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Regaining Your Health at Any Age (Part 1 in a 3 Part Series)

Although it might not be simple to do, I think we can always improve our health at any age. However, we must be willing to follow a healthy regimen of diet and exercise, coupled with discipline and the real desire to live a quality life.

It isn't the years that we live that are important, but the quality of those years.

I believe our physicians today are among the finest in the world. Some of the near miracles they perform are truly amazing. But when it comes to overusing drugs as the answer to our poor lifestyle and nutrition choices, we are the sickest country in the world. The United States represents 5% of the world's population. Yet, as a nation, we consume 50% of the drugs manufactured worldwide. Compare those statistics to other countries around the world, where 85% of the population uses plant (herb) based medicines.

Drugs are prescribed in this country like candy on Halloween. Take for example, West Virginia, where 17 prescriptions is an average per capita; on a per capita basis, some individuals could be prescribed 20 prescriptions daily. We think we are well protected by drugs, medicines and the healthcare system, but based on WHO (the World Health Organization), the United States ranks 37th in the health of its citizens. That means there are 36 other industrialized countries that are healthier than the citizens of the United States—yet their rate of prescriptions per capita is far lower. I am not against the use of drugs. If I were in an emergency ward or a trauma center I would want the physician to administer the best medicine available. However, the amounts of drugs prescribed today seem to be primarily based on drug salesmen and TV advertising. It seems that drug companies want everybody on some type of drugs. That makes great sense—for the shareholders of the drug companies.

While the U.S. lifespan has increased, the number of people living with the challenges of disease and poor health has grown significantly in the last 50 years.

The population of the United States has been sold on the fact that we are the most fortunate people in the world because of our "wonderful healthcare system." In 1987, 13 million prescriptions were written for cholesterol lowering drugs. Today there are over 200 million prescriptions written annually for statin drugs. You might wonder how, in just 20 years, such a terrific increase could be possible. It's quite simple. The criteria for high cholesterol are lowered periodically to increase more people eligible for the statin drug classification. Also, keep this in mind; no double-blind, placebo-controlled study has ever proved that statin drugs were beneficial for women. And no study has ever been conducted on children, yet the FDA has just approved statin drugs for children over the age of eight.

I would highly recommend that you get off every drug you possibly can. Yes, I know you may need a drug in a specific case, but ask your doctor why the drug is necessary and what you can do to avoid taking the drug. Today, drugs are dispensed for conditions that are the result of lifestyle choices and nutritional deficiencies.

My suggestions to help you get off drugs:

1. Change your diet. Select wholesome, unrefined, unprocessed foods. Select a large percentage of your foods from the fruit and vegetable category. Try to eat 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. They can be raw or cooked, but preferably steamed or baked. Eat whole grains and preferably those that are gluten free. Consume high quality proteins such as meat, fish (wild tuna or salmon—not farm raised), eggs, cheese, milk (goat's), whey and egg white protein (makes great smoothies); nutritious oils such as olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, flax seed oil and sesame seed oil. Avoid sugar (white and brown) and sugary desserts. Avoid high fructose corn syrup. Avoid hydrogenated fats and trans fatty acids. Avoid refined and processed flours. That means no white flour. Use stevia, agave, honey or molasses.
2. Water. Drink 2-3 quarts of pure, fresh water per day. No tap water—you want to avoid chlorine and fluorides. No substituting coffee, soup, juice or tea for your 3 quarts of fresh water. You may drink 1-2 cups of coffee per day and some diluted fruit juices, but really emphasize a good quality and quantity of water.
3. Exercise. So important and so overlooked. I don't believe you have to buy a membership to the gym or fancy equipment. Just get off the couch, off your butt and move. Studies of people who live long lives found they didn't do fancy exercises. They just keep moving. An easy way to accomplish this is 30 minutes of walking at a reasonably comfortable pace 3-4 times a week. Take the dog with you if you want, but you both have to keep moving—no stopping at every tree. Walk briskly, swing your arms and breathe deep for the entire 30 minutes.
4. Supplements. I believe supplements are very important. However, they are an addition, not a replacement, for a proper healthy diet. But even organic foods can be nutrient deficient, and many foods will have a residue of pesticides. Supplements can help fill deficiencies that can occur even when choosing healthy foods.

My two "must have" supplements: Curcumin and Vectomega®

My number one choice for a supplement would be curcumin. Curcumin is the healthiest of all the spices in the world. It contains 112 unique molecules that can simultaneously work on different pathways. It is the most powerful antioxidant of all foods with an ORAC value of 159,227 per 100 grams. Forget what you've heard about the super berries. Curcumin is really the super spice. Curcumin is anti-inflammatory, pain relieving and better than steroids or cortisone. It strengthens and boosts the immune system significantly, supports proper liver and gallbladder function and has even been reported to reduce gallstones. Studies show that curcumin can penetrate the blood brain barrier and reduce the plaque implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies at the University of Hong Kong have shown that curcumin can reverse Alzheimer's disease. At the MD Anderson Hospital in Houston Texas, curcumin has been found in research to be the strongest and most potent anticancer (chemopreventative) and chemotherapeutic for the destruction of cancer cells. In a recent laboratory study, curcumin destroyed colon cancer cells in a 24-hour period. Curcumin is like a pharmacy in one super powerful spice. If I were allowed only one supplement, curcumin would be my choice.

At a recent conference in Seattle, James Duke, a long time USDA employee and one of the finest herb researchers stated that if he had cancer, the one supplement he would take is curcumin. Generally speaking, curcumin performs in the laboratory like no other drug. However, it's very poorly absorbed in the body. Delivery systems have been designed to improve the absorption of curcumin by a factor of 1,000% by combining curcumin with turmeric essential oils, phospholipids and a process called micronization. That means that it's absorbed 10 times better than standard curcumin, and can remain in the bloodstream 8-12 hours (about 6 to 10 hours more than standard curcumin). This process was developed by an Indian company and may soon be found in the U.S. This is the type of curcumin that I would recommend for complete assimilation, absorption and body retention.

Vectomega (#2) is the only natural whole food omega 3 fatty acid in the world. It is derived only from salmon and extracted with enzymes and cold water in a process that takes only one hour. Absolutely no heat or chemicals are used in the extraction process. It is then freeze-dried, which retains all of the components including phospholipids, DHA, EPA and peptides. Because of this whole food molecule, it is absorbed at the cellular level up to 50 times greater than fish oils. Only one tablet is required on a daily basis to provide all the omega 3 fatty acids, including DHA and EPA. Because of the complex of five phospholipids, there is a greater retention and absorption. There is no burping of fish oil or fishy taste and no need to take multiple capsules of highly refined and processed fish oils. All fish oils in the world are processed with heat, chemicals or distillation to remove the impurities, but in reality, they have destroyed the original composition of the oil, making the oil difficult to be absorbed. While fish oils have been studied and proven to be very effective for cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory and brain function, grams of oil were required to obtain the benefits detailed in the studies. One tablet of Vectomega, based on its composition of phospholipids, peptides, DHA and EPA, is equivalent to approximately 6-8 ounces of salmon. This is truly a whole food omega 3 fatty acid from salmon.

In my next column I will continue with 8 additional supplements of what I consider to be my top 10 supplements that can change your life.

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