The Ballad of Cheap Vitamins and Motor Oil

Every time I ask someone if they eat a healthy diet and take a good multivitamin/mineral, they invariably say, "yes." They go on to explain how they first follow the new food pyramid (consuming lots of bread, pasta, cereal, fruit juice& milk)... ...and then they tell me they take a "Centrum" multi to, you know, insure they are covered from "A" to "Zinc." They smile benignly at the witticism...

I'll cut right to the chase. The preceding is a recipe for rampant unhealthful disaster.

Why? Because the "food pyramid," is a corporate-driven lie (read LTR# 12, 13 & 15 at http://www.alienview.net/ALLTCON.html). It is an egregious lie benefiting the few at the cruel expense of the many! Sincerely, all multi-vit/min (like "Theragram", "One-a-Day", and even "Flintstone") from grocery stores and the like are, pretty much, an unhealthful waste of money for the following two reasons:

FIRST -these very cheaply manufactured tablets often pass through the system without even being completely dissolved!This is because these pills are semi-indigestible little pebbles hard pressed at high temperature and pressure. They are shellacked pellets with a pharmaceutical glaze coating and they are armored and bound with synthetic chemicals likedicalcium phosphate and magnesium sterate.

SECOND -virtually every ingredient is the absolute cheapest andLEAST ABSORBABLEsynthetic form of the manyvitamin forms available! In most cases, this not only makes them more difficult to assimilate, but can have adverse reactions like diarrhea... as opposed to the non-adverse effects of organically chelated minerals and "food based" Vitamins &binders. This is the tip of theiceberg hazarding you and those you love, reader! The stuff gleefully sold to you to enhance your health canactually degrade it and make you ill!

Part of the reason for using these synthetic binders and inferior forms ofminerals that are inorganic salts (as opposed to superior organic chelated minerals?), other than being cheap (...forgetting that's the main reason...),is to be able to get all that "crap" into one convenient pill that's not too big. Synthetic binders and inorganic salts take up less space, you see, so all the hi-speed and low drag movers & shakers can conveniently pop one small tablet... and the per unit costs are reduced so a greater corporate profit is realized. It's too bad that it degrades the product to the point of possible health hazardousness and uselessness.

That is unfortunate, indeed.

In contrast -- some of the better, more expensive supplements, using food based binders and organic chelated minerals, usually have to use a bigger tablet or capsule... or separate the daily dose into 2, 3 or 4 tablets (or capsules). One of my favorite Multis, in fact, recommends 6 capsules daily! Of course it hasabout anything you could ever want with regard to health enhancement, from Digestive Enzymes to Myco-DefenseMushrooms and more. "Fine wine" compared with "pond water," reader. I don't remotely overstate this!

Also, the better tablets or caplets are pressed under, more expensive, 'cooler' temperatures. This is forgetting, of course, that the chemical form of the vitamins or minerals incorporatedare likely thebest andmost ABSORBABLEnon-synthetic forms available! See the difference reader?

Here's yet another applicableDr. Zorba Pastureanecdote...:

"Tom", Dr.Pasture's radio side-kick, read an emailto Zorba onhis NPR radio showregarding a personwho was taking a fairly expensive Multivitamin/Mineral requiring the consumption of 3 tablets daily...

Incomprehensibly ignorant once again in his animated, bemused, and incredulous radio-voice, Zorby loudly exclaimed "THAT'S TOO MANY"!

You could tell by his reaction that he thought the writer was taking 3 times a "normal" dose. So"Side-Kick-Tom" (whomI suspecthas about 10 I.Q.points on Dr.Z )said "Zorba, I think that means the SINGLEdaily dose is divided into 3 pills." to which Zorba said "Ohh ?... Well it's still too many - you only need one Vitamin pill daily."

He moved on. I was just incredulous! What a Bone-headed thing for an alleged medical expert to say, eh reader? Absolutely! An expression of pompous ignorance at best! At worst?

OK...Why would a brilliant doctor with a world wide listening audience think it so strange & unnecessary to divide a dose of something into 3 smallerdoses throughout the day...Gee, don't they do that with pharmaceuticals all the freaking time? Yes!

I suspect that other persons who know NOTHING about nutritional supplementation could easily visualize how dividing nutrients into 3 separate doses would be a good thing... and best practice... therebyhaving a relatively constant "Trickle-charge" of supplements throughout the day! After all, don't we all try to eat three meals a day for that very reason? AND...because most supplements work in synergy with food,doesn't it make sense to take these supplements 3 times daily with meals... ...Am I missing something?

Additionally, it is a well established fact in the holistic health communitythat one can only absorb about500mg of Calcium at any one time! So if you take a1000mg to1500mg doseof Cal. allat once (like Dr. Z recommends)...aren't you wasting a bunch of it! Yes!

Folks, Dr.Pasturedoes not have the training to understand & appreciate just howcomplicated itcan beto fully utilize any mineral, especially Calcium, and just how many Vitamins, Minerals & co-factors have to fall in place, domino-like,to accomplish this. Itcan bea difficult, slow, and inefficient process that handles only"so much" at a time.

This is because Minerals, themselves,are INORGANIC soMother Nature must usea couple of time-consuming tricks to get them intoaconfiguration that can then be incorporated into"The Bio-System". Me? I feel Iunderstand this science. I take 500mg of Elemental, Amino Acid ChelatedCalcium,2 times daily.

Back to Dr. Z whohas the temerity to ignorantly mock those people who "foolishly"buy expensive MultiVit/Min. He says that folks should buy the cheapest, discount store, generic,giant-size bottle for about $12.00 a YEAR ... as long as it has the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) Seal ... This is a 'seal' essentiallymeaning that the product contains what's on the label & that it meets the MINIMUM standards to call itself a multi-vitamin. The reader might remember the character of corporate lap-dogs presently setting those standards. The USP is supposedly"non-governmental" but their test criteria isrecognized by the Government as the official source.

Here's what the CSPI has to say:

"Center for Science in the Public Interest" -- For Immediate Release: October 4, 2002;

New Supplement Certification Program May Mislead Consumers :USP Mark Does Not Mean Ingredient Is Safe Or Effective."

What!?!

Yes folks, it'strue! Virtually ALL supplemental*watch-dog* organizations like the USP only verify "Potency & Purity" ...andmaycheck to seeif it meets the standards for dissolving (those standards arepretty low)... BUT! They don't care or commentabout the efficacyof a particularingredient.

For example, one Multi may have Magnesium Oxide (which is Crap, reader!) while another uses Magnesium Citrate ( which is a superior form)... but both will get the same passing grade as long as they meet "Potency & Purity"! So, if you have a Multi Vit/Min where EVERY ingredient is the cheapest,least absorbable form, whatyou have isa "Crapola-Multi" with a USPSeal...in other words, you have Centrum, Theragram, One a Day, Flintstones, etc, etc...

"Flintstones", reader! Flintstones?!? Is nothing sacred?

It is difficult to imagine a Multi that is inferior to the already inferior multi's like Centrum, etc... but if you CAN finda really, really cheap, discount,generic multi with 365 hard pressed tablets for $11.99 at Sam's Club or whatever,with a USP seal, then that's the one you want... ...according to the good doctor "Z."

So, Let me get this straight...Zorba wants you to put "Stuff"in your bodythat barely meets theminimum standards to call itself a Multi,OKed by the Government. Hummm...But how does he feel about his car?

WELL...a couple of the government's "non-governmental" agenciesput their seal on very cheap motor oil that meets the minimum standards to call itself Motor Oil ... here's what http://www.metrokc.gov/procure/green/oil.htm has to say:

"Several oil companies now market products that have been certified by the American Petroleum Institute (API). API Certification is the basis for warranty requirements of motor vehicle manufacturers and thus is used in specifications of motor oil buyers. Other technologies, such as simple filtration, have also been used to recycle used motor oil.These technologies are often sufficient to make used oil useful as a substitute for virgin oil in fuel applications."

The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) stamp of approval is on evenvery cheap "No-name" motor oils that meet the requirements for military vehicles...

...So, here's my question to Zorba -- does he put that cheap,"cleaned-up" used motor oil or cheap "No-name" newoilin his new "BMW"? Seeing as how it meets the minimum standards, set by the Government to call itself motor oil... he should, considering his faith in government "Seals"...butsomehow I doubt it... Zorba would have more respect for his "Beamer"...just not much respect for your body & human physiology.

This is pure speculation because I have no idea what kind of car he has, but if he has a nice new one, I bet he doesn't put cheap generic oil in it. In fact,ask 1000MDswho ownnew 700 SeriesMercedesif theyuse "cleaned & filtered" used motor oil,considering virtuallyall car manufactories say that it meets their warranty requirements! I bet 99.9% willsay "HECK NO ! I use 100% Virgin, High Grade, High Detergent,Multi Viscosity oil that comes from a single individualbatch of Pure, Pennsylvania crude drawn from the veins of Amish school girls"!

OK, I see...Well, Doctor... what kind of Vitamins do you take and recommend? "Oh, it doesn't matter much... use any brand with the USP Seal"?

So...putting a cheap,harsh, inferior, synthetic, poorly absorbed (and in my opinion, unhealthful), possiblytoxic supplement in your body is OK because of someMickey Mouse "Seal" that doesn't really tell you what you need to know and misleads you on the rest... ...but cheap motor oil with an official seal is not OK...does the reader see the errant dichotomy or smell the inconsistency...?

These self-same MDs would be the first to tell you the human body is a high performance biological machine, reader... you want to run rapidly "gunkable",bargain basement *oil* in the only bio-machine you will ever have? I suspect not, on reflection.

And this isthe real kicker of irony! That cheaper, recycledmotor oil will do a MUCH more efficacious job in your car than those "Crap" Vitamins will ever do in your body!

By the way...don't tell "Dr. 700 Series", but MERCEDES has been putting RECYCLED OIL in THEIR NEW CARS for YEARS !!!

Wait a minute Mr. Graham! Do YOU use that cheap recycled oil in your car? ...Huh, Who Me? ...No freaking Way!

Just kidding Folks...that was the old Al,...because I'm a "Green" sort of guy, I am going to start using recycled oil - not becauseof some government-blessed organization's "Seal" but because a bunch of TeutonicEngineers at Mercedes-Benz are probably on to something. (...und you vill like it !!)

You see...now all you have to do is get Dr. Mercola www.mercola.com & the Leaf lady www.leaflady.org to start taking grocery store vitaminsandexplainhow they are superior ...then I will start taking Centrum...just like the recycled oil. OK, take a deep breath and hold it...

The following describesthree key things to look for when determining the efficacy of your multivitamin:

Vitamin "E" -- the most obvious indicator of an inferior multivit... is the use of the petrochemical synthetic form of Vitamin "E" -- "DL" alpha tocopherol (the "d" and "l" should actually be lower case... I cap them for ease of reading), as opposed to the natural forms "D" alpha (no "L") and/or, even better, Natural Mixed tocopherol ...( This superior Mixedform has beta, gamma, and delta along with the alpha). In the synthetic "DL" form, (the synthetic is always a double molecule) the "L" molecule is a mirror image of the usable "D" molecule, making the "L" unusable by humans. Unfortunately the "L" still fits nicely into the Vitamin "E" receptor site, much like many keys will fit in a certain style of key-hole but only one key will turn the lock. Consequently the "L" molecule is "plugging the keyhole", so to speak, and not allowing the usable "D" in to turn same! Think chewing gum in the keyhole.

This means that out of the 400 IU of "DL" Vit. "E" that you paid for, only about 150 IU, or less, are actually being used by you. It gets worse.

According to the Canadian Government (you could perhaps argue the red-herring that Canada has an axe to grind because they grow lots of soy beans for natural Vit. "E" but don't even bother): Even though the usable synthetic "D" molecule and the natural "D" molecule, in theory - on paper, are identical... ...Canadian science claims that the human body still tells the difference... and whereas synthetic "D" is used but one time, the natural "D" is used over and over again... ...several times! Magic!

This inexplicable recycling of one "D" molecule, but not the other,results in two to three times the vitamin "E" found in most tissue (...biopsy of the brain revealing the highest!). Hmmm... Mother Nature on the job, I'm betting!

Mineral Forms -- The other sure sign of product inferiority is the form ofminerals used. These are the cheap inorganic salts like carbonate, oxide, and phosphate. These inorganic mineral forms are difficultto absorband they are much more likely to cause problems -- a good example of this is magnesium oxide causing diarrhea.

The inorganic calcium form Carbonate, found in Centrum (et sig al) is very difficult to absorb because the carbonate (...also in Tums, btw!) neutralizes the very stomach acid that is required for good absorption.

So when a doctor tells you Tums is a "good source of calcium", they're either lying or they area bonehead (like Zorba, who says it all the time).Always look for organic chelation,in the preferred form "Amino Acid Chelation" (like the Albion Process), or"citrate"( especially for calcium ) ormalate, lactate, etc. Also, "Krebs Cycle Chelation"isvery, very good.

Vitamin "D" -- If the Vit. D is D-2, it's no good - this is the cheap crap found in milk. Always make sure it is the more active form D-3 found in Cod LiverOil, Eggs, made by the Sun& the better supplements. The one exception is there are Vegetarian Multi's that use the D-2 (because it comes from plants) that are very good quality...I wish more Vegetarians would see their way clearto use D-3 instead of D-2.

The precedingthree examples should be sufficient indicators as to the quality of a multivitamin: SO...

If the label says "DL" alpha tocopherol, calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide & Vit. D-2... put it back! Quick and dirty!

But, if it says "D"alpha, or Mixed tocopherol, calcium citrate (etc), magnesium amino acid chelation (etc) & Vit. D-3-- BUY IT... ...because this means the rest of the ingredients are almost sure to beOK. You don't have to peruse the whole tedious laundry list...but if you're like me, you will do so anyway. Label reading should be a required course in high school.

In descending order: I prefer supplements that are liquid, scoop-able powder, capsules, and then food basedtablets or caplets. A caplet is justa tablet shaped like a capsule...a stupid, confusing term when Supp. Ads abbreviate caplet with "cap" and you think the "cap" means "capsule" not caplet. Caplets should be called "Long-Tabs".

Sublingual (under the tongue) tablets or sprays are actually the best absorbed ( by going directly into the bloodstream )and in some cases necessary, if easily destroyed by stomach acid... like SOD & Glutathionor like B12, whichneeds an "Intrinsic Factor" in the gut to be absorbed (often missing); however,some supplements don't work very well this sublingualway.

Fortunately, Methylcobalamin "B-12" and B-12 Complexes with folic acid &B-6do work well sublingually.

Also, don't automatically poo-poo tablets in favor of capsules -- some things have to be in a speciallycoated tablet to make itthrough the stomach acid in order to open in the gut...SAMe & SODare examples. There is a capsule that is designed to make it through the stomach acid andopen in the gut...and example is New Life Colostrum has a special "Lipid-Capsule" that does this.

*Medical doctors* like Zorba don't really understand nutrition &supplements... ...and they don't want tounderstand because it is in theirfinancial interestto play dumb...thus surreptitiously perpetuating the same old tired lies. Such is their cognitive dissonance.

Here are just a few of those lies:

a)...Synthetic Vitamins are just as good as natural Vitamins. No! No way...the most cursory research will show this is just not true. However, doctors want people to get used to the idea that "Synthetic is good" (or even better) so they can push Synthetic alternatives to natural forms... Synthroid (synthetic thyroid hormone) is a good example. Do you want to know the big reasonthey give forwhy synthetic drugs are *better*? Itis because they can get the dosage very precise as opposed to natural forms sometimes have slight variations...

OK...so freaking what! I would rather take something that works & works naturally, even if the dosages have a little greater margin of error,instead of a harsh, toxic, or inefficient form that does not work or might haveharmful side effects. A good example is naturalArmour Desiccated Thyroid Hormones as opposed to the syntheticSynthroid mentioned above.

b)...You can get all the necessary nutrients in a balanced diet... No! Please! What a festeringcrock, reader...

Most people are EFA (Essential Fatty Acids) deficient --even the sheeple who follow the NewFood Pyramid (NFP)are Omega 3 deficient! This is because we consumeWAY too much Omega 6 food oils like corn, soy, canola,sunflower, etc. (all recommended by the NEW Food Pyramid, remember). These Omega 6 oils overpower & shut downthe Omega 3 Pathway.

We further block EFA's byconsuming lots of NFP encouraged bread, cereal, pasta, juices & "Cheezy Poofs" These inhibit the production of the D6D Enzyme needed for conversion of thesimple Omega 3 (ALA),to themore complex "work-horse"Omega 3's: EPA & DHA!

Also, many of the 70 plus trace minerals have been leached from our soil as a result of uninformed farming... artificial fertilizers only replace 3 of the elements! Anytime different groups are given trace minerals, in particular really powerful, critical ones like Selenium -- heart disease & cancer decrease! In fact the preceding was done with a whole country... New Zealand. The selenium depleted soil was causing several diseases, like cancer! It was corrected by importing selenium rich meat from Australia.

c)... You can meet your Calcium requirements with 4 servings of dairy. No! How do these people use a mirror at all! Christ retches!

OK, lets say you need 1200mg of Cal. and 4 dairy servings has 1200mg of Cal. - So there you have it, you've met the goal...not so fast, my Friend!

Do you really think you are utilizing ALL 1200mg of that Calcium? No way, boys and girls!

TheCalcium/Magnesium rationeeds to be at least a "2 to 1", and "1 to 1" would be even better... so Milk, at a "10 to 1" ratio, has a real problem.Also, Vitamin D-3 is needed to absorb Cal. but dairy uses Vit. D-2... ...which is not very effective for good absorption.

Additionally, the doctors & the dairy people never mention that many other minerals, etc. are required to utilize Calcium, thingslike potassium, silicon& sodium...also TRACE minerals like boron, zinc & copperalong with2 or 3 dozen other trace elements as co-factors. Remember the dominos I alluded to before!

So, when the women of the WHI studywere given a garbage calcium supp. (Cal. Carbonate, Zorba's favorite form!) and theinferior form of Vitamin D ( D-2 ),the Doctors & Dairy Industry were able to shout it from the roof-tops that Calcium supps don't work! Outrageous duplicity, reader! They KNOW the difference! What else can you call that... ...but evil!

Something else they were reluctant to discuss with the consumer? They didn't mention that many of those women consumed dairy every day... and were still developing Osteoporosis! ...Got milk?

Please show this paper to your Family Doctor or Dietician -- then after they "spit & sputter" or otherwise hack up an institutional hair-ball and tell you I'm wrong? Write down their reasons as to why, will you? E-mail those reasons to me. I will promptly e-reply as to where andhow they are lying to you... ...this time, too! Sincerely, I will debate these scurrilous persons any time... any where!

Remember, as you compare our conflicting positions; however, who has the biggest pecuniary dog in the hunt, reader! Then watch as my dog handily shreds their dog and shows their dog for what it really is: A conflicted shill for sociopathic corporate interests greedily and gleefully campaigning to make us stupid. To make us sick... Why? So they cansell us their 21st Century snake oil.

Until next time, reader? Well Be.

Demonization Of Low-Carb Lifestyles

By Alan Graham - alan068@centurytel.net
With Alfred Lehmberg - www.alienview.net


This is how *they* demonize the low-carb lifestyle.

The most powerful corporations and institutions in the world are strongly aligned against the low-carb (Atkins' Diet) movement. *They* will stop at nothing, in fact, to keep you well confused and so innocently consuming their ubiquitous poisons... poisons such as sugar, Poly-unsat. Food Oil (like Soy, Corn, etc.), partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (pHVO), bread, cereal, processed snack foods, and pharmaceutical drugs.

Look at just a few of the key players who have an axe to grind: the "Cancer Industrial Complex," the heart disease foundation, the diabetes industry, and the newly emerging, multifaceted, "pharmaceuticals for troubled children" market -- just to name a few. And we can't leave out the HMOs, insurance companies, the FDA, the AMA... bloated bureaucracies like Medicare and Medicaid, and probably, most significant, are the lobbyists for these organizations who give us the best government regulations that money can buy...

And, if that wasn't bad enough? The untimely and accidental death of the low-carb *guru* Dr. Atkins has emboldened the forces of evil, as is evidenced since his death, regarding the "knuckling under" of Atkins Corp... to the AMA/FDA. That knuckling under concerns the unnecessary lowering of the guidelines for the percentage of total dietary fat...aah, can you say Heart-Healthy, Blubber-Eating, Eskimoes?

The first and most important step to effectively demonize Atkins is to find an attractive, "extra-white," poster child who lost weight on Atkins' diet yet had an adverse lipid profile response and developed some kind of heart disease. Next, have the poster child sue Atkins and ensure it makes the national news.

It is rare that a low-carb regimen will result in an adverse cholesterol response, but it can happen if you do most or all of the following eight things... the wrong way:

1. If you eat only meat, cheese, and eggs... but never consume green leafy veggies, you could have a problem especially if you don't take supplementary Omega 3. Veggies are not only needed for the small quantities of Omega 3, but also for the fiber, antioxidants, and digestive enzymes. Eskimos can get by without veggies, because 2 of the fats that are high in their diet are EPA & DHA Omega-3 from cold-water sea animals/fish.

2. As previously mentioned, Omega 3 from both plant (flax seed, veggies) and animal (Fish oil, eggs) is vital for good health on a high fat, low-carb diet. Omega 3 is why the Inuit can eat, exclusively, fat and protein (no veggies) without developing heart disease.

3. Avoid pHVO (Did I have to say this?) -- Trans fat is Zero Carbs, so it does not inhibit weight loss; however, it can be a MAJOR contributor to heart disease. I have to lay this one at Dr. Atkins' feet -- in subsequent publications he emphasizes the dangers of trans-fat (HVO), but in his initial book he does not, and in fact recommends commercially processed fried pork rinds (avoid those fried in pHVO) as a zero carb snack. See #6 ref. vicious free radicals in pork rinds. If you want something fried, you have to do it at home with olive/macadamia/coconut oils, or real butter. Remember, virtually all processed or fast foods (that contain fat) use pHVO. For example "Hardees" uses pHVO in its new low-carb breakfast bowl!

4. Avoid poly-unsaturated food oil (soy, corn, safflower, cottonseed, grapeseed, peanut, and yes... EVEN canola at 38% poly!) Always use mono-unsat oils like olive or macadamia nut oil. Poly-unsat oils are Zero carbs so they also do not inhibit weight loss; however, they too are a major contributor to heart disease (see FAT FACTS). If you ask a Subway employee what kind of oils they use on their salads, 99% of the time they will say olive oil. If you, then, have them read the container label they will see that it ~is~ 10% olive oil... but then 90% *evil* Canola oil. We are inundated with too much Omega-6 poly-unsat food oils. For example, commercial meat is grain fed making it high in poly Omega-6, as opposed to grass fed (free range) meat -- high in poly Omega-3. Also, the cheapest grocery store eggs are high in Omega-6 as a result of being corn fed. The slightly more expensive cage free or free range eggs are high in Omega-3.

5. Try to limit processed or cured meats like bacon, sausage, pepperoni, salami... etc. Use as much fresh meat as possible. Overuse of processed meats can contribute to heart disease and cancer for numerous reasons to include the following:
a. They create and contain free radicals.
b. They contain unhealthful additives.
c. The protein is highly denatured and the cholesterol is damaged. Processed protein foods like powdered eggs/milk in particular have very damaged cholesterol.

6. Avoid burnt or well done meat or eggs. Burnt animal fat has Zero carbs... but creates a particularly DANGEROUS free radical called heterocyclic amines (HCA). Fried pork rinds probably have the highest amount of HCA of any food. The most healthful way to cook meat is "liquid cooking" -- stews, soups, and pot roasts. Also, that 20 year old wedding present that you never use... the lowly crock-pot, is a great way to cook with moisture, thus avoiding free radicals that attack your heart and every cell in your body.

7. Avoid carbonated drinks, antacids, and calcium carbonate -- they destroy valuable stomach acid needed for the proper digestion of fats and proteins (undigested protein in particular can adversely effect your heart, immune system, and general health). See LivingTree Root #002 at www.alienview.net/livingtree.html... "The Antacid Myth."

8. Avoid distilled and tap water -- always use reverse osmosis or highly-filtered water. Tap water is toxic (this should be old news, so I won't explain why it's toxic). Distilled water has two major problems -- firstly, distilled water has no trace minerals so it will leach minerals right out of your bones and tissue. This is why a long distance runner who sweats out lots of minerals, then drinks distilled water (thinking it's more healthful), and doesn't take a trace mineral supplement... drops dead from heart failure at 55 or 60...., secondly, distilled water in plastic bottles from the grocery store usually has a pH of about 5 (too acidic!). This also causes your body to leach minerals from your bones to correct the acidic/alkaline imbalance condition.

I would bet money that the guy suing Atkins did most or all of these things wrong -- so don't you make the same mistakes. And yes -- if you do most of these things correctly most of the time, you can eat a half pound of bacon with eggs, every Sunday morning, and feel good about it!

Next time we will discuss why grocery store vitamins/minerals are not only a waste of money... they could actually be harmful.

Well be.


Alan Graham
E-mail — alan068@centurytel.net

"The Worrisome Calcium Lie"

by Alan Graham (with Alfred Lehmberg)

Do calcium pills work? Is supplementation useful, effective, or even necessary? Well, if you believe Christine Gorman's one-sided article in Time Magazine (Feb 22, 06), then the answer is NO! Time and several of the other competing news magazines reported the results of the WHI (Women's Health Initiative) study showing that taking supplemental Calcium & Vitamin D was pretty much a waste of time and the "extra" Calcium (Cal) might even cause an increase in kidney stones.

What a patent crock. Aren't Christine and her lock-step colleagues over at US News & World Report supposed to be crack "Investigative" reporters? Right...? It certainly wouldn't take much erstwhile "investigating" to find the ugly truth. Moreover, shouldn't these strange, unexpected, and abundantly inaccurate results prompt ones FIRST question to be, "Are there different forms of Calcium & Vitamin D supplements, and if so, are some absorbed better than others, and if so ... what kind did the women in the *study* take"?

This is first tier, fundamental, and basic stuff in journalism, reader. All she had to do was ask the first holistic practitioner she ran into... or even the teenage girl at the local health food store could probably give a decent explanation. Seriously? I can only presume that Christine is "in the tank" for "whomever", or that she's hugely inept...

...I'm going with "in the tank" because US News & WR ran pretty much the same article, and Ms. Gorman is supposed to be at the top of her journalistic game... Have you ever noticed how big corporations will lie for each other... ...much like priests, doctors, lawyers & cops? I digress...

It is conceivable (though doubtful) that Christine did ask something along those lines ... but I'm sure after the medical "doctors" very condescendingly explained how all Calcium & Vit. D supplements are "pretty much the same," she looked no further... I think a real investigative reporter would ask for a second opinion from someone with an opposing view, like a Naturopathic Doctor or Holistic Nutritional Consultant, but that's just me...

Why would you exclusively believe that it is these "Naturopathic" Doctors who have the pecuniary ax to grind? Who is making the BIG money with regard to what they would prescribe? Follow the money, reader.Are the pharmaceutical industries "God-like" pawns and too-willing imps... the MDs... to be trusted to the exclusion of all others? I think not.

Believe me, the Drug Companies and the MDs who receive cleverly concealed kickbacks as "Research Field Associates", for pushing a particular drug, are giddy with the prospect of selling you more Fosamax for your osteoporosis... and maybe, just by discrediting Calcium / Vit. D supplements, that discrimination will carry over to all supplementations -- then they own you!

...But, don't they own you already? I suspect that they do. You see folks, there are different forms of Calcium & Vit. D, and believe me, the differing forms make all the difference in the world.

Not writing to the appropriate period? Here's what Christine said in her Time piece:"...They took a standard Calcium & Vitamin D supplement..."Whoa! Gee Christine... ...what the hell is a "standard" supplement? The truth of the matter is that there's no such thing as a "standard" supplement! Ms. Gorman applied the term "standard" to the forms that "doctors" always recommend... and coincidentally they are the forms that not only don't work very well... they are actually bad for you.

The cheap, inferior mineral forms that virtually all the WHI women took are called 'Inorganic Salts'. They include Calcium CARBONATE, Calcium PHOSPHATE and Magnesium OXIDE, as opposed to a superior 'Organic Chelated' mineral. Also, the Vitamin D was the inferior and less active form, Vit. D-2 ( ergocalciferol ) as opposed to the superior, active form: Vit. D-3 (cholecalciferol).

It makes a big difference, reader! Calcium, like all minerals, generally has to "catch a ride" with some other substance like the Inorganic Salts, mentioned above (in capitals), or they can be Organically Chelated (Kee-late-id) with a variety of organic substances. Chelate, figuratively, means "Bound To," but literally means "Claw." Another way to get trace minerals and trace amounts of macro minerals is as ionic elements in concentrated sea water. Or, they can remove most of the sodium to make Liquid Ionic Trace Mineral Drops that are great for re-mineralization of distilled or reverse osmosis water.

Lets start with the Inorganic Salts. These are the cheapest, least absorbable forms... like carbonate, phosphate, chloride & oxide. Calcium Carbonate & Magnesium Oxide are found in all grocery store Multivitamins like Centrum, Theragram, Flintstones (...God bless the children, huh?), etc.

Calcium Carbonate is also the main ingredient in most OTC antacids like Tums.1). Carbonate - Calcium carbonate is particularly unhealthful because it neutralizes valuable stomach acid (that's why it's in Tums). If Christine had paid attention in her High School Biology she might've remembered that minerals (themselves being inorganic) are very difficult to absorb and require copious amounts of stomach acid to be effectively utilized.

Under ideal conditions, with Carbonate, you will likely absorb less than 10% of the Calcium (many say less than 5%), but if you consume sodas, tums, tap water, sugar & Eric Cartman's Cheezy Poofs? Then "Forget about it" ...you won't absorb ANY Calcium from Calcium carbonate.

So, lets connect a few more dots... As we get older we produce LESS stomach acid, not MORE. TOO LITTLE stomach acid (believe it or NOT!) is the cause of heartburn & "acid" reflux, in most cases because when you have a normal, healthful, stomach pH of less than 3 (VERY ACIDIC), your LES ( Lower Esophageal Sphincter ) will naturally try to stay tightly closed... protecting the esophagus.

The LES will open (sort of magically) to swallow and to burp, but it can open when it shouldn't because your stomach is too alkaline and too full for that degree of alkalinity (it should be very acidic if full). This, then, allows stomach contents to splash up into the esophagus... ...causing heartburn.

This seems counterintuitive, I know, because even though there's too little acid to keep the LES slammed shut... ...there is still enough acid to cause terrible heartburn.So, taking Calcium Carbonate with your meal will exacerbate the unhealthful alkaline condition. That's the science.

Remember, when your stomach is as acidic as battery acid (pH of 1) it will not only encourage the LES to stay closed, precluding esophageal burning (heartburn), but will also insure good digestion & protection from harmful microbes!

Most importantly, it will properly "soften up" protein so the undigested protein will not cause an autoimmune response when it makes its way further down the gut... ...where it is then perceived by the body to be a "foreign invader." In other words, this can prompt your immune system to attack YOU, reader, resulting in anything from nagging joint pain to life destroying MS.

I know when you have "heartburn" it's easy to assume you have too much acid... because it burns! Moreover, this is especially true when your smilingly sociopathic Medical "Doctor" strolls in and proclaims his saccharin pontification that you have "reflux," caused by too much stomach acid... ...then prescribes pricey pharmaceuticals like Prevacid or Nexium (...the key!)... telling you authoritatively that, "Tums is a good source of Calcium."

Later you are sure he's a beneficent genius because... the pain goes... ...away!Actually, all you did was destroy the little bit of acid that was left, which then leads to more undigested food in your gut, inadequate critter & yeast protection, Leaky Gut Syndrome, diminished toxin protection, mineral & trace mineral deficiency... ...ultimately chronic disease and early death. I'm not overselling this...

Please read our paper "The Antacid Myth": http://www.alienview.net/ALLT1.html#AntacidMyth2).

Phosphate - Calcium Phosphate is also an inferior form because in order to absorb Calcium you need a Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio of about 1 to 1 (2 to 1 in the bones). Unfortunately, even the poorest diet already has too much phosphorus because of colas, beer, dairy, bran cereal & processed meats. Excessive Phosphorus inhibits Calcium absorption ... So taking Calcium Phosphate supplements can exacerbate a mineral / trace mineral deficiency! It especially likes to inhibit Iron.

3). Oxide - Magnesium Oxide is the bogus "standard" form that the WHI women took... ...which is the kind found in ALL grocery store Multivitamins. Fairly large amounts of Magnesium need to be soluble & absorbable in order to utilize the Calcium you take. Humm... so how can I put this? Magnesium Oxide is "Crap".Look at what the mainstream website PubMed (www.pubmed.gov) had to say when comparing Mag. Citrate (organic) & Mag. Oxide (inorganic):

"Magnesium OXIDE was virtually insoluble in water and only 43% soluble in simulated peak acid secretion (24.2 mEq hydrochloric acid/300 ml). Magnesium CITRATE had high solubility even in water (55%) and was substantially more soluble than magnesium oxide in all states of acid secretion. Re-precipitation of magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide did not occur when the filtrates from the solubility studies were titrated to pH 6 and 7 to stimulate pancreatic bicarbonate secretion. Approximately 65% of magnesium citrate was complexed as soluble magnesium citrate, whereas magnesium complexation was not present in the magnesium oxide system. Magnesium absorption from the two magnesium salts was measured in vivo in normal volunteers by assessing the rise in urinary magnesium following oral magnesium load. The increment in urinary magnesium following magnesium citrate load (25 mmol) was significantly higher than that obtained from magnesium oxide load. Thus, magnesium CITRATE was more soluble and bio-available than magnesium OXIDE."

Even though most doctors will tell you that the Calcium Carbonate in Oscal & Caltrate is the superior form, some "conscientious" MD or dietician might recommend Citracal (which is Calcium Citrate, that we'll discuss in a moment). Even though there are no grocery store Multivitamin/Minerals that have Organic Chelated Minerals, Citracal is the one grocery store Calcium Supplement that is Organically Chelated.

Here's the problem... Even though it uses Calcium CITRATE, it then negates this positive by using Magnesium OXIDE! This will compromise the absorption of the Cal. Citrate.

Consequently? I personally wouldn't take it ... not just because of the Magnesium Oxide, but as Frank Zappa was fond of saying, "It's Strickly Commercial..." meaning that it is in a cheap tablet form that uses numerous artificial binders, and other unnecessary "stuff".

Here are the ingredients off the label: Yikes!!

"Calcium Citrate, Polyethylene Glycol, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Povidone, Croscarmellose Sodium, Color Added, HPMC, Zinc Oxide, Sodium Borate, Manganese Gluconate, Magnesium Stearate, Carnauba Wax, Vitamin D3."

Kidney Stones (KS):The consumption of Supplemental INORGANIC Salts will increase the formation of kidney stones, reader, exacerbated by carbonated drinks, tap water, sugar, Tums, and high phytate & oxalate foods, like grains & Soy.

This is because these things in concert can cause a mineral deficiency and contrary to what many MDs tell you... ...Kidney Stones are more apt to form when we are calcium deficient. Remember, even if you've swallowed massive amounts of Calcium Carbonate, you can still be calcium deficient.

People who take Organically Chelated minerals and who have NOT neutralized their stomach acids with sodas & Tums, rarely have kidney stones.

Additionally, with older people, avoiding things that neutralize acid may not be enough, they very likely might need to take additional "Stomach Acid in a capsule"...supplemental Betaine HCL with Pepsin.

I get e-mail all the time from people around the world that, after reading "The Antacid myth" NewsLetter, have stopped taking expensive Nexium and did the opposite by taking more stomach acid in supplement form...Betaine HCL w. Pepsin. Not only did the heartburn stop but they were delightfully surprised when... ...so did the gas & bloating!

They were surprised because they didn't know the Antacid, ironically, was the cause of their discomfort. In many, the lower bowel distress had been around for so long they thought it was normal.

Ask the medical "doctor" with a new heartburn patient if they EVER check acid levels and if then found to be low? Do they then recommend HCL w. pepsin for low stomach acidity? The MD will likely either cover his ears and chant LA-LA, LA-LA, LA-LA, LA -- or his head will implode!

You see, there is no pricey pharmaceutical available... ...so it's better to pretend there is no such thing as low acid (so they don't check)! This is preferable to recommending a health food store item they won't be getting a kick-back on! Especially when doing the wrong thing (taking antacids) appears to work...

This is so sad, not to mention morally repugnant. Here's what you SHOULD use, reader:

Organic Chelated Minerals -- these minerals are "bound" to an organic substance which INCREASES absorption and reduces bowel discomfort (unlike the inorganic Oxide). The examples in (1). below are a sub-category that many, exclusively, refer to as "Organic Chelation"...but technically all 3 examples below are "Organic".

(1). Citrate - Calcium Citrate is one of the most bio-available, plus it has the advantage of being "pre-acidified" so it can be taken with or without food. Unlike Calcium Carbonate which must be taken with food to remotely have enough stomach acid to absorb... ...even a very small amount!There are2 more Chelators (along the lines of Citrate) that I also like , LACTATE & a combo CITRATE/MALATE. These have a little less "Elemental Calcium" but , like the LACTATE for example, is about 3 times more soluble than Citrate.

There are many other Chelators like GLUCONATE, ASCORBATE, SUCCINATE, etc. that are fine... ...but Citrate (and the other 3 above) are probably the BEST in this smaller sub-category. This is particularly true for Calcium/Magnesium, but for other minerals a different chelator might be better.

For example - polynicotinate works well with the mineral Chromium, of course, so does Chromium that's Amino Acid Chelated. (described in 3. below)(2). Krebs Cycle Chelation - The "Krebs Cyclers" (I just, now, made up that term) claim this is the superior form because it uses, as chelators, all or most of the substances associated with the 8 energy producing positions along the Krebs Cycle. Seems like science to me!

Actually, some of the Chelators above are some of the "stops" along the Krebs Cycle pathway...ie, Citrate, Succinate, etc, but I digress.(3). Amino Acid Chelation (Albion Process)... This is my personal favorite and with time I suspect more & more brands will offer Amino Acid (AA) chelated minerals!

Right now there are only a handful available. Some brands use their own Amino Acid Chelation process (which is fine). However, a few brands use the patented Albion Process that I think is likely the best... but maybe not. AA chelated minerals are surrounded by various Amino Acids that hide the "charged mineral" so it can sneak past the oppositely charged Intestinal Villi on the surface of the gut. Something to consider --

As a bare minimum, the Calcium / Magnesium ratio should be 2 to 1 (2 Cal to 1 Mag). However, many holistic types, my-self included, feel that a 1 to 1 (or even higher at 1 to 2) is closer to actual human physiology... making it FAR superior.

If a person tried to take a large dose of Cal / Mag at a 1 to 1 ratio ( lets say 1500mg Cal / 1500mg Mag ) using the inferior Oxide? They would likely have massive diarrhea. On the other hand, large doses of Amino Acid Chelated Magnesium are very well tolerated.

The Vitamin D Lie:There are essentially 2 forms of Vitamin D ...D-2 & D-3 ( let's not waste time even discussing the manmade D-5 ). Vit. D-2 is found in all grocery store Multivitamins and is also used to "fortify" milk (...figures...).Vitamin D is CRITICAL for Cal/Mag absorption... unfortunately Vit. D-2 is ineffective for this purpose. The more active form that your body likes is Vit. D-3, found in Cod Liver Oil, Eggs and made by the Sun (or in supplemental form).Also, this fear of Vitamin D toxicity is pretty much confined to Vit. D-2 (...Got Milk?).

We can safely utilize very large doses of D-3 ...for example, standing naked in the noon day sun at the equator you will self-manufacture many thousands of IUs of D-3. Of course, there are several reasons why you wouldn't want to take that much D-3 orally in supplemental form.

However, most people need 2 or 3 times as much as the recommended dose of 400iu and dark skinned people should get even more... along the lines of 1600 to 2000iu of D3. Never take vitamin D by itself ...ALWAYS take with Cal/Mag.It is troubling that black leaders and the medical community ignore the growing Vitamin D deficiency ... thanks for your "help" Christine -- now even FEWER people of color will take Vitamin D-3. Good work.

Half truths are the worst kind of lie, especially from those who should know better... ...here's a good example: "Doctors" will tell you Calcium CARBONATE is the superior form because it has the highest percentage of "Elemental Calcium" at 40% (so that's 40% actual Calcium & 60% carbonate) as opposed to "only" 25% Elemental Calcium in Calcium Citrate.

Well yeah...that's true, on the surface, but if you only utilize a very small precentage in the Carbonate form but use nearly all the Citrate form -- then "more available" does not equate to "more usable". See how that works?

The MDs and drug companies see this report as a gold mine because now they can sell even more toxic garbage like Fosamax & Boniva. The following is from our paper "Mo' Money, Mo' Money"http://www.alienview.net/ALLT1.html#Momoney"

Lucrative Drug Design -- Most pharmaceuticals work, when they work at all, in a negative and unnatural way. These, very unwisely, BLOCK, STOP, MASK, SUPPRESS, INTERFER or INHIBIT normal bodily systems. Let's look at one of the big sellers: Fosamax -- It increases the amount of 'bone' in your bones. Yes... this is true... but this is a bad thing! To insure you have strong bones, mother nature created a dual system by which, as new strong and healthy bone is manufactured, the older and weaker bone is efficiently removed. Fosamax blocks the system removing the old bone... ...Yes, you have more bone... but it's brittle and weaker bone, crap bracing crap... so after 4 or 5 years of Fosamax the incidents of hip fractures increases.

"The evil Dairy Lobby is also thrilled with the results of this study because, now more than ever, the universal message is ...drink more milk! Unfortunately milk is a poor source of Calcium because the Cal/Mag ratio is not even close to 1 to 1 or 2 to 1 for that matter -- it is a Magnesium deficient ratio of 10 to 1! Also, absorption is further compromised because the Vitamin D is the nearly worthless D-2 form.

Fruits & veggies are a better source of Calcium & Magnesium. Even though some F&Vs with Calcium have a poor Cal/Mag ratio (like maybe 5 to 1) the vast majority are at least 2 to 1 ratio. Here are a few heavy weights that are almost 1 to 1 or better -- the BEST, are Avocados at 1 to 2. Pineapple & Raspberry are about 1 to 1.5. Cauliflower, Peas & Mangos are almost 1 to 1. Tomato, Asparagus & many green leafy veggies are about 1.5 to 1. Blackberries & Broccoli are about 2 to 1 (some Broccoli is as low as 5 to 1). Folks, milk at a 10 to 1 ratio has a real problem.

Please remember friends - just because you read it in Time or heard it from a handsome, "greying at the temples" George-Clooney-look-alike "doctor"...doesn't make it true.

Consider: When you... caress your mate, cross a leg, or tousle a child's hair. Take a breath, blink an eye, wipe a bitter-sweet tear. Move, run, and jump, and then enjoy a good yawn along with a full-range-of-movement s-t-r-e-t-c-h. When you know healthy satisfaction, convenient painless ease, and feeling good in your own skin...It's the APPROPRIATE Calcium/Magnesium/Vit. D team of supplements that is key to, and absolutely required, for the enjoyment of the preceding... ...plus much, much more.

Why? ...Every time you contract even the tiniest muscle in your body it requires Calcium to contract that muscle & Magnesium to allow the muscle to relax. Every one...You are likely not getting enough of it. Very likely not...The "why" should absolutely outrage you.

Until next time? Well BE.

The "Antacid Myth"...

by Alan Graham (with Alfred Lehmberg)

Discerning reader;

This is the "Antacid Myth"...

It is a cold hard fact that the older we get the ~less~ stomach acid (HCL with pepsin) we produce. We know mother nature not only works this way concerning gastric acid and digestive enzymes, but, so too, with pretty much ~all~ biologically necessary substances. For example, older people produce less glucosomine and SAMe, so arthritis develops. Additionally, advanced in years, people produce less COQ-10, so heart problems become an avoidable result.

A conservative estimate is that 75% of the people over 50 have too LITTLE HCL/pepsin available for proper digestion. That's a ~huge~ number. Conversely, if we could know the accurate percentage of people with ~real~ hyperacidity, or too MUCH acid, I suspect that that number would be surprisingly low, not high. It remains, ironically, that popular culture, and virtually all of mainstream medicine, talks exclusively about too ~much~ acid -- NEVER too little. This strangely facilitates, then, the manufacture of expensive substances to suit this peculiar misinformation. What is going on? How can this be so?

...Could the preceding be because two ...very expensive... prescription antacids are among the top five pharmaceuticals sold? Also consider, the big pharmaceutical producers can't make money on the one compound that would very likely help the most -- Betaine HCL w/ pepsin! These are CHEAP substances to produce and are natural, always superior, substances... ... substances that can't be patented by drug companies, I remind the reader, to sell at inflated prices!

The preceding neatly facilitates a nearly perpetual alkaline condition, due to LOW stomach acidity. This is ~VERY~ unhealthy ... not just because it adversely effects digestion, but because a very acidic (pH less than 3) stomach is needed to kill harmful bacteria and other parasites!

A despair provoking ~pattern~ emerges. It becomes plain that indiscriminate and reflexive pill-popping antacid abuse only provides a continuous flow of revenues for Doctors and Drug Companies. This is not only because the antacids, themselves, are a big seller, but by adversely effecting digestion they make people sick in a predicted future as a result of the unhealthful effects of the undigested protein and harmful critters not naturally killed off by inadequate acid. Protein which has not been properly 'softened up' by hydrochloric acid (HCL) with pepsin (protein digestive enzyme ) can cause allergic reactions, arthritis/joint pain, and auto-immune wackiness (the undigested protein is actually seen as a foreign invader by your immune system!).

This is such a perfect scam for Big Pharm! Not just because ~low~ acid and ~high~ acid conditions both have similar symptoms, but because antacids actually appear (but ~only~ appear!) to work by reducing heartburn! But at what cost, reader!?! The hapless victim never makes the connection between the antacids taken in the past and the disease now endured in the present!

Heartburn and reflux is an extremely complex subject ~ so much so that mainstream medical science does not fully understand all of the mechanisms that function to protect the esophagus from high acid conditions... mechanisms generally centered around the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). This LES opens and closes at various times for various reasons. When the LES stays open when it shouldn't, stomach acids can splash-up (reflux) and burn the esophagus. Pretty much the only answer that doctors seem to have (short of surgery?) is various forms of antacid, smarmily sold by a smiling washed up quarterback who never warns you of the potential for a future misery... ...that is very, very real!

Doctors cite bogus reasons in an attempt to explain what appears to be a ~defective~ LES... it's either hereditary, a physiological fluke... or it's YOUR fault because you have gained weight, don't exercise, eat fatty foods, or eat too much at once. Two things they never mention though, are the aforementioned and likely ~insufficient~ Stomach Acid... or the 40 or 50 ~other~ pharmaceuticals compromising an already distressed or abused LES ... things like blood pressure meds, NSAIDS (Aspirin etc), or sedatives.

To understand why ~I~ think heartburn is caused by too little HCL/pepsin, let's state some reference facts and casual observations. In order to find applicable references, one has to use animals, babies, or go back several decades before it was discovered that prescription antacids were such a "gold-mine." The thread is there.

1. Why does the LES easily open with only 5 mm Hg of pressure from above (swallowing) yet 80 mm Hg pressure from below WON'T force it open. It will; however, gently open to burp with a full stomach, yet slams closed at the first sign of acid (Dornhurst AC, 1954).

2. Doctors were surprised to discover that neither high nor low stomach acid determines whether or not one got heartburn. Shouldn't heartburn be pretty much associated with HIGH acid? I mean, after all, don't doctors prescribe antacids as a matter of course if you complain of heartburn (...and they rarely, if ever, check acid levels).

3. In 1967, Lastaste and Conthier made the following observation concerning acid secretion and inhibiting reflux. "If acid/pepsin is required to activate the receptor, it would be expected that removal of the acid secreting portion of the stomach would cause a failure of sphincter inhibition and consequently reflux. This complication has been described. Again, if there is a loss of gastric acid production from atrophic gastritis, there is increased reflux." In this condition the pH may be greater than 5 instead of the normal less than 3 (Lastaste and Conthier, 1967).

4. When burping babies, mothers put the baby in a position so air pushes against the receptive area, not gastric fluid on the posterior wall of the fundus ~ so gastric fluid won't activate the inhibitory reflex. In other words the LES will close because of acid thus prohibiting the burp.

5. As early as the previous turn of the century W. B. Cannon did extensive research in animals that showed that changing from an alkaline to an acidic stomach caused the cardiac sphincter (same as LES) to rapidly slam closed ~ thus PROVING the acid~closure connection ( yeah -- I know... it's animals, but so what...) (Cannon, WB 1908).

6. In 1953 see what T. Collis had to say about HCL and the receptor that closes the sphincter. "To be sure, this important reflex is not the only one affecting the sphincter.

For example, it has been shown that acid stimulation of the esophageal mucosa causes increased basal production of HCl in the stomach. This seemingly paradoxical vicious circle may actually serve the organism by feeding back a signal that will stimulate the CD receptor and thus close the sphincter. ." Think for a second, reader, with regard to the preceding citation. Mother Nature... or God, if you'd rather, designed a system ensuring that when acid hits the mucosal cells of the esophagus, it doesn't do what one might logically assume, that is to say, stimulate a reduction of acid...NO, Mother Nature makes even more acid, knowing that is the healthy and intelligent way to get the LES to close, thus avoiding heartburn... so why would a doctor do the exact opposite of God by prescribing antacids"?

With all this in mind, here's how, ~I~ think, too LITTLE stomach acid can cause heartburn. Let's assume we eat a big meal and have too little stomach acid, because of age, antacid abuse, carbonated drinks, et. al. Because of this condition, digestion is slow to take place, so the food backs up, plus the alkaline stomach, within minutes, causes gas to build up which also causes the sphincter to relax, allowing stomach contents to splash into the esophagus. This causes heartburn, even though we have low stomach acid ~ the little bit of acid that ~is~ there still burns... ...so we dutifully take our obligatory TUMS. Then, a few minutes later, we are sure we've done the correct thing, because the burning goes away. Of course, by then, there is NO acid left to digest your food or kill harmful bacteria.

If you have a big meal with plenty of stomach acid, digestion is speeded along, and the high acid condition causes the LES to stay tightly closed ~ no heartburn... not to mention good digestion and critter protection.

It is a very simple process to determine if Betain HCL/pepsin, supplemental capsules will help you: First big meal take one 250 mg HCL/pepsin ( only take with moderate to large meals that contain protein). If the meal contains fat you should also take an additional enzyme complex that contains lipase, etc. If you are really suffering from too much acid, this additional stomach acid (HCL) will cause your stomach to feel warm, indicating you don't need additional HCL. If you don't get a warm stomach then the next day try one HCL capsule right before the meal, then take one halfway through the meal ~ if no adverse response, then the next day go to three capsules... continue until your stomach gets warm... and then back off one. If you have ulcers...don't try this until you fix the ulcer. Most ulcers can be fixed in 6 to 8 weeks with the proper diet and supplementation... taking antacids; however, every day will NEVER fix the problem, even though it gives you the illusion it is.

Another situation: After quitting antacids and building up to two or three HCL caps per meal your digestion improves dramatically... but you still get some occasional heartburn. This indicates that even at the proper high acid level, your LES is still sluggish and not closing properly. This could be, as I believe, because you've been operating in an alkaline condition for so long and have taken so many TUMS that your LES has *forgotten* how to properly close.
In this situation, if you do the following, the condition will hopefully correct itself.
1. Take supplements:

a. Betain HCL/Pepsin
b. Digestive enzymes ( some formulas contain HCL w. pepsin ). If you don't have a Gall Bladder -- take a formula with Ox Bile.
c. Probiotic (like acidophilus)-- I think the superior way to get probiotics is 1 or 2 cups of Kefir daily.
d. Quality multi-vitamin / mineral / trace minerals. Take something a notch or two above synthetic/inorganic Multi's like Centrum. I like Multi's where the majority of the minerals are Amino Acid Chelated, instead of the cheap inorganic crap like carbonate or oxide found in Theragram, Flintstones, et al. Get the trace mineral complex with 70+ elements, not just the handful that doctors say you need.
e. Sublingual ( under the tongue ) , methylcobolamine B-12 (1000mcg) -- they also make a 5000mcg tablet, which I perfer.
f. MSM ~ A natural form of sulfur that aids digestion and too many other things to mention (by the way, you are not allergic to "sulfur," only "sulfa" it is impossible to be allergic to sulfur. Be not fooled).
g. 3 tablespoons fresh ground Flax Seed daily. You can take 1 or 2 teaspoons of Flax Oil but freshly ground is SO superior.
h. 2 to 6 grams of Hi-Potency fish oil -- NO fish ( too much lead & mercury )

2. Exercise.

3. Lose 10 pounds.

4. Avoid high fat meals ~ fat stays in your stomach the longest.

5. Eat four to six small meals a day. Whey Protein Isolate Smoothies are great for 2 or 3 of those small meals.

6. Make last meal of the day very small and at least three hours before bed.

7. Chew food extra well -- this is where digestion begins.

8. Avoid sugar and refined flour.

9. Avoid Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil / Trans Fat (margarine, etc).

10. Avoid poly-unsat food oils to include Canola (only use olive oil & unrefined, hexane free, Coconut oil ).

11. Avoid tap water & bottled water - I recommend Reverse Osmosis (RO) water or Distilled water but both take out nearly all the trace minerals so you should replace them with Liquid Trace Mineral Drops. As a bare minimum use a top grade carbon filter (they only reduce the chlorine taste & smell, they DON'T nearly remove all the chlorine) & store water in glass, not plastic. The chlorine in tap water attacks the good "Bugs" in your gut and the Fluoride/Aluminum contributes to Thyroid disease, Heart disease, MS, et al.

Worst situation: If you have a Hiatal Hernia ( Stomach lining is keeping the LES from closing ) try to do all of the previously suggested things... ...being particularly careful with the HCL/pepsin until you determine if it will make the burning worse. In rare situations, the hiatal hernia can correct itself, if you lose some weight and exercise moderately. But realistically, in order to have any real hope of these suggestions correcting the problem you probably need to start with the stomach lining not protruding up into the esophagus. The way to accomplish this is to have a chiropractor trained to perform the Hiatal Hernia(HH) Procedure where the Doctor pulls the stomach lining down out of the esophagus. This is generally a temporary fix that might only stay fixed for a month, a week, or only a few days... but if you are very aggressive with all of the previous suggestions you might get things under control without too many returns to the chiropractor to have the procedure repeated. It's cheap - most chiropractors here in LA (Lower Alabama) charge $25.00. If you've had a bad HH for a long time, your first HH manipulation will provide you with a serious, profound, and instantaneous relief ...trust me, you'll think you've seen God!

That's the long and the short of it. "Excess acid" is an ~evil~ myth and the pharmaceuticals proffered to bring that condition under control are a dangerous and unhealthful fraud! These pharmaceuticals are needlessly expensive and unnecessary, only lead to subsequent facilitated diseases to *manage*... ...each with its own class of dangerous and unhealthful pharmaceuticals! The preceding, of course, only *manages* disease symptoms without *curing* the disease... ...once again... a refrain becoming increasingly more familiar...


Until next time, then. If you have any questions concerning this paper or info on the somewhat unusual chiropractic procedure for HH... then give me a call, or E-mail.
Well, be!

Alan Graham
alan068@centurytel.net
Phone -- (334) 774 0395

"The Cholesterol Myth"

by Alan Graham (with Alfred Lehmberg)
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Discerning reader;

This is the "Cholesterol Myth."

Once upon a time in the late 60's a brilliant Harvard scientist, Dr. K. McCully (pictured above), did extensive research regarding the effects of folic acid, B-6, B-12 & Betaine (TMG) on homocysteine levels in the blood. He determined these simple inexpensive B vitamins, plus the methyl-donor Tri-methyl-glycine (TMG), dramatically facilitated the breakdown of this corrosive amino acid.

Homocysteine has a toxic effect on artery cells, resulting in inflammation & deformation of the arterial walls. This causes a rough spot that cholesterol and oxidized lipids stick to. Cholesterol sort of acts like putty… "sealing the cracks" so to speak.

This sticking to the rough spot is not the fault of the cholesterol and can happen to a thin vegeterian with a "normal" total cholesterol. Especially if they are not a well educated Vegeterian but are actually a "Carbotarian" that consumes large amounts of sugar, fructose, refined grains & polyunsat. food oils. This lethal combo of refined carbs & poly food oil provides the inflammation (refined carbs) & the material to build-up (poly oil like corn & soy). Consider the following :

a)... 80% of the cholesterol your body manufactures comes from carbs, not eggs and fat!

b)... The prestigious medical journal Lancet, in 1994 published a study showing that 75% of the stuff sticking to your arteries was the very substance that I have been warning people about for years...Oxidized Polyunsat. Vegetable Oils like Corn, Soy, Safflower, Sunflower, CANOLA, Cottonseed, Grapeseed, etc.

You see, high cholesterol is not the disease, high cholesterol can be the response to the disease OR it can be a very normal condition...there are many Inuit (Eskimos) walking around with Cholesterol totals between 250 & 350 that will NEVER have a heart attack.

Of course, these Inuit will simultaneously have an HDL (good Cholesterol) of 85 instead of a sickly 30 like most Polyunsaturated oil "Over-dosed" Americans. These bizarre, yet very healthful, cholesterol numbers are because of EPA & DHA Omega 3 from fish oil and avoiding the oxidized Poly Vegetable oils like Corn, Soy, Sunflower, etc.

Well, for us non-Eskimos, the B Vitamin reducing Homocysteine discovery, being so easy & cheap, naturally prompted his fellow doctors and the AMA to praised him as a hero -- right? Wrong.

Unfortunately, about that time, the large drug companies were eagerly anticipating the introduction of their expensive and very dangerous cholesterol lowering Statin drugs like Lipitor! Consequently, Dr. McCully had to be squashed like a bug…

He was fired from his prestigious Harvard job, ridiculed in the press and medical journals, and wound up doing medical grunt work (autopsies) in a seedy VA hospital.

Well... thirty years and millions of Lipitor prescriptions later, in 1998, Dr. McCully was vindicated by receiving the Functional Medicine Linus Pauling Award , his book "The Homocysteine Revolution," was published, and all the medical journals grudgingly admitted he was right all along.

So everything has changed for the better -- right? Sorry… wrong again. It's business as usual -- doctors and HMOs have just covered their collective ears and continue to march in scurrilous step. If you don't believe me, go see 100 MDs and tell them artherosclerosis runs in your family and that your cholesterol is a little high. I bet all 100 MDs will put you on Lipitor in a New York minute, and never, and I mean NEVER, mention folic acid, B-6, B-12 or TMG.

You know I'm right, because we are constantly bombarded by Mandy Patinkin (who played a Doctor on TV) telling us we might need Crestor to lower our Cholesterol even lower than the already artificially, corporately driven, low number of 200...low, to sell more Lipitor. Anyway, when Mandy, et al. say "when diet & exercise aren't enough..." why don't you ever heard them say? "when diet, exercise & folic acid aren't enough..."?

Let's connect the dots.

Doctors are quick to point out that 50% to 60% of the people that have heart attacks have high cholesterol and the cause is eating high cholesterol foods like saturated fat and eggs. But wait a minute, doesn't that mean that 40% to 50% did NOT have high cholesterol yet died of the same disease -- artheriolosclerosis. This could only mean there must be some underlying reason that causes the cholesterol build-up and that high cholesterol just means that it might (but equally, might not) accumulate a little faster, so you die a little sooner. You will still die even if you are a slim vegetarian runner who consumes virtually no sat fat or cholesterol. This is because the underlying reasons have almost nothing to do with dietary sat fat or cholesterol yet has everything to do with the other foods, etc., you consume, and the supplements you don't consume.

The underlying reason is your body is trying to protect itself by inflammation of the arterial wall caused by one or more corrosive agents that raise your homocysteine (like the aforementioned glucose/insulin, an acidic body pH, oxidized polyunsat. food oils, carbon monoxide from smoking and excessive consumption of meat without adequate B-6, B-12, TMG & folic acid).

Unfortunately many of the same dietary mistakes that cause the inflammation also cause an increase in platelet stickiness, further exacerbating the problem. And contrary to popular belief these dietary mistakes are mostly about sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), poly unsaturated food oil and too much of the wrong kind of protein, in particular, highly oxidized, very acidic, processed protein like pepperoni, powdered eggs, powdered milk ...yet has virtually nothing to do with how much undamaged dietary sat fat and non-oxidized cholesterol we consume!

Isn't it obvious that taking a harmful Statins like Lipitor to lower cholesterol is a silly approach.

Statin drugs are dangerous poisons that cause liver damage, peripheral neuropathy, muscle degeneration, and everybody's favorite... erectile dysfunction! This is particularly disconcerting when you consider statins are completely unnecessary. Wouldn't it make more sense to alleviate the two components that cause the build-up in the first place? Inflammation and platelet stickiness!

Statins can cause heart attacks :

Statins, like virtually all pharmaceuticals, do not enhance bodily systems, they block systems & pathways...they are not Probiotic (For Life), they are Antibiotic (Against Life). Statins are particularly evil in this regard...to reduce cholesterol, they block the Ubiquinone System, but unfortunately, that system also produces the critical Heart nutrient, Co-Q10, which is also blocked.

The heart muscle and our cell's membranes for nerve and muscle integrity require a constant, high level of Co-Q10 but as we get older we produce less, which contributes to a weak heart with age..

Co-Q10 is also vital to the production of elastin and collagen..the basis for the structure of skin, muscle and tendons. This is the reason that one of the most serious effects of statin use is back and muscle pain, weakness, inflammation and last but not least...heart failure.

All along, the evil drug companies could have done the right thing and quitely put about 100mg of Co-Q10 right in their Lipitor but that would be tantamount to admitting a problem.
To that end, here is what you should do to be able to show a dramatic improvement in your lipid profile -- without talking pharmaceutical poisons!

Stop all sugar and refined flour.

Never consume trans fat from HVO found in margarine, vegetable shortening, etc.

Only use mono-unsat oils like Olive and macadamia nut oil, or the magical medium chain triglyceride (MCT) non hydrogenated, unrefined coconut oil. Avoid all poly-unsat food oils like corn, safflower, cottonseed, etc. Read "Fat Facts" to understand why the so-called mono-unsat canola oil is also in the avoid column!

Consume both simple & complex Omega 3 in the form of 2 tablespoons of freshly ground flax seed (Why Grind Flax Seed?) and 2 to 6 fish oil capsules (cold water fish have too much lead and mercury). Omega 3 from fish oil is mother nature's most powerful nutrient for reducing inflammation, platelet stickiness, blood pressure, allergic reactions and protecting you from Alzheimer's. Optional - I like to also take 1000mg of Black Currant Oil to get the other powerful Omega 6, anti-inflammatory, GLA.

Protein -- Excessive meat causes high methionine, that becomes Homocysteine...all of which may, but likely will not all be converted by Folic Acid, etc. SO consume a moderate amount of protein & take your B's & TMG. Remember, trying to completely cut Methionine out of your diet is not the answer. In fact if you get all your protein from Veggies, you should either use a Veg. Protein Powder that has been fortified with additional Methionine or take a Methionine supplement. One of the main reasons that Whey Protein & Egg Protein are so superior to Veg. Protein like Beans & Rice is because whey & eggs are high in Methionine.

Take a good multivitamin/mineral to insure you are getting folic acid, B6, B12 to reduce homocysteine - because most Multi's don't have enough B's, this might require an additional 'B Complex 50' or 'B Complex 100' ...the following are "Ball-park" totals : (a)...Folic Acid -- Take 800mcg. total. You will likely have 400mcg. in your Multi. Folic acid is unique, in that it is actually better absorbed from supplements than food. Folic Acid & B-12 convert Homocysteine back to methionine. (b)...B-6 -- Use P5P form. Take 50 to100mg daily...your Multi will likely have 5 to 50mg. The P5P form of B-6 converts Homocysteine into cysteine. (c)...B-12 -- ALWAYS take sublingually (under the tongue). Your Multi will have anywhere from 10 to 200mcg of the less active form, Cyanocobalamin. I recommend you take from 1000 to 5000mcg of the preferred form, Methylcobalamin. Don't let those big doses scare you...it's non-toxic and is very multi-purposeful, especially at large doses. B-12, not only converts Homocysteine back to methionine through remethylation but it gives you energy & aids in digestion.

TMG -- Take 1 gram (1000mg) daily. Trimethylglycine donates a methyl group which detoxifies homocysteine. The TMG is then reduced to DMG (dimethylglycine) which is known for its energizing effects. TMG is also called Betaine, but it is not the same thing as Betaine HCL. IMPORTANT INFO - Many people that experience little or no reduction of Homocysteine with Folic acid, B-6 & B-12...by adding TMG, suddenly get a large reduction.

Stop ALL carbonated drinks. They leach minerals from your bones and destroy valuable stomach acid, thus, adversely effecting digestion. Drink iced tea sweetened with Stevia or Xylitol. Both green and black tea are good for diabetes, osteoporosis, and are high in antioxidants. Cheap, non-organic tea will be high in the dangerous toxin, Fluoride.

Have you ever wondered why on virtually all TV adds for Statins there is a disclaimer which says "...Has not been shown to reduce Heart Attack or Stroke..."...OK, I give up...why should you take statin drugs, again?

Until next time, then, Well be.

Alan D. Graham
Phone (334) 774-0395
E-mail -- alan068@centurytel.net