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Q. Dear Terry, “This is painful even to ask. Like many Americans I suffer from bleeding hemorrhoids. I just read of a study done in Italy published in Phytotherapy Research: "The study used French Maritime pine bark, 300 milligrams for first four days followed by 150 milligrams for the following three days." I was wondering what your thoughts are?? Would you be able to suggest any products? Thank you so much for your time. I know you are very busy. I look forward to your reply. May God continue to bless you, your family and mission to help people heal. With a grateful heart.” Deb P., York, PA

A. Dear Deb, I would suggest you look for a berry combination that functions as an antioxidant because the berry content has a strong strengthening effect on the capillaries. A combination that I think would be effective is blackcurrant, French pine bark, and grape seed extract. By strengthening the capillaries, there will be significantly less bleeding, and hopefully no bleeding at all. The bioflavonoids in berries can strengthen the capillaries even in the case of excessive bruising, as we sometimes see in the elderly. Another suggestion is to look for the herb collinsonia, which acts as an astringent so it shrinks the capillaries which in turn prevent bleeding. This combination of berries and the herb collinsonia has worked extremely well for many people.

Q. “I don't mean to be a bother, and I hope this mail does not infuriate you. A lady at a health food store gave me your e-mail address to get in touch with you and that you might be able and willing to help. A few months back, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, anemia and a PSA of 8.4. My doctor had me on BenicarHct for my BP and a referral to a urologist. My urologist had me on Avodart for about two months. Meantime my PSA has dropped to 4.2 and went back to 6.5.I complained about the side effect of the Avodart and requested to be taken off it. He granted my request, wants me to take a month off before I can get on another prescription. Meantime, there is this mention of biopsy anytime I walk into his office. I told him biopsy should not be the end result of this but he has no other alternative.

I decided to look to an alternative by checking out a natural food store. I bought your brand of Tri-Iodine, Carlson vitamin D, Vitamin Code Raw Iron and New Chapter Prostate 5LX. I have been taking the Prostate 5LX and raw iron for a few days now. My urine flow has improved. I have not gotten on the
Tri- Iodine and the Vitamin D just because there is no specific dose intake that I can see on the label.
I am also taking Sae-Mee ground tea.

Since I have a month before I see my urologist, can you please give me your “Naturally” opinion on whether I am on the right path or other ideas so I won't have to hear biopsy from this urologist? I would also like a recommendation on the right natural multivitamin for my whole family ranging from 10 years to 60 years. Looking forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance.” Christopher

A. Dear Christopher, The list of supplements you described in your email question indicates that you are on the right track. Whether or not you should have a biopsy is extremely challenging for me to answer. I think that has to be a decision made between you, God, and your doctor. As I am sure you have learned from your research, there is a certain amount of controversy regarding the value of prostate biopsies. In fact, some experts are concerned that the whole PSA number is very questionable as to whether or not it indicates a case of cancer or just a benign enlargement of the prostate. If you are over 65, many would question whether this procedure is required. Most prostate cancer is very slow growing and is usually confined to the prostate. The medical consensus of many experts is that the patient will likely outlive the cancer. I personally would not have a biopsy. I would do everything I could nutritionally, since the PSA score is not a definitive answer as to whether or not an individual has prostate cancer. My feeling is that a biopsy just triggers additional problems. I would take at least 50 mg of iodine per day to support the entire cellular function and, in particular, the prostate. I would take both the iodine and iodide forms combined. I’ve seen some very good research that 6 to12 mg of boron has significant benefits for healthy prostate function. I use a blend of 450 mg of calcium, 200 mg of magnesium, 4000 IUs of vitamin D, 12 mg of boron and 20 mg of zinc, all excellent nutrients to support my prostate function. Additionally, there is evidence that vitamin K, copper, manganese, silicon and probiotics can be supportive, too. This will give your body added support since I think you should have a fairly high level of vitamin D, zinc, boron and iodine from the supplements you mentioned in your message.

Q. “What are the best herbs and supplements to fight an autoimmune disease like vitiligo or lupus? As you know, in vitiligo, the body attacks its own melanocytes. Michael Jackson had it. Thank you.” Ariana, Boston, MA.

A. Dear Ariana, Autoimmune diseases can be quite tricky to manage, so first and foremost, I encourage you to work with your health care practitioner to decide which supplements are best in your unique situation. I can make some recommendations, but that never replaces your doctor’s care and oversight.

While I have never found a natural “cure” for vitiligo or lupus, there are definitely nutritional factors I would suggest to improve health and balance the immune system function. There are clinical studies on DL-phenylalanine (DLPA), combined with UVA (a type of ultraviolet light) that can trigger the melanin producing cells to increase production. Some studies have found that this combination can improve pigmentation in as much as 70% of vitiligo spots. [Siddiqui AH, Stolk LM, Bhaggoe R, et al. L-phenylalanine and UVA irradiation in the treatment of vitiligo. Dermatology. 1994;188(3):215-8.] A good dose is 50 to 100 mg per day orally, and if you combine that with a topical cream or gel containing 10% DLPA, you may get even better results. As for Lupus, one supplement that has a great deal of study showing disease impact is DHEA. However, the dosage levels used are very high, and I would suggest you work with your healthcare practitioner to determine the dose that is right for you.

Lastly, for any type of autoimmune disease, I like a blend of Immunogens from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with usually 500 mg of this yeast extract used once daily. I would look for a highly standardized and good quality cat’s claw. Cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa) is very powerful for autoimmune disorders because it does not stimulate the immune system, nor does it suppress it. Instead, it modulates the immune system and reduces the release of immature immune cells that can cause so much damage in these kinds of diseases. There are some excellent published studies on cat’s claw use in rheumatoid arthritis (a very common autoimmune disease) and clinical reports for use in lupus. There is nothing I like better than cat’s claw for strengthening, balancing and rebuilding the immune system. I would also add 20 mg of zinc twice daily.

Q. Dear Terry, “My husband has been taking Coumadin prescribed by his physician as a means of thinning the blood. He also suffers from a lot of pain and I would like to give him curcumin but before I do I want to make sure that it is not an additional blood thinner. Have you seen any research that shows curcumin is safe to use with a blood thinner?” Charlene, Miami, FL

A. Dear Charlene, I have never seen any research that indicates curcumin has blood thinning properties, but just to make sure, I contacted my colleagues in India who have been researching curcumin for the last several decades and asked them their opinion. I will share their exact report with you as follows. “Even though there are a few reports of blood thinning properties of curcumin at high doses, we have not come across any scientific study that reports the blood thinning properties of curcumin. Moreover, we are suggesting curcumin in very low dosages and therefore it is not contra-indicated in patients taking blood thinning medication.” To the best of my knowledge the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas has been prescribing 8-12 grams of curcumin to their cancer patients without experiencing any reports of blood thinning. However, when combining natural products with prescription drugs, we always recommend you discuss this with your health care practitioner.

Q. Dear Terry, “After reading several reports on low thyroid, I believe I have the majority of the symptoms that would indicate hypothyroidism. It also indicated that I should first try iodine as iodine is the critical mineral for proper thyroid function. Seeing that I am 6 months pregnant do you think it’s okay to try iodine for my thyroid function?” Jean H., Owensboro, KY

A. Dear Jean, I do agree with you that iodine is the critical nutrient for thyroid function and without iodine there is no thyroid function. If you are concerned about your thyroid function, you may want to ask your physician to check this out, as healthy thyroid function is very important for pregnant women and their babies. From all the scientific reports I’ve seen, iodine is a very safe mineral, up to 100,000 times safer than the recommended daily allowance of iodine. However, we never know the outcome of a new change of dietary nutrients. You are carrying one of God’s greatest gifts and I hesitate to recommend you make any changes without your physician’s advice or at least his or her awareness of what choice you make in your dietary changes. I would proceed cautiously and with professional advice. You might seek a professional opinion of an integrative physician or a naturopathic doctor who works more closely with nutritional supplements.

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