30,000), Procter and Gamble ($6,000), agribusiness giant Syngenta ($22,500), 3M ($30,000), McDonald’s ($30,000), and tobacco conglomerate Altria ($25,000). Among the corporations and foundations that ACSH has pursued for financial support since July 2012 are Pepsi, Monsanto, British American Tobacco, DowAgro, ExxonMobil Foundation, Philip Morris International, Reynolds American, the Koch family-controlled Claude R. Lambe Foundation, the Dow-linked Gerstacker Foundation, the Bradley Foundation, and the Searle Freedom Trust.”[6]
ACSH has received $155,000 in contributions from Koch foundations from 2005-2011, according to Greenpeace.[7]
ACSH features prominently in a July 11, 2017 article in the Progressive by Paul Thacker detailing the chemical industry’s PR campaign to spin journalists on GMOs and discredit environmental health concerns. Although Monsanto denied funding other groups, Thacker reported, “Monsanto ignored repeated questions about their financial support for the American Council on Science and Health.” ACSH Director Hank Campbell responded with this comment about his corporate funding, “I don’t care. If a large food corporation, like Whole Foods, or a smaller one, like Monsanto, wants to buy an ad here, they can. We will cash that check.”
“Monsanto quietly funnels money to ‘think tanks’ such as the “Genetic Literacy Project” and the “American Council on Science and Health,” organizations intended to shame scientists and highlight information helpful to Monsanto and other chemical producers.
According to emails obtained by US Right to Know, Monsanto tapped ACSH to publish a series of pro-GMO papers written by professors and assigned by Monsanto.
In an August 2013 email, Monsanto executive Eric Sachs wrote to the professors: “To ensure that the papers have the greatest impact, the American Council for Science and Health is partnering with CMA Consulting to drive the project. The completed policy briefs will be offered on the ACSH website … CMA and ACSH also will merchandize the policy briefs, including the development of media specific materials, such as op-eds, blog postings, speaking engagements, events, webinars, etc.” The papers were eventually published and merchandized by Jon Entine’s Genetic Literacy Project.
In one email from 2009, ACSH staff asked Syngenta for an additional $100,000 – “separate and distinct from general operating support Syngenta has been so generously providing over the years” – to produce an atrazine-friendly paper and “consumer-friendly booklet” to help educate media and scientists.
A year and a half later, ACSH published Entine’s book with this release:
“The American Council on Science and Health is pleased to announce a new book and companion friendly, abbreviated position paper … authored by Jon Entine, a scholar with the American Enterprise Institute and highly regarded science journalist … ACSH compiled this resource book and position to educate legislators, industry, media, consumers and parents on the actual risks of chemical exposure and use in everyday products.”
Entine denied any relationship with Syngenta and told Philpott he had “no idea” Syngenta was funding ACSH.
Indefensible and incorrect statements on science
ACSH has:
Claimed that “There is no evidence that exposure to secondhand smoke involves heart attacks or cardiac arrest.”[8]
Argued that “there is no scientific consensus concerning global warming. The climate change predictions are based on computer models that have not been validated and are far from perfect.”[9]
Argued that fracking “doesn’t pollute water or air.”[10]
Claimed that “The scientific evidence is clear. There has never been a case of ill health linked to the regulated, approved use of pesticides in this country.”[11]
Declared that “There is no evidence that BPA [bisphenol A] in consumer products of any type, including cash register receipts, are harmful to health.”[12]
Argued that the exposure to mercury, a potent neurotoxin, “in conventional seafood causes no harm in humans.”[13]
ACSH in the Media
February 2017 letter to USA Today: Thirty health, environmental, labor and public interest groups wrote to the editors of USA Today expressing concerns that the paper is publishing science columns by members of the American Council on Science and Health without identifying them as a corporate front group. The editors have so far declined to stop publishing the column or provide accurate disclosures about ACSH’s ties to corporations.
(Natural Blaze) Not even Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is safe from Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup. Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, has been discovered in small amounts to be tainting Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
The Organic Consumers Association announced Tuesday that it had found traces of glyphosate in 10 of 11 samples of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, despite the company’s previous pledge in 2014 to not use GMO products for its ice cream.
The results originated from independent lab testing by Health Research Institute Laboratories of these flavors — Peanut Butter Cup, Peanut Butter Cookie, Vanilla (2 samples), Cherry Garcia, Phish Food, The Tonight Dough, Half Baked, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Americone Dream and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Cherry Garcia was the only flavor that tested negative for glyphosate out of the 11 samples.
The group also calls on natural and organic food stores to drop the Ben & Jerry’s brand unless the company commits to transitioning to organic.
Ben & Jerry’s falsely advertises its products as ‘natural’ and its brand as ‘sustainable’ and ‘socially responsible.’ Nothing could be further from the truth.
Ben & Jerry’s profits are built on the back of an industrial dairy system that poisons the environment and produces pesticide-contaminated food products. Ben & Jerry’s sales, driven in large part by its deceitful claims, damage the organic industry by cutting into the sales of authentic natural, grass-fed and organic producers.
Ben and Jerry’s global director of social mission responded Rob Michalak stating they were working to transition away from GMOs,” The New York Timesreported.
“We’re working to transition away from G.M.O., as far away as we can get,” Rob Michalak, said. “But then these tests come along, and we need to better understand where the glyphosate they’re finding is coming from. Maybe it’s from something that’s not even in our supply chain, and so we’re missing it.”
In March of 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is apart of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as a ‘Group 2A’ carcinogen stating it’s “probably carcinogenic to humans.” On July 7 of this year California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added glyphosate to its Prop 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer.
Another organization, PAN, the Pesticide Action Network International, issued a 96-page report stating that glyphosate contaminates the Global Ecosystem. That same year the FDA suspended testing for glyphosate residues in food. Those foods, according to a subsequent report by Food Democracy Now! and the Detox Project, included many of America’s most popular foods including — cookies, crackers, popular cold cereals, and chips. The chemical was also found in several wines including organic wines, baby food and formula, breast milk and even tampons.
In research published earlier this year in Scientific Reports, a journal from the publishers of Nature, scientist found that rats that consumed very low doses of glyphosate each day showed early signs of fatty liver disease within three months. This corroborates a previous study of rats fed glyphosate done in France in 2012 that was later retracted then republished.
The French scientists found that the rats fed on a diet containing the herbicide-tolerant GM maize, or given water containing a “safe level” of Roundup in drinking water and GM crops in the U.S., died sooner than rats fed just a standard diet.
In 2015, a French court found Monsanto responsible for poisoning a French farmer Paul François. Earlier this year, France completely banned the public use of pesticides.
It seems like Monsanto is finally being held responsible for its dangerous poison.
Aaron Kesel writes for Natural Blaze and Activist Post. He is an independent journalist and researcher you can also check out more of his work on Steemit.
(Dr. Mercola) If you suffer from frequent heartburn, chances are you’ve been prescribed a proton pump inhibitor(PPIs) such as Prilosec, Prevacid or Nexium to inhibit acid production. This, despite the fact they were never intended to treat heartburn in the first place.
PPI drugs were originally designed to treat a very limited range of severe problems,1 including bleeding ulcers, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (a rare condition in which tumors in the pancreas cause your stomach to produce excess acid) and severe acid reflux concomitant with esophageal damage. But that hasn’t stopped them from becoming the go-to solution for everyday indigestion.
Research clearly shows PPIs are outrageously overprescribed and misused, and do far more harm than good.2,3,4,5,6,7 There are many alternative treatment strategies that can help ease this painful problem without the serious side effects associated with PPIs, which include kidney disease, pneumonia, osteoporosis, hip fractures, dementia and an increased risk for heart disease,8heart attacks9 and premature death.10
The long-term answer to heartburn and acid indigestion is to restore your natural gastric balance and function. The most important step is to eat real food, as processed foods and sugars are a surefire way to exacerbate acid reflux. Reseeding your gut with beneficial bacteria, either from traditionally fermented foods or a high-quality probiotic supplement, is also important. Aside from that, there are a number of natural substances that can help address the root of the problem.
What Causes Heartburn?
Digestion of food begins in your mouth as the food is broken into smaller pieces and mixed with saliva before traveling down your esophagus and into your stomach. Once in your stomach, the food mixes with hydrochloric acid, which is required to break the food down into even smaller pieces from which your small intestines can extract nutrients.11
Heartburn, also referred to as acid reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or peptic ulcer disease, is characterized by a burning sensation originating behind your breastbone, sometimes traveling up into your throat. In some cases, this burning pain can be severe enough to be mistaken for a heart attack.
When food passes through your esophagus into your stomach, a muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) closes, preventing food or acid from moving back up. The painful effect associated with heartburn occurs when the LES relaxes inappropriately, allowing acid from your stomach to reflux backward into your esophagus and burn tissue that cannot withstand the low pH of the acid.
While the conventional rationale states that this reflux is caused by excessive amounts of acid in your stomach, that’s actually an extremely rare situation, typically occurring only if you have the rare disease known as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Instead, the vast majority of acid reflux cases are related to one or more of the following:
•Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) imbalance. One of the explanations for why suppressing stomach acid is so ineffective — and there are over 16,000 articles in the medical literature attesting to this — is that when you decrease the amount of acid in your stomach, you suppress your body’s ability to kill the helicobacter bacteria.
While H. pylori can be part of your normal healthy microbiome, it can cause problems, including symptoms of acid reflux, if there’s an overgrowth of it. This typically occurs as a result of a poor diet. Taking a betaine hydrochloric supplement (available in health food stores without prescription) will not only improve digestion but will also help kill the helicobacter, thereby normalizing your symptoms.
•Hiatal hernia.13 If you have a hiatal hernia, physical therapy on the area may work, and many chiropractors are skilled in this adjustment.
•Food allergies can also be a contributing factor to acid reflux, so eliminate common culprits such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine.
Acid reflux can also imitate symptoms of gallbladder disease.14 Your gallbladder is located beneath your liver on the right side of your abdomen. Pain stemming from your gallbladder is typically felt just under your lower ribs on the right side, and/or in the pit of your stomach. Depending on the severity of your problem, the pain can radiate into your upper back on the right side, your chest or even your shoulder.
While heartburn will typically occur right after a meal and tends to get worse if you lie down, gallbladder pain usually sets in several hours after eating and gets worse on the in-breath. For proper diagnosis, your doctor may need to do an ultrasound on your gallbladder or other tests.
Important Considerations If You’ve Had Your Gallbladder Removed
Over 700,000 people have their gallbladder removed every year in the United States. If you happen to be one of them, it is important to realize that your gallbladder stores bile, which helps you digest and emulsify the fat you eat. If you’ve had your gallbladder removed, it’s really important to take ox bile, lipase or pancreatin — digestive enzymes that digest fat — anytime you eat a meal containing fats.15,16
Your gallbladder holds and excretes bile produced in your liver, and this bile contains the necessary enzymes to digest fats. Common signs and symptoms that your body is not digesting fats well include diarrhea, loose stools, light-colored or pale stools, bloating, nausea and indigestion after a meal.
Certain fatty foods (such as steaks or salmon) tend to be more problematic than others, but for proper digestion and absorption of fat-soluble nutrients, you really need to take a lipase or ox bile supplement with each meal. To learn more, see “Five Important Tips If You’ve Had Your Gallbladder Removed.”
Simple Test to Evaluate Your Stomach Acid Level
A simple test can be used to determine if your stomach acid level is low, and this knowledge will help you develop a plan to reduce your chronic pain. This simple test is a rough indicator of how much acid your stomach produces:
1.Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda in 8 ounces of cold water and drink it first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking anything. The combination of baking soda and hydrochloric acid in your stomach creates carbon dioxide gas, causing you to belch.17
2.Time yourself for up to five minutes for how long it takes you to form enough gas in your stomach to belch. Belching in two to three minutes is normal; earlier and repeated belching indicates an excess of acid. If you don’t belch after five minutes, you likely don’t produce enough acid.
More accurate testing involves taking a stool sample to determine whether you might have an enzyme and/or hydrochloric acid deficiency.18 It could also identify bacterial or fungal imbalances that might contribute to your condition. If you aren’t making enough stomach acid you can take a betaine HCL with pepsin supplement. Start with one or two tablets and work your way up to around five or seven with each large meal, but make sure you don’t have any burning in your stomach. If you do, you’re taking too much.
The Problem With PPIs
PPIs inhibit the proton pump that produces hydrochloric acid. However, excess stomach acid is rarely the primary trigger of heartburn and indigestion. On the contrary, heartburn is typically indicative of insufficient amounts of hydrochloric acid. If your acid levels are low, PPIs will exacerbate the problem by decreasing acid further.
And, since hydrochloric acid (and pepsin) are necessary to break down protein in your intestinal tract, reducing acid can alter your body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Without adequate protein breakdown, you also increase your risk of dysbiosis,19 an imbalance in gut microbiome between harmful and friendly bacteria.
As these undigested protein molecules ferment in your intestines, they become food for pathogens such as H. pylori, C. difficile and Candida. An overgrowth of these bacteria may also lead to leaky gut and associated health problems. A recent study20 confirmed this risk. Compared to those not taking PPIs, participants who did had a 1.7 to 3.7 times increased risk of developing C. difficile or Campylobacter infection.
Although both of these bacteria trigger abdominal pain and diarrhea, C. difficile tends to be the more serious of the two. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 29,000 Americans die from C. difficile infection each year.21 A meta-analysis22 looking at studies published between 1990 and 2010 also found a significant link between C. difficile infection and PPI use.
PPIs Associated With Increased Risk of Dementia
Research has linked PPIs to a number of other devastating health effects as well, including dementia. Disturbingly, cognitive changes can occur even with short-term use. In one study,23 PPIs were found to cause statistically and clinically significant impairments in the participants’ executive functions, visual memory and planning function after just one week of use.
According to research24,25,26 published in JAMA Neurology, seniors over the age of 75 who use PPIs on a regular basis had a 44 percent increased risk of dementia compared with non-users. Men were at greater risk, raising their dementia risk on average by 52 percent, compared to 42 percent for women.
One characteristic of dementia is the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain that provoke inflammation and ultimately kill brain cells. There is now strong scientific evidence that PPIs not only increase production of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, but slow your body’s ability to eliminate them as well.27,28,29 Two other studies concluded those taking PPIs were at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.30,31
PPIs Raise Your Risk of Heart Attack and Premature Death
Research has also linked long-term PPI use to an increased risk for heart disease32 and heart attacks — even if you have no prior history of cardiovascular disease.33,34 In one study,35 patients with GERD who took PPIs had a 16 percent increased risk of heart attack, and a two-fold increased risk of cardiovascular mortality.
The reason for this effect is thought to be due to the drug reducing nitric oxide (NO) in your blood vessel walls. NO relaxes your blood vessels, so by reducing the amount of NO, PPIs may raise your risk of a heart attack. Recent research also found PPI users were nearly 20 percent more likely to die from any cause compared to nonusers over the course of six years, and the longer the use, the greater the risk.36,37,38,39 As reported by Reuters:40
“The most likely explanation for the increased mortality risk is the side effects associated with PPIs … In terms of the mechanisms that could be involved … laboratory experiments have shown that lysosomes — tiny organs within cells that act like garbage disposals to get rid of waste — don’t function well in people taking PPIs. Other research has shown that PPIs may shorten the protective chromosome ends known as telomeres, in effect speeding up cell aging.”
Other Health Hazards Associated With PPI Use
Studies have also linked PPIs to the development of chronic kidney disease,41 increased risk of bone fractures42,43 and vitamin B12 deficiency, which in turn may lead to anemia, nerve damage, psychiatric problems and dementia. Researchers at Houston Methodist Hospital think they’ve discovered one of the reasons why PPIs can have such devastating effects on your brain, kidneys and other systems.
When different cells were grown in culture and exposed to PPIs, cells that line blood vessels demonstrated significant change.44 PPIs are taken orally and affect the proton pump in more than just your stomach walls. Blood vessels also produce small amounts of acid to break down and eliminate damaged protein molecules. When acid levels drop, microscopic debris begins to build up on the arterial walls, resulting in problems where many blood vessels are found, such as your brain, heart and kidneys.
Lead author Dr. John Cooke, chair of cardiovascular disease research at Houston Methodist Research Institute, noted:45 “I’m perplexed that the pharmaceutical industry didn’t run across this first. This is something that should have been apparent a long time ago and should have been investigated.”
How to Properly Wean Yourself Off PPIs
If you’re currently taking a PPI, do NOT quit cold turkey. Doing so can result in severe rebound effects known as rebound acid hypersecretion. It’s important to spend time detoxifying and eliminating the drug from your system. To do that, you need to gradually wean yourself off the drug.
Once you’re down to the lowest dose, start substituting with an over-the-counter H2 blocker, like Cimetidine, Zantac, Ranitidine or Tagamet. Once you’ve been taking the H2 blocker for a couple of weeks, you may start weaning yourself off these drugs as well, while introducing the alternative options to reduce your heartburn outlined below.
How to Heal GERD and Avoid Heartburn
One simple strategy to address a hydrochloric acid deficiency is to swap out processed table salt for an unprocessed version like Himalayan salt. By consuming enough of the raw material, you will encourage your body to make sufficient amounts of stomach acid naturally. Research46 has also shown that sauerkraut or cabbage juice is among the strongest stimulants for your body to produce stomach acid.
It will also provide you with valuable bacteria to help balance and nourish your gut. Having a few teaspoons of fermented cabbage juice from sauerkraut before your meal will do wonders to improve your digestion. Fresh, raw cabbage juice can also be very useful to heal resistant ulcers. To restore your natural gastric balance and function, also be sure to eat lots of vegetables and other high-quality, ideally organic, unprocessed foods.
Reseeding your gut with beneficial bacteria, either from traditionally fermented foods or a high-quality probiotic supplement is also important, as this will not only help balance your bowel flora, but can also help eliminate helicobacter bacteria naturally. Probiotics and fermented foods, especially fermented vegetables, also aid in proper digestion and assimilation of your food.
Also, beware of lectin-rich foods such as grains and legumes, as lectins are potent enzyme inhibitors.47,48 By inhibiting digestive enzymes, your digestive system will not function properly and foods will not be broken down, thereby producing or exacerbating heartburn.
Among the most problematic lectin-containing foods are wheat and other seeds of the grass family, any dairy that has A1 casein protein, beans, soy and other legumes, peanuts and members of the nightshade family such as eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. Grains and legumes such as black beans, soybeans, lima beans, kidney beans and lentils contain the highest amounts of lectin.
It is also crucial to avoid eating processed foods as much as possible. Be sure to concentrate on eating real foods as that is one of the most powerful strategies you have to activate biological homeostasis in your gut.
Effective Alternatives to Treat Heartburn, GERD, and Indigestion
Other helpful strategies to get your heartburn under control include the following suggestions, drawn from a variety of sources.49,50,51,52,53
Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Acid reflux typically results from having too little acid in your stomach. You can easily improve the acid content of your stomach by taking 1 tablespoon of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a large glass of water.
Betaine hydrochloric acid with pepsin
Another option is to take a betaine hydrochloric supplement with pepsin.54,55 Typically, you only need a betaine supplement with meals containing protein.
You’ll want to take as many as you need to get the slightest burning sensation and then decrease by one capsule. This will improve digestion and help kill the H. pylori bacteria. As a general dosing guideline, an effective adult dose is typically five to seven capsules containing 650 milligrams (mg) of betaine with pepsin.
The only time a pepsin-free betaine supplement is recommended is when you’re sensitive to pepsin. That’s rare, however, and without pepsin the betaine will not work well, because if your stomach does not produce enough hydrochloric acid, it also will not make sufficient amounts of pepsin (the enzyme that breaks down proteins).
According to Dr. Jonathan Wright, betaine is contraindicated if you’re taking any kind of anti-inflammatory medication, such as corticosteroids, aspirin, Indocin, ibuprofen or other NSAIDs.56
The reason for this is because these drugs can damage your gastrointestinal lining. Taking a hydrochloric acid supplement can aggravate the area, raising your risk of gastric bleeding or an ulcer.57 Digestive bitters may be a safer choice in this case.
Papaya fruit or papain supplement
Papaya fruit contains papain, an enzyme that helps break down both protein and carbohydrates. It even helps break down gluten, making it particularly valuable for those struggling with gluten sensitivity.58
Pineapple or bromelain supplement
Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapple, and like papain, it also helps digest proteins. It also has anti-inflammatory activity and helps maintain more regular bowel movements.59
Baking soda
One-half to 1 full teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in an 8-ounce glass of water may ease the burn of acid reflux as it helps neutralize stomach acid. I would not recommend this is a regular solution, but it can sure help in an emergency when you are in excruciating pain.
Aloe juice
The juice of the aloe plant naturally helps reduce inflammation, which may ease symptoms of acid reflux. Drink about one-half cup of aloe vera juice before meals. If you want to avoid its laxative effect, look for a brand that has removed the laxative component.
Ginger root
Ginger has been found to have a gastroprotective effect by suppressing Helicobacter pylori.60 It also tightens your LES, thereby preventing the reflux of stomach acid61 and reduces inflammation.62 According to a 2007 study,63 it’s also far superior to lansoprazole for preventing the formation of ulcers, exhibiting up to eight-fold greater potency over the drug.
Add two or three slices of fresh ginger root to 2 cups of hot water. Let steep for about a half-hour. Drink about 20 minutes or so before your meal.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for addressing any infectious component. Once your vitamin D levels are optimized, you’re also going to optimize your production of about 200 antimicrobial peptides that will help your body eradicate any infection that shouldn’t be there.
Astaxanthin
This exceptionally potent antioxidant was found to reduce symptoms of acid reflux in patients when compared to a placebo, particularly in those with pronounced helicobacter pylori infection.64 Best results were obtained at a daily dose of 40 mg.
Slippery elm
Slippery elm coats and soothes your mouth, throat, stomach, and intestines, and contains antioxidants that can help address inflammatory bowel conditions. It also stimulates nerve endings in your gastrointestinal tract. This helps increase mucus secretion, which protects your gastrointestinal tract against ulcers and excess acidity. The University of Maryland Medical Center65 makes the following adult dosing recommendations:
•Tea: Pour 2 cups boiling water over 4 grams (roughly 2 tablespoons) of powdered bark, then steep for three to five minutes. Drink three times per day
•Tincture: 5 milliliters (mL) three times per day
•Capsules: 400 to 500 mg three to four times daily for four to eight weeks. Take with a full glass of water
•Lozenges: Follow dosing instructions on label
Deglycyrrhizinated licorice root
Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) may also be helpful, as it helps block inflammatory prostaglandins.66 As noted by Livestrong,67 “Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) has been … used to treat a variety of maladies … Its ancient reputation as a folk remedy for gastric problems does have a scientific basis. This is especially true for functional dyspepsia, a condition that frequently overlaps with acid reflux.
Like acid reflux, it presents symptoms of pain in the upper abdomen, discomfort, burning and belching. Iberogast, or STW 5, and GutGard, two products whose primary ingredient is an extract of DGL licorice, have been shown to relieve symptoms of both dyspepsia and acid reflux; however, these products have many other ingredients …
Licorice must be approached cautiously because it contains the active metabolite glycyrrhiza. In large quantities, glycyrrhiza can cause a syndrome called hyperaldosteronism, which affects the adrenal glands and can cause numbness, high blood pressure and muscle weakness.”
DGL supplements contain licorice from which a substantial amount of the glycyrrhiza has been removed, making it safer for use.68 Dr. Andrew Weil recommends chewing two DGL tablets or taking half a teaspoon of DGL powder before or between meals and at bedtime. Once your symptoms are under control, taper down your dose.69
Licorice is contraindicated if you’re on diuretics or stimulant laxatives. Also, beware that licorice may reduce your potassium level, and has estrogenic activity, so women on hormone therapy or who have estrogen-dependent cancers or other reproductive conditions such as endometriosis should avoid it.70
Glutamine
Research71 published in 2009 found that gastrointestinal damage caused by H. pylori can be addressed with the amino acid glutamine, found in many foods, including beef, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy products and some fruits and vegetables. L-glutamine, the biologically active isomer of glutamine, is also widely available as a supplement.
Folate or folic acid (vitamin B9) and other B vitamins
Research72 suggests B vitamins can reduce your risk for acid reflux. Higher folic acid intake was found to reduce acid reflux by approximately 40 percent. Low vitamin B2 and B6 levels were also linked to an increased risk for acid reflux. The best way to raise your folate levels is by eating folate-rich whole foods, such as liver, asparagus, spinach, okra and beans.
A dietary supplement containing melatonin, l-tryptophan, vitamin B-6, folic acid, vitamin B-12, methionine and betaine was found to be superior to the drug omeprazole in the treatment of GERD.73 Part of the success is thought to be due to melatonin’s inhibitory activity on NO biosynthesis, which plays an important role in transient LES relaxation, which, as I mentioned earlier, is part of the real underlying problem of heartburn.
Impressively, 100 percent of patients receiving this supplement reported a complete regression of symptoms after 40 days of treatment, compared to just under 66 percent of those taking omeprazole. The authors concluded that “this formulation promotes regression of GERD symptoms with no significant side effects.”
(Natural Blaze) Eating tilapia can be toxic to your health and can cause all sorts of health problems.
Here are at least 5 reasons why you should probably avoid consuming the 4th most consumed fish in America according to the National Institute of Fisheries.
1.) Eating tilapia is worse than eating bacon (HIGH INFLAMMATORY LEVELS) according to nutritionists
You may be surprised, but some nutritionists believe that an average serving of tilapia has more fatty acid than bacon
The quantity of omega-6s in tilapia is higher than in a hamburger or bacon.
In 2008, researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine released a study comparing fatty acid levels among popular farm fish. The researchers found that tilapia contained far less omega-3 fatty acid than other fish, such as salmon and mackerel.
The report stated that the “inflammatory potential of hamburger (80 percent lean) and pork bacon is lower than the average serving of farmed tilapia (100 g).” In theory, scientists believe this may contribute to heart disease, cancer, and other chronic health problems.
A 2009 study conducted by the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture stated Chinese farm-raised fish are fed poultry and livestock feces.
“It is common practice to let livestock and poultry roam freely in fields and to spread livestock and poultry waste on fields or use it as fish feed,” the report said.
Researchers noted that “many of China’s farms and food processors are situated in heavily industrialized regions where water, air, and soil are contaminated by industrial effluents and vehicle exhaust.”
So how much tilapia in the U.S. actually comes from China?
You would be shocked to know the answer. According to Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, over 95 percent of tilapia consumed in the U.S. came from overseas with a whopping 70% from China.
3) Tilapia Could Cause Alzheimer’s and Cancer
Tilapia can carry up to 10 times the amount of carcinogens as other farm raised fish. This is because of the “food” the farmers typically feed the fish is — feces, pesticides, and industrial-grade chemicals.
Additionally, the fish may contain high levels of arachidonic acid, which, in excess, has been linked to conditions like Alzheimer’s.
4) Antibiotics are used to modify the fish to grow faster
Tilapia are fed antibiotics, malachite green and methyl testosterone hormones to keep the population safe and to grow them faster. The chemical dye malachite green is banned for food use since 1983 because it is a suspected carcinogen.
In 2007, the FDA halted imports of farmed fish from China after finding antimicrobials — nitrofuran, malachite green, gentian violet, and fluoroquinolone.
Nitrofuran, malachite green and gentian violet are chemicals that are known to treat fungal infection and have been shown to be carcinogenic with long-term exposure, while fluoroquinolones are used to increase antibiotic resistance.
Researchers have found that dioxin, which is linked to the development and progression of cancer is found within Tilapia due to the food farmers feed it. However, that doesn’t mean that Tilapia as a whole all contains contaminants it all depends on where it was raised and harvested over all.
So what are your alternatives to tilapia?
It is always best to eat wild-caught fish. If you choose to buy farmed fish, then you should look for fish that are free of hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.
Even so, the best solution is to avoid tilapia altogether. I wouldn’t want to eat feces or antibiotics, would you?
(Dr. Mercola) It’s something I’ve been encouraging for several years now — making sure you’re getting adequate levels of vitamin D, not only because it’s a crucial nutrient, but because so many people are deficient and don’t realize it. But a new study has emerged dispelling the idea many scientists and health care providers have had for many years, the upshot being that there is a vast difference between vitamin D2, which is plant-based (notably from mushrooms), and vitamin D3, which is derived from animal products.
The two do not, as some have believed, have a similar nutritional value. Health authorities are calling for official recommendations for vitamin D intake to be changed in accordance with the “new” information, which is not actually new, as we’ve related this important distinction for some time. The “groundbreaking” study from the University of Surrey was conducted to determine, between vitamins D2 and D3, which was more effective in raising levels in the body.
The trial was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) — “the largest U.K. public funder of nonmedical bioscience” — and the Diet and Health Research Industry Club (DRINC). Susan Lanham-New, principal investigator of the trial, called the results a “very exciting discovery which will revolutionize how the health and retail sector views vitamin D,” EurekAlert! reported.1
She added, “Vitamin D deficiency is a serious matter, but this will help people make a more informed choice about what they can eat or drink to raise their levels through their diet.” Serious is right: one study shows that more than 40 percent of the American population is deficient in vitamin D,2 and some experts say the problem is serious enough to call it a pandemic.3
Vitamin D is produced by your body after exposure to the sun, and because winter is the period during which sunshine is least available, vitamin D levels are typically at their lowest during this time.
The 335 South Asian and white European women who participated in the study over two winters were divided into five groups and given either juice containing vitamin D2 or D3, a biscuit with the same or a placebo. At the conclusion of the study, researchers found vitamin D3 to be twice as effective in raising levels in the body in comparison to D2. EurekAlert reported:
“Vitamin D levels in women who received vitamin D3 via juice or a biscuit increased by 75 percent and 74 percent respectively compared to those who were given D2 through the same methods. Those given D2 saw an increase of 33 percent and 34 percent over the course of the 12-week intervention.
The research also found that nutrient levels of both vitamin D2 and D3 rose as a result of both food and acidic beverages such as juice, which were found to be equally as effective. Those who received the placebo experienced a 25 percent reduction in the vitamin over the same period.”4
What’s interesting, as mentioned, is that the information from this latest study is not new news. A similar study back in 2011 is one of several instances where vitamin D3 has been shown to have a much greater significance for your health compared to D2. One study5shows D3 to:
Convert to its active form 500 percent faster
Be 87 percent better at raising and maintaining vitamin D levels
Produce two to three times greater storage of the vitamin than D2
Recommendations for Vitamin D Outdated and Unsafe
Here’s where it gets problematic: Several governments around the world, including the U.S. National Institutes of Health, assert there’s no difference between vitamins D2 and D3 and that interchanging the two makes no difference whatsoever in your body’s levels. However, the latest information from Public Health England reveals that more than 1 in 5 people in the U.K. have low levels of vitamin D, so the intake they now recommend is 10 micrograms per day, all year long, for everyone beginning at age 4.
EurekAlert! notes that daily intake of vitamin D3 — but not vitamin D2 — will allow the population to avoid such health problems as rickets, osteoporosis and a higher risk of developing heart disease, all associated with individuals with insufficient levels of vitamin D in their bodies.
What the scientists found influences public health but also retail markets in that many have added vitamin D2 to their products because they were led to believe it was just as viable in the body to increase people’s “D” levels as taking D3. Lead study author and dietitian Laura Tripkovic explained:
“The importance of vitamin D in our bodies is not to be underestimated, but living in the U.K. it is very difficult to get sufficient levels of it from its natural source, the sun, so we know it has to be supplemented through our diet. However, our findings show that vitamin D3 is twice as effective as D2 in raising vitamin D levels in the body, which turns current thinking about the two types of vitamin D on its head.”6
Tripkovic explained that people who eat vitamin D3-rich foods or take supplements are two times more likely to raise their vitamin D profile than when consuming the equivalent in vitamin D2 foods such as mushrooms, D2-fortified bread or taking D2 supplements.
Downsides of Low Vitamin D Versus Benefits of Optimal Levels
Vitamin D is involved in the biology of all cells in your body, including your immune cells. A large number of studies have shown raising your vitamin D level can significantly reduce your risk of cancer and many other chronic diseases.So what happens when someone isn’t getting the amount of vitamin D that they should? Daily Mail7 notes that lack of vitamin D:
Can cause your bones to become thin, brittle or misshapen
Is linked to a growing prevalence for children to develop rickets, shown in many cases to cause malformed and/or broken bones
Appears to play a role in insulin resistance, high blood pressure and immune function, related to heart disease and cancer
People who are obese, older than age 65 and/or housebound may have lower levels of vitamin D due to their diets, little sun exposure and other factors, and among dark-skinned individuals in the U.S, only 3 percent among thousands have enough vitamin D, which is a 9 percent drop from 20 years ago.8 Beyond cancer prevention, a Swiss study9 from 2013 lists several of the more dramatic benefits of getting the right amount of vitamin D:
The development, function and maintenance of healthy bones and regulation of calcium homeostasis throughout life
The basis for the prevention and management of osteoporosis, a disease producing brittle bones that are prone to fractures
The regulation of neuromuscular function, reducing the risk of falls, a major cause of bone fractures
Possibly a central component of musculoskeletal health through vitamin D’s beneficial effects on muscle function and bone stability
May show favorable effects in many organs and play a significant role in the maintenance of general health
Vitamin D and Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Two Crucial Nutrients for Health
According to Pharmacy Times, studies indicate that around 50 percent of adults worldwide have a vitamin D deficiency. Interestingly, in reviewing “potential mechanisms by which vitamin D might influence development of cardiovascular disease (CVD)” — and there’s evidence that there is a link — there’s also a possibility that CVD may cause low vitamin D levels rather than the other way around.10
In 2018, the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriAL (VITAL) will conclude the first part of its review to provide evidence to indicate whether 2,000 IUs per day of vitamin D supplementation, with or without omega-3 fatty acids, has any specific CVD effects. Specifically: “The large study has enrolled about 25,000 healthy, middle-aged American adults. It has also been structured to gauge long-term effects. VITAL is expected to augment the wealth of information that we possess concerning vitamin D supplementation for bone health.”11
You may already be aware that vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids are two of the most important nutrients your body needs, but most people have no idea if they’re deficient in either of them. A test kit is available, however, to quickly and safely analyze your blood levels while at the same time helping to augment consumer-sponsored scientific research.
The testing is performed by an independent research organization comparing these nutrients, and reveals your own vitamin D and omega-3 index (a measure of the omega-3s in your red blood cells) to let you know whether corrective action is needed. For more information about the nonprofit GrassRoots Health initiative and to learn how to get your own test kit, click here.
The Significance of Getting Adequate Sunlight
Another reason vitamin D levels are so important is that hepatic mitochondria and their associated microsomal enzymes metabolize vitamin D, whatever the source, Pharmacy Times noted, adding:
“When patients consume too much vitamin D2 or vitamin D3, this process is completely unregulated and patients’ vitamin D levels will rise proportionally to their intake. On the other hand, cutaneous synthesis from sun exposure allows patients levels to reach a preset point, and after that, additional sun exposure will not increase vitamin D levels.”12
This means the best way to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D is to get regular sensible exposure to direct sunlight on your body each day. Depending on your locale, in the winter when the sun hides behind clouds and temperatures are often so chilly you’re forced to wear long sleeves and galoshes, this may be difficult if not impossible, however.
Alternatively, adding vitamin D3 supplements to your regimen can help you achieve optimal vitamin D levels. The foods you eat can also make a difference in helping to make or break your health (if not your bones). The best foods for increasing your vitamin D intakevia your diet are animal-based and quite limited:
Wild-caught Alaskan salmon and other healthy fish such as mackerel and sardines, preferably from cold waters, and not farmed
Get Your Vitamin D Levels Tested
If you decide your vitamin D3 should be taken in supplement form, it’s your serum level, or how much D3 your blood contains, that determines how much you should take until your levels are optimized to between 50 and 70 nanograms per milliliter, or ng/ml.
Studies done by Grassroots Health13 recommend about 8,000 IUs (the International Unit by which fat-soluble vitamins are measured) daily of vitamin D3 to raise your serum levels above 40 ng/ml. Children may need about 35 IUs per pound of body weight; however, getting your blood tested is the only way to know for sure whether your vitamin D levels are within the optimal range and, consequently, how much oral vitamin D3 you may need. Also be sure the vitamin D you take is correctly balanced with vitamin K-2.
An Atlanta-based Emory University School of Medicine study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology outlined vitamin D’s association with cardiovascular disease prevention.
The upshot is that levels below 20 ng/ml are simply not enough to maintain bone health, let alone provide the other disease-prevention benefits that vitamin D has to offer. As mentioned, optimal levels of vitamin D are between 50 and 70 ng/ml. Medical News Today pinpointed why the latest study and subsequent calls for government entities to increase recommendations are so important:
“Vitamin D deficiency appears to be widespread, and, as more research is conducted, it becomes increasingly clearer that this nutritional deficit is having a significant impact on the health of the country overall. Studies such as this may play a role in improving awareness, and, eventually, reversing the trend.”14
