7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

podman — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 06:58:09 GMT

Knobby - I was referring to the over the counter sale of tryptophan - you are right, it is, again, legal, but, "tryptophan has been returned to the market as a prescription medication, available with a doctor's order from a compounding pharmacist." I wasn't aware of this when I posted, just now looked it up with a google search. Thanks for reading my 2 cents and for the current information on tryptophan.

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

podman — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:34:03 GMT

this is my first time doing this - had to throw my 2 cents in - turkey contains tryptophan (just quit writing this and looked it up - it is presently outlawed by the federal government in this county because of an illness outbreak traced to a source in new mexico - turns out the cause of the outbreak wasn't the tryptophan, it was contaminants in the pills manufactured by the outfit in new mexico - however, the government has never lifted the ban, and it is still illegal to sell tryptophan in this country, a simple amino acid like any other) and so does most meat and cottage cheese - it is necessary for the production of niacin (B3) which, in turn, is necessary for blood circulation - tryptophan is used by the brain in the production of serotonin, which, as you know, is

a necessary neurotransmitter that transfers nerve impulses from one cell to another and is responsible for normal sleep. It complements melatonin and, between the two hormones, our biological 'clock' is regulated via our pineal and hypothalamus glands (light input through our eyes). We make a fraction of these necessary hormones as we age, and supplements are thought to be helpful both to our 'clocks' and for anti-aging.

Consequently, tryptophan helps combat both depression and insomnia and to stabilize moods. It alleviates stress, is good for the heart, aids in weight control by reducing appetite, and enhances the release of growth hormone (a good anti-aging substance - DHEA, when I can afford it, is human growth hormone) - it (tryptophan) is good for migraine headaches; a sufficient amount of pyridoxine (B6) is necessary for the body

to form tryptophan which, as stated above, is required for the formation of serotonin. A lack of tryptophan and magnesium can contribute to coronary artery spasms - sometimes looks like mercola and all the other doctors aren't completely well informed on their biochemistry - my advantage is that my mother is an incredibly well informed, retired biochem professor.

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

rigatoni — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:11:52 GMT

Keylarion,

I believe you are right about the sourdough/yeast question.

The thing about grains is the concentration of starches in them which are difficult to breakdown and digest, especiallythe ones with gluten. They are acid forming and have probably caused more health problems in humans than we can imagine. Better off with gluten-free grains which are easier to digest and don't stick to our insides like plaster of paris.

Several months ago, I started making my own pancake mix, using half buckwheat flour and half amaranth flour and aluminum-free baking powder. It takes some trial and error to get them right, but they were delicious and gluten-free. Washing the mixing bowl with the remaining residue of batter, I noticed it was easier to clean. When using standard buckwheat pancake mix (which has regular wheat and in some brands, other grains as well) the residue in the bowl is sticky and glue-like and harder to clean.

Millet is an alkaline grain and easy to digest. Also quinoa. It cooks like rice but is gluten-free and much easier to digest. People with allergies or chronic constipation should use these four grains instead of the standard wheat, oat, and rye grains. Try it for a few months and see how your body reacts.

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

pisces — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:24:47 GMT

Unfortunately, the above information on water intake and elimination is only partly true. Caffeine is NOT a diuretic; it is a CNS stimulant, and the resulting release of stress hormones after caffeine intake and the subsequent ability to metabolize caffeine become the determinant issues.

That state of stress can ALSO be achieved without caffeine, so it is not so much an issue of caffeine intake as it is about how we react individually to stress, which will in itself determine how our fluid assimilation/elimination ratio will turn out. We can often observe a person's stress level by their choices of fluids throughout the day. People under little stress are more likely to grab a lukewarm glass of water in the middle of the day, while those under more stress often choose "adulterated fluids", something hot or cold, favored, or carbonated. Even the typical comment by many, that they "just squeeze a little lemon in their water", can be an indication that their body may not be in a very receptive mode; not that the lemon is in any way a problem, only that if that is what a person has to do to get fluid in, they are most likely going to have an increase in both urinary frequency and urgency. The danger here is that relying on thirst alone to govern our water intake, and failing to recognize when one is being hammered with stress, will have long term consequences.

Not only do people have different sensitivities to caffeine, the amount of time that it takes to metabolize caffeine depends on the effectiveness of three enzymes; these are: xanthine oxidase, N-acetyltransferase 2, and cytochrome P-4501A2 (CYP1A2). It has been shown that production of some of these enzymes can be genetically challenged and that, for most, the production can diminish with age. Thus, that cup of Java we had been easily accommodating in our 20s and 30s, becomes a challenge by our 40s and 50s. A good rule of thumb is to view our patterns of hydration as a barometer for how we are handling stress.

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

xyzsch — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:11:59 GMT

The comments about not using sunscreen defy common sense. I do long distance cycling during the summer. This summer we will cycle from the west coast to Casper, WY for the first three weeks of June. I don't know how many YEARS I would have to acclimitize to the sun to be able to go for six hours per day without sunscreen. Additionally, when I get a tan in ther summer, I fade very quickly, so such "conditioning" seems highly improbable. So everyone should get out and ski during the enjoyable winter weather (the greatest time of year, as far as I am concerned), and try as best as possible to ameliorate the the excesses of the high sun during the summer months.

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

berry lee — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:40:20 GMT

Are they trying to tell us not to eat oatmeal in the morning?? Everything I have read is tha t there is no better way to start the day than with a bowl of oatmeal and oatmeal is a "whole grain".

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

berry lee — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:35:13 GMT

I dont think you should avoid canned salmon for example! I think the benefits outweigh the risks and especially the risk of ingesting a tiny bit of mercury. You can find information that mercury in the air is more harmful than mercury in small trace amounts in food or water. This is simply not high risk unless you are pregnant or very very young and still in the development stage !!

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

gramma bea — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:28:04 GMT

Thank you Aziegler for the advice. I will check out the books. I have personally found that soy does not have all the health benefits that we have been led to believe. In fact, I am allergic to it, and it has no place in my diet. The Natural Health magazine was the current issue, and it amazed me that there is still so much controversy about saturated fat.

I hope everyone will excuse me if I make mistakes in my questions. I have read this forum for quite sometime, and have found it very interesting, but this is the first time I have ever participated.

Thanks again for the responses. gramma bea

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

goldeneagle — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:21:24 GMT

I only use non-aluminum baking powder to raise my bread, no yeast. Aluminum has been linked to alzhiemers and other memory disfunctions. I use only non-brominated wheat flour. I do not use white sugar, I use wildflower honey, and I use virgin olive oil, and garlic salt. This combination seems to keep me pretty healthy and eating good.

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

goldeneagle — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:13:31 GMT

There are many ways to take-in fluids. This article points this out. There are also fluids, that take out fluids from the body. I have read information, that the munipulation of water molicules in some "flitered" water actually makes it impossible to absorb. This is done by spreading the structure out so it can not enter into the body. With water just going through the body, it picks up vitamins and actually takes them out of the body. We have to be very careful in today's "experimental" nutrition" I believe GOD made things correctly, and everytime man tries to "make things better" they end up poisoning a "good thing".

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

saynotoquacks — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:51:35 GMT

Regarding skin cancer: Drugs and toxins cause skin cancer, not sunlight. Two years ago I had a little skin cancer from Zyprexa (which I ignorantly took for a couple months). I quit the toxic drug and the cancer stopped growing. Then I took turmeric. In two days of eating turmeric, the skin cancer completely vanished. And this was while I was sunbathing, every day!

No, sunbathing DOES NOT cause skin cancer and probably helps heal it. And it toughens your skin gradually to make it more sun-tolerant.

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

gramma bea — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:44:22 GMT

I am new to this forum, but have a question. I have been using virgin coconut oil in my diet, thinking it was a healthy alternative to other oils and fats, after reading what Dr Mercola has to say about it. I picked up a issue of Natural Health magazine last evening and found a article, that ask if there was any health benefits to coconut oil. Amy Jamieson-Petonic, R.D., spokeperson for the American Dietetic Assoc, gave this reply, ( Yes, but the benefits do not outweigh the risks. Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, which has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease). Now i'm totally confused as to what to believe. Can we not believe, what we read in health magazines anymore? Especially when it comes from a spokesperson, for the American Dietetic Assoc.

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

believedifferent — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:57:22 GMT

I greatly appreciate your extensive research, commitment and comprehensive website, however I'm wondering, when you commented on avoiding grains, why you did not specify avoiding the protein found in "gluten grains" as discussed in the book Dangerous Grains by James Braly, M.D. and Ron Hoggan, M.A. with foreword by Jonathan Wright, MD. Undiagnosed gluten sensitivity and celiac disease triggered by the consumption of wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, triticale and even prescription drugs that contain wheat power that contains gluten appears to be an underlying factor in may serious, chronic health problems, including cancer, autoimmune disease, osteoporosis...

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

believedifferent — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:35:48 GMT

I appreciate your extensive research and commitment however I'm wondering why you did not specify "gluten grains" as discussed in the book Dangerous Grains by James Braly, M.D. and Ron Hoggan, M.A. when you talked about grains to avoid I have type A blood that is suppose to do well on spouted grains as well as soy, but that, along with blood type A recommendations, is now under question.

A. Laielen, San Rafael, CA

re: 7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

WellnessAid — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:41:26 GMT

Here’s another set of medical myth busters for your information:

www.chsrf.ca/.../index_e.php

Cheers.

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It’s too often…

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